2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
When the universe decides to put you and your life down, there’s simply no other way but up. That was what Anna had to deal with her whole life. She had a cruel stepfather, who was also an abusive husband to her mother, and a stepbrother, who was no better than the stepfather, if not worse. Her boyfriend, not to mention his wretched family, was a whole other issue as well. Anna was dealt with the worse cards, it seemed. But unlike her mother, she did not take the abuse sitting down. Heartaches - Bad Boy Vibes by H M Irwing was a novel about a young woman unwilling to back down from the curveballs that the world threw at her.
What I liked about Heartaches was that it centered on a timeless and timely problem: rape culture. As a woman, I felt closer to the main character, Anna, with her struggle to live in a “man’s world.” Seemingly, she had no control over the life she led, only to push through to find her strength within.
Some of the audience might be put off by the protagonist’s reaction to rape. I think the author showed the conflicting emotions and thoughts one might consider after such an incident. I would have preferred, however, that Anna didn’t end up with another man that soon after her many incidents with the rest of the male species in the story. That might have spoken more for the countless readers who mayhave had difficulty getting up from where the men in their lives pushed them off to. I felt like the road to women empowerment was cut short when the protagonist fell onto another man’s arms after cutting off ties with the previous one. Nevertheless, I did appreciate the steamy, compelling nature of the romance between the two characters. They just couldn’t take their hands off of each other. A love like that, formed from picking each other’s broken pieces up, was an interesting journey to watch over.
I also noticed the author often shifted from formal to informal language within a single page or chapter. That was a bit distracting for me. There’s a voice in my head when I read, and it got confused halfway through. There was a number of grammatical errors and some misspelt words. It seemed the novel was not professionally edited.
Overall, I would rate this book 2 out of 4, mostly because the portrayal of women empowerment left me wanting and also because of the poor editing. The themes of this novel are more for the mature adult audience. Readers who are looking for a romance piece about women who rise up against adversity may find this interesting. If you are looking for dark, steamy, passionate sex combined with finding “The One” along the way…then this is your book. That is if you don’t mind the rape and graphic scenes.
******
Heartaches
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like pentuppassion's review? Post a comment saying so!
