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A review by readingwithfefe
April Renegade by B.G. Wolfe
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Rating: 4.5
1st person/dual pov
Spice: 3.5/5
Ash... the way this man had me ready to jump into my phone and snap is wild! It didn't take long for me to get mad at him either. Staying mad at him - well that's another problem. Cause I wanted to stay mad at him the entire book! And I did... sort of. When we were in the present and witnessing the complicated mess he put himself and Drew in I was livid. I understand where his head was at for some of it I truly do but what it did to Drew I just couldn't get on board with it. Drew deserves the entire world in the palm of his hand and is a freaking SAINT for dealing with Ash all these years. But especially what he was being put through in the present time. Ash never said any truer words than when he said he didn't deserve Drew.
But then a flashback chapter would come about and suddenly it's years ago right when they first met and their friendship began. You could sense their connection from that first encounter. As time went on Ash was brought into Drew's life with open arms and cared for like he was family. I loved seeing him get to experience what that life was like and to have people he could count on. As their friendship grew into something beyond just friends I cheered them on and squealed over how easily they both came to terms with these new feelings. Eager to explore this desire for each other with little hesitation had my heart racing with excitement for them and swooning over their intimate little moments where they opened up their souls to each other.
Then we snap back to real time and suddenly I'm angry at Ash all over again... I'm telling you that man is lucky he is fictional! I even almost felt bad for him towards the end as his world was about to crush him under the weight of the life he was living - almost. But then I'd get a Drew chapter and all sympathy flew out the nearest window. When things finally look like they are taking a turn for the better I just kept waiting for the other shoe to drop as much as Drew was lol. But nothing made my heart break more than those songs of theirs. The ones played at their shows and the ones quietly sung in the silence had me just about wrecked. Knowing the origin of those lyrics, how no one truly knew the meaning behind them all, and the way they poked and prodded at open wounds every time they poured out into existence just strangled my heart in a vice.
As for the spice, it was good. The scenes are passionate and even a little risque at times. Ash and Drew are undeniably smoking hot together as they are older and while their younger selves were steamy as well there is a sweetness in the way they come together. Now, I usually wouldn't turn down more spice in a book like this but at the same time, there is a good possibility it would have ruined the story a little. With the situation they were in I'm glad there wasn't more. I'm not sure I could have gotten past it and what it would do to Drew before the end of the book. So if I wanted more of it anywhere it would have been in the flashback chapters. But overall I feel like the quantity of spicy scenes was as it should have been, not too much and more than a little.
I did listen to the audio for this as I followed along in the book and I'll be honest it wasn't a mind-blowing performance but it also wasn't a disaster either. The narrator is new to me so I went in with zero expectations. There were a few words that his pronunciation had me scratching my head a little and I do think there could have been more of a distinction or improvement between the way he voiced some of the characters. He absolutely pulled off the kind of attitude I was getting from Ash's character though. Towards the halfway point through the end of the book, it seemed like he got into the characters a little more and he did a good job delivering some of the heavier-hitting dialogue with feeling behind it. So while some minor improvements could have made it better I still liked it and would recommend the audio if you're preferred format is audiobooks.
So did I forgive Ash before turning the final page of their story? Somewhat. I do feel like his actions at the very end soothed some of the anger I had and his grand gesture at the very end redeemed him a little bit. The epilogue was nice and wrapped up their happy ending well. But I still want to go back and knock some sense into Ash for the majority of the book haha so that may never change. As long as Drew is happy though I'm happy. Now to go check out this book of bonus chapters and see what other feelings they might bring out of me.
1st person/dual pov
Spice: 3.5/5
Ash... the way this man had me ready to jump into my phone and snap is wild! It didn't take long for me to get mad at him either. Staying mad at him - well that's another problem. Cause I wanted to stay mad at him the entire book! And I did... sort of. When we were in the present and witnessing the complicated mess he put himself and Drew in I was livid. I understand where his head was at for some of it I truly do but what it did to Drew I just couldn't get on board with it. Drew deserves the entire world in the palm of his hand and is a freaking SAINT for dealing with Ash all these years. But especially what he was being put through in the present time. Ash never said any truer words than when he said he didn't deserve Drew.
But then a flashback chapter would come about and suddenly it's years ago right when they first met and their friendship began. You could sense their connection from that first encounter. As time went on Ash was brought into Drew's life with open arms and cared for like he was family. I loved seeing him get to experience what that life was like and to have people he could count on. As their friendship grew into something beyond just friends I cheered them on and squealed over how easily they both came to terms with these new feelings. Eager to explore this desire for each other with little hesitation had my heart racing with excitement for them and swooning over their intimate little moments where they opened up their souls to each other.
Then we snap back to real time and suddenly I'm angry at Ash all over again... I'm telling you that man is lucky he is fictional! I even almost felt bad for him towards the end as his world was about to crush him under the weight of the life he was living - almost. But then I'd get a Drew chapter and all sympathy flew out the nearest window. When things finally look like they are taking a turn for the better I just kept waiting for the other shoe to drop as much as Drew was lol. But nothing made my heart break more than those songs of theirs. The ones played at their shows and the ones quietly sung in the silence had me just about wrecked. Knowing the origin of those lyrics, how no one truly knew the meaning behind them all, and the way they poked and prodded at open wounds every time they poured out into existence just strangled my heart in a vice.
As for the spice, it was good. The scenes are passionate and even a little risque at times. Ash and Drew are undeniably smoking hot together as they are older and while their younger selves were steamy as well there is a sweetness in the way they come together. Now, I usually wouldn't turn down more spice in a book like this but at the same time, there is a good possibility it would have ruined the story a little. With the situation they were in I'm glad there wasn't more. I'm not sure I could have gotten past it and what it would do to Drew before the end of the book. So if I wanted more of it anywhere it would have been in the flashback chapters. But overall I feel like the quantity of spicy scenes was as it should have been, not too much and more than a little.
I did listen to the audio for this as I followed along in the book and I'll be honest it wasn't a mind-blowing performance but it also wasn't a disaster either. The narrator is new to me so I went in with zero expectations. There were a few words that his pronunciation had me scratching my head a little and I do think there could have been more of a distinction or improvement between the way he voiced some of the characters. He absolutely pulled off the kind of attitude I was getting from Ash's character though. Towards the halfway point through the end of the book, it seemed like he got into the characters a little more and he did a good job delivering some of the heavier-hitting dialogue with feeling behind it. So while some minor improvements could have made it better I still liked it and would recommend the audio if you're preferred format is audiobooks.
So did I forgive Ash before turning the final page of their story? Somewhat. I do feel like his actions at the very end soothed some of the anger I had and his grand gesture at the very end redeemed him a little bit. The epilogue was nice and wrapped up their happy ending well. But I still want to go back and knock some sense into Ash for the majority of the book haha so that may never change. As long as Drew is happy though I'm happy. Now to go check out this book of bonus chapters and see what other feelings they might bring out of me.