Break Me by Tiffany SnowMy Goodreads rating: 3 of 5 stars
China Mack is back and settled into her new role working alongside Clark Slattery. Her romance with Jackson Cooper is still going strong, although it soon becomes clear the love-birds are not on the same page when it comes to committing to their relationship.
Thankfully for me, the reading experience of this second book in the Corrupted Hearts series was pleasurable this time around however, fans of China in the first book may feel disappointment because her OCD tendencies have faded to a greater degree. The socially awkward IT genius is a more assured young woman as her role shifts to a more covert one. The deviation in China's personality trait is replaced with even more references to fandoms, which went over my head. I'm not interested in Star Wars or any sci-fi films so numerous mentions about China's cherished Stars Wars pyjamas was over the top!
The strength of this novel is the imaginative narrative, it's on-point with the current political feelings. Ms Snow has always written suspense incredibly well and I wish the romance aspect matched the same intensity. China and Jackson's romance is luke warm at best and Clark is in the background pretending he doesn't like his line manager (China). Therefore I'm grateful for the fast pace when the suspense is the main focus. The writing switched between first and third person which was a surprise, and a little confusing sometimes until I got used to the format.
I'll admit the biggest motivation to read Break Me was the inclusion of characters from the first series Ms Snow wrote. With rumours flying about a hint of a Happy Ever After for the one 'unlucky in love,' the temptation was too great an opportunity to miss. Knowing this, I dived into this novel reading the final chapter first, something I've haven't done before. Afterwards, I felt decidedly underwhelmed with regards to the cameo appearances. However, this was a hasty opinion because you need to read the full novel to gain a clearer impression of their inclusion within this plot-line. Duh!!! (face palm). If you are paying attention, you'll spot them much earlier (wink). The sequence of events within The Corrupted Hearts series reminds me of this series too, although, only those who have read those books gazillion times would pick up on it...maybe! The comparisons are subtle, but are there, leading me to speculate the route China's heart will take her.
To sum up, I'll be back for book three and sincerely hope Ms Snow delivers up the unexpected in the finale...something she's done before and is more than capable of doing again; If only to prove me wrong about how I see this series playing out.
***arc generously received courtesy of Montlake Romance via NetGalley***
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