I can suspend my sense of belief a lot when it comes to reading. I mean, I’ll read about wizards, vampires, and Demi-gods. But this book was just way too out of the realm of possibility for me.

First we have one of the most unlikable heroines I’ve ever read. Bailey has the maturity of a pre-teen, spoiled brat. She’s not “feisty”. She’s ridiculous. She’s kidnapped and beaten. When she’s rescued by the FBI, and taken to the hospital she just decides she doesn’t want to tell them anything? So, she’s not only ungrateful to have her life saved, no she also wants to pout and whine, but not offer anything in the way of assistance to the people trying to not only get the people who kidnapped her, but these people who also have kidnapped kids. The FBI is trying to save children and Bailey’s just gonna nope right outta helping kids? And we are supposed to like her? I mean, I knew the story couldn’t possibly justify this heroine, but I pressed on.

Now we get to the hero: big, badass FBI agent, Brock. Except Brock wasn’t so badass. And no way would he stay an FBI agent when he’s completely inappropriate with their witness, Bailey. They don’t have sex immediately, but they’re attracted to one another. They are staying in a “safe house” together with two other agents (Brock’s buddies) also sometimes there. There are a few times Bailey mentions that Brock could lose his job, and he laughs and just says “I’m might get reprimanded, but I won’t get fired”. Dude. You sleep with a witness on the case you’re working and you’re gonna get fired. Even my ability to suspend belief doesn’t go that far.

He legit has his sister book them a hotel so he can propose to her (because he wants to be committed before they have sex). Of course, they also have sex. As much as I hated the hotel and the “gotta have sex with my virgin woman” shit, I really hated Bailey being all “Your sister knows we’re going to have sex. She’s gonna think I’m a slut”. This is not the only instance of the “I don’t want people to think I’m a slut or a whore” shit.

So, yep. Gotta healthy dose of slut shaming in this one.

We also have the “crazy woman with pms/on her period” sexist bullshit.

He’s also just not a good agent. Like they all let Bailey tell them what she wants to, but if she doesn’t want to, they just step back and don’t even try with her. And at one point she remembers that she had taken pictures on her phone, but the kidnappers deleted them. But it’s okay, because she saved them to the cloud. (HUGE EYE ROLL HERE). Yes, apparently the FBI didn’t even take Bailey’s phone. And she’s allowed to have her personal phone while in a safe house?

Oh, but they will have their team “scrub” the phone. However that will take a while, so they’ll have Bailey give a description to an artist because that will be faster. (Again, they would have had her phone. And, if something is saved to the cloud, no “scrub” needed. Just, you know, bring up the cloud storage)

These are the stupidest FBI agents in the fictional world.

The story also just didn’t come together well. It was a bit everywhere.

I did like Macy and Dallas and wanted to read their story. I’m about halfway through it. I’ll post a review later.

I actually have quite a few of this authors other books on my Kindle. I’ve read a few of them, but it’s been a while. (I re-read two of them more recently). I remember not hating them before, but maybe my tastes have changed. Or maybe they are just legit better than this one. I am going to try and get through a few of them before making a decision about whether or not this author is for me.

My biggest issue isn’t even that the story isn’t great. It’s the way that the female character here is portrayed, the slut shaming and the sexism.

And the stupidity of the FBI in this story. I just couldn’t with it.

Honestly, I do hope that the next book is better. I’m actively rooting for it to be a win for me. I want to leave a much better review for it.