My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Before there were bikers, or fighters, or even good old-fashioned jerks, there were Navy SEALs. They put the bad in badass because, well…it’s their job.Navy SEAL Maverick Hart has everything. Women want him. Grown men idolize him. Little boys want to grow up and be like him. The job, the glory—it’s all his. Not because it’s handed to him…because he works hard for it. The second his sights lock on something, he owns it—or destroys it. Unfortunately he does both at the same time.
Windsor Forbes only takes calculated risks in her profession and in her personal life. After being left at the altar by the only person she’s ever loved, the very last thing she’s looking for is a relationship—especially the insane brand an arrogant Navy SEAL is offering. Hesitant, yet trusting to a fault, she gives in.
She knew she shouldn’t take the chance, especially a second time, but love is irrational and their love is perfect, infallible. Or so she thought…
The downfall to having everything is you have that much more to lose. A man like Maverick can’t have it all without something slipping out of grasp.
Crazy people perish for love.
Good people live for it.
Love doesn’t die. No matter how many bullets you put in it.
*Due to sexual content and graphic language this book is intended for readers 18+*
My Review
When asked to read this book, Rachel Robinson had me at Navy SEAL. It ended up being nothing like I had expected. When I read the synopsis, I instantly associated this book with some of my favorite alpha series. Authors like Belle Aurora, T.E. Sivec, and Kristen Ashley came to mind. However, it fell a little short of those expectations (i.e. preconceived notions). I admit that this is of no fault to the author. This one's on me. It's completely unfair to compare a book to others before having even read it. I really need to get the word "assuming" tattooed on my ass as a reminder.
You know how sometimes you read a book and you know, you know it has all the makings of an amazing story. You have your five star x-ray glasses on and you see it. You actually see it. The potential is almost palpable. This is how I felt about Crazy Good. It was so close to being there, but the execution and pacing needed a little more polish.
I know I'm the minority here. Aren't I always? So let me explain.
The book got off to a rough start by having the end take place in chapter one. I wish it would have been written in chronological order with the story. There was something about it that felt misplaced. I've seen this technique used as a device in other stories to intrigue and to captivate. A device used to tease and then build an entire story up to that point. Sometimes it does exactly that; it builds anticipation. It works. Here, it didn't.
I loved Maverick's pursuit of Windsor; the tension was thick and intriguing. I also really enjoyed the dual POVs and think that Rachel Robinson handled this beautifully. It's what came next that caused the story to make a sharp turn down the frontage road creating a ripple that effected the rest of the story.
After Maverick and Windsor enter coupledom, the story stalled and the pace faltered. It wasn't until the final 25% of the book where I was pulled back in. This is where the story possessed the potential to break me. The potential to surpass other generic stories of this genre, but it was rushed. There was so much that needed to happen here, but impossible to fit it all in. Too much time was wasted on Maverick and Windsor being together where I wanted more development of there journey back together. To me, this was the heart of the story. I never quite felt Maverick's redemption, and this broke my heart. I also feel like his addiction issues were skirted over. This was an important part of the story that was unfortunately side barred.
So much about the conclusion felt unfinished and underdeveloped. An issue I attribute to the pacing not the content. There wasn't enough time, enough words to fit it all in. It made it impossible to do this story justice, and it deserved that. Rachel Robinson created a story that deserved that.
I loved Stone and the intense brotherhood of the SEALs. I loved the ache I felt in the end, but I can't rate a book based on what I saw the story could be.
In the end, I wouldn't even call this an alpha male book as much as a book that contained alpha males. It was a great start for Rachel Robinson. She is definitely an author with potential.
READ ON!
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