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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

A Betty Review - Offbeat Vagabond

A Betty's Pledge is a new book from author Emma Husher and a different experience for me. I really like the idea that Husher has come up with for this book. Women called Betties are inducted into a program to explore their sexuality with other privileged people. Our main character Madeline (or Mady) isn't so privileged, so she has been sponsored. She will now be living amongst the rich exploring things she could only dream of.  
     I did like Mady, to an extent. She is a mix of shy and sexy vixen which I liked. It have her a bit of mystery. But when it came to her being in the house, I found her a bit confusing at times. One of the men that run the program, called Grants, has taken a strong liking to Mady. There is an instant connection to them when introductions are made. Mady wants to know if there is more to the program than just sex given there are actual couples. But she bounces back between wanting love or just sex. She is constantly fighting it and it drove me mad because she knew what she wanted. She had a choice between two suitors and her debating drove me nuts. One of the men gave her the creeps and made her feel uncomfortable. I don't know what it was, but she just wouldn't go with the obvious choice. All because you are in a sex charged mansion doesn't mean you have to sleep with whoever. If someone is making you feel uneasy, run because there is probably a reason for it. 

     I also liked Isaac, but I wanted to slap sense into him too. He was a lot like Mady. They both have two sides. One side, he is confidant and cocky. The other, he is a romantic who wants more than sex with the LA plastics. But again, he fought it so much as well. Both of them have a hard believing in love where they are, but they are surrounded by people who have met in the program and are still together. The whole point of them being here is to explore and they have the opportunity to explore each other and they don't take advantage of it quick enough. Mady explores a bit of something she has been curious about with her mentor, Diane (loved her). But that was really it. Diane was a favorite. There seems to be a little trouble in her paradise though. I hope we get more on that. But back to what I was saying, Mady does her exploring. But near the end, Isaac is caught doing something and her reaction was crazy for me. You know who you want, you know where to find him, go and get him. They try not to let emotions into it and that in turn makes things worse for them both. It just drove me crazy at times.

     Then there is the ending. When I got to it, I started screaming at my ereader begging for another chapter or two. It is not that it is a cliffhanger, but more that it just stops. The book doesn't have as much confrontation as I would have thought. All the issues that arise are just the characters trying to figure themselves out. But there are definitely some set ups here that I know we will see more of in the next book. There are characters that have trouble written all over them and I wish we got to see more of that here, but I know we will the next time around. 

   
 
For the complete review and an exclusive interview with Emma Husher, visit the Offbeat Vagabond blog.

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