4.5 stars

ARC received from author for an honest review

I love it when we get an email from Ainslie Paton asking if we are interested in reading her next novel. Ever since we stumbled across her work a couple of years ago, we have read everything she has read, and she has never disappointed.

And Insecure is no exception.

Jacinta is a workaholic, career driven woman.

Mace is the IT geek she hits on for a one night stand.

Right from the start I adored Mace. He is like the Clayton's geek - the geek you have when you don't have a geek. Definitely not the pocket protector wearing, nerdy geek type. I think Jacinta sums him up the best:



"You're built for sex. Look at you, the most unlikely geek in the server room." She made a vague hand gesture at him. "You don't get to look like you from testing software."

Jacinta does not really live up to Mace's nickname for her - Princess Severe.

Yes, she is driven, one of a few women on the top of the game in her career. But beneath it all I could feel her vulnerability, her loneliness.

This is one of the things I love most about Ms Paton's work. They are not your average, run of the mill characters with average, run of the mill relationships. I love the role reversal in their relationship.

You could feel from the minute Jacinta and Mace "hook up" that there is going to be more to them than just one night. There is just something there. Her motives may have been purely based on aesthetics, - because Mace sure does look good - but there is a deeper connection from the get go.

There are so many things going on in their lives that they just don't have time for all that relationship bizzo. But you want them to be more, so much more. Every time they go to walk out that door, I wanted to call out "no, don't do it!!"


So, can Jacinta and Mace make a go of things? Will work get in the way of a good thing? Or will it really only be a one night - or one weekend - stand?

Nuh uh - for that you are going to have to read for yourself.

I really did adore Insecure. I could feel our lovelies insecurities coming through the pages.

There are some great secondary characters too, especially Dillon and Jay. There are some that I really, really disliked too - Malcolm is a dick with no redeeming qualities to me at all!

If you are looking for a book that is a little bit different, you need to give Insecure, or any of Ms Paton's books a go.