Sunday, October 9, 2022

Watch Me (Phoenix, #1) by Stacey Kennedy Review


This is a spoiler-free review for Watch Me. A list of trigger warnings can be found here.

After going through a traumatic experience, we see Zoey, one year later, at Phoenix on a mission with a plan to finally put the past behind her and show the boys that changed her life that she was not broken. Rhys, the owner of Phoenix, finds out pretty quickly that Zoey was not at the club just for pleasure, but for something more.

I really enjoyed the dynamic that Zoey and her roommates had with Rhys and his friends -- it provided a solid foundation for plot while not overtaking the smut that people came to read. There was an equal balance of actual story progress with smut that added to both of their character development, in a way. Zoey's backstory and her continuous work to make herself whole again is exemplified by her relationship with Rhys and what he introduces her to at Phoenix.

Even though I think that the relationship between Zoey and Rhys was moving at a speed that is not typical for romances to happen, circumstances in the book definitely made it possible. We see they experience lots of grief, obstacles, and entering new territory -- especially Zoey -- when it comes to loving someone. There definitely could have been an additional fifty pages detailing more about their relationship and even a time jump at one point to make their relationship feel a touch more realistic.

Zoey's friends, Hazel and Elise, are some of the most supportive book friends that I have come across, and they are really there for Zoey whenever she is struggling or needs to talk to someone. Much like them, Rhys's friends, Archer, Hunt, and Kieran, provide him with a strong friend group while being involved in some of his business affairs.

I do wish that there were more scenes at Phoenix -- I was expecting to see more smut than plot, and it ended up being the other way around. Now don't get me wrong, both the plot and the smut was pretty good, but it felt like it fell a little short on the erotica side of this being an erotica book. However, I will say that even though the ending came a tad fast in my opinion, the author did a great job throughout the book showing us both sides to Zoey and Rhys, with their own personal struggles and with their combined development as a couple.

Much like the Salacious Players Club series, you can read these books individually or in order -- but if you plan on reading all of them, do it in order so you don't get some minor spoilers about other characters. A quick read that has both substance and smut, this book is for fans of Eyes on Me by Sara Cate and those looking for something to fill a Fifty Shades of Grey-hole in their heart.


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