Review: Cocky Bastard by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

AJ

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Review

3 mixed stars

I have really mixed feelings about this book. It has a great set-up with fantastic characters who have brilliant chemistry and a wonderful dynamic, but then the story shifts and there was a lot of behaviour that pushed my very specific reader buttons. But though I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to, it was still an enjoyable read.

Aubrey is in the middle of driving across the country, leaving behind a cheating ex-boyfriend and looking forward to starting fresh in California. At a road-side stop she encounters deliciously hot Chance, an Australian ex-professional soccer player who is in the middle of his own journey. One broken down motorbike, one flat tire, and some deliciously witty banter later, and the two of them are road-tripping to the west coast.

“If I change your tire, you let me ride with you.”
“Ride with me?”
“Ride me, yes.”
“What did you just say?”
“You’re hearing things.”

Though their beginning has a touch of animosity about it, it’s not long before these two are bantering back and forth, opening up to each other about their lives, and let’s not forget the innuendos and dirty talk which fly thick and fast, and had me laughing out loud.

I placed my drink order first. “I’ll have a nonfat three-pump vanilla latte, low foam and extra hot.”
Chance squinted his eyes at me and turned to the waitress. “Did you get all that? She’ll have a hot two-pump chump with extra cream.”

“We need to eat.”
“So, we’ll get breakfast out?” I stupidly asked.
“Yes, breakfast. What else would I be eating out?”

The UST is great, and more than that, they enjoy each other immensely, and start to grow really close. And what should be a relatively quick drive turns into an adventure as they slow their drive down and make a few side-trips in an effort to spend more time together. More talking, more flirting, and then, blessedly…

“We’re not gonna kiss.”
The next thing I knew Chance’s big, warm hands had cupped my face as he leaned in and growled over my mouth, “The fuck we aren’t.”

Oh, I love a Cocky Bastard! Chance is sex on a stick with a filthy mouth, and the sexy time is really freaking hot, and mixed in with the humour, I was loving it. Add in a fainting goat (random, but also slightly awesome), and it only got getter. But everything changes when their road trip comes to an abrupt and heartbreaking end. Fast forward two years later (yes! Two years!!!), and the POV switches from Aubrey to Chase as he accepts that he effed up, and goes all out to win back the girl he has been unable to forget.

This really feels like a book in two parts. The whole mood of the second half of the book feels different than the first – obviously the change in POV contributes to that, but while I fell in love with the characters in the first half, the way they had changed and the way they behaved in the second half brought the book down for me.

I could absolutely understand where Chance was coming from, and his determination to win Aubrey back was amazing, but also disturbingly stalker-ish…

Spoiler
Travelling away from his home to stay in a hotel in her home town, hanging around her house and workplace to catch glimpses of her, doing all of her yard-work for her (first anonymously and then openly), secretly buying her breakfast every morning and spending his nights hanging out in a bar near her work, and that’s just the start!.
…I’m still trying to decide if it was romantic or pathetic. Maybe a little of both?

But the big WTF for me was Aubrey. Seriously, WTF was she doing? Yes, she was scared of Chance hurting her again, but the way she handled the whole situation made me see red. Warning, massive rant ahead —> 

Spoiler
She is in a serious, committed relationship, and though Chase’s reappearance in her life initially freaked her out, she then made the conscious effort to reconnect with him “as friends” but hid the whole situation from her boyfriend – even going so far as to shoo Chase out the back door of her house when her boyfriend unexpectedly arrived, even though they were innocently watching tv. And then there was the escalation to smut-talk, not-so-innocent touching, flat-out-flirting and even a kiss, and the whole time she still stayed with her boyfriend! That’s just wrong! Not only was she cruelly leading Chase on, but more importantly, she was cheating on her boyfriend from the moment Chance came back into her life. And I just couldn’t get behind the relationship with that sort of behaviour going on. She needed to just let go.
It all dragged on too long, and I lost a lot of respect for both of them to be honest.

But as frustrating as it was, you’ve got to appreciate Chance’s devotion to Aubrey. And though some of his behaviour was a bit OTT, the way he fought for her, and laid his feelings out to her was really sweet, and beautifully swoony.

“I love you, Aubrey. Can’t you see that? I am head over heels in fucking love with you. I love you more than anything in this entire world. When I look into your eyes, I don’t just see you, I see my children. Hell, I see an entire farm of children and deaf, dumb and blind goats. I see my entire future. Without you, I see nothing. Nothing.”

I can definitely see why so many people love this book. It has all the elements there, it’s just a case of what suits you personally as a reader, and though this one started out strong me for me, sadly it had too many of my pet peeves for me to truly love it.

3 stars.

 

Check out our Penelope Ward Author Spotlight and Vi Keeland Author Spotlight for more books by these authors

And our Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward Author Spotlight for their co-written work