Book Review: Consent to Love

Book Title: Consent to Love
Author: Abby Wood

Publisher: Carina Press
Format: Ebook

Cost: $ 3.59

Pages: about 200

How I got it: NetGalley

My Rating:★★★☆☆
Erotica Rating: ★★★★☆  Steamy but okay plot
Synopsis:

Twenty-four-year-old small-town girl Ana Reynold serves beer at the local bar, tries to keep her beater car running, and dreams of a better life as a painter. If she can learn to make a decent steak, she might get promoted to cook--and earn enough for her real heart's desire. Right now, that doesn't include romance.But when she meets a tall, dark and sexy Native American man named Kane, Ana can't take her eyes off him--or stop thinking about him. But she'd better. Everyone knows the proud Lakota who raises horses wants nothing to do with a townie barmaid who'll bring shame to his people.Except Kane can't get Ana off his mind. He proposes a red-hot weekend in bed, a no-strings affair to end Monday morning. Yet once Kane brings the outsider onto Lakota land, everything changes...

My Review:
Ahhh don't you love when the premise sounds great?!?! How about that cover?? Consider that each book I have read by Carina Press has been pretty stellar, I clicked on the Netgalley link and was super excited once I got the go ahead.

I was all geared up for steamy sexy over the weekend loving that might turn into something or might not, but it promised to be hot and steamy. I'll be honest it was hot and steamy, and then the rest of the 'plot' kicked in. Now had this been labelled a romance I wouldn't have been so surprised at the heavy subject matter that was being dealt with; it was labelled and erotic romance and it's short so I expected some serious sex and very little else certainly not the concepts of interracial romance and what happens when a Anglo woman dates a Native American in a small town.

As a black woman I can tell you I know ALL about dating in interracial romances and the shiggity *thanks Michelle* that kicks up when others don't believe y'all belong together; considering how small this book is, the author managed to do the subject some justice and not just make it a trite part of the story, but I also think she made it a little too much about their racial differences instead of the similarities that drew them together.  I really loved how she pointed out stereotypes that many have internalized without realizing and how they react when their stereotypes are shattered.  I do however think she also played to those stereotypes especially in the Kane character; his manner of speech, his 'soulful touch' how he worked with the animals yeah it was all still there.

Ana was both a great character and an annoying character. She was great because she embraced the relationship despite the proposed hardships and still met them head on when she was confronted with them.  She gave Kane hell when he needed it and demanded both his love and respect without being manipulative.  I do wish she had tried a little harder to understand the culture by doing some research herself instead of waiting on others to provide her with the info.  She went from being shy and unassuming to doing something totally dirty and I mean dirty, **it was just weird reading it, but hey we all have our own kinks,** when she rode the saddle in the barn, yeah that scene was O_O.

Now I also want to ask, why is it authors now a days seem to think all female characters are supposed to be shy, unassuming, and with low to no self confidence or esteem??? I get that they want the characters to not be perfect but relateable but ummm not every woman is like that okay. STOP. IT. Pass the message along, I actually like Ana and Kane, they deserved each other, they needed each other to hold the other up, and okay to push each other. Although when not in a love scene Ana made me want to slap her, everyone is telling her how great her paintings are, someone just paid you over twenty thousand dollars for one of your throw away painting and you keep insisting it's a joke. Look I'm all for being humble, but cut the bullshiggity *again thanks Chele*, have some self esteem.  Why does she only gain acceptance of herself after others tell she's great?? Why is everything have to be about Kane??

As for Kane, I get it my man you been hurt before, but ummm two different women, two different circumstances. Live Learn Grow, or better yet, relax relate release.  I both liked and disliked how he treated her when it looked like her dream was about to come through but I get why he did it, but mister could have used a little bit of compassion when doing it.

All in all it's an okay story, not a quick dirty erotic romp, but an actual building of a romance.  I do have to note that they do some seriously kinky stuff *you know non vanilla* and Ana has a pretty dirty mouth which really made the scenes umm different. Just a note to the author "boink" is not sexy I don't care how you think it sounds it's just not sexy at all. Thanks.  Also just some basic sex ed stuff, going from front to back once "cool", going back and forth?? Guaranteed infection, that also pulled me out of the story. Why was her 'juices sticky" no no no, get that checked out; somethings wrong there my dear seriously wrong.  I take issue with his use of 'girl' every time they got intimate, it kinda rang false to the characters and to me at least made me think of a lecherous old man making a pass at a young woman, i don't think that's the idea she was going for.

I'm curious enough to go read Daphne's story since that one is BDSM themed. And I can't wait to read about Kohana, his story sounded interesting.  Overall I enjoyed my reading experience; even if it was sometimes laughing at the characters and their 'issues'. I didn't really connect to characters like I normally do, which made it hard to gauge the story truly.

 Buy on Amazon                            Add to Goodreads

****In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, I am required to let you know I received this book for free via the publisher/author in exchange for a fair and honest review.***