Devoured
Devoured is a quick erotic read with some very light d/s scenes. Initially I thought Lucas was going to be characterized as a heavy duty dom but that wasn't the case. I liked this damaged rock star hero even though he could be quite cruel toward those around him. This facet of his personality was especially evident when being harassed and threatened by his insane ex-wife who keeps a secret that could potentially ruin him and his career. I also liked heroine Sienna, a shy introvert who allows others to take advantage of her (especially her family who are verbally abusive and demanding). However, her inner strength shows in her resistance to Lucas' attempts to seduce her and he does help her to come into her own. I did have a couple of issues with this book: First I felt Sienna's personality transition from shy mouse to self-assured, assertive tigress happened too quickly. That being said, she did show good moral fiber in her exceptional resilience to Lucas' charms given their explosive sexual attraction. Secondly I felt she forgave Lucas far too quickly given his extremely hurtful, inconsiderate treatment of her on more than one occasion.
I was bothered by the fact that we are never given insight into exactly what information the vicious ex-wife holds that could potentially destroy Lucas. It is the source of overwhelming angst and despair for the protagonists and I felt unsatisfied that there was no reveal regarding this issue at the end of the story. Amended to add: I see Lucas and Sienna's story is continued in Snow's next publication Consumed and apparently his secret is revealed in that book. Hmmmm...
Lastly there are intimations that Sienna's presence in Lucas' life is a source of artistic inspiration, she is essentially his muse and this is part of what drove his need to possess her. This aspect of Lucas' deep desire for Sienna was not well developed or communicated and I would have liked to have seen him express her impact on him as an artist much more fully.
Overall Devoured did keep me engaged, I cared about the hero and heroine and liked the secondary characters. Admittedly I do have a soft spot for the sexy damaged rock star and lovers reacquainted premise ergo my attraction to the book after reading the synopsis (as well the awesome cover art was a draw). I would advise reading "All Over You" the short story prequel to Devoured which sets the stage for Lucas and Sienna's tumultuous relationship.
