Review: Overwhelmed by Laina Kenney

Overwhelmed by Laina Kenney

Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb

Carolyn Winston has spent years fighting her scorching attraction to her two bosses at DIG Security. It is all she can do to work each day and try to act normal while her heartbeat speeds up in their presence and her knees actually feel weak. Her tender heart tells her that she could never choose between the men, and the alarming rumors say their romantic liaisons only last one night. Better to keep her distance.

Used to sharing everything of importance, Granger Hamilton and Isaac Marks, former Army Rangers turned security specialists, have waited impatiently for years for Carolyn to acknowledge the heated chemistry drawing them all together.

Now, with the threat of danger facing the woman who is the fierce obsession of their wounded hearts, the waiting is over. They’ve agreed on a plan to save their reputations and finally seduce the girl. And what they get, they keep.


Clare C's Review

The DIG series is about a group of people working for or connected to a security company. Each book focuses on the romance of a different couple or triad. Overwhelmed features Carolyn, a security specialist, falling in love with Granger and Isaac. The trio has known one another for years and they work together, so their previous relationship (working and friendship) is already established.

I don’t mind reading a novel where the characters’ relationship-building is part of the backstory, but that comes with a certain set of expectations, one of which is that the reader still needs to get to know them. I felt the character development was uneven. First, they want her, then she’s not sure about it, then it’s permanent. I know Ms. Kenney was trying to establish Carolyn’s uncertainty, but as a reader, I didn’t understand why Carolyn wouldn’t be certain about at least Granger. Are Granger and Isaac the kind of people who sleep with their employees and toss them aside or not? I thought Carolyn should have figured that out before she jeopardized her job/working relationship with her bosses. Some important pieces of the narrative that would have helped me better connect with the characters and to understand the wavering indecision seemed to be missing. Still, I liked Carolyn, Granger, and Isaac, and I wanted to spend some time learning about them and their story.

The hot scenes were very hot, but some of the wording interrupted the flow. For example, during one erotic scene, my attention was on the phrasing like “murderously arousing” and “excruciatingly pleasurable.” I like clever phrases as much as the next person, but peppering the narrative with them detracts from the eroticism, kind of like when your kids knock on the bedroom door at a time you and your spouse hoped they were sound asleep.

Laina Kenney shows promise. The characters were likeable and the quick pacing of the plot makes this a fun read. She’s a newer writer who has created an entertaining backdrop for a series. I look forward to seeing her grow as a writer.

3 Tea Cups!