Claiming London by Becca Jameson

 

Published on June first, 2019

220 pages

I read the paperback version

Back cover

She’s living life on the edge… He’s hell-bent on taming her…

After five years in an abusive marriage, London wants nothing to do with men ever again. In fact, she’d rather spend her life doing everything she missed out on while she was married. Bungee jumping. Skydiving. Bartending…

Pierce has already been married once. It didn’t work out. Undercover cops make horrible husbands. No wonder his ex-wife left him. So why the hell is he pursuing another woman?

London is determined to keep Pierce at arm’s length. Friends with benefits? Hell yes. The sex is amazing. But Pierce wants more than he should, and when emotions start getting tangled up in what was meant to be a no-strings situation, London has to decide if it’s worth it to risk her heart again…

My review

You don’t have to read the others books from Club Zodiac series to understand the story, but some characters are coming back in the background and brings something in the novel.  Like in every romance novel, the protagonists are dealing with issues, so if you don’t like characters who are self-doubting, it might not be a book for you. In my case, I connect more with characters who are asking themselves the same question that I am doing and I enjoyed to find how they are evolving. For this reason, I am giving a start to London. She was my favorite character. I am not saying that I didn’t like Pierce, but I had more in common with London even though I did not had a toxic marriage.

Just like most of most, their past affected their present, but I liked to see they were trying to deal with it step by step. I also enjoy the fact that even though they became close in the first chapter, they took their time before becoming a couple. If you have read the others books from the series, the club was the center, but not this time. Of course, you will find some scenes that are happening at Zodiac, but not that often that I thought at the beginning.

I will recommend it to 18 years old and over public. I did not find too many sex scenes, but enough that I will not suggest it to a teenager, especially since it’s a BDSM series. The author has a gift to keep the reader hooked and I found London & Pierce relationship different from the other took books I have read from her.

Excerpts

" Go ahead. Get it out of your system. I’ve got other things to do. " Things that don’t involve listening to yet another lecture from the men in my life. (p,8)

" I didn’t say you were. And I like you. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me in the past few months. Really. I do. But I’m not even close to being ready to enter another commitment. " (p.19)

" Just because I slept with him one time doesn’t mean I’ve been pinning over him and I’m hoping he’s come back to claim me. In fact, it worked out better this way. Gave me a chance to find myself without the distraction of a man, especially one who’d indicated me he wanted exclusivity. " (p.27)

It warmed her heart to know he liked her. He’d always looked at her a little longer than necessary. She’d often caught him staring at her long before the night they spent together. It felt good. She couldn’t reciprocate his feelings, but it still gave her a lift. (p.56)

 But did poetry still call her soul? No. Not even close. She enjoyed reading it and studying it, but she knew she never wanted to write it or teach it. After three hours of wandering around the library, she took a deep breath and once again took charge of her life by marching to the registrar’s office and withdrawing from both of her classes. (p.153)

My interview with the author