Review: Intensity by C.C. Koen

Intensity by C.C. Koen is the first part of Lincoln and Serena's story. Their story will continue in a second book set to release in the fall 2015. While their story is not over yet, the reader is not left with a huge cliffhanger at the end of Intensity. I liked that we are left wanting more, but that it wasn't the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers. I really enjoyed the first part of Linc and Serena's story though, and I am looking forward to more. I did have a few issues throughout this book, and I am hoping that some of them will be resolved with the second book Serenity.

After losing her grandmother, Serena Thomas is struggling to make ends meet. Even with three jobs, she still is barely scraping by. When she meets the beautiful and sweet Mylaynee, the promise of a job making thousands of dollars right away comes off as too good to be true especially considering the fact that it would be as an escort. Serena is a virgin and doesn't plan to have sex for money, but Mylaynee ensures her that some guys just want dates rather than sex. When Serena decides to see about the job, she meets with the sexy owner Linc. They immediately hit it off and he makes her an exclusive for his use only. The more time together, the closer they get. But Linc still holds secrets that he isn't telling Serena, and she begins to wonder where that leaves them. The deeper that Serena gets, the more she finds out. Will she stay and fight for a future with Linc, or will the secrets and other women vying for Linc's attention drive her away before they ever have a chance?

I liked Linc. He was sweet and playful with Serena and I loved that he took care of her. He was sexy and alpha as well, but he was never a jerk about it with her. He was always looking out for her, and I really enjoyed seeing him ease her into his world. I felt bad for him as his past was revealed, but I did admire him for wanting to make things better for those in his world. His motivation for running his business was very personal for him, and I liked that he opened up to Serena and shared that with her. Serena was a bit feisty at times and I loved that she wanted to handle things herself. But then at other times I lost some respect for her because of how she acted or didn't act. I wanted her to confront things with Linc the way she was able to Tanya and B.B. It irritated me that she wasn't able to let him know how she was feeling and try to get answers from him when she deserved the truth. I thought that their connection and chemistry was real though, even if it was pretty instant. They were great together, and I enjoyed seeing them begin their relationship.

My biggest complaint of this book was how Serena dealt with everything about B.B. She started to believe everything that B.B. was telling her, and I wanted her to go to Linc for answers. It was clear that B.B. had ulterior motives, which is why it frustrated me so much. Then not only does she start to believe her, but she decided not to go to Linc because she was afraid it would ruin things between them. It just didn't make sense to me, and made her come off as a bit desperate. There was also one specific event that happened that Serena never asked Linc about. Even after the truth about where Linc was and what he was doing, Serena never talked to him about the one she witnessed with her own eyes and that bothered me. I wanted answers, and I hope that we will get some in the next book. Despite those criticisms though, I really enjoyed the book. I loved Serena's friendship with Mylaynee and the girls and I thought that they were all such a great support system for her. I look forward to seeing more about them in the next book, and I am excited that C.C. Koen has said Mylaynee will be getting her own book. I have to admit that I am curious about how she ended up where she did, and if she will wind up with Jax. I will definitely be reading the next book in this series, and I am excited to see where C.C. Koen takes Linc and Serena next.

**Review Copy Provided by Xpresso Book Tours**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depository |