Good evening fellow readers, bloggers, reviewers, writers, insomniacs, etc. Did I miss anyone? If I did, then hi to every one of you out there on the inter web at this hour. It’s 2:03am in my part of the world, so bear with me as I type up my latest blog. I also apologize profusely for my lag time with novel updates. It has been a crazy week/weekend with the holiday, and I finally got to walk for my commencement ceremony, so life has been hectic and weird. I graduated back in December, but since there’s only one celebration with my university, I had to go back and put on the Hogwarts robes and take a stroll. I digress…
Last night, I finally finished book three in the One Night series by Jodi Ellen Malpas. I’ve been in one of those moods lately where every book I pick up, I eventually put down after a few chapters and promise I’ll return at a later date. With this series, I had read the first two, bought the third one, and left it on my shelf for a few months. In my browsing, I decided to give it a go and finish up this trio, and here’s what I thought.
Miller Hart. What is there to say? If anyone knows the writing of Malpas, you know she has this ridiculous talent to write the most insane alpha males. When I say “insane”, I actually mean clinically insane, and insanely hot. Obviously there’s something going on with the mysterious but handsome man who burst into simple Olivia Taylor’s life. I’m not in the least bit attracted to rude or “bad” men, but for some reason, when he left the note on the napkin.. insulting her coffee making skills, I got a few butterflies. He has this allure right from the very beginning that you can’t help but want to get to know, and do you ever! The twist was honestly not what I expected! I knew it Malpas was going to leave me hanging… But I couldn’t help hoping more pages would miraculously appear anyway by time I finished up One Night Promised!
Obviously, I have a thing for damaged but disgustingly sweet men who want to change their lives for the better.. Or maybe it’s just Miller with his bespoke suits and enchanting OCD habits. I really couldn’t tell you the correct answer there.
Unfortunately, there are parts of book two, One Night Denied, that led it into the ridiculously cliché, boring, annoying… infuriating, You name it, and it happened in this installment, which devastated me. I did NOT want to hate this novel, but I kinda did, and that’s a first for me when it comes to the work of JEM.
There’s the constant Gregory vs. Miller stand-off (who is really better at protecting Livy), Livy just being meek one second before transitioning to the Hulk and her “sassy” self the next, Miller’s blind rages, aaannnnddddd this super “tough” life Miller is forever “chained” to that is becoming an interference. He’s the Special One?? Who actually cares? Find another Special One and let Miller and Livy alone. The end. It wavered as a plot line and made for ridiculously unnecessary drama. I suppose without it you wouldn’t have much of a romance, but it would’ve been insanely more realistic.
There’s another cliffhanger here and it made me read book three. I started it, so I had to finish it, and I’ll always take on more Miller. Out of all the books Malpas has published, this was my least favorite experience to date.
Harry Hart would hate me. I almost never wear matching socks. Who is Harry Hart, you ask? Guess you’ll just have to pick up the last book, One Night Unveiled, and find out for yourselves!
I’m happy I stuck with it until the end because this last installment was much more tolerable than book two. The middle bit was all over the place with emotions and the characters wound up pissing me more than anything.
Back to Miller and Livy. They are hiding in New York, trying to build a life together, but their demons (a.k.a. the past) threaten them at every turn. Miller truly is a changed man thanks to everything Olivia is and in return, he inspires the minx of a vixen in her. She was just a converse-wearing girl working in a cafe in the middle of London until Miller came bounding into her life.
For so many bombs being dropped throughout this novel, there is plenty of time for romance and worshipping. Malpas always does wonderfully with the slow-and-savored. I looked forward to these encounters between the two because I knew what I was in for having read her This Man series prior (one of my favorite series which I’ll post about at a later date).
Do Miller and Livy finally get the happy ending they want more than anything? Follow the string to the elevator and see where you end up in their journey! It’s a long and rocky one, but it makes for quite the sexy adventure!
Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
