Book Review
2/10
My name is Darwin De Groi, and I’m in love with Peter Forbes. But Pete has this
dream of becoming a metaphysical scientist and that means all his time—his attention—
is taken up by college and studying. So in order to deal with the pain of watching Peter
and never having him I spend most of my time in the Gray Zone, the no-man’s-land
between the city of Atlanta and the Dens. There I’m free to drown myself; with drugs,
with booze…
With the inhuman.
Lesser-Breds. Kin hybrids. The offspring of Humans and Dragons.
But then an act of revenge led to a stupid college prank, which put Peter right into
my arms.
A better man would make the right decision and tell Pete no.
I am so not that man.
Pain was published by Liquid Silver Books in 2011, which makes it the third title I have read from this publisher. It is also the first in a five part series written by Adrienne Wilder. The story revolves around Darwin De Groi, a bisexual who is unable to deal with his unrequited love other than through the use of drugs and meaningless sex and Peter Forbes, his love interest.
The first three chapters comprise of Darwin complaining, whining, and explaining his relationship with his friend, love of his life, Peter and the bullies who he strives to get even with. The remaining two chapters drive the two characters to reveal their passion for one another and put aside their inner demons that have kept them apart for so long.
Though the synopsis expresses a very interesting theme, it also sums up the entire story. The Gray Zone and the lesser breeds are never shown or explained, the reader is left with only what Darwin says through thought. If only the story had opened up with one of those incidents Darwin keeps referring to and not in the cafeteria, the story would have been much more enjoyable.
The book consisted of five chapters, in which the story dragged on for three chapters. The last two chapters were steamy, enough to make the first three chapters bearable. In reality the book was a disappointment. I really wanted to like this story and with its many positive reviews, it had lots of promise. But it was a headache to read. It left a lot to desire.
If you would like to give this series a try I would recommend reading them all together and not in parts. The entire series is available in one single volume under the title Darwin’s Theory.
Sum it up: A gay romance with a touch of erotic at the end.
What I liked most:
The creation of the Lesser-Breds, Kin hybrids. I would have loved to have found out more about these offspring of humans and dragons.
What I liked the least:
The constant whining and complaining the protagonist made throughout the entire book. There is so much a reader can take and so many times a person can repeat the same thought over and over. The mention of drugs, meaningless sex, and so forth left very little space for actual romance. Also more “show don’t tell” would have helped to sympathize with the main character.
Would I read the sequel(s)?
Unfortunately no. If the rest of the series is written in the same manner as Pain then I will have to pass. Even though I would have liked to read about the hybrids, the way the story is expressed makes it hard for me to enjoy. That does not mean I might not give the other titles a try, just not this series.
Enchanted Tales of the Romantic Kind 