RELEASE DAY BLITZ: REVIEW, TEASERS, AND GIVEAWAY Step-Lover by Bella Jewel‏

 

 

Review

What do you do when the one person who helped you to realize that there’s life after pain and helped change your perspective on life turns out to be the one person you can’t have because the relationship would be seen as inappropriate or taboo in the eyes of society/family?

For Aria, the heroine in Bella Jewel’s newest release, Step-Lover, she tries her best to move on and not be consumed with the heartache that torments her in thinking back to her perfect weekend with the one man who lite her heart and her body on fire, which is easier said than done when said man, who also happens to be her newly acquired step-brother, comes barging in and out of her life on multiple occasions just as consumed by her as she is by him.

Secrets. Lies. Jealousy. Stolen moments. These seem to be all that exist between Aria and Blade as they try to figure out how to be around one another without giving into their feelings because Aria refuses to complicate or ruin her mother’s happiness with Blade’s father because she’s been through enough. But how do Aria and Blade suppress their feelings for each other when they’re everything they’ve always wanted? It’s an absolute mess of a situation that is only compounded by Blade’s hot and cold treatment of Aria and the distance he puts between them in order to not take what he wants and truly needs.

I enjoyed Aria and Blade’s story, but I can see readers being divided in their view of this book, and the main reason is due to the main characters and how they handle the situation of being step siblings.

Since she was eight years old, Aria has had to endure heartache and live without her father and sister, which has left her, understandably, guarded. There’s a fragility to her, which is expressed throughout the text, which might make some readers view her as weak. But I understand why she acts the way she does and holds on to her feelings for Blade; he’s the one who helped her break free from some of the torment and pain from the past, and while I wish she stood up for herself a bit more, I don’t see her as a doormat.

Blade’s lucky he’s hot and ultimately makes up for what he puts Aria through because there were many times in the text when I wanted to knee him in the nuts and slap him in the face. I couldn’t wrap my head around his behavior…maybe it would have helped me to understand by having his point of view, but without it, I didn’t really like him, and I wanted him to get his shit together and stop leaving Aria hanging.

I hope to see how Aria and Blade are doing when Bella Jewel gives readers Brody and Melanie’s story because I need more insight to how everything is working out to redeem Blade a bit in my eyes.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4 poison apples