Rush by Maya Banks (Breathless #1)
Erotic Contemporary
February 5, 2013
Berkley
Reviewed by Mandi
Maya Banks has a new trilogy releasing following three billionaires who run swanky hotels. Although I’m a little tired of the billionaire hero, the blurbs intrigued me so I thought I’d give book one, Rush a try.
Let me say this – sometimes having an asshole hero can be fun. Take Tack for example (Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley). He is initially rude to the heroine, arrogant, demanding in bed etc.. but she writes him in a way that his alpha behavior is coming from a good place. There is romance within all the assholeness. He was a sexy asshole. (and also no way as dominant as Gabe…)
Gabe from Rush is just a plain asshole. And before I go on let me make it clear I only read the first 50% of this book so you can argue that he may have changed his ways and redeemed himself. However, the way he acted the first 50% would take an amazing amount of redemption. Gabe has needs – he needs to be in control, he needs to dominate and he is extremely possessive. He has been lusting after his best friend’s sister, Mia for years and now that she is 24 (and he is 38 I think) he feels it’s time to make his move. Mia has been lusting after Gabe as well. There is mutual lusting. Mia is very spoiled and pampered and protected by her big brother so Mia fears telling him her true feelings for his best friend.
Because of Gabe’s intense needs when having sex, he got burned by a previous relationship, accusing him of abuse etc, so now before entering into any type of physical relationship, he makes the woman sign a contract. I roll my eyes at this, but the basis for it in Gabe’s case makes sense.
But here is where things go bad for me. Mia has a good education yet works in a bakery. Gabe thinks she is wasting her potential so he wants her to be his personal assistant. But the personal assistant position also means she would be having an exclusive sexual relationship with him. Just what every college graduate dreams of.
“The purpose of your working for me is so you’d be at my side at all times. And I’d have you when I want and how I want.”
Gabe and Mia start a physical relationship and it is just so cold. Gabe is such a jerk. Mia goes along with it all. There is no romance. There is nothing outside the bedroom. Gabe uses Mia hard and then has remorse after she leaves, just to do it again the next time. He is possessive and jealous not in a fun way. (And yes, there are some stalker, jealous heroes out there that work really well for me – hello Gideon Cross!)
He humiliates her and as the reader it made me feel bad. I don’t want to feel bad when I read. I want to experience situations that I may not like but dying to know how the hero/heroine will resolve the actions – but I don’t want to feel ill. Mia liked it (maybe?), but I didn’t.There is also a scene that I didn’t read but was told about in detail that really just makes me shake my head. No, no, no. I don’t care how much he asks to be forgiven or how well the author redeems him. No.
No interest in discovering how it all ends.
Rating: DNF/F
Recent Reviews:
Dear Author – B+
Book Savvy Babes – 4/5
Under the Covers – 4.5/5
Tammy and Kim – 3.5/5
Hanging With Bells – 2/5
Happily Ever After Reads – D
Goodreads
I’ve seen such mixed reviews of this book. Either readers love it or they hate it. I love an alpha but not an alpha hole and Gabe sounds like one. I def. think I’ll be passing on this series.
Really are such varying reviews! I was intrigued to read them this morning as I was browsing.
This is how I felt about a review I did a few weeks ago. Everyone was giving this book 4&5 star reviews and I couldn’t even finish it!
I am very much over the bazillionaire-dominate types.
Alpha holes…. fantastic. I love that.
I read it in it’s entirety and it just did not work for me either. Like you, I love the alpha-hole hero but I don’t love the cold, emotionless, humiliating jerk that I found Gabe to be. I need to have chemistry, beyond the sex, and there was none to be found between Gabe and Mia. And the WTF scene around the 70% mark, well that just pissed me off and there was no amount of groveling Gabe could do to make me believe he loved her after that.
Yeah the stuff that happens at the 70% mark…eek. Just not for me!
Now I have to know what happened!! I discovered that Bank’s erotic romance books are NOT for me. I have a hard time finding the romance in the erotica. :( Sorry it didn’t work for you, Mandi.
I just can’t do anymore bdsm billionaires. I need a break. And I’ve never liked humiliation in my romance…
After talking to Amy about this one, then reading your review, I think I’ll pass.
I think to have this type of hero and heroine that engage in such….hard sexual acts…I need a bit more fluff.
But the personal assistant position also means she would be having an exclusive sexual relationship with him. Just what every college graduate dreams of. – You crack me up!
I was going to give up on reading review when I saw “billionaires”, but that line was so worth it…
I can still deal with billionaires..but I need them to be kinder. More romantic.
thanks for the honest review! I’m on the fence about this one. As it’s already been said, it seems like the reviews of this are either love it or hate it. I’m tending to hate the over alpha… alpha-holes… that are cropping up… so maybe I might have to borrow or skip this one…
It really is interesting how people either hate or love it. LOL No one is down the middle
I love reading your reviews. Brutal honesty.
I’m so completely burned out and bored with the billionaire control freak/girl who puts up with so little for sex stories that I’d probably never take a look at this book anyway.
However, I’m always drawn to the dark/jerky hero who has a good heart, so if the blurb paints that picture, I’m tempted. Glad to know this hero won’t be worth the trouble of slogging through degrading sex scenes.
I hope I was too brutal but I felt strongly about this book. It just really rubbed me the wrong way. I guess in my opinion, Gabe didn’t have a good heart. Maybe if I had finished and read how he groveled…but I couldn’t bring myself to finish it
Well damn. I had this one on my to buy list for this week. Might have to rethink it for now. I am curious though about what happens at that 70% mark now though.
I’m tired of the Grey men too and if you say no-no then gosh darn it I won’t waste my precious money on it.
Like Amy said damn now all I want to know is WHAT happens at the 70% mark???
I’ve been on the fence about this one. In one snippet I read, I liked the alpha-male, but in another, he seemed over the top and cold. I may just have to wait for the next in the series and skip this one. However, like those commenting above, now I NEED to know what happens at the 70% mark!
At the 70% mark he has business associates watch her give him a BJ – to prove to himself he doesn’t love her or something. Then he tells the associates they can pleasure how every they want – but then Mia freaks and one of the guys slaps her in the face – Gabe loses it etc. He gets rightfully angry but the whole set-up just rubbed me the wrong way.
Ugh. A lot of Banks books feature voyeuristic scenes.
Thanks for the info. I’ll have to think about spending 8 bucks on this one. She’s kinda hit and miss with me and like a lot of others have stated, I’m growing tired of the billionaire, controlling, alpha-male and his innocent, naive love interest.
I think this review is interesting. I read a rave review on another blog yesterday from someone who (obviously) LOVED the book. Even reading her rave review, I was absolutely convinced that this book wouldn’t work for me. There was a statement in the review that basically said that the heroine’s brother “allowed” her to work in a bakery. And then the whole part about the job contract with sex attached skeeved me out completely.
Your review confirms my initial reaction for me. But I think it is interesting because at least anecdotally, it shows that it doesn’t necessarily follow that a rave review will guarantee book sales!
There is a lot of love or hate for this one. This was just the wrong type of dominant hero for me
This one is on my tbr list. Thinking maybe I’ll skip this series after reading your review.
Hmm, I have problems with Gideon Cross being too controlling sometimes, so I think this definitely isn’t a book for me.
I don’t mind wealthy heros (it’s nice the kind of presents & treats they can buy the heroine, and I like reading about fancy parties they tend to go to) but no matter the person’s background, I don’t like reading about people who are super-possesive or controlling.
If you don’t like super possessive or controlling, you won’t like Gabe
I don’t understand why Banks is popular. Every single book I have tried by her I ended up not liking the hero and her sex scenes are not sexy to me.
The “hero” in this sounds just awful.
I won’t like Gabe. Thanks for the honesty!
This book was AWFUL! I am an avid romance reader. I read all kinds of books and I love alpha heroes. But Gabe? I have never read such an unikeable hero. There was nothing about him mysterious or charming. He talks like a drunk in a bar, with just curses and “damns.” He also is 38 freaking years old and has been planning to turn Mia into his sex slave for years. Could he not have even THOUGHT about confronting Jace beforehand? The plot only gets more ridiculous with him being so possessive and then deciding what he does in Paris. WTF? Mia forgives him after than and keeps right on, good to her doormat role. Frankly, it saddens me that women are enjoying these kinds of men in books. Abusive, controlling, over-the-top wackos! Where was the romance in this story? Was there even a sex scene here that was sweet and tender to balance all those wham-bam rutting scenes that left me cold? This book, the more I think about it after having closed it, the more I feel disgusted over having read it. They used to call romance novels “trashy” and I would always differ. This story was definitely trashy and it is going to the trash in my home.
Yuck. I bought this and haven’t had time to read it yet. Now I’m pissed because I know I won’t like it. Booo!