Breaking up is hard to do.
Three years after her life changed forever, Gabriella Latham finally has it all. Killer job [if working for her boyfriend counts]. Killer closet [even if she doesn't technically own any of it]. Killer boyfriend [who refuses to let her leave him, even when she tries]. Unfortunately for her, the last part isn't hyperbole. She just doesn't know it yet.
Adrian Morningstar was a dream come true. No one had ever loved her more, and for the first time, in longer than she could remember, she was no longer alone. He was the Prince Charming to her Cinderella, until suddenly he became the Beast from whom she could not escape.
Until him.
When Rafe Matthews is hired to oversee the guest home construction of one of the most powerful businessmen in the country, he finally has his in. Nothing will get in the way of what he sets out to do.
Until her.
Watching from the shadows, he's drawn to the beautiful, isolated woman of the house. His curiosity is piqued and he has to have her. She may be taken by the boss, but that's not enough to stop him. Or her.
Nothing is quite as it seems, and this is only the beginning.
Passions ignite. Tempers flare. Secrets kill.
3.5 Nothing-is-what-it-Seems Stars
This is my second Tessa Teevan book. I read Combust and loved it. I gave Combust five stars. I also think she is an adorable and is a sweet author. Tessa Teevan is known for her lighter romance books. Instigation is darker. I wouldn’t call it a dark read, just not as light as she usually writes.
I read Instigation blindly, meaning I didn’t read the summary prior to starting it. A few things about me, I do not like prologues, love triangles or highly narrative writing. So my review is based on those items.
Instigation, to cause by incitement.
Instigation, to urge, provoke, or incite to some action or course
Gabriella fell in love with perfect Adrian. Adrian is successful, rich and very charismatic. Gabriella doesn’t have any family and I believe that is why she craves affection so badly. Gabriella and Adrian go into the relationship fairly quickly. So, Gabriella quits her job and shacks it up with Adrian.
Everything seemed perfect.
Then, Gabriella meets Rafe. Rafe has a contract to work on Adrian’s home. While Adrian is away *gasp* Gabriella is to work closely with Rafe to make sure the project is done correctly.
We all know where this is going
But, like I said, not everything is what it seems.
When Rafe and Gabriella first meet, it’s just like Adrian where there’s an instant attraction and lust. Again, I think it’s because Gabriella craves affection so badly. Rafe and Gabriella enter this intense relationship. It’s really emotional and you question where it will go.
You will also question who Rafe is. Yes, he’s there to work on the house, but there seems to be something he’s hiding. It’s not told outright, but just an underlying feeling I get when I read.
What really worked for me is the whole mystery element to the book. I’m a suspenseful junkie. I was reading like mad, trying to figure out what will happen with Gabriella, what Adrian has planned and who Rafe is. Instigation is very narrative. A lot of the time I am being told what has happened. I prefer to read dialogue and scenes, but this is a personal preference.
I liked Adrian. He’s very dominate and kind of ruthless. Of course I like the mean Hero. I like how aggressive he is towards Gabriella and its board line abusive. I wanted to read more of this. I wanted to know why Adrian is the way he is and how he can act one way and act another. He’s a huge enigma to me.
Gabriella isn’t an easy Heroine to read. She has many conflicting issues and that will happen in a love triangle. Her need for affection can be somewhat self-sabotaging to me. I feel like this girl has a lot of issues and she is very desperate for love. I know a lot of readers will love her.
When the book shifts, it throws you in this crazy roller coaster and it gets INTENSE. A lot is thrown at you and it will leave you feeling a little bit whipped lashed, but in a good way.
A devilish, almost villainous grin graced his lips as his eyes filled with amusement. “Oh, Gabriella, you’ve no idea,” he said. “I shouldn’t do this. I shouldn’t be here, but I can’t seem to help myself.”
His words caught me off guard as his hands gripped my hips and he pushed me backwards until the brick of the wall bit into the skin of my lower back. He leaned down until his lips were dangerously close to mine. My insides quivered, and my heart leaped into my throat. For an entire week, I’d been waiting for his hands to be on me again, and now that he was right there, I knew I’d die if he didn’t touch me. Kiss me. Take me home and ravish me like he had that first night.
“Adrian,” I whispered, surprised at the breathy, sultry tone of my voice. God, it’d only been a week and I was already dangerously addicted to him.
His eyes gleamed as if he could read my mind, and I wondered if this has been his plan all along. To give me a taste, a perfect sneak peek at what being his would be like, and then take it away, only to keep showing up to tease me. To dangle the proverbial carrot on the string that was too high for me to get a taste or even the slightest nibble. It would suffice only for a moment, but it would be just enough to keep me from going insane. He was a deranged Pavlov and I was his little dog, salivating and panting, wanting him, that torturous bell ringing over and over again, but instead of giving me what I wanted, he kept it too far out of reach.
I'm a twenty something book junkie who is also obsessed with sports. Bengals, Buckeyes, Reds are my teams! I work for the government during the day, hang out with Air National Guard on the weekends, and have been married to my own book boyfriend for over seven years. We currently live right outside of Dayton, OH with our two cats.
If I’m not writing or looking through tons of photos of hot men, all in the name of research, then you can probably find me curled up with my Kindle, ignoring the rest of the world. I love my sports almost as much as I love my books. My other obsessions include red wine, hot men, country music, and all things Grace Potter.
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