Author: Maria Benson
Publisher: ATG Communications
Publication Date: August 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Description: In a dating scene full of well-educated, ambitious and attractive players, is the “terminally single” woman her own worst enemy?
That’s the accusation hurled at Aimee Chase, a young Chicago sports marketing executive who finds herself confronted with professions of love from Michael Blake, a handsome but bland high school classmate. When Aimee tries but fails to let him down easy, habitually nice Michael hits below the belt, implying she’s too damaged to appreciate a good man. Check, An insulted Aimee showers Michael in her glass of sweet-but-smoky Merlot.
Truth is, Michael's accusations drew blood. With a romantic history littered with cheaters and bad boys–including a married one with a very big job who is still in her life–Aimee fears that she has sabotaged her chances of ever finding the right guy. Months later, as her career implodes and she finds herself enveloped in a high-profile scandal, she’s not sure what to think when a suddenly captivating Michael reappears.
Thrilled to find that this “safe” guy now makes her weak in the knees, Aimee ultimately has her ecstasy interrupted by the revelation that Michael has transformed into a promiscuous, cold-hearted pick-up artist he thinks women like Aimee want. When he’s caught with related baggage but declares his fidelity, should Aimee toss aside a promising relationship, or just accept that “it’s complicated?”
My Thoughts: Can you see the dent in my forehead? I had high hopes this book would be witty and entertaining, but it fell way short of the mark and now I have to see a neurologist for the possible brain damage I have caused myself for beating my head against the wall. I should have DNF’d this book and saved myself the ultimate disappointment, but I kept hoping these characters would pull their heads out of their posteriors and grow the eff up!
Aimee Chase, a young, intelligent, ambitious person who works in the sports marketing arena could probably have any man she wants. When the nice guy from high school is all but proclaiming his love for her over dinner, what does she do? Stomp all over his emotions telling him he doesn’t “do it for her.” No, she would rather continue seeing the guy who cheated on her and ended up marrying the other woman. Where’s your self-respect, Aimee?
Michael Blake is a nice guy and has carried a torch for Aimee since they were in high school, but after Aimee’s scathing rejection, he enlists the help of his friends to teach him how to be a bad boy and leave a trail of one night stands behind him. Of course, now Aimee finds him interesting. Shame on you, Michael. A woman who doesn’t accept you for who you are isn’t worth knowing and changing yourself into someone you think Aimee will go for just makes you weak. Where is your self-respect, Michael?
I had a very difficult time mustering up any empathy for these characters but I kept going just to see how it all played out. There was some redemption with the characters at the end, but it was too little, too late. I suppose the one good thing to come out of Aimee’s train wreck of a life was the potential for reconciliation with her estranged father who was never there for her growing up.
My Final Verdict: Unfortunately, a book that I thought would be interesting, witty and entertaining was just OK. Fans of contemporary romances and women’s fiction will find more satisfying choices elsewhere.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Driving Me Wild from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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