Silenced: The Intoxicated Book 5

Author: Allica Renee Kline

Genre: Romance/Chick-lit/Drama

Book Rating: 10

Personal Rating: 10

So this book was touchy.  It was very nearly almost a three instead of five star.  Thankfully I think about these reviews before I type them, hence they almost never have my first impression review after careful analysis.  This book was no exception.  I love this author, I don't think I've given any of her books five stars but this last installment wins, even with the one glaring thing that almost derailed me.

So why did I love this book so much.  For a multitude of reasons. The characters rock.  The plot was solid from beginning to end.  This book out of all in the series had flow that never once made me be like just get on with it.  That basically means all the monologues and repetitiveness that I sometimes hated on in the other books was not here and if any repetition arrived it was so brief i didn't have time to be like didn't we already go through this already.  That alone helped push this book to five star status as those were my major issues with the other four.  

Lauren, I want to be annoyed but she was just being her.  Still, she really didn't do anything wrong.  Something happened, she told her husband like any good wife would do and after that it was out of her hands.  Mathew didn't have to follow through.  He could've declined.  No harm either way.  What happened wasn't her fault.  She is not in charge of other peoples actions they are all fully grown adults capable of making their own decisions.  Hell she wasn't even sneaky about it she admitted what she done.  But who cares it was annoying but not nearly enough for me to even care about.  I actually was totally on board with her choice.  Someone has to be an adult in this story after all.

Mathew, I never doubted he'd do the right thing.  Especially after how well behaved he was in the first book.  And ditching clean cut for trimmed yet not so manicured beard glasses and ruffled hair.  Oh my god yes.  Swoons a bit.  Okay more than a bit.  Nothing much to say here accept he did the right thing too regardless of his better judgement.  Sometimes you have to face your fears.  What's the worst that could happen you'll find out that you were right and go back to the way you were before, no harm done.

Patricia, I love that she and Mathew share the same awkwardness yet trudge on. Both aware this new alliance could go up in smoke, yet neither willing to walk away just in case it actually works.  A true example of how you don't know if a bond can't be fixed until you try to fix it.  It wasn't easy but the character dynamics there including Lauren where just spot on.  Even Alan, Patricia's husband was a delight to read.

Chris.  He drives an ambulance.  Really there isn't anything else that needs to be said about him.  He's just cool across the board.  Also written well, and handled the family crisis rather well with Gracie as the perfect accomplice.

Blake.  Now this was where I almost one stared this book.  Her brother was the one who got ostracized from the family.  He was wronged and he chose to up and leave and start his own life.  She on the other hand was not.  The family had no problem with her staying.  She chose to go after Mathew.  She chose to be his savior.  And all that happened was on her.  So when the wronged person decides to make amends she as the person who initiated her falling out with the parents but never actually had one, isn't exactly in the position to cut them off, and Mathew.  Basically because she was never cut of by anyone to begin with.  She created the separation.  And the person she did it for let them back in.  By default the same way she followed Mathew when he left, she should've followed him when he went back just, again, on the basis that she was never cut of from them to begin with.  

It was just immature, stupid, irrational, and if the book actually centered around such a ridiculous decision it would've been a one star.  Thankfully the entire plot didn't really hinge on this and there were other things going on.  Like Gracie.

Gracie is by far my favorite.  The most level headed out of everyone while still having issues and doubts and all things human.  She is far from perfect but is the only one who manages to always take the adult approach towards things.  And with a flair that just makes you smile.  She's just hilarious, and even with no filter never actually offends like most filter-less people do.  And, she has black hair and is smoking hot.  Yes Yes Yes.  Her relationship coupled with Blake's stupidness, and her alliance with Chris lent itself to some nice character growth and hilarious situations.  I just love her.  She needs a spin of, and no kids.  That would so suck if she turned into one of those, we already have a Blake and Lauren.  That's enough.

And Will, my second fave.  And his dating my fave.  Sometimes the heavens listen.  He is by far the hottest guy in here mostly because he has handcuffs as part of his job.  A man in uniform who can cuff you in under a second and carry you around like you weigh nothing.  Oh yeah just totally hottie material.  And I'm a sucker for green eyes.  His story arch was brilliant as well.  Hell everyone's was even Blake's regardless of the fact that I hated every second of it.  But back to Will.  I like the way this relationship worked out the most.  It's the most unassuming

Speaking of props, I mean cuffs.  The sex in this book was just, lets just say I smiled through every scene.  Sometimes pretty, sometimes hardcore, and sometimes just so disgustingly dirrty you wanted to read it twice.  I loved it.  Every sticky oozing page of it.  And the jokes were spot on as well.  NO shock there especially where Gracie is involved.

So plot great, pacing on point, jokes, amazing, relationships perfectly imperfect, and most importantly the ending.  I can honestly say I didn't feel bogged down for the first time with an necessary monologue.  Yes there was a bit of rehash.  That's this authors style, but it just didn't feel weighty, like it shouldn't be there.  The epilogue made sense.  It's seriously the first book where the whole third act didn't make me go honestly why are we talking about this again.  Actually nowhere through the whole book.  That's really what saved this book for me.  That I could honestly say my issues with the other four just went up in smoke.  If that isn't worth a bump up to five stars, then it should be a seven.