Category Archives: Jodi Ellen Malpas

Review: One Night: Promised by Jodi Ellen Malpas

night promisedTitle: One Night: Promised by Jodi Ellen Malpas
One Night Trilogy Book One
Publisher: Forever
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance
Length: 416 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

The new breathtaking novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the This Man trilogy

ONE NIGHT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH . . .

Livy notices him the moment he walks into the coffee shop. He’s heart-stoppingly stunning, with a blue-eyed gaze so piercing she’s almost too distracted to take his order. When he walks out the door, she thinks she’ll never see him again. Then she finds the note he left on his napkin . . . signed M.

All he wants is one night to worship her. No feelings, no commitment, nothing but pleasure. Every defense mechanism Livy has adopted during her solitary life is at risk of being obliterated by this confounding man. He’s obnoxious but well-mannered. He’s a gentleman but aloof. He’s passionate but emotionless. Yet the fascination is so powerful, Livy can’t deny him . . . or herself.

M awakens something in Livy, something deep and addictive that she never knew existed-and that she fears only he can satisfy. But she senses that behind the fast cars, fancy suits, and posh apartment, he’s aching inside. To have him, body and soul, she’ll have to brave his dark secrets. Delving into his world and breaking down his defenses become her obsession-an obsession that could shatter her heart beyond repair . .

The Review:

Promised is the sexually charged first installment in Jodi Ellen Malpas’ new erotic trilogy, One Night. Bistro waitress Livy is gobsmacked by her reaction to one her customers, the very mysterious and striking M. The two share an instant and scorching hot attraction but the enigmatic M cannot commit to a lasting relationship. He instead offers 24 hours of pure pleasure but will Livy accept his very provocative invitation?

Livy and M start out as likable characters but it does not take long to become incredibly frustrated with both of them. On the surface, Livy seems self-assured and confident but as soon as she becomes involved with M? She turns into an indecisive, whiny mess who puts up token resistance to M’s commanding and ridiculous demands. The reasons for some of her behavior appear to stem from her dysfunctional past, but it takes so long to learn her secrets that she is more annoying than sympathetic.

M is closed off and secretive but he is upfront that he is emotionally unavailable. He relentlessly pursues Livy and he crosses over into creepy, stalker territory pretty much right away. He treats her like a child and M expects her to reveal everything about herself to him but he refuses to tell her anything about himself.

The pattern for Livy and M’s relationship is established pretty early on with Livy running away, M pursuing her and the two jumping into bed. Lack of communication causes trust issues and Livy’s suspicions continue to grow because of M’s secretive behavior.  Little progress is made in their relationship and the constant back and forth quickly becomes tedious.

The premise of Promised is intriguing but it is slow-paced and repetitive. The secondary characters are a mixture of likable (Livy’s co-workers) and exasperating (Livy’s grandmother and BFF). The plot is interesting but it gets bogged down by too many insignificant details. The constant back and forth between M and Livy is irritating and predictable. The story does eventually pick up steam and Jodi Ellen Malpas ends the novel with an incredibly shocking and dramatic plot twist that will leave readers absolutely dying to read the next novel in the One Night Trilogy.

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Filed under Contemporary, Erotic, Forever, Jodi Ellen Malpas, One Night Trilogy, One Night: Promised, Rated C, Review, Romance