Vacant ~Adult Version~ CBL Tours

 

Ethan Parker gets up every day, surviving the only way he knows how—alone. Orphaned as a child and forced into the child welfare system, he knows better than to depend on anyone but himself. He’s learned trust is a word used all too often, but rarely earned. Ethan believes that his best chance for maintaining a simple and solitary existence is to live by a simple mantra: Don’t get involved. Keep things simple. Take care of yourself! When a young woman moves in next door, Ethan is forced to reevaluate his beliefs. He tries to keep his distance, but his new neighbor’s infectious smile and outlook on life leave him struggling with the decision of living the life he knows, or taking a chance on the unexpected. As Ethan develops a relationship with his new neighbor, Emily, he realizes nothing is simple and learns that life is about more than just surviving... it’s about living. 

**This version contains sexual content only suitable for adult audiences.**

Vacant [Adult version] by Evelyn R. Baldwin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Short, but very interesting. I'm not a huge fan of novellas, in all honesty. But the cover, blurb, and the fact that it's intended for 'adult' audiences really grabbed my attention. I just had to give it a try. I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed it.

Although the adult version, it wasn't quite as hot as I expected. I like the story, I like the characters... it was kind of tantalizing, just enough to care about the characters but leaves you wanting more. I also felt that the 'adult' parts of the book were very organic. It wasn't a string of bedroom scenes with a patchwork plot to hold it together. Quite the opposite. No insta-love, but rather more innocent desire that slowly builds.

Ethan is soft, shy, and has such a good heart. It's always lovely to get to 'hear' the male POV in a book. There isn't nearly enough of that out there. He had been given a rough hand in life; raised in 'the system'. Despite his best efforts to just carve out a large enough space to exist and only interact with the world in the narrowest of definitions, someone gets through his defenses and worms her way into his life. I love how all his attempts to hold 'life' at arm's reach were as useless as wet toilet paper tent.

Emily was this odd combination of naive and jaded. We don't get as many looks into her POV, so I wasn't as connected with her side of the story. I'll also admit there was that split second thought, for a moment, when I knew it was an 'adult' book and felt uncomfortable with Emily. There was this awkwardness that permeated the spicy scenes that just deflated passion. I wasn't overjoyed with Emily overall, but was OK with everything by the end.

Overall, it's a lovely romance with more realistic between the sheets action rather than a glossed-over, dramatic, artificial romances. Good book to slip between others or for a light, but more true-to-life romance.

I received a free eBook via CBL Tours in exchange for a review. My thoughts are my own.