book info: on sale: now copy from: public library pages: 348 review written: 21.12.17 originally published: 2009 edition read: Penguin NAL 2009 title: Rooftops of Tehran author: Mahbod Seraji In a middle-class neighborhood of Iran's sprawling capital city, 17-year-old Pasha Shahed spends the summer of 1973 on his rooftop with his best friend Ahmed, joking around one minute and asking burning questions about life the next. He also hides a secret love for his beautiful neighbor Zari, who has been betrothed since birth to another man. But the bliss of Pasha and Zari's stolen time together is shattered when Pasha unwittingly acts as a beacon for the Shah's secret police. The violent consequences awaken him to the reality of living under a powerful despot, and lead Zari to make a shocking choice... my thoughts: This book was first published in 2009 and I remember adding it to my list around that time but never actually reading it since I preferred checking out library books to ...
Series: Corps Security #1
Source: Free kindle copy
Publication Date: July 7th 2013
Age Genre: Adult
Isabelle has learned the hard way how hard life can be when fate isn’t by your side. It can hand you dreams on silver platters, but it can snatch them right back and hand you nightmares. One thing Isabelle knew for sure fate was consistent with was taking away everything she ever loved.
For the last two years Isabelle has been slowly clearing the clouds of her past. Happiness is finally on the horizon. She has a thriving business, great friends, and her life back. All she has to do is jump over the last hurdle…her ex-husband.
When problems start causing her to fear her new life, and memories that are better left forgotten start rushing to the surface the last thing she needs is a ghost from her past to come knocking on her door.
Axel never thought he would look into the eyes of Isabelle West again, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to now. He’s carried his anger for so long he isn’t sure he can just turn it off, but when he is faced with protecting her and an unexpected desire to have her again, life gets a little more complicated.
How will Axel and Isabelle deal when all their cards are put on the table and everything they thought was true blows up in their faces?
The thing that got me so fucking frustrated was the fucking "misunderstanding" that the author fucking refused to solve, no matter how ridiculous it got. In the core of things, you've got two characters who've been fed wrong information that caused their long separation.
Everyone around them sees their two versions don't match up so something's up. But does anyone come up to them and say "Hey, dude, she thought you were dead/Hey girl, he thought you left him?" Err, no. They just sprout some nonsense bullshit about this not being their story to tell and the two "need to talk". This crucial plot point could've been solved eons ago instead of after 70% of the novel if some of their "friends" got over themselves.
Or if the stupid as fuck couple involve in this got over their shit. I mean, seriously, Izzy. Someone told you he was dead but lo and behold he's alive. Wouldn't you want to figure the fuck out? To talk to him and see what the hell happened because obviously someone lied to you? Instead you get it into your head that he abandoned you? And you refuse to talk about it because it seems cut and dry to you? Even when people are vaguely hinting that it's really not? Are you fucking kidding me?
And you, Axel--what. the. fuck. First you're angry at her because after four and a half years of no communication she got married to someone else. Four and a half years. Are you off your freaking rocket? But okay, at least you demand the two of you talk--oh fuck me, you just want to talk about the husband situation. Not the whole what happened twelve years ago. Right.
Seriously, I can't handle this bullshit. Especially because the moment they finally put all that crap behind them and talked (a conversation that needed only a minute and a half for both of them to figure out they've been lied to, so why did it have to drag the entire book is beyond me!) the book got good. They got good. I could actually enjoy and occasionally smile at the remaining 25% of the book. It's the only reason I considered maybe giving this three stars.
Even though I hate Axel's entire attitude, and can't understand how a woman who's been through what Iz has can even deal with his possessiveness and jealous-ness. There is sexy alpha-male and then there is taking that a level too high... If I had an abusive husband, I'd probably shy away from other controlling men, even if I knew deep down that they won't hurt me.
But I guess a woman like Izzy, who hasn't overcome one single issue on her own and all her problems simply go away with a man, needs that?
Speaking of which, I didn't find his dirty talk hot in any way. It felt kind of weird and too forced to me, not to mention highly inappropriate considering how Brandon used to talk to Iz. But whatever, whatever floats your boat...
Will I read more books from this author? Maybe. Ultimately, I hated her method of milking the stupid misunderstanding dry, but I had no issue with her writing and I liked the characters. In fact, they interested me ten times more than the sex scenes, all of which I skimmed, and that's actually a good thing.
Nitzan★
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