Stripped by Jasinda Wilder

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Synopsis:

So how did I get myself into this situation, you ask? Simple: desperation. When you're faced with being homeless and hungry or taking off your clothes for money, the choice is easier than you'd imagine. That doesn't make it easy, though. Oh no. I hate it, in fact. There's nothing I'd like more than to quit and never go into another bar again, never hear the techno beat pulsing in my ears again, never feel the lecherous gazes of horny men again. 

Then, one day, I meet a man. He's in my club, front and center. He watches me do my routine, and his gaze is full of hunger. Not the kind of desire I'm used to though. It's something different. Something hotter, deeper, and more possessive. I know who he is; of course I do. Everyone knows who Dawson Kellor is. He's People Magazine's Sexiest Man alive. He's the hottest actor in Hollywood. He's the man hand-picked for the role of Rhett Butler in the long-awaited remake of Gone With the Wind.  

He's the kind of man who can have any woman in the entire world with a mere crook of his finger. So what's he doing looking at me like he has to have me? And how do I resist him when he looks at me with those intoxicating, changeable, quicksilver eyes? 

I'm a virgin, and he's an American icon of male sexuality. I'm a stripper, and he's a man used to getting anything and everything he wants. And he wants me. I know I should say no, I know he's the worst kind of player…but what my mind knows, my body and my heart may not. 

And then things get complicated.

Review 

Having reviewed Falling Into You, I am a definite fan of Jasinda Wilder’s work.  I have a number of her books on my TBR and cannot wait to get to them!

Having the opportunity to review Stripped as an ARC, had me almost salivating!  What a story idea, Grey, daughter of a Baptist Church Pastor with inflexible views of anything outside of the faith, heading off to become a virginal stripper!  Oh the places this story could go!

A bit of background.  Grey’s identity in her home town of Macon is that of the off limits pastors daughter.  She loves to dance, but her father views this as sinful.  Her mum, who is her best friend, helps her find herself, by supporting Grey to explore her love of dance and the arts.  Grey also becomes a fan of film making and has a natural talent in dance and expression through film.

The story unfolds as events take a turn for the worse in Grey’s life, and she leaves home to head for college, against the wishes of her father.  As a result of her desire to follow this path, he basically disowns her and she has to make it on her own.  Luckily Mum helped her with her applications and she got a scholarship for tuition, room and board.  

Then the money runs out….   

What else is a girl with no employment skills and no money to do – well she can dance….  

So the only job she can get is at a seedy ‘gentlemens’ club as a stripper!  Grey feels great shame at this employment, but has no alternative.  

Lucky she meets Dawson at the club…..

Grey also manages to get an internship at a film production company, and gets assigned to be an assistant to a huge movie star….  Yep …. Dawson….

The relationship build between Grey and Dawson is essentially a game of catch and kiss.  He catches her, kisses her, she runs away for him to catch her again!  It’s a cycle.  The premise of this, is that Grey’s feelings for Dawson scare her because a) she is a virgin and he is a sex god movie star and b) they are sinful.   

Dawson has a playboy/bad boy image and reputation, but he seems determined to give that all up for Grey.  I’ll stop there with the recount, because it’s no fun when there are spoilers!! 

I really struggled to write this review because I wanted to love this story so, so much and I just didn’t! I found no emotional connection with the characters at all.  Nothing!  Grey was gray …  and almost one dimensional.  For a character that has SO MUCH potential to connect with the reader, so many layers within her character waiting to be explored..  she just seemed superficial.  Her innocence and naivety was not believable, her sexuality was a contradiction which confused me. I mean I think I understand that it was intended to be a contradiction, because she was viewed as an innocent but highly sensual being, but it didn’t work.  And, I’m sorry but her sexual journey… wow – really? Sensual or not, I am not sure I buy the pace at which she excelled at and explored this activity! 

Dawson was the same for me…  sure he was movie star sexy, and loaded… but his character, which had so much potential also fell flat.  He was a troubled star, and we caught a glimpse of his life before fame, and his rationale behind his actions…. But it felt like it was words on a page, not an emotional story to be told.  His dominant behaviours conflicted with the thought that he needed Grey to be dominate and assertive, it seemed like confused character traits.

The biggest disappointment in this story for me was the nature of the jumping storyline and narrative. There are massive time gaps with no lead in to this.  I could give many examples but these would mean spoilers, the best way I could explain it would be: end of chapter is present day, start of next chapter story continues but you find out it is 1 year later.  I found that these time jumps also occurred with significant storylines, that had they been further explored would have given the characters more depth. Instead I was left going “what?” “So what happened with this?  When was that meant to happen?”  

It seemed like this was intentional to ensure nothing detracted from Grey and Dawson’s story – only these elements were all a part of their story, and what made them, them.

The only thing I could put my disappointment down to, was maybe this story was written in a hurry. It was like, start at the start age 15 for Grey, and BOOM – happy ever after before you know it!

It sucks that I have to do this to one of Jasinda’s books, because I think she is super awesome and creative, but.. it's a 2 1/2 heart read for me.