Lovin' los libros

 

 

Driven by Fate is the third Serve book written by Tessa Bailey and it is definitely the darkest and most intense. I had no idea Porter would turn out the way he did and I have to say, I'm really glad Eliza didn't get her chance with him. Frankie is much more suited for him than she was, even with Frankie being a newbie to the BDSM environment.

 

We also met Frankie very briefly in the previous novel, as she is the recipient of the Preston's memorial scholarship fund. She is my kind of girl- tough, sarcastic, and proud. It kills her to take handouts and doesn't want to feel indebted to anyone. However, without that scholarship she wouldn't be taking business classes at Columbia University either. She does have a plan of action and that is what lands her at Serve in the first place. She would be lying if she said this world didn't intrigue her. Which is why she steps into Porter Evans' room in the first place. She knows he's expecting someone else, but after he commands her to come inside... well she can't help the temptation she feels from the sexy Brit.

 

Porter's tastes are more intense than I thought they would be and while that wouldn't be a bad thing, I felt his cold, detached demeanor was too harsh at times. He isn't a man to show vulnerability. In fact, he doesn't even bother with kissing because that is too personal. Frankie is vibrant and willing, but I didn't like how he handled a lot of things with her. He knows Frankie is new to this world and he doesn't even try to ease her in gently. The Dom is supposed to take care of the Sub's needs and Porter did not do that for Frankie. He pushed too hard, was in too deep with his feelings of lust for her that he caused her real emotional pain for the way he treated her. He is not completely to blame though. Frankie is still a consenting adult and she didn't safe word either, instead just getting upset and running away afterward. That was the one thing I had a problem with in this book. I didn't really see Porter's redemption. He purposefully distances himself from her instead of showing her his true feelings and I hated seeing Frankie hurt because of that. It isn't until the end where Porter makes his grand gesture that I saw a glimpse of a guy who was hiding behind his hardened exterior. I do like the epilogue in this one, as it showed that he was earning his way with her.

 

I had trouble with them as a couple because I didn't feel their connection. I would have liked to see them talk more and have more playful, fun moments with one another to offset the harsh, upsetting ones.

 

With that all being said, this is still an incredibly steamy, sexy book. The scenes of them together where he wasn't breaking her trust were great. I especially loved the one at her house before he went all freak out in his head. It showed a sweeter, more playful side to him and I would have liked more of those.

 

Through it all, Frankie is one resilient girl. Even with Porter acting the way he does, she still manages to keep her pride and dignity. She is a smart woman with great ambition and I loved seeing that take on an important part of this book. I love the idea behind her business venture and I don't know if something like that actually exists, but wow- I would be so down for that. She has a big heart and I loved seeing how much her 'family' meant to her. Frankie is definitely someone I would want to be friends with and want in my corner. Oh and there's a cameo from Tessa's Line of Duty series, so that was really fun to witness and made me smile. While this isn't my favorite of the Serve books, I did still enjoy it and look forward to more books in this series.