Book Review: Fever by Maya Banks

Fever
The Breathless Trilogy #2
Author: Maya Banks
Reading Level: Mature Adult
Genre: Erotica/Romance
Released: April 2nd 2013
Review Source: Berkley
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Jace, Ash, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Jace, it’s a woman whose allure takes him completely by surprise...

Jace Crestwell, Ash McIntyre, and Gabe Hamilton have been best friends and successful business partners for years. They’re powerful, they’re imposing, they’re irresistibly sexy, and Jace and Ash share everything—including their women.

When they meet Bethany, Jace begins to feel things he’s never experienced before: jealousy, and a powerful obsession that threatens him, overwhelms him—and excites him beyond control.

Jace isn’t sharing Bethany—with anyone. He’s determined to be the only man in her life, and it’s jeopardizing a lifelong friendship with Ash. Bethany will be his and his alone. Even if it means turning his back on his best friend.

There has been lots of chatter about the Breathless series by Maya Banks. When asked to read Fever, I hesitated as I normally do not review books out of sequence. So with this one, I purchased Rush so I could get the background knowledge I needed on these three very wealthy and close friends, Gabe, Jace, and Ash. In Rush Gabe falls in love with Jace's sister Mia. It was a rocky relationship, but ended with Mia having an engagement ring and a wedding on the horizon. Now with Fever, it's Jace's turn to find true love. All three men are very dominant, with their specific needs and tastes in significant others. Fever is Jace's story. When he meets Bethany for the first time he knows right from the start that she will belong to him. However, the meek and quiet Bethany comes with a past. Jace is determined to provide a new life for Bethany, where all her needs are met and she never goes without again.

I've read a multitude of genres and my taste in story lines varies. However, I must say that there were several times in Fever where skimming over a few paragraphs here and there was needed. Certain scenes truly seemed to repeat themselves and for me once I read it one time, I was ready to move on. I expected so much more with the storyline after reading Book 1 Rush. I felt Fever was overshadowed with scenes that truly took away from Bethany's story, making her appear to be a very weak and helpless character throughout the entire novel. I would've loved to have seen her character develop more, as I did become invested in her life and how Jace fit in it. The 3rd installment, Burn is coming out in August. As this book will be about the final friend Ash, I'm still hoping for a little glimpse of Bethany and an update on her life.