Title: Sons of Mayhem #1: The First Novel
Author: Nikki Pink
Date Published: June 8th 2014 (first published November 24th 2013)
Publisher: NA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: ebook

If you haven't read Part 1, read it here. I've split this review up into a few parts. I don't know how many yet but it is split. I've finally finished with all my exams and hence begins my summer break. So, I can't wait to bring you lovely readers more reviews and more narcissistic opinion pieces (if you've followed my opinion pieces so far, thank you). I recently bought Scott Westerfeld's Afterworlds (and so far, I am in love with it. Yes, I read more than one book at a time) so expect a review on that pretty soon. Onwards, my lovely bookworms.

Review:

In the last review, I left off at Chapter 4 where a couple of goons had just bust into the room where our lovely lead characters, Nicole and Jase were just wrapping up some steamy time. And Nicole had been complaining about getting down on a dirty floor. Immediately after this, Pink switches from first person to third person as Chapter Five begins with the subheading "Jase". While I'm pretty used to reading novels with switching point-of-views, I had never expected it to jump from first person to third person. It is so tough to just write it from Jase's point-of-view rather than third person?! But, I read on because, well, I wanted to write a complete review. A couple of lines into the chapter and I am confronted with this, "Goddamn she tastes sweet. Why'd we have to get interrupted? She's gonna be so pissed off at all this." Hi, there, Jase. If you're done sexualising Nicole, I'd just like to tell you that when a girl's life is being threatened, she won't be pissed about having sexual intercourse interrupted. She will be happy. Thank you.

Chapter six opens with this, "I should have stayed in the dorm. Damn Lucy for letting me come with her!" For starters, yes, Nicole, you should have stayed in the dorm. You're an immature twenty-year old. Plus, don't blame Lucy for your shortcomings. You make your own decisions, it's got nothing to do with Lucy. And just as she's wishing that she should have stayed in the dorm, Nicole says this, "There was something about that; a sexy tatted guy in a while tee shoving twin handguns into the back of his pants, just above his deliciously firm and rounded ass, that did something to me. Well, what girl wouldn't get at least a little flustered?" I'm all for male objectification (it goes on in my head every day when I stare at the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Josh Hutcherson) but isn't this being a little too specific? To each his own. Anyway, newsflash Nicole, even if he's the protector in this situation, no girl would get flustered. Even if they were just riot bullets/rubber pellets. They'd be frightened, not wanting to jump his pants. Nicole needs to make up her mind if she wants to be scared shitless, pissed or hot and flustered.

Two pages later, I am confronted with this, "I want to spit on them. Scum. Should I spit on them? What the hell am I thinking. I'd never been in a situation to watch a man in such a position of power before." Oh, there's definitely some psuedo-BDSM elements going on here. Just wait for the whips, chains and leather. Oh wait, there already is leather. Okay, whips and chains then. Nicole goes from scared, hot and flustered to wanting to spit on someone. If someone threatened my life, I'd want to kill them, not spit them. Her emotions/personalities are all over the place. I am unable to find myself connecting with Nicole. At this point of the novel, she's just some stupid little college girl with a leather and biker and rough sex fetish. Jase appears to have more personality than she does. And this story is supposed to be Nicole's.

Two pages more later, "I could see the anger and confusion on his face...Despite only having known him a couple of hours I didn't want him to feel like that, I didn't want him angry and perplexed. If only I could help." No, hunny. You don't want him angry and perplexed because you barely know this guy and he might turn around and kill you. You DON'T want to be the first to die in a horror movie, do you? "I wonder what it'd be like to step on them. I imagined stamping the sharp heel in to one of them, maybe a bruised stomach or their balls." Tell me there isn't some form of twisted BDSM going on here. Maybe I'll believe you. "It was only a moment, but standing over the druggie scum with his arm around me I felt like a queen. His queen." I just threw up in my mouth.

And we're still in Chapter Six. Damn, Pink. Are you trying to make me work to write my reviews?

Chapter Seven begins: Two Days Earlier. And finally does the novel not focus on the hypersexualised relationship between biker and college girl. Six chapters of that and I'm tired. Some bites from Chapter Seven, "The lifeless corpse stained the body-drawer red, alone and unloved as the man left." So, far, it's the only line that I love. Chapter Eight, returns to Nicole's POV and three pages in, I see this, "When Jase hopped on the front, I yelled, "Let's just ride right over them!" Them, being in reference to the two goons from earlier. Now, Nicole has added batshit insane to her repertoire of ever shifting personalities.

With Chapter Nine, an anonymous chapter with killing involved, I get the feeling that the plot is finally moving and I can rest easy that I will see less of Jase and Nicole being in an unbelievable relationship where Nicole deems herself in love with him and Jase, well, Jase just wants in her pants.

Chapter Ten opens, "I'd know to bring something warmer to wear next time." Yes, yes you should. You should not be riding motorcycles with cut-off-jean panties and a hole-y top. You'd be an icicle. There's a reason bikers wear jackets and gloves, y'know. (Probably not so much to protect them from the cold but there's an idea.) Second page in, "I'd only known the tattooed man with his arm wrapped around me for a few hours, but I already felt like I belonged to him." Mhm, belonged to him. Nicole, we are not in the 16th/17th century where a woman belongs to a man. What a backward novel for this age of feminism.

Three pages into Chapter Eleven, "He didn't seem interested in the slightest. Well fuck you buddy." When a guy isn't interested in you, you don't tell him fuck you buddy. That's just rude and uncalled for. He didn't do anything to you. He just wasn't interested.

Chapter Twelve. Ah, Chapter Twelve brings all the steamy sex which is probably why the book gets good reviews and ratings. That, and probably tons of women out there are trying to live their "rough and dirty biker" fantasy. Here's another BDSM snippet for you, "You want to push my head on to you, don't you? Can you wait? Are you going to push my head down on to you anyway? I don't mind if you do." Ladies and gentlemen, if you are going to be rough or engage in BDSM, please discuss things and set limits beforehand. Pushing someone's head onto your prick without consent is going to make for a ruined relationship and discomfort. Of course, apparently, Nicole's consent here is non-verbal and only in her head. "Give it all to me Jase. I'll take it all for you." It's like Pink read some crappy BDSM novel (50 Shades of Grey, anyone?) and then wrote these mildly BDSM sex scenes.

Only Chapter Twelve and although the novel hasn't gotten any better, it's gotten less tedious. Of course, with two very intriguing chapters about heinous crimes being committed, it's enough to keep me reading, to keep me wanting to know what happens next. With these crimes, of course. Jase and Nicole? I can already guess where the novel is heading. No need to tell/describe to me in awful, cheesy terms as to how their relationship will end.

Would I recommend it: I'm a little on the fence at the moment, considering the two crime-related chapters. But, then, you'd have to get through all the awful Jase/Nicole dialogue. And the slut-shaming. Always with the slut-shaming.
Rating: 1/5 (Taking into account the two chapters)

Part 1 | Part 3