July's Wine Club Review of Out of Control by Stephanie Feagan

Wine Selection: Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

*a dry red wine with flavors of dark fruit and caramel tempered with hints of spice and cacao

Paired with: Out of Control by Stephanie Feagan

Lexi: Oil rig fires, gunshots, and one sexy man with thick eyelashes...yup, that is what you get inside Out of Control. Did you know anything about oil fires before you read this? I know I sure didn't, but now I have the image of hot sweaty men dressed in fire suits stripping down to reveal nothing underneath!

Crystal: Mmm...hot sweaty man zipping down his fire suit to reveal hot sweaty abs...what was the question again? Oh yes, oil fires! I had no clue about oil fires until this book and I have to admit, I am amazed and also fascinated by how much work goes into it and the process used to put one out. The author was very detailed in her descriptions which I appreciated. 

Lexi: Despite the action, Out of Control fizzled for this reader. There was potential with the nice plot line that left you wondering who the master mind was, and the well researched details of oil rig fires and mechanics was appreciated. Big explosions, too bad there wasn’t much fire between Blair and Nick. What was your take on the main characters chemistry?

Crystal: This was a fizzle for me too. The romance fell flat and I didn't feel any chemistry between these two characters at all. I think the author became so focused on the mechanics of the oil fires and conspiracies that she lost sight of the romance all together. There lacked balance between the two. Even at the main characters emotional peak I didn't feel that spark. It was disappointing for this romance addict. 

Lexi: Personally, I don’t mind when a romance makes you wait for the hero and heroine to finally hook up. A build up of tension can add to the thrill of reading, but the main characters need to make you feel their need, their passion for one another, and even sometimes their hatred for each other. If Nick had held onto his untouchable persona, continued to give Blair a hard time instead of so quickly talking about love and marriage... Can you imagine a tough macho guy jumping to marriage so quickly?

Crystal: Slow building romances are all good and well, the payoff is usually worth the wait. But, like I said above, there was no spark! And Nick's character was not consistent. I took from the book that he had been watching Blair from the start but to go from a stoic man who has given no communication to a forever commitment, that is incredibly unrealistic. Blair's character wasn't much better in that aspect, it was like a switch was suddenly flipped in them and they went from uncaring to lust crazed with no apparent reasoning behind it. 

Lexi: Before you think Out of Control is going to get one wine glass, lets point out some of the better scenes. My favorite was when Blair manages to save Nicks ass by throwing them from a plane, only to land in the desert. Makes you wonder what extremes you would go to if facing a similar situation. Crystal would you want to offer up a scene, other than the fireball in the beginning?

Crystal: Without giving too much away and spoiling the book for others, the only scene that really hit me was when Nick was on the brink of death and not in his right  mind. I still didn't feel that connection between the characters but that was the emotional peak in the story for me and even out-shined the very uninspired love scene. This was definitely a more action then romance book. I am a character driven reader though so that is the main reason why this book was a fail for me, it focused too much on the plot and world-building and failed to flesh out it's characters and the relationship between them.  

Lexi: Let me refill you wine glass...*the heady aroma of a cabernet with spice and cacao hints fills the room*  Out of Control was our July Wine Club review, a book with a few highs and some lows. If you enjoy your romance enveloped by fire (the real kind), a little mystery, and a slow burning attraction give it a try. You may just fall in love with it. 

Out of Control

by Stephanie Feagan

ebook

Published June 24th 2013 by Entangled Suspense

*copy courtesy of NetGalley

And they thought the blowout was hot…
Oil rig blowout specialist Blair Drake is finished with men—especially after her disastrous marriage that caused her family to disinherit and cut all ties with her. But when Nick Robichaud, a handsome, roguishly charming oil well fire expert, wildcats into her life, throwing his devil-may-care attitude all over the place, the real sparks begin to fly.
Forced to work together to kill a string of sabotaged oil rig explosions, Nick and Blair discover a plot to cripple the world’s oil supply. Unless they stop the doers, it’ll mean global economic catastrophe. With time running out and their lives on the line, they risk everything to prevent disaster. But nothing can stop the fire between them from burning out of control....

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