Book Review: Shatter by Erin McCarthy

Kylie Warner prides herself on being optimistic, but after finding her best friend in bed with her boyfriend and flunking chemistry, her upbeat attitude has taken a dive. Even an impromptu hook-up with her sexy new chemistry tutor only brightens her mood slightly. After all, it’s not like she’ll ever see the tattooed scholar again…

While he’s a whiz at complex equations, Jonathon Kadisch has trouble when it comes to figuring out women. So when Kylie tells him that she’s pregnant after their night of passion, he’s at a complete loss. He’s prepared to be a good father—unlike his own deadbeat dad—but he’s less prepared to fall for the genuine and alluring blonde bearing his child.

With emotions running high, Kylie wonders if Jonathon’s devotion is out of growing love or looming obligation. And when heartbreak threatens to tear them apart, Jonathon will have to fight for the only girl who’s ever made him feel whole…

To be honest, I had extremely high expectations for Shatter after reading Believe, and it didn’t disappoint. Erin McCarthy works her magic again in this erotic page-turner as readers are properly introduced to Kylie and her complicated life.

Most erotic novels I read are so damn predictable. Thankfully, Shatter always kept me glued to my Kindle, and I was eager to know what the future held for Kylie and her nerd lover, Jonathon.

I decided to read Shatter not because I expected it to be as hot and heavy as Believe, but because I was intrigued as to how the author was going to weave a pregnancy into an erotica novel. The result was phenomenal. In Believe, I didn’t really care much for Kylie; so what if your boyfriend cheats on you with your best friend? It happens all the time. However, in Shatter readers are introduced to a different side of Kylie. A woman who is insecure at times but still independent. A woman who yearns for love but never thought it came in different types of packages. A woman who is stronger and smarter than she believes.

I also adored Jonathon’s character even though he seemed slightly unrealistic at times. I loved the fact that he isn’t your average hottie but smart (I especially adored the dates he tattooed on his arms to keep a tab on the events in his life). Still, he is like every other male erotic novel character that I’ve read about; charming, down-right gorgeous and has some bad boy aspect like tattoos. I can’t understand why it is that erotica demands its male characters to be extraordinarily handsome. What’s wrong with having a male love interest who has crooked teeth or is super plain but has an amazing sense of humou? I’d love to read an erotic novel that had a character who you rooted for not only because he’s a perfect match for the protagonist but because of his likable imperfections.

I also loved the fact that nearing the end of the novel Kyle realizes that there are different types of smart, and that even though she isn’t brainy like Jonathon, she’s street smart.

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While I was reading this book, I got so mad at Kylie for how she constantly sidelined Jonathon just because she was feeling insecure and didn’t feel as if she had the strength to conquer her fears, but then I had an epiphany. I do the same thing nearly every day; I procrastinate a lot because I’m afraid of messing up an important project, I distance myself from others on days when I feel insecure. In one way or another everybody has done something similar to what Kylie does in Shatter, but it’s so much easier for us to criticize somebody than take responsibility for your own actions.

All in all, Shatter was an easy read and a book that made me evaluate myself and how I made choices. So far, I’m enjoying reading books from the True Believers series, and I definitely can’t wait to read the others.

Rating: 9/10

Book Info:

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Publisher:  Berkley Trade (September 2, 2014)
Length: 304 pages
Series: (True Believers #4)
Source: ARC
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Completed: December 2014

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