Day: February 24, 2018

Trigger Warning: The subject of the following review, Heartaches 3: Bad Boy Vibes by H.M. Irwing contains discussions of rape, depictions of sexual situations including BDSM, violence, and drug use. If you are under 18 years of age, are triggered by such depictions, or otherwise wish to avoid them, proceed with caution.

Here’s the final review for H.M. Irwing’s Heartaches trilogy. As this book is the third in the series, the following review will contain some spoilers for the first and second book. If you have not read those, proceed carefully. Now that you’ve been thoroughly warned, here is my review for Heartahces 3: Bad Boy Vibes by H.M. Irwing.

The day of Aunt Bella and Peter Preston’s wedding is approaching, and Rafe and Anna know that they have to do everything possible in order to stop it. They have a plan which, thanks to a sly maid named Suzi, they might be able to pull off. That is, if their own emotional struggles with each other and the Prestons don’t get in the way first. What follows are 160 pages of conspiracy, tension, double-crossing, and, if course, sex and romance. Will good finally triumph over evil? Will the Prestons and Eric Dayton finally get what they deserve, and will Rafe and Anna finally get the peace that they long for? Most importantly, who will make it out alive?

Admittedly, the intricately-woven drama, which often bordered on coincidental, annoyed me in the second book. However, that annoyance has warn off in this final installment. Somehow, when combined with all the action and scheming, it works for me this time. Perhaps it’s because Irwing was able to tone it down once all the groundwork had been set or the slightly altered context from romance novel to action-romance made it more bearable for me, I’ll never know for certain. Regardless, it fit here and slightly justified the cheesiness of the soap opera elements that so heavily appeared in the second novel.

The character development has always been the greatest strength in Heartaches. The third book is no exception. While Anna and Rafe are still dangerously dependent on one another, they’ve both grown to protect each other and bring out the best–and worst–in each other. Anna isn’t entirely complacent anymore, taking on more agency and responsibility for keeping herself safe as well as Rafe. They both have come to realize that their trauma should not keep them from their future for each other, a growth which I found to be endearing and a good lesson for all of us who think we’re too damaged to be loved.

Some of the character development was a little hard for me to swallow. I didn’t believe Matt’s revelation about him and Anna in the second book and I still don’t, although I entirely believe that he and probably even Jason are afraid of Peter and his punishments. I wish that Irwing had vilified Matt and his brother a little less earlier in Heartaches if she were to take that route, but I suppose the effectiveness of the transition is up for you to decide after you read it. (I can’t talk about it much more without risking spoilers anyway.)

I’ve never been one to enjoy the romance and action genres too much, at least not without some fantasy/science fiction or historical fiction in it, but Irwing may have changed my mind some. (Of course, some other romance novels have helped her by paving the way for that.) The complexity of the character’s psychology and emotions really captured and kept my interest, and I was determined to see their story through. Irwing did not disappoint. She wrapped all the elements up nicely, even minor ones from the first book, and got my blood pumping with an unexpected boost of action that I didn’t see to that degree in the other books. Better yet, the ending left me happy without warning to barf from the sickening sweetness of “they lived happily ever after,” which always a plus for me when it comes to this genre.

My only other bones to pick, which are both minor stylistic preferences, have to do with the title and the cover. They hardly change over the course of three books, which can be confusing. I can see people starting the wrong book entirely by mistake. To avoid confusion, I hope that Irwing will consider different cover illustrations for each book and perhaps new titles which distinguish the books from each other better. Again, it’s a minor issue and does not affect the quality of the book or writing itself.

Overall, Heartaches 3: Bad Boy Vibes by H.M. Irwing is a nice conclusion to this series. If you don’t like when a book series evolves to cover more genres than previously (even if organically), you might want to avoid this last book. However, if you don’t mind a drastic increase in action in a romance series and love emotional development in your romance novels, this book is for you.

You can buy Heartaches 3: Bad Boy Vibes by H.M. Irwing as an eBook or in paperback on Amazon. Also remember to check out Irwing’s website for information on her, the Heartaches trilogy, and her other books.

Do you know of any books I should read? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!

Trigger Warning: The subject of this review, Heartaches 2: Bad Boy Vibes by H.M. Irwing contains discussions of rape as well as depictions of sexual situations and violence. If you are under 18 years of age, are triggered by such depiction, or would otherwise like to avoid them, proceed with caution.

As promised, here’s the second review of the Heartaches: Bad Boy Vibes trilogy. Be warned that, as this book is a sequel, there will be some spoilers for the first book. You have been warned. Now, without further ado, my review of Heartaches 2: Bad Boy Vibes by H.M. Irwing.

Oh, the tangled webs we weave—especially in fiction! Rafe and Anna are back, and this time, their hearts are not the only ones at risk of aching. With the return of Eric Dayton and the Prestons, Rafe, Anna, Pat, and their friends are on-edge and on-guard. And now that their flawless reputations have been tarnished, who knows what Rafe’s and Anna’s abusers/rapists will do for revenge. Will evil—and money and power—win out over good? Will the ghosts of their pasts drive a wedge between Rafe and Anna? And how will the relationships and drama of their loved ones affect them?

In the second installment of Heartaches: Bad Boy Vibes, Irwing pulls no punches. Even in times of relative peace, drama invades Rafe’s and Anna’s lives, whether it’s theirs, Pat’s, the Prestons’, whoever. Unfortunately, this amount of drama was simultaneously invigorating and draining. On the one hand, it got my blood pumping and anxious to see what could possibly go wrong next. On the other hand, I really just wanted a break. While I understand that the emotional turmoil of a rape victim never truly goes away, couldn’t they have a couple days without having to confront anyone’s troubles? Much like the first book, the second part of Heartaches: Bad Boy Vibes really reminded me of a soap opera, perhaps too much so. The secrecy, the mood swings, the eternally-entangled plots and relationships, they all seem too contrived to be believable at points. I’m not sure if I would want all these extremes to be gone as they help this novel fit the romance genre perfectly, but it’s also what makes romance books hard for me to get through.

Regardless, I found a lot to like about this sequel as well. Irwing ensures to weave in themes of friendship and strength, giving Anna a life outside of her rape and her relationship with Rafe, which is a relief considering the melodrama of hers and Rafe’s feelings for each other. While Rafe and Anna are still the center of the story, subplots such as that between Pat and Dan add an extra flavor to this book which was somewhat lacking in the first.

I loved watching Anna realize her self-worth, the toxic influences that people in her past had had on her, even as her ultra-dependence on Rafe grated on my nerves. The fact that their relationship is co-dependent, that Rafe is as dependent on her for as she is on him and that she protects him as he protects her, eased my discomfort at Anna’s dependence. In a way, it made them one of the better-balanced couples I’ve seen in the romance genre. The fact that the focus shifted from Anna’s troubled past more to Rafe’s aided this balance, giving readers as much of a look into the inner workings of Rafe as the first book did with Anna.

Irwing does well in tying together minor plot points from parts one and two of Heartaches: Bad Boy Vibes. I had a feeling that we would be seeing the rich old woman and her grandson again, but I certainly did not expect the role they ended up playing. Better yet, their role brought a mixture of drama and humor to the book which, while maintaining the tension, brought a lighter feel to the story at the same time. It also gave me a glimmer of hope, even as it seemed that this plot line might end in some discontent.

As with the first book, Heartaches 2: Bad Boy Vibes is ripe with socio-political commentary. Rape, victim-blaming, and gay marriage are just some of the many social issues which play a part in this novel. While they are difficult to swallow, they also add a depth which romance novels often lack, and frankly, that’s the only way to keep me as engaged in this genre as this series has. I wear my heart on my sleeves, so these books are hard for me to read. However, the characters and the social commentary keep me moving right along.

Still, as I pointed out earlier, this book is not perfect. The excessive drama—melodrama, at times—killed me a little inside, made Irwing’s writing almost a guilty pleasure for me. The oscillation between a lack of agency for Anna/her total dependence on Rafe and her serving as his protector gave me a headache at points, and the intensity of their feelings toward each other bordered so much on cliché that it made me roll my eyes a little. (Perhaps it would have helped if Irwing had not brought up these emotions so often, usually for several paragraphs at a time.) I suppose that I just have to take the bad with the good in this case.

Overall, Heartaches 2: Bad Boy Vibes Part Two is an entertaining read, filled with emotional and psychological complexities similar to the first. When compared to the first book, it’s a bit disappointing as it falls even more into the stereotype of a soap opera-like romance novel. Regardless, it also maintains several of the strengths of the first novel as well, and so I was still anxious to move on to the third once I had finished with this one. If you like romance novels, I highly suggest you try these books. If you are triggered by discussions of rape or can’t deal with a lot of (almost forced) drama, you might want to avoid them.

You can buy Heartaches 2: Bad Boy Vibes Part Two by H.M. Irwing as an eBook and in paperback on Amazon. Remember to check out Irwing’s website for more information on these and Irwing’s other books.

Do you know of a book I should read? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!