Bait
Wake Series #1
ARC provided by author to facilitate this review
He was trouble from the start, but I couldn't resist.
[She was the best kind of trouble. The kind that was so wrong, it felt right.]
I’ve tried and failed to stay away from him.
[I’ve done everything in my power to make her mine and keep her.]
He’s almost impossible to say no to.
[She never tells me yes.]
We’re always fighting.
[When we’re not fighting, we’re… well… making up.]
He makes me laugh so hard.
[I miss her laugh the most.]
I'm a liar.
[She knows the truth, but won’t admit it.]
Sometimes, I wish I'd never met him.
[I wish we could meet all over again. I'd do better.]
His girlfriend knows.
[The guy she’s with is a fool.]
I’ll never love anyone like I love him.
[She doesn’t love me enough to choose us.]
It was the wrong place.
[It was the wrong time.]
It should have been him.
[It will always be her.]
Well. This book. THIS FRIGGIN BOOK. Exhausting. Emotionally EXHAUSTING. And I loved it. And I hated it. M. Mabie evokes ALL the emotions in this book. The reader is happy, sad, frustrated, ANGRY, confused, amused…this book hits you right in the feels. Bait is full of sexy, angsty, compelling goodness.
Blake and Casey’s relationship is unconventional, and honestly, kind of shady, right from the start. But you can feel the pull between the two, and even though I didn’t necessarily agree with how they conducted themselves, I totally got it. It was almost as if they had no choice. Except that they DID have a choice. Cue frustration.
When they’re together, even if it’s just via phone, everything is so, so right. They’re a great couple, even when they’re fighting, and their magnetism is palpable. I love Blake & Casey together. Cue happiness.
At times, I wanted to yell at my Kindle, “MAKE GOOD CHOICES!”, trying to WILL these characters to let go of their fear of the unknown, take a chance on love, and stop making each other joyously miserable. But they just DIDN’T. Cue anger.
I struggled to understand why they didn’t sort things out so they could be together the right way. Understand why they let other factors get in the way of what the reader could clearly see what true love, even before Blake and Casey put a name to it. Cue confusion.
Through it all, M. Mabie keeps us rooting for this couple, wanting nothing more than their happiness. She tells a complex, emotional, smart story. The couple’s journey felt like a vast, all-encompassing one, even though I read the book in only a day, I felt like I was with these people for much longer than that.
In the end, we’re left on the edge, wondering what is next for Casey and Blake. M. Mabie ends this book on just the right note, leaving the reader desperate for more. I personally can’t wait for Sail, book two in the Wake series!
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