Wendy S. Marcus has done it again with A Dare with Consequences. She has written a story about characters I absolutely fell in love with and a story that does not at all go the way I expect. in general, I am not a fan of one-night stand romances, but I trust Marcus’ writing enough that she is an auto-read for me. I was rewarded with a wonderful novella filled with a handsome hero that had me swooning over the type of man he turned out to be. The heroine is a kickass, independent woman determined to make it on her own and not take the easy way out. The story had the right amount of build up with great character development and an original take on a common romance trope.
Ren and Anya’s story is one of passion and struggle. These characters provide us with realistic life decisions. They are doing their best with the hand they have been dealt in life. The only thing that is preventing them from being together is themselves. They have to learn how to trust one another and to give in to the feelings they hold for the other. It’s such a good story.
I enjoyed the plot of this book because it did not follow what I expect in a lot of contemporary romance books. It was a little raw at times. Neve’s background is not as light and fluffy as it appears to the outside world. I love both her strength and her vulnerability throughout the story. Rory isn’t the guy I expected to read about. He is a solider, but he isn’t the typical 6 foot plus, 250 lb hero we read about. Boy does he have a personality make to up for his physical size. Rory and Neve fit so well together, too. I just love the little twist to the typical romance couple.
The Group Seduction is a fun short story that had me daydreaming about what it would be like to surprise my husband like Bella did for Jack. Many non-fiction readers don’t realize that you can improve your marriage from reading romantic fiction. I have done the same things Bella has and when I read her doing it to Jack I was kicking myself because I saw it from a different perspective. Reading this story has made me more conscious of how my actions and words affect my husband.
