MLE's Porn and Ponies

I received this book as an ARC through Net Galley. Thank you to the publisher, author, and Net Galley for opportunity to read, and review it. I was excited to read this. I thought it would be a fun blend of action, and adventure. Maybe something along the lines of Romancing the Stone (dating myself a bit there, I know). I was sadly disappointed. I found the characters to be thin, the dialog overblown, and the plot read like a poor Bond rip-off. The villains were so stereotypical that I expected someone to throw a hat, or start twirling their mustache, or pat their fluffy white Persian cat. The attraction between Chris and Jason can only be described as instant love, and I just don't feel the chemistry between them not matter how much they both talk about it. I thought Jason's trauma was more him reacting poorly to something that was truly his fault. It felt like a childish tantrum, and his inability to control his temper, and reactions only added to this impression.I don't think the child added anything to the story except she gave Chris something to fixate on. I don't understand why Chris would chose to adopt a child if he was in such a bad relationship with someone he truly did not love. The story's main villain was easy to spot, the foreshadowing was truly so heavy it practically beat the reader over the head. It frustrated me that Chris was unable to see or question any of the things that were so evident to the reader. I never found myself becoming fully invested in the characters, or their plight. It bored me, but wasn't terrible until Jason spoke unforgivable words to Chris in the heat of anger after Chris tries to run after their first sexual encounter. I don't care how mad he was, what he said to Chris crossed a major line, and there was no apology, no explanation, and Chris even blames himself later in the story. I lost my respect for both of them at the moment, and nothing that followed won me back.A copy of this review is also available on my shared blog.