Author: Lexi BlakeSeries: Texas Sirens #5
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment, LLC
Release Date: September 4th 2018
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
Re-released in a second edition with new content.*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.
Bethany “Mouse” Hobbes spent her entire life waiting, especially for the love of Bo O’Malley. But for the first time in her life, she is ready to start living, with or without him. She has found her dream, restoring a rustic farmhouse on the outskirts of town.
Trev McNamara left Deer Run a high school hero and has returned, his football career in ruins. When Trev meets Mouse, he discovers a passion strong enough to overcome his past. But can she accept his need for control?
Bo O’Malley has lived his whole life in the shadow of his brother, never committing to anything or anyone. When the woman he secretly loved all his life begins an affair with the man who betrayed his trust, Bo will do anything to claim her as his own.
Transformed by their love, will Mouse be enough woman for both of them?
**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.
This story was something completely unexpected to me. I was expecting to be wowed, like I usually am with Lexi Blake’s books, but I wasn’t expecting to be challenged as much as Trev, Bethany and Bo challenged me.
Siren in Waiting isn’t just an erotic story, or a story about a menage relationship, it’s a story of addiction and recovery, it’s a story of hope, and it’s a story of courage. Trev had a very tumultuous youth. It’s not because he had a bad childhood or a trauma, he just simply had bad people around him, that he didn’t manage to recognize from the start. I loved the fact that he had a handful of people who actually cared about his well-being, more so than himself. In a moment of clarity on his part, Trev accepts the hand that his coach is giving him, and changes his life for the better. The thing I loved most about his story is that his alcohol and drug addictions aren’t treated as a part of his past, a battle conquered fully. Instead, Blake shows his daily struggle, with highs and lows, with moments where he craves the numbness alcohol and drugs give him, with moments where he almost gives in to his urges, but also moments when he feels good, he feels like he's conquered his demons. He stands proud because he's come out on the other side of his hell and he feels good about the man he's become. I truly enjoyed reading his journey.
Bethany, also known as Mouse, is a very peculiar heroine. I myself identified with her a lot, which made me like her a lot. I loved seeing how Trev's relationship with her changed her. It's not about love or sex, it's about finding someone that forces you to see yourself beyond demeaning nicknames and help you accept the adult you are. It's not just about being in a relationship that helped her grow, it's that Trev was the perfect person to give her a much needed shaking and make her see herself as Bethany, the woman, instead of Mouse, the ghostly figure of someone that can easily be ignored. I liked Bethany, not just for the growth she goes through, but also for the little things, like her desire to restructure a house, or even her selfless nature.
Bo is a rather difficult character to understand at first. I remember him from the last book as Aidan's little brother, the one who didn't seem to like Aidan all that much. Seeing the story from his POV, I was able to understand the strangeness of their relationship more. Bo really needs someone to stay with him, for him. Aidan left, Trev left, and while Bethany was there for him whenever he needed it, she was more Mouse, his best friend, than Bethany, a potential lover. Bo's relationship with his father was also a really painful one, and reading about it, I got to understand even more why he had a strange relationship with his brother, why he's so bitter and closed off. Trev let him down, but then Trev let himself down. I'm not saying it as an excuse, but he certainly wasn't himself at the time.
This story is so heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. You get stories of redemption and second chances, as well as stories of betrayal and disappointments. I love how Lexi Blake dealt with Trev's story, and one again shows how much this author can surprise me. I'm also very curious to see where the story will go from here. I'm excited for Trev's sister to get her story, because she definitely deserves it.
All in all, a really good installment in this series and I'm ready for more.
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Bo walked up, his boots resounding against the pavement. His dark-blond hair was curling over his shirt collar. He was so beautiful, but in a different way than Trev. His hand came out to touch her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
And he’d always been able to read her when he bothered to try. “I didn’t get the loan.”
She tensed a bit. Bo hadn’t wanted her to buy the house in the first place. He would probably tell her it was for the best and now she could sell the land to a developer and move someplace safer and way more boring.
“Oh, baby, I’m sorry.” Bo pulled her against his chest right there in the middle of Main Street. He wrapped his arms around her. “I know what that meant to you.”
She froze for a moment. He usually kept his affectionate nature private. It was sweet to be held by him, something she’d dreamed of a thousand times. He still smelled like the soap from the shower he’d insisted on taking before they left for town. His well-worn cotton shirt was soft against her cheek, but his chest was all muscle. After a moment, she let herself sink into him. The tears were back. She couldn’t hold them off when he was giving her a place to cry.
“I don’t know what to do. They said I don’t qualify. I have to have that money. I can’t fix up the house without it.”
His hand found her hair. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll find another bank. Hell, Aidan knows lots of people with money. You’ll see. It’s going to be okay. Now, come on, dry those tears and let’s go get some pie. I was talking to Jerry at the feed store, and he said Patty had pecan today.”
She loved pecan pie.
Relief washed over her as Bo began to lead her toward the diner. She’d been terrified that Bo would be angry that she was seeing Trev. She’d played it off as nothing, but she’d been scared he would turn away.
Instead, he opened the door for her and started to ask her about her plans. He seemed interested for the first time. Bo ordered for them both and then gave her his full attention. He was quieter than she’d ever seen him before. Well, except for that night when she’d had to find her way to Austin to get him. He’d been quieter then. He hadn’t talked for days. She didn’t like to think about that night.
“Hey,” Bo said, leaning over and putting a hand over hers. “It’s going to be okay, you know. We’ll find a way to get your house fixed up. Tell me something, is that boyfriend of yours going to be worth anything beyond hauling you into bathrooms in the middle of the day? Does he know anything about home repair?”
She flushed, but Bo had said the words with no accusation in his tone, just a sad smile on his face. She shook her head. “He told me to buy a book.”
Bo sighed. “We’re in trouble. Well, show me your plans. Let’s see how screwed we are.”
He gave her that smile that lit up her world and reminded her of all the reasons she’d fallen in love with him in the first place. He was a sunny presence. He always made her laugh, and deep down, he understood her.
Trev was her lover, but she would miss Bo. She would miss him so much.
She showed him her list, and by the time they were done, she felt better.
She would find a way. She would fix her house, and she would keep Trev and Bo in her life. She needed them.
