Review: Stripped Bare by Heidi McLaughlin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Standalone - Vegas Billionaire #1
Release - March 28, 2017
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 213 pages

Living in Sin City, Finn McCormick is no stranger to one-night stands, but the last person he expects to find losing big on the casino floor is a former high school fling. Even though Macey Webster’s clearly down on her luck, she’s still a knockout, and she’s dressed like a stripper—because she is one. Drunk off an unfamiliar cocktail of lust, pity, and compassion, Finn offers to pay Macey’s debts if she cuddles up to him around town . . . and does whatever he wants between the sheets.

Macey came to Vegas for one reason only: money. She’s got a young daughter to support, and the tips really are bigger in Vegas. But when she blows her earnings on blackjack, her guardian angel is the rich boy who once stole her heart and never called her back. Although Macey would love to turn the tables on Finn, she can’t afford to refuse his proposition—and soon she’s enjoying herself much more than she cares to admit. Macey’s used to baring her flesh, but baring her soul will take far more courage.

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MY REVIEW

Full disclosure: While I enjoyed this story for the most part, I did have some issues with it and if you read on, you'll discover exactly what those issues were.

Ever read a book where you liked the story, at least its premise, but couldn't stand the characters?

For me, Stripped Bare was one of those books. Every time one of the characters had something to say... I... just... couldn't... deal.

It could just be me. Maybe it is. Who knows? I have a low tolerance for a-holes and dingbats so that could be it.

Fin was/is a manwhore, greedy, cold, calculating, rude, and prides himself on being respectful and considerate while being incorrigible and inconsiderate. This man was a walking talking mass of contradictions. I scrounged each page looking for something about him to like and it wasn't until I got to the end of the story... the freaking end!! ... that I found his one redeeming moment.

As for Macey, I dug deep to find a modicum of affection for her. She was a huge disappointment. I neither liked or respected her but I didn't hate her either. It just bothered me that she created the situation she was in and how she dealt with it. Being a single mom isn't the end of the world and it doesn't stop most of us for reaching for the sky. I pulled up my bootstraps and found myself an edu-ma-cation in order to provide my children with the best possible life I could. I did it all on my own and I still do it all on my own. So when a fictional character can't find it within herself to achieve or aspire to be more than a minimum wage earning contribution to her child's life, my sympathies are pretty thin. I'm not saying there aren't circumstances that prevent some moms from moving mountains, but this fictional character had no excuse. But that's just my opinion. Anyhow, her daughter's unconditional love for her is what got me through.

Overall, this was a hot and steamy second chance romance between a man with a closed-off heart and a woman with a hopeful soul. If you can get past the negative qualities of the characters, then more power to you and I hope you enjoy the heck out of this story!!