Review: Carnal by Simone Sowood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone
Release - September 8, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5

I don’t know what made me go to him that night.
Steel, the pierced drifter with the neck tattoo.
Mostly I wanted to hurt my reputation.
He could take my virginity and I’d go home, ruined.
I never thought he’d say no.

*** A steamy STANDALONE contemporary romance with a sizzling hot alpha. No cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. Please note Carnal was originally published as Carny***

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MY REVIEW

Steel was a carnival worker. Been that way for the last 10 years. He hooked up with the carnival after running from his going-nowhere-fast life and has worked his way up to foreman. He’s had a good life as far as he’s concerned. He’s got a roof, food, friends, a pseudo-family, and all the women he can possibly ask for. Emily was a girl of privilege - sheltered, naive, and inexperienced. One night at the carnival, she meets Steel and the rest was history. These two connected and from there no one and nothing was ever going to tear them apart. Well… almost.

What I loved so much about this story was Steel’s dedication and devotion to Emily. This man was so special and it wasn’t just because of his accessories *wink*. He supported her, he listened and helped and was an all-around amazing guy. I loved him so much. I didn’t love Emily though. Sadly, she was too judgmental and condescending for me. It could be that I don’t totally get the small-town mentality as I’ve always lived in the city, but her attitude simply rubbed me the wrong way. For someone looking to escape the small-minded and ignorant mentality of her neighbors, she wasn’t any better. Not a good look at all. And the way she was inconsiderate of Steel and his feelings when he was so considerate of hers made me really upset. But hey, it all worked out in the end, right? So I can’t really complain. And by the time I got to the end of the story, she actually grew on me. I still don’t love her, but my love for Steel makes her tolerable.

Simone Sowood does such a great job of blending the sweet and the sexy. There are moments of swoon-worthy happiness and fiery hotness and I can’t tell you which one I prefer, they were done so well. The angst is felt but isn’t overwhelming and the character development is thorough without being too detailed. Carnal is definitely steam with no cheating and a sweet happily ever after.