ARC Review: Breaking Cage by A.J. Pryor

Breaking Cage is my second book by A.J. Pryor and I have to admit that I was really excited to read it. This is a standalone sports romance, and the blurb immediately had me. Not only is this a sports romance, but there is an element of suspense and mystery to it that really intrigued me. I will say though that while I was really excited for this story, I ended up with mixed feelings after reading it. This one wasn't exactly what I had been expecting, and while there were things that I liked there were others that didn't quite work for me. 

Hannah Black has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime, one that could make her career. She needs to get the story on Bears quarterback Derek Cage. Not only is he a football star, but he is the son of a senator and he hates the media. With speculation that he killed a girl, Hannah knows that she needs to do whatever it takes to get her story. But as hard as Derek tries to stay away from her, he finds himself drawn to Hannah and he starts to open up to her. As the truth starts to come out and secrets begin to be revealed, how far will Hannah go to tell the story and protect Derek? 

I liked Hannah and Derek. It was refreshing to see them be honest about their intentions from the start. I liked the fact that they didn't hide things from one another, especially with everything that was happening. There was already suspense and mystery, and I think that had they not been upfront it would have been too much. They had chemistry right away and I really liked them for one another.

My issues with the story came with the fact that as a sports fan, there were things that just weren't accurate here and that drove me nuts. I think that if you aren't a huge fan of sports, it probably won't be that obvious to you and you probably will not even notice. But for me, the little details are where it lost me. I also felt like while this book was different and there were things I liked, that it was a bit all over the place. It just didn't feel entirely focused and that drove me a bit crazy as well. I think that there was a lot of potential here and there were some good elements. But with the things that I had problems with, I just wasn't able to love this one like I think I could have.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | 

ARC Review: Right Next Door by A.J. Pryor

Right Next Door is my first book by A.J. Pryor. I will admit that the cover is what immediately drew me to this story, but what really intrigued me was the blurb. This one sounded so interesting, and I knew I had to read it. While there were several things that I really enjoyed here, there were also some things that didn't work for me.

Addison Peacock has spent the last several years waiting for the man she loved to return to her. After graduation he proposed, but her father got sick and she was forced to look after him. Shortly after her fiance left, promising to return to her. Now five years later, he has finally kept his promise and returned. Only Addison is surprised to find out that he is already married. Though Addison is crushed, she finds herself turning to her sexy new neighbor Damien Walker. Damien is no stranger to pain either, and has struggled to put his life back together after an accident took everything from him. But as much as Damien is drawn to Addison, he isn't interested in a one night stand and he knows that Addison isn't ready for more. Can Damien show Addison what they could have together, or will Addison's past destroy any chance they have at a future together? 

While I liked both of these characters at times, a lot of the problems I had with this book were with Damien and Addison themselves. Addison came off as weak and wishy-washy a lot in this book, and it was really hard to get behind that. For a smart and successful woman, she let her ex completely ramrod her life and she seemed to be incapable of putting him in his place for the majority of this story. For someone who had up and left her and she hadn't heard from him in five years, I felt like her inability to say no to him and really stand by that was beyond realistic. I liked her with Damien though, and when they were together things were great. These two were forming a connection and I could definitely see the chemistry between them. But then Addison would go weak, and either something would happen with her ex or she would suddenly decide that she couldn't be with Damien. Damien was just as problematic. For someone that was intent on winning Addison and doing things right, he seemed to be just as hot and cold. Though he always claimed to want her, he would push her away at times she would finally come to him and he also seemed to easily jump to conclusions. Add that to the fact that he wouldn't fully open up to her, yet he expected her to be completely open to him, and I just had trouble ever really getting behind these two as a couple. 

I also felt like while things were nicely wrapped up at the end and everyone wound up happy, that it was an unsatisfying ending to me. I didn't care for all the time these two spent apart, especially when it quite frankly never made any sense to me at all. Addison had already left for a good chunk of time to "find herself", so I just didn't see why she then needed to leave and spend even more time "finding herself". By the time that things started to turn around, the book was over and I was left wanting more. The epilogue wasn't really enough for me to feel satisfied after the way things had played out previously. So while I thought that this story had a lot of potential, it ended up falling flat for me.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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