Review: Black Sheep

Black Sheep by Zara Cox
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read the first book in this series and thought... wow, this is interesting.  This second book is a similar premise with another angry son with daddy issues.  Granted, his daddy issues are valid and his father is a complete asshat who should be caned or whipped to death over a course of a month.  That being said, I am conflicted with this story.  Why?  Because the misunderstanding of two characters who cannot communicate after they had said they "loved" each other so very much and would never leave the other... that they could be so easily torn apart from each other is disappointing.

Axel is a hot mess.  Quite frankly, I'm not sure how he was in the military in "special ops" and he made so much money on clubs around the world.  And really, I don't care.  Because I like it and I wish I could be in his inner circle to help run the clubs.  How fun would that be?  I mean seriously, in my old age, managing night clubs and BDSM clubs sound like a blast.  More fun than sitting in front of a computer all day long.  And all these young nubile sex pots... flaunting their bodies, what's not to like?  I liked this book because of the businesses Axel runs.  His issues with his star-crossed lover did not move me much because I felt Cleo was just as dumb as Juliet in the original play.  And Romeo was also an idiot.  Who I wanted to see more of and learn more about is the Black Widow.  Hello... Dominatrix... she is the only character in this story who piqued my interest.  

This story did drag out a lot longer than I expected because there were so many subplots for the readers to get through to see how Axel would take down his old man.  His stilted interactions with his brothers were ... sad.  His brothers were worthless. The tortured love between Cleo and Axel was... drawn out too long for me to care.  Near the end, I just wanted the "big reveal" to show up so we could see a possible happily ever after.  Overall, the concept of this book is good.  The world building I liked.  The characters and their behaviour were a bit too YA for me.  And the sex in this was not rough or kinky enough to bribe me for a higher rating.  

This dark erotic romance is recommended for readers who like dark fantasies and believe Romeo and Juliet is a great romance story.

*provided by NetGalley