18+, 2 stars, Book Reviews, romance

Review: A HARMLESS LITTLE GAME by Meli Raine (18+ Romantic Suspense)

A HARMLESS LITTLE GAME
by Meli Raine

Genre: 18+ Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Amazon / CreateSpace (Oct 2016)
Format: Kindle edition on Amazon

* Recommended for readers aged 18+ due to content

Summary from Amazon

Four years ago I lost my virginity on live, streaming television. Too bad I wasn’t awake for it.

The video went viral. Of course it would. A Senator’s daughter on camera? Wouldn’t you click “share”? Besides, that’s what three of the four guys in the video did. Share.

They shared me.

But that fourth guy? The nondescript one in the background in the upper left corner of the screen, just sitting on the couch? The only one who did nothing? Not one single thing. That was my boyfriend, Drew. And that was the last time I saw him.

Until today, when my father—now on a path to the White House—hired him as head of security for my new team as I return home after four years of “recovering” in an undisclosed location that involved white lab coats, needles, pills and damage control.

You see, the other three guys never went to jail. Never had charges pressed. Never faced consequences. Until today.

Game on.

USA Today bestselling author Meli Raine writes romantic suspense with hot bikers, intense undercover DEA agents, bad boys turned good, and Special Ops heroes — and the women who love them.

Meli rode her first motorcycle when she was five years old, but she played in the ocean long before that. She lives in New England with her family.

Meli Raine writes romantic comedy as Julia Kent and is half of the paranormal romance duo Diana Seere.

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Review by Frog

The first third of a good book, mis-advertised as a novel.

A HARMLESS LITTLE GAME by Meli Raine is a New Adult romantic suspense and the first third of what I’d consider a novel. This book does not stand alone, and readers should know they must purchase the next two installments for the whole story.

An ad for this book came to me via a free-book email newsletter, and I was instantly drawn to the dark premise and the promise of a high-adrenaline revenge plot. After I checked out the writing sample on Amazon, I knew I’d fall in love with this book and one-clicked it without hesitation. I shoved all other TBR books out of the way so I could dive into this immediately, wide-eyed with excitement, because I suspected this book would become one of my favorites of all time.

Lindsay Bosworth is an early-twenties daughter of a California Senator. She’s also spent the past 4 years on a remote island, inside a mental institution, recovering from a brutal college gang rape that was broadcast online. Since the video showed her then-boyfriend sitting by, casually watching the assault as it happened, and since Lindsay’s three college “friends” told police Lindsay asked for a gang rape, no charges were pressed, and the whole of America believes she is just the dirtiest little vixen who got what she asked for: a drugged drink, broken ocular bones, torn ACL, and a romp so brutal it tore her insides, leaving her near death. With her father now plotting a run for the white house, his focus is of course PR (not his only child’s welfare) and how his team of media experts can spin Lindsay’s past exuberant behavior (because, everyone blames her–she asked for it). All Lindsay wants is to reclaim some sort of new normalcy and for at least her own father and mother to acknowledge she didn’t ask to be raped. But nobody cares–what’s done is done. Except now her attackers are back, taunting her with invitations to “play” with them again and setting her up for another front-page scandal. This time, though, their harmless little games involve severed brake lines. Lindsay can’t decide who to trust, and when her do-nothing-but-watch-the-rape boyfriend reappears in her life offering “protection” her whole world gets flipped, because deep down, even though he stood by and watched three men brutalize her, she still loves him.

Despite the implausibility of the premise, there is so much to love about this book: the dark story line, Raine’s writing, the adrenaline-soaked pages, the raw emotion and utter honesty from the main character–all those things are the stuff of magic and sucked me in so that I couldn’t put this book down. And then it ended.

But there was no revenge.

There was no second attack.

There was….nothing but an empty promise of a story that’s left unfinished and an invitation to pay to read the next “part” of the story, which would only cost me $2.99. And then another $2.99 to read the “final” part of the story. That’s messed up. I don’t want to have to keep paying to read “the rest of the book,” and authors who write these endless serials really need to be up front about it. As it stands, it feels like a scheme, a lie, false advertising. In the end, instead of loving this book, I just felt ripped off. Duped. And I don’t like that.

That said, there was so much I loved about this first third of a book, that I bought the first third of this book in paperback. The rest of the book wasn’t written nearly as well, and lacked the character depth of this first third. So what can I say about this experience? How about: The first third is 5-stars, but all you get is exposition and rising action. The second and third parts of this book aren’t nearly as great as the first.

I can’t recommend a partial book, but there’s enough stellar writing that this might appeal to over 18 readers of dark romance who love adrenaline, don’t mind an implausible premise, have deep pockets, and don’t mind paying for each new part of the story.

This partial book earns 2 North of Normal stars.