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My Review:Title: WET
Author: Cambria Hebert
Series: Westbrook Elite #1
Published by: Indie
Release Date: July 12, 2022
Format: eARC
Pages: 364
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Sports Romance
Potential Triggers: View Spoiler »
Source: Give Me Books Promotions
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2022 COYER Summer
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:
Blurb:Making decisions I regret is basically a hobby.
So I guess it really wasn’t that surprising when I went out on a date with an Elite.
And then he tried to assault me.
I might be small, but I’m not meek. I fought him off… then went straight to the dean.
He didn’t believe me. No one does.
And now my date from hell is in revenge mode, and I somehow end up in the campus pool.
Did I mention I can’t swim?
Lucky for me, a knight in shining armor saves me from drowning.
Except he’s not wearing shining armor. He’s naked.
And he’s also Elite.
Seriously, what is up with these Elite swimmers?
Of course, I have no intention of ever seeing his very good-looking, naked highness again.
Elite obviously can’t be trusted.
Until he wraps me in his hoodie and promises to believe me.
Now I’m drowning again—but this time in his enigmatic cobalt eyes and addictive touch.
My only oxygen is him. I think I maybe could fall in love.
But will he keep his promise when I tell him the truth about his teammate?
Or will trusting Ryan with my heart and my life be just another decision to regret?
I received a free copy through Give Me Books Promotions in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
3.5 stars — If you’ve missed the Hashtag series, and want something extremely similar, then you are going to love this story. While for me it didn’t have the same connections and chemistry as #Nerd, it was still entertaining.
NOTE: if you have triggers, please please search out trigger warnings for this book (there is a content warning at the front of the book as well — bravo Ms. Hebert).
I think the problem for me came in that I had *just* reread #Nerd and #Hater like 2 weeks ago…so to say that that world was fresh in my mind is an understatement. So, honestly? This book felt a lot like a fan fiction of that series, because there were quite a few prominent similarities. I don’t always mind that, I read Harlequins for goodness sake and they’re all about following a formula. But I think I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn’t so fresh in my mind.
You’ve got a tiny fierce loner heroine, with crazy unruly hair. You’ve got a ridiculously over the top alpha possessive hero, who is a star on campus in his sport (swimming this time). You’ve got a hilarious bromance, with over the top loyalty. The hero has a weird thing about his vehicle (jeeps in this case). You’ve got an asshole villain who is completely unhinged but getting away with shit. You’ve got an unlikely new friendship for the heroine. You’ve got a teammate who joins the group, and is gay. And you’ve got a romance that goes from 0 to crazy intense in 60 seconds. It’s definitely not a repeat or anything, but it threw me off initially when I kept noticing similarities over and over.
And the problem with seeing similarities is that you can’t help but compare. And, for me, this one just didn’t have the build up of chemistry that I fell in love with with Romeo and Rimmel. Ryan and Rory’s story feels like it’s on a fast track, and so I just didn’t see that connection in the same way. We got to their first kiss, and I hadn’t had time to ship them and get butterflies, so it fell kind of flat for me. I’m sure it won’t be that way for everyone, but I definitely needed more time in the build up…I needed that sexual tension you know?
I did really appreciate Rory’s story that fed the suspense. I loved how they addressed date rape, being believed, feeling afraid on campus, the inherent imbalance between the genders and the perks given to athletes. It was kind of interesting, b/c it was a bit of a contrast in some ways to Romeo — what if the elite athlete that has perks with the dean was the villain? Seeing Rory struggle with wanting justice and safety, balanced with her own fear and trust was fascinating. It was also fascinating to watch Ryan’s eyes being opened to reality for so many female/LGBT students…and not only that, but to see the privileges he himself was afforded.
I was occasionally more uncomfortable with Ryan’s possessiveness and overreach…maybe because I didn’t get to see their relationship form more slowly? Maybe because of the circumstances of how they first met? I’m not sure.
I’m definitely interested in more books in this world, but perhaps not as excited as I’d hoped to be.
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