Tuesday, May 20, 2014

PHENOMENAL X BY MICHELLE A. VALENTINE






Good Girl. Notorious Bad-Boy. One Phenomenal Love.

From the mean streets of Detroit rises the newest superstar of professional wrestling, Xavier Cold, better known as Phenomenal X. His muscular physique makes men cower before him and women lose their minds with desire.

Anna Cortez is fresh out of college and naive to the harsh realities of the real world. Tired of living under the thumb of her conservative family, she defies them when she accepts a job as the assistant to wrestling’s most notorious bad-boy. Phenomenal X has an animalistic nature that even good girl Anna finds hard to resist.

One night forced to share a bed in a sold-out hotel, lines blur between them and they quickly learn that one lustful night changes everything and neither one of them will ever be the same.


AMAZON  |  B&N  



3.5- "There's a fine line between love and hate"  smooches

AHHH  I expected SO much from this book.  It was one of my most anticipated reads and it started off reeeeeeally rough for me.  I had trouble connecting with the characters and even more so feeling their connection with each other.  Eventually they began to grow on me and by right around 50% I really started to enjoy the book.

Xavier(Phenomenal X) is a tough guy who grew up on the streets and has been very hardened by his past.  He has made a new life for himself as Phenomenal X, a very famous wrestler.   Anna is escaping her sheltered life and venturing out on her own.  The two meet on a plane and sort of hit it off.  They end up in the same town for a week or so and become the best of friends despite being complete opposites. 


"I don't want you to become jaded down the road when the world's cruel realities set in.  You have too much light to be clouded by the dark."

Xavier is scared to hurt Anna and she is terrified of being hurt, so they become friends and eventually she his employee.  As Xavier begins to open up to Anna, I fall more and more in love with him.  It took me a while to get him but I finally did and right when things really got good.. BAM... THE END.

I don't particularly like cliff hangers but this one really bugged me because it took a whole book just to catch my interest and then it was over.  There was no major climax and resolution... it was just a bunch of build up and I feel like I was left with nothing! Of course I NEED to read the next book and see what happens and hopefully the connection that I developed with these characters will carry over and make for a much better second book!

I gave it 3.5 smooches.  While the first half I really could not get into, the second was getting GOOD and it was enough for me to "like" but not love this book.  I am however looking forward to book 2!





3.5 - it's a cliffie - Smooches 

"Sometimes, time is irrelevant in understanding the beauty of another person's soul." - Xavier

*sigh* Xavier Cold.  I think I might love him.
"I'll be a good man to you, Anna," he says against my lips.  "I swear it." - Xavier
Yes, I just might love him.

Unfortunately, I didn't love the book.  I wanted to.  I was STALKING the author for its release.  The hype was incredible and my expectations were lofty.   Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to them.  

My biggest issue with the story was that I really didn't connect with Anna.  In fact, she annoyed me a lot of the time.  I really can't pinpoint any one thing about her ... I think it's just HER in general.  

The story was ok, the sex was ok, Xavier was, well, phenomenal ... he saved the book for me.  I wasn't thrilled that the book ended with a cliffhanger.  I mean it was *just* starting to get good and then BOOM, The End.  I definitely want to continue on and see what lies ahead for Xavier and Anna.


New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author Michelle A. Valentine is a Central Ohio nurse turned author of erotic romance and New Adult novels. Her love of hard-rock music, tattoos and sexy musicians inspired her BLACK FALCON series.

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