4 out of 4 stars
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Heartaches 2: Bad Boy Vibes is the second in a series of romance novels written by H.M. Irwing. It is the continuation of the love story of rape victims Anna Walters-Simmons and Rafe (Raphael) Brown. Although the novel is considered a romance, there is a sufficient amount of action, adventure, and mystery to make this book appealing to fans of those genres.
We first met the main characters, Anna and Rafe, in Heartaches: Bad Boy Vibes. They were dealing with the aftermath of being brutally raped by people that they trusted. They quickly learned that when it comes to rape, the burden of proof is placed upon the victim. As they struggled to fight the legal system, their friendship gradually evolved into a steamy romance. Heartaches 2: Bad Boy Vibes resumes where the first novel ends. Anna is still trying to prosecute her rapists and Rafe continues having nightmares about his own rape. Despite this, the romance has had a positive impact on both of them. They seem to have finally found happiness and are enjoying being a normal couple. But they have made enemies that will not allow them to be happy. The Preston men return to cause misery and chaos for Anna. Eric Dayton, Rafe’s rapist, is determined to have Rafe for himself. They form an alliance to try and keep Anna and Rafe apart.
The couple have many loyal and close friends that are trying to protect them. Anna’s best friend, Pat, plays a critical role in this novel. He is from a very wealthy, distinguished family that is unaware that he is a homosexual. He has fixated his affections on a billionaire entrepreneur that is a family friend. He has to hide his feelings for fear that his parents will find out his sexual orientation. He shares his angst over his love life with Anna. Rafe misunderstands Pat’s intentions and views him as a rival for Anna’s attention. This creates friction in their relationship and often prompts Rafe’s violent temper.
I am a huge fan of this series. I was pleased that the story continued flawlessly between the two novels. I like the diversity of the characters. Their dialog and actions are realistic and compelling. Every character has a purpose and seems to be integral to progressing the plot. It is evident that the author put a lot of thought into selecting each character. This book introduced several new characters. They each bring new storylines and intrigue to the existing plots. The roles these new characters will play in the final novel is still a mystery. The author does a great job of ending the novels so that you are automatically tempted to continue on to the next book in the series.
If I had any criticism of the novel, it would be that Anna and Rafe’s relationship seems unhealthy. They are too dependent on each other. Anna has confronted her rapists and this has allowed her to be more confident. She is able to make decisions and fight for herself without having Rafe constantly at her side. Rafe still has nightmares over his rape and this has made him brooding and controlling. He is unable to trust anyone. He wants all of Anna’s attention and needs constant reassurance that she loves him. He believes she is only safe when she is right by his side. She is always under his influence and control. A normal relationship could not withstand that kind of suffocation or lack of trust.
Another issue that I had with the novel were some of the negative comments made about Anna’s weight loss. In the first book she was described as overweight. She was bullied and harassed at school because of this. In this novel, we learn she has lost a significant amount of weight. She did this by working hard and dealing with some of the awful things in her past. Several characters made this weight loss seem like a negative thing. I thought the weight loss aligned well with Anna’s increased confidence.
Heartaches 2: Bad Boy Vibes is a well-written and entertaining novel. The book seems professionally edited. I only found a few small errors that did not interfere with my enjoyment of reading the book. The plot moves quickly and kept me entertained from cover to cover. You do not have to read the first book in this series to understand what is happening in this one. However, it would be advised to read the first book so that you can understand the deep emotional connection between the main characters. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. There is sexual content in this novel. If you are opposed to alternative sexual orientations (homosexuality, bi-sexuality), then this probably is not the book for you.
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Heartaches 2
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