Book: King (King #1) by T.M. Frazier

★★¹⁄₂/★★★★★

“Stop being alive, and start living.”  

I've had this book with me for a while now and been meaning to read it but didn't have the time until last week. And to say I wasn't excited to get my hands on it when I first saw it was an understatement. I always love a good dark romance and with all the good reviews I'd seen, I was convinced that I'll totally love this book. 

On the contrary, I was a bit disappointed when I got around the book. I admit I haven't read that many dark romances but I had my expectations and sadly with King, I was underwhelmed. The plot has potential but I don't think it was well developed. There were heavy scenes that felt flat to me and though the writing is good, I think Frazier could've done better. Same with the characters. I really wanted to like Doe and King but they failed to appeal to me. I don't know what's wrong but I wasn't hooked with their story and at times they actually annoyed me.

“I found myself again in the most unlikely place. I’d found myself again in the haunted eyes of a girl who was just as lost as I was. Or maybe, we didn’t find each other at all. Maybe, we just decided to be lost together.”

 Right from the start I didn't know what to expect from Doe. She's lost her memories, she's homeless and just barely surviving. She's scared but she knew she has to survive so when opportunity presents itself, she knew she has to grab it. She's desperate. Next thing she knew she's at Brantley King's party with a newfound friend. There are bikers which to her mean protection. And though she's terrified, she knew she has to score one if she wanted to stay alive longer. 

King is a big bad boy. He lives outside the law. He's an ex-con who just got out of prison and is ready to get back to his old life when Doe suddenly shows up. Of course there's an instant attraction between Doe and King but both didn't want to act on it. It's too complicated for them. But along the way they start to grow closer and at some point decided they need to feel each other.

I know I should love King because I'm always drawn to alpha asshole jerks but for some reasons I didn't. I think he's too much to handle though there were times when I rooted for him.

“I would have given anything in the world for that smile and that breath, to have not been his very last.”

Of all the characters I think my most favorite is Preppy. He made me laugh, cry, giggle and cry some more! He's a very endearing character and I love that Doe has found a friend in him. He's damn funny and he broke my heart. Same with Grace. I think she's very sweet and lovely. 

Overall, I did enjoy the book a bit but there were so many things that didn't work for me. I failed to connect with the characters. Doe is too nice and too forgiving at times that it's maddening already. I also didn't get that way she acts sometimes and for someone who has amnesia, she's way trusting. King, on the other hand, is hella confusing. Sometimes he's nice, sometimes he's bad, sometimes he's both and I don't know how he does that! He frustrated me more than anything in this book. Also, I hated how he treated Doe sometimes, ordering her around and all. Then there's the last 10% when things got so crazy I didn't know what to expect anymore. The ending makes it worse by giving us a cliffhanger. Ugh.

So there. I know I ended up just ranting so forgive me but this is all just my opinion. I'm actually glad that a lot of people have loved it and hope the next person does too. I just think this book isn't for me.