Review: This Man

Young interior designer Ava O’Shea has an appointment for a first consultation at The Manor with the owner, Mr Jesse Ward. She is expecting nothing more than an overweight, cravat wearing, well-to-do countryman, and on arrival, nothing would suggest otherwise.

How wrong could she be?

This Man is devastatingly handsome, charming and confident. He is also a conceited, hedonistic playboy, who knows no boundaries.

Ava desperately does not want to be attracted to him, but she can’t control the overwhelming affect he has on her. Every instinct is telling her to run, so she does, but Jesse Ward is not so willing to let her go. He wants her and is determined to have her. She knows she is heading for heartbreak, but how can she run when he won’t let her?

Title: This Man (This Man ~ Book 1)
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Publication Date: October 20 2012
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 448 Pages
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Cover Love: Typical romance cover with the single item, however I like that the item shown actually has something to do with the story.
Point of View: 1st person, following Ava

My Rating: 4 Stars (Rounded up from 3.5)

Where do I even start?

I should first point out that I knew going into This Man that I was not going to like Ava.  I had been told by a friend that she is a runner and I despise runners.  No, not the kind that strap on their running shoes at silly o'clock and go out for a jog, I can pretty much stand them.  No, I hate the female characters, that despite knowing what they are getting into, or in this case, who they are getting into bed with, continue to freak out and run away.  

“I’ve told you before, Ava. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“For what?” My voice is barely a whisper.
“To keep you.”

There are so many things about This Man that I truly enjoyed, but on flip side of that coin there are just as many things that drove me insane.  This is not to say I won't be reading the rest of the series, I in fact can not wait to carry on with this story.  I was reading as fast as my Kindle would flip the pages... I could hardly put it down.  So what drove me insane?

Ava.  She annoyed the crap out of me.  One minute she is all over Jesse, and within 3% later she is running away and saying she never wants to see him again.  This continues throughout the whole book.  I kid you not.  She is the most insecure woman.  She is inside her head far too much.  She loves Jesse, she hates Jesse, she understands Jesse, she doesn't understand Jesse.  But she never once voices what she is really thinking or feeling.  The only time she actually opens up is when they are in the middle of sex, then she actually speaks some truth.

But even saying that, there are times when Jesse will flat out say something to her, she will verbalize what he wants to hear out loud, but then in her head think something along the lines of 'what does he mean by that?  I'll deal with that later.'  If you don't understand what he means, then maybe you shouldn't be voicing an answer?  Ever think of that?

“No, it's the way he looks at you, like you're the centre of his universe.”

Jesse.  He is over-the-top controlling and manipulative... yet somehow I still love him.  He is one of the most alpha characters I've ever read.  But thrown in with all of that he has a soft side.  It is rare that we see it, you know with Ava always going out of her way to tick him off.  But when he is able to show it, it is really sweet.  It annoys me that he calls Ava 'Lady' quite a bit.  Like 'Come over here, lady.'  or 'What were you thinking, lady?'  This is not a pet name.  I actually found myself groaning toward the end when the word kept coming up over, and over.

“I want to look after you forever.” He whispers, pressing his lips against my temple.”

Please don't think that I don't know that Jesse is a complete mess, and that he only behaves the way he does because of Ava and her constant need to push his buttons.  We all have to take responsibility for our actions, good and bad.  The point I want to get across is that if somebody has a controlling nature, maybe it is best that you stay away from that person if you don't like to be controlled.  Ava knew exactly what she was doing when she first said yes to Jesse.  Why would you ever say yes if this is not something you want?  *sigh*

“Ava, you should know that once I’ve had you, you’re mine.”

Okay, so I realize this is one giant rant but I have to get my point across that I still enjoyed the book.  Like I said previously, I am excited to get started on Beneath This Man.  I can only hope that both Jesse and Ava grow up a little.  I hope there is more dialogue between them, rather than Ava just being in her head 24/7 and never voicing her concerns and feelings.  And for the love of God, stop going out of your way to push Jesse's buttons.

MORE QUOTES FROM THIS MAN