Book Review — Night Owl by M. Pierce

“If you get me hard, he growled, “you have to deal with it.”

• Buy NIGHT OWL (Kindle) 
  
• Buy NIGHT OWL (Paperback)

SQUEEEE!!! You guys HAVE to read this!!

If you’re looking a book with great blend of sweet, hot, passionate and kinky romance, a healthy dose of angst mixed in, a fast paced plot and complex characters, this is it!! 

I was hooked from the first page and pretty much squeed and fanned my way through most of this book!! I didn’t want to put it down, didn’t want to stop reading… just totally LOVED it!!

The story is about Matt and Hannah. They’d never met before and only knew each other as Night Owl and Little Bird. See, Hannah was just supposed to be Matt’s online writing partner, nothing more. They were co-writing a book but their relationship was meant to be a simple, professional, fun collaboration. No pictures. No real names. Those were the rules. Those were Matt’s rules. After all, Matt had a perfect, happy life and didn’t need any further complications. But one day, a single picture changed everything….. 😉

I don’t want to tell you too much more about the plot because I had a lot of fun just discovering things as I went but seriously guys, this book was just made of awesome!! Fans of Fifty Shades should definitely check it out because, despite the plotlines being very different, this had a similar “vibe” and “feeling” to it. It was totally and completely unique though and I actually found the story to be a refreshingly original twist on the billionaire romances that are all the rage right now.

The hero, Matt, was such a delightfully complex character. Self described as “cynical in the extreme and neurotically secretive” and described by someone else as “a liiiiitle bit of an asshole”, he was quite the multi-faceted guy. Hot one moment and cold the next, he was a broody, charming, reclusive, dominant, vulnerable, bossy, antisocial introvert slash eccentric writer extraordinaire. I loved him.

“Matt’s smirks came in flavors — two parts kindness, one part wicked amusement, a little lust in the mix. Oh, and one hundred percent smug bastard.”

And ho BOY did he ever make me blush!!! The things he said!! OH MY! Definitely a dirty talker and not shy about going after what he wanted. Between his fuckhot kinky side, his tender sweet side and his vulnerable side, he successfully yo-yoed my emotions all over the place!

Now the heroine, Hannah, was just awesome! Smart, a little nerdy, a lot of fun, not afraid to stand up for herself and yet with a heart of gold and overall just such a kind hearted person. She was a great character!

While things did move quickly at first, I think that because they already had an established relationship together from all the time they spent writing and collaborating on their story that even though it hadn’t been romantic before this point, there was a foundation to their connection. And the twist to them falling for each other almost before they ever met in person was super fun!

“I was infatuated with a guy I knew nothing about… Shit. Was I falling for a stranger?”

I absolutely adored this author’s writing style! There were so many sentences that quite literally made me squee out loud! Side note: My husband even came over at once point and was like, ‘Wow, it must be a great book!’ and I looked up at him with raised eyebrows and he goes, ‘Oh, I can measure how good a book is in squees per minute so this one must be awesome’. So there you have it 😛

Was it absolutely perfect though? No. But as a whole the imperfections didn’t matter to me at all. I’ll admit there were a few things that made my eyes squint or kind of pushed the boundaries of my comfort zones a little but hey, that’s what you get for reading a kinky book so… be prepared to be scandalized 😉

Really though, what stood out to me was the amazing “feeling” the whole book gave me and how much I cared about these characters. I loved how despite it being very erotic, kinky, it was also just an absolutely sweet romance and the whole story had so much heart. Very touching and very heartfelt.

“I’m trying to teach you this mysterious skill, one that you seem to lack. It’s called how to say goodbye.”
I smiled and rubbed the back of my neck.
“What are you grinning at?” she said.
“I never want to,” I said.
“What? Never want to what?”
“I never want to learn how to say goodbye.”

Awwwwww, right?? Doesn’t that just make you melt??

I loved how Matt was a blend of totally fuckhot and yet so very vulnerable too. He made mistakes and paid several painful prices but I loved how flawed he was, and his imperfections made him feel so much more real. Not to mention that some of his inner monologue was downright hilarious!

“I glared down at my cock.
“Hold your fucking horses,” I muttered.
God, fuck… was this seriously my life? Stalking a girl I’d met online, parked outside her house at midnight, speaking to my dick?”

The story was told in alternating POVs and I have to say that the author did a fabulous job blending the two sides of story together. But really, the highlight of the book for me was Matt’s POV. The author just nailed it!!!! It was easily one of the best guy POVs I’ve ever read. And between his love for Laurence the rabbit and the stuffed manatee, he just totally and completely won me over. If you’re frowning to yourself while reading this wondering what the heck I’m talking about, just trust me, when you read those parts of the story, you’ll be awwwwing right out loud too. I promise!

Ok now a lot of you have been asking me whether or not there is any cheating in the story and the answer is: it’s complicated. But if it makes a difference, I’m a reader who absolutely hates any form of cheating in books and honestly, what this book had didn’t bother me. Let me explain… Basically the heroine breaks up with her boyfriend right at the beginning so that’s not an issue, and while the hero does have a girlfriend for part of it a) she’s abroad and not a “part” of the story in any way as a main character and b) while it’s clear that she’s a nice person and all, he’s also not like “in love” with her… it’s not like he’s ever torn between which one of them to love more. I mean, he’s guilty over it but it’s very clear that Hannah is his girl. I dunno, I guess the GF is never a part of the book in any direct way really and he did pay the price for his mistakes and just I guess overall it just wasn’t really an issue for me despite my near-zero tolerance for cheating. So I personally don’t think you should let that hold you back from giving this book a shot.

Also, regarding the ending… ok, this is the first of a trilogy and the book itself does not have a cliffhanger (there is a completely resolved ending by the last chapter) but there IS a cliffy in the epilogue only that hooks you into the next book which is due Summer 2014. Trust me, if you read it, your jaw will hit the floor! Mine did. But basically, readers who don’t like cliffhangers can get a full, resolved story if they stop reading after the last chapter but readers who don’t mind being teased will get a kick out of the epilogue.

It was actually very cleverly done where it’s really up to you to decide whether you want to end the book on a cliffhanger or not 😉 Personally, I am completely hooked on this series and will be eagerly awaiting the next book!

Funny, kinky, a little angsty, a lot sexy!! Bottom line, if you’re looking for a fun, fresh, erotic romance with a ton of heart, give this one a shot!

Highly recommended!

5 stars!!

(PS – that’s a revised rating. Originally, I gave it 4.5 – 5 but weeks later, I still was thinking about it and honestly the writing was just amazing….. it deserves 5 stars!!)

• Buy NIGHT OWL (Kindle) 
• Buy NIGHT OWL (Paperback)

And here’s my casting for Matt & Hannah.

Click covers to purchase/pre-order.