Wed to the Barbarian

I have a lot to say about this book. First, I was going to rate it 3 stars. Because yes, it was really funny(I got multiple laugh out loud moments with it) , and I liked the setting, and the plot(Keira Andrews has a great way of ensuring her subplots don't overshadow the romance) but it still lacked that oomph that I felt from Beyond The Sea. Until towards the end.

I loved the last parts of this book SO MUCH. One, the emotions were so raw, Jem feeling like he'd finally started to belong, and giving in to what his heart wanted, only to discover the betrayal....again. After the rejections and being laughed at in the past, it really was a gut punch, I could feel the pain radiating off the pages. And kudos to the audiobook narrator for this one because he's great at expressing the emotions on the page.

But what really pulled this from a 3 to a 5 for me? Jem having no patience for the explanations and apologies from everyone, especially Cador. I love a bit of grovel, given the heinous things some of our MMCs usually get caught up in. But even more than I hate their transgressions, I absolutely cannot stand when the injured party forgives them after a basic ass apology. It's never very realistic. I understand that forgiveness happens, but it's always a bit of a let down when one of the guys is on demon behavior and he gets an easy pass just because he realized he has feelings and this magically wipes away the hurt he's caused his person.

So here's to Jem