Elsie Silver - Flawless

The rules were simple. Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble. But now I’m stuck with her. There’s only one bed. And well, rules are made to be broken.I’m the face of professional bull riding—the golden boy. Or at least I was, until it all blew up in my face. Now my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I’m stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my “full-time supervision.”

But I don’t need a goddamn babysitter, especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can’t stop running.A mouth I can’t stop thinking about.Because Summer isn’t just another conquest. She sees the man behind the mask, and she doesn’t run—she pulls me closer, even when she shouldn’t.

She says this means nothing.I say this means everything.She says there are boundaries we shouldn’t cross. That my reputation can’t take any more hits—and neither can her damaged heart.I say I’m going to steal it anyway.

Comment: I was given this book last Christmas and I will say right away that, had it not been for this, I would likely not get it on my own. Many readers like the author's style and such but the type of authors mrs Silver is often compared with didn't make me feel much confident I'd really like her books....

In this story we meet Summer, a young woman who works for her father's agency and they now have in hands the challenge of helping their client, bull rider Rhett, after a video showed him badmouthing one of his sponsors' product. Summer is sent to stay with Rhett for a while, so that she could watch him and help him control the damage and, of course, she knows she should not give in to the temptation of being more than his "babysitter", not even considering the fact she has had a crush on him for years. On this part, Rhett is tired and knows his 32 years are young for some things but for bull riding his body is already feeling the weight. Still, he wants to do things his way and he feels Summer's presence is only a punishment he didn't need now... at least until they talk and start hitting if off....

This story read so much as a NA that the fact Rhett is 32 just didn't feel that important. I'm saying this because the dynamics between the protagonists just didn't win me over, nor did the overall characterization. To be fair, I'd say my issue is with the writing style, which felt fluid and readable yes, but not amazing and, once again, the first person narrator just didn't seem to be a good choice.... even though this is alternated between the protagonists (and not just having the heroine's, as often happens).

The story seems to be about containing the damage done by Rhett's imprudent behavior and that means close proximity for a bit between him and Summer. The formula isn't new and of course some plot situations seem a bit predictable having that in mind, but I wasn't fascinated by the characters nor what they were going through. The first person narration didn't help me feeling the empathy and the situations they face, especially in their private lives, should cause a more emotional response but I was reading and I wasn't particularly touched by anything. Things are written correctly, that's not the issue.... just not in a captivating way, to me.

Rhett is likable enough, I could certainly understand the mores serious issues regarding his job and what that entails, physically. There is also his family's expectations and their worry for his ability to endure the job while maintaining his physical health. These aspects were also quite interesting in terms of what it meant for the plot, especially since bull riding is definitely not a theme I know anything about besides what we see in movies, and I don't feel interesting in learning more than what was included here.

Summer's job was less interesting, and I've found her role to be just an excuse for her to spend time near Rhett. He is an adult, it seems ridiculous she would need to stay with him at a daily basis. Anyway, they start talking here and there and start seeing one another though different eyes, the more they engage in that proximity. She also has personal issues related to her father, her half sister with whom she doesn't have a warm relationship... and other things, factors I think were quite intriguing, but I fear the execution was very poorly done.

The obvious issue is that this is meant to be a sexy romance, and the issues the characters face start becoming only ways to justify adding more scenes because there comes a point it seems it's all about the sex between them. I'm not a fan of erotica now, and sex scenes as fillers no longer appeal, but it's a part of romance novels for the most part, so that is not the issue. What annoys me is that sex scenes in first person, if the focus is the sex and not the parallel emotional responses it should provoke, become repetitive and ridiculous when described this way and very, very out of place.

Certainly, there are exceptions and I'm all to find those gems in romance, but... to me, not the case of this book. I've skipped all sex scenes and I really don't think I've missed much in the big scheme of things. The end is, as expected, predictable but I did feel happy these two found a way to be together... I just didn't feel moved by their path towards that goal. I also think a few details weren't dealt with in a satisfying way.

With this experience, I've learned that while Elsie Silver writes well enough, her writing doesn't appeal much to me and, unless someone else gives me another book by her I might feel I need to try, it's very likely I won't look for more things by her in the future.

Grade: 5/10