Cait’s Review of “Hero” by Jolie Vines

By: Cait Marie

Blurb

Her life was just getting started, while his was falling apart.

Ella has finally broken out of her gilded cage, but with her limited life experience, she doesn’t trust her instincts. Especially when it comes to the handsome Scottish pilot who plucked her from the jaws of danger. No way is she going to stumble upon Mr Perfect right away.

Gordain’s military career is in freefall after a night he doesn’t remember. His burning need for his best friend’s younger sister is surely a knee-jerk reaction to his problems. He should walk away, yet he cannot say no to the lass.

When her evil uncle seeks to destroy Ella’s happiness, a wedding is the only way to save her inheritance. Gordain is the only man she’d consider asking. But can he fake-marry someone he truly loves?

Review

I really enjoyed this book, but I also have some mixed feelings about it…

First of all, I jumped in knowing nothing about it or the series. I think I saw something on Instagram for it (or somewhere) that intrigued me, so I went to find it. It sucked me in really quickly, and it was difficult to put down. I read it in 2-3 sittings during a super busy week if that tells you anything.

It was intense, the story was interesting, and I loved the tension between the characters. The plot itself and their backstories were really well developed and executed. I don’t normally mention world building while reviewing contemporary romance, but Vines did a really great job bringing me into these different settings. The descriptions of Scotland were wonderful.

The characters themselves were great, and like I said, the chemistry was definitely there. It’s a steamy book but not overdone. That being said, some of their interactions felt repetitive. I love some back and forth, but this seemed a little dragged out. Some of the dialogue in those moments also felt forced or awkward. It didn’t always feel natural. It clearly wasn’t enough to stop me from devouring the book, but it was noticeable enough to point out.

I also love the side characters, especially Gordain’s brothers. However, I wish there had been a little bit more development there or more interactions in general. It felt like they were really involved at times but then pretty absent in others, so it wasn’t super consistent. For example, in the beginning, unless I missed something, it didn’t feel like the younger twins were that close to everyone, but almost all of a sudden, they were best friends with Ella and always around or mentioned. Which would have been fine, but it said they had always been that close. It kind of threw me off, especially since Ella had spent years at a boarding school.

Honestly, with all that, I might have just missed a detail early in the book. But when Gordain rescues her in the very beginning, I didn’t get the impression she was close with his family. It seemed like he was just her brother’s best friend, and she wasn’t close with her brother.

Like I said, none of this was enough to deter me. I think it could’ve just used a bit more consistency and development. Overall, it was a great romance read. I enjoyed it enough to want to check out the rest of the series. If you like some steamy romance with strong Scottish men, I highly recommend this one. It was great!