A Lackluster Start in ‘Tempting Little Thief’ by Meagan B | Book Review
At times, books can start off on a dull note, overwhelming readers with a jumble of timelines, characters, and complex vocabulary. This book, in my opinion, falls into that category. The author employs a variety of narration styles, including first-person, third-person, multi-party, and character-centric, all within the prologue and the first chapter. As if that weren’t enough to perplex a reader, the language used made me feel inadequate, hindering my connection with the characters on a deeper level. While the prologue may have had its moments, they weren’t sufficient for me to forge a meaningful connection with the characters or the book as a whole.
I’d like to offer a piece of advice to authors: When writing, consider that your goal is not just to create attention and receive praise. Instead, aim to craft something that readers can comprehend and connect with, whether it’s the characters, plot line, or any other aspect of your work. This perspective is shared as a reader, and now, let’s explore some of my specific observations as I journeyed through this book. Let’s begin.
Tempting Little Thief by Meagan Brandy (Girls of Greyson #1)
Genre: Crime, Dark, Suspense, Adult
Page Count: 480
My Rating: 1.0/5.0
About the book (taken from goodreads.com)
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes an all-new forbidden romance featuring a possessive hero … who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. I fell for a man I’m not allowed to have…
He’s rough, rugged, and utterly unpredictable. He’s not cautious or contemplative. He’s a volcano. Silent and steady one second, and a complete nightmare in the next. But that’s not the worst of it. This guy? He’s an outsider and in my world outsiders don’t belong. They’re unwanted, unwelcome and known to disappear without a trace, yet he doesn’t seem to care. After one night of reckless rebellion, the tattooed tyrant keeps coming back, sneaking into my world without permission, and causing trouble I can’t allow. I should end this now before my father discovers his existence and does it for me, but he won’t allow it. He says, like it or not, I’m his now, that nothing and no one will stand in his way. Not even me…
Opinions Formed while Engaging with the Book
You already know that a friend of mine recommended these books to me, where men go crazy for women. It was through an Instagram reel shared via messages. In the reel, a woman talked about bad men, the monsters, who do good things only for the person they love but are bad in general. It’s so my type, and it intrigued me greatly. I know that might make me a bit unconventional, but who cares? I like how it makes me feel.
Anyway, when the host was discussing these books, her introduction was captivating and made me curious about them. This book is one among them, where the main character discovers that a guy had misbehaved with his girl, leaving a bruise on her hand, and he takes revenge by chopping off the guy’s fingers. Isn’t that romantic?
Yes, it is to me, although not in the conventional sense. In my dark side, even if the book isn’t perfect, I’m eager to read this story. So, here I am, ready to dive into my romcom. Let’s start and witness that romantic gesture.
After 20 days since I wrote those paragraphs, and after reading a few books from the dark genre, I’m now prepared to read this book. I’m somewhat scared, given that my recent addition to this genre, “King” by S.J. Tilly, was very disturbing, and I had to stop reading it. I hope I don’t come across anything like that in this book. Furthermore, I will approach this book with a neutral mindset and see where it takes me.
This main character also has a traumatic past, similar to Payton from “Nero” by S.J. Tilly, which is interesting but a bit repetitive, I guess.
Wow, that was quite dark. I can’t understand why people go through, accept, and tolerate the oppression happening to them. I just don’t understand. This life is yours, and even if it’s your parents projecting violence on you, you should never comply, never accept your fate, especially if the violence is becoming violent. Taking a stand is crucial, even if it’s just a slap or something verbal. Never compromise and accept that this is your fate. No. Fate isn’t written; we constantly write, erase, and rewrite our own fate with the actions we take in life. There are rights, laws, and an important life. Stand up. I know it’s easier said than done, but at least try.
Many people don’t even realize that violence from any angle is not okay, and that’s reflected in her mother’s character. She doesn’t even know that she can stand up for herself and her children, which is sad. Even I had no idea that this body and life are mine, and no one has control over them other than me. In no way does anyone have the right to be violent to make me what they want. When I realized this, I never gave this power to anyone, and I took control of my life. I can say it’s not yet fully under my control, but it’s a work in progress.
Thank goodness she was able to do this. Now, I don’t want to read a single line about her going to jail or prison for what she just did. This comes under self-defense, and it would be disgusting to read about anything else. Self-defense is a legitimate thing, as I once wrote an article about. But coming back to the situation, please, author, don’t introduce a silly twist by sending her to prison for this. The prologue says, “four years ago,” so that’s a bit concerning.
I’m finding it hard to understand what’s happening right now. Why is some random guy talking to him? And this character, the main character, isn’t a she but a he? How did I miss that? Why is that prediction about downtown making me angry? What happened to self-defense? Does self-defense even exist? I’m just confused by this prologue.
Is this author aiming for this book to become a movie? Because all the explanations point to such a conclusion. It feels very cinematic and not relatable. I feel like this book is losing me already. It’s failing to maintain my interest, and that’s upsetting. But I’ll still try to read a few more pages and see if there will be a change or something interesting to focus on.
Okay, I’ve gone through Chapter One, and this book is not for me. It’s not my type, and the writing style is boring. It’s filled with too much English and language, which doesn’t sit well with me. The characters are confusing, and I can’t make any sense of it so far. It all feels like a mess.
It started with a prologue saying “four years ago,” which mentioned a very serious issue and confused me about the gender of the character. Then it took a four-year jump, and suddenly characters are now checking each other out, which is puzzling.
The author and their writing style are not friendly at all. It’s giving me a vibe of class and harassment, which is not okay with me. I can’t understand any paragraph, and I’m unable to focus on the content, as my mind is trying to figure out what’s happening. This is not okay for me when reading a book, and it’s a turn-off. So, now I’m turning away from this book and moving on to something else.
Would I recommend this book? Well, based on what I’ve read so far, I would advise caution if someone is reading this and definitely wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It’s starting off quite poorly.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you found it informative and insightful. Feel free to explore my profile page for more of my well-curated articles, neatly organized into relevant lists. Among these, you’ll find book reviews, poetic tales, ancient sagas, original fiction series, personal anecdotes, and much more. I invite you to delve into these diverse pieces. Once again, thank you for your time.
