Guest Review ~ Beneath this Man (#2) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Title:  Beneath this Man (This Man#2)
Author:  Jodi Ellen Malpas
Genre:  Erotic Romance
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars
Guest Reviewer:  Yesi Cavazos

Synopsis
She knew she was heading towards disaster. Every instinct told her to run, but Jesse Ward was a hard man to escape.

It has been five days’ since Ava O’Shea left Jesse drunk and raging at Lusso – left behind a man who drowned her in his intensity and blindsided her with his touch. Getting over this man was never going to be easy. And now he’s back in her life.

She has questions she needs answering, but her determination to get these answers will give the pleasure-seeking playboy the power to destroy her again. She needs to keep her eyes wide open and caution at the forefront of her mind, an ambitious intention when Jesse Ward is within touching distance. And he plans to be.

He’s dark, he’s broken – Ava knows this, but the only way to find out how dark and how broken is to get beneath the steely exterior of this man

I want the woman with me who keeps my heart beating.”

Let me start by saying that I did not enjoy the first book, This Man; so when I was clicking purchase on Beneath this Man, I couldn’t believe it.  But I wanted answers to all that was left hanging at the end of the first book. Well, let me tell you, these two, Ava and Jesse, are like a train wreck of epic proportions.  I still don’t see the appeal to Jesse Ward.  Yes, he is rich, sexy, and devastatingly handsome, but he is also overly possessive, controlling, and borderline abusive.  And Ava is insecure and has a hard time speaking her mind.  Jesse and Ava spend the majority of the book in shouting matches and manipulating each other to get what they want. With that said, this book still sucks you in; and like the train wreck that it is, I just couldn’t look away. The Manor plays a big part in this one; and as all the secrets, lies, and Jesse’s sordid and questionable past comes to light, Ava is caught in the middle. She makes some crazy and downright stupid choices as she learns more and more about the man she loves but knows nothing about.

You completely consume me, Ava. I can’t function without you. I am totally addicted to you baby.”   

I spent the entire book in frustration and wondering why I was still reading; yet I stuck with it thanks to a friend who was buddy-reading it with me, and I am glad I did.  As much as it drove me insane, the author did a wonderful job of keeping the reader totally engrossed in this mess of a story.  Job well done on that!  I do have to say that at THE END Jesse finally makes me feel for him.  He truly loves Ava, and it shows in his actions.  I wish we would have seen that side of him sooner.  However, I am looking forward to book 3, This Man Confessed, and the conclusion of Ava and Jesse’s story.

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