Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Let me start off by saying that I absolutely adore this author. I love most of her books (mainly SOS/AHS) and completely love the depth of the emotion she conveys. It deeply pains me to give a bad review, but after sitting on this book for the last few days, I just can't hold it in anymore. I really, really didn't like or connect with our main characters. Mal was a superficial, overbearing, condescending, rude, and is just so not what I pictured he would be like. I got swept away in the first few chapters, and in the start of the flashback scenes because this author can turn a prose like no other, but it soon fell flat for me. Rory is someone I loved at the beginning, too: feisty American girl who travels abroad in search for the truth about her father, only to end up with more questions than answers. When she meets Mal, she instantly is drawn to him, and even though she fights it, they spend a night together that will forever be etched info their souls. So much so, that they make a pact to marry each other despite their future romantic situations if they ever see each other again. Without intervening. I really loved that aspect, truly. Future Rory is where I has my issues: she's way to forgiving. And I don't want to make that a bad thing, because forgiveness is a great quality to have, but it got to the point where she was a doormat. She tried go change herself for her boyfriend Callum (who is the absolute worst, and I saw that philandering twist of his a mile away.) And them she bends over backwards to please Mal, who emotionally manipulates her at every turn. Future Mal is nothing like the sweet boy she left behind. He's cold, ruthless, guarded, and wants to destroy her the way she destroyed him. (Which spoiler alert, she did not do.) He conducts this elaborate scheme with her boss to have her go with him to his home country in Ireland, have her document Mals writing process (she's a photographer) and take another big named star with them as well. Rory ends up bringing Callum with her for the first night, and all but forgets about him before he even leaves. (Which was a bit humorous, because like I said, the dude was the worst.) After Rory unknowingly drops a bomb that makes Mal realize that she DIDN'T break his heart and that his malice behavior is unwarranted (surprise, surprise) he begins to think that all is ok, because he will tell her the truth about his marriage, and about her father (Because he knows so, so much more than he told her eight years prior) and everything else he has ever lied to her about, because he realizes that he's always been in love with her. He just has to get her to love him again too. *sigh.* Ok, so major spoilers ahead, so if you don't like them, avoid the rest of this review. ************************************ So Mal openly admits to Rory that he married her half sister, Kathleen, (which we also got to meet) and she is the worst human being. I don't think I've ever hated a character as much as her. Anyways, Kathleen has always been obsessed with Mal -- think Fatal Attraction times 1000. She believes that one day it will be her that Mal will love, so she tries everything she can to get him to see her in a different light when Rory goes back to America. When Mal is mourning his 'broken' heart, Kathleen proceeds to get him drunk out of his mind, rapes him, and then gets herself pregnant. The KICKER out of this, is that Mal KNOWS what she did, but then continues to have sex with her after he finds out about the baby. BUT WAIT: he never sees her face, and he calls her Rory every single time. Yes, you read that right. So not only did he know she raped him, continued to sleep with her after the fact, but he calls her her half sister whenever they are intimate. I just can't. And wait for it::: Years into the future, after Mal and Rory work out their crap and are married and so in love, they have twins and NAMES THE GIRL AFTER THE RAPIST. WHY, WHY WHY?!?! Also, one of the many POVS was dead Kathleen, and the author tried to redeem her character. No, no, NO. I tried guys. I really did. There were parts of the story I liked, but after what Kathleen did to Mal, and all that happened after that.. I just couldn't. I applaud this author for going out of her comfort zone and trying something completely different, I truly do. I'm obviously one of the minority readers who had issues with this book, and I'm glad that others are loving it. I just couldn't. I will continue to be a fan of this author, and will read her other books, (especially Angry God) but this was just not the book I expected it to be.