Never a Choice by Dee Palmer

Alright, that’s it! I’ve decided I really need to stop reading romance novels which are set at university. At some point in time, I will undoubtedly scream, “When the hell do these people study?!?”

The Synopsis

Bethany has a troubled past, and a complicated present. In order to get her degree and continue working so she can pay for it, she must lie about her age and enroll as a part-time student. Just when she thinks she’s got everyone fooled, Bethany encounters a handsome guest lecturer, Daniel Stone, who quickly reveals he knows she’s lying. Although she tries to distance herself from this dark and brooding millionaire, he continues to pursue her. Daniel starts to uncover all her secrets, and awakens a passionate and submissive side to her sexuality that she never knew existed. However, Bethany is reluctant to trust this man whole-heartedly, as her past experiences have shown that no relationship lasts forever.

My Review

What is it with millionaire hunks always being ridiculously sexually talented? When you make your first million is there some sort of training session where Bill Gates takes you aside and teaches you how to please a woman? Anywho, I must say this book was unique in how it was able to bypass the usual ick factor related to student/teacher relationships. The fact that Bethany was in her mid-20s, and Daniel was a guest business representative giving a few lectures rather than an actual faculty member made the whole situation seem less creepy. Sure, he still used his position of authority to seduce a young student, but this dominant/submissive aspect was an important feature in the rest of their relationship.

And now for the logistical side of Bethany’s time as a student. Not only does she go to multiple lectures each week, but she works full-time at a restaurant, moonlights as a phone sex operator, has time to explore this newly submissive sexual relationship with Daniel, and takes Krav Maga lessons. Every once in a while Bethany will remind Daniel that she has some reading to do, but it usually doesn’t take very long, and then they go and do the naked hanky panky. What kind of university is this? When I went to college I had hours of reading every night, multiple 10 page (or longer) paper assignments, and class presentations. If I was lucky enough to have some substantial free time I would go out to dinner or watch a few episodes of Friends with my friends, and it was rare to fit in a weekly workout. And by workout of course I mean the difficult activity of lifting a glass of vodka and sprite (with ice cubes!) from the table to my mouth, hold it, hold it, hold it! Set it down, and repeat for about 10 reps or so. Feel the burn!!

Okay, let’s focus on the sexual aspect of the novel. Did you notice the phone sex comment? Gotta love how these college kids find ways to earn a little extra spending money. This is really where the more detailed sexual scenarios of the book come into play, as Bethany not only works for the dominant/submissive division of the phone sex company, but she has to describe everything in slow detail. The longer you drag out the call, the more money you make. As far as her relationship with Daniel is concerned, the dude is crazy possessive, especially if Bethany receives attention from other men. I think he even growls a few times. I must say, I don’t think I’ve ever growled at anyone. I have done the whole cat hiss thing though, so maybe that counts as the female version of the man growl? It’s clear he’s obsessed with her, but his attraction to Bethany does seem to be on a purely sexual level.

There was one aspect of the book which I really enjoyed, and that was Bethany’s view of the temporary in her relationship with Daniel. In most novels where we have a millionaire and a lower-middle class chica, the female character tends to question their relationship because she assumes he is too good for her. A common thought is, “If he can have any woman in the world, why would he want me?” Although Bethany does consider this question, her main reason for trying not to fall in love with Daniel is because her past has shown her that every relationship is temporary. Her father abandoned her mother, her sister ran off with all of their money, and most influential of all was that her first love was murdered when they were teenagers. This previous relationship from her formative years has a heavy impact on her current relationship with Daniel, as she constantly compares the two men. It was interesting to see her try and overcome her belief that everything will end, and move on from her past to try and find happiness.

Sadly, there were two horrible aspects of this novel which kind of overshadowed all the good. Firstly, the grammar. Normally, I hate whenever a reviewer comments on how bad the grammar is in a book. I have the tendency to just read over any grammar mistakes, and barely even notice it. In this book though? I lost track of how many blatant errors there were, and I literally think every use of “you’re” and “your” was incorrect. As for the second aspect which I didn’t care for: the ending. It kind of ruined the book. Bethany’s bitch of a sister makes an appearance, claiming she wants to get to know Bethany again when in reality she demands that Bethany break up with Daniel so she can land him herself. Does Bethany reveal her sister’s true nature to Daniel? Nope! She doesn’t even try. Instead, she gives in to her sister’s demands, telling herself that she doesn’t have any evidence to prove her sister is lying, and that because she and Daniel haven’t been dating for very long he wouldn’t believe her anyway. Ummm, he’s already said he loves you, AND he has known you a whole hell of a lot longer than he’s known her. He probably would have listened to your argument. I disliked the ending not just because Bethany’s sister was a bitch, but because it created outlandish drama for drama’s sake. I think it would have been much more interesting to have some issue develop around the university finding out about Bethany and Daniel’s relationship. Not only would it have added a level of drama to the storyline, but it would have been a much more believable problem.

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: The Choices Trilogy, book 1. Even though I really didn’t care for the ending, and there were obvious issues with the writing, I’ll be damned if I’m not intrigued to read the next book in the series, and see where their relationship goes.

Should you read it? I just received an update from the author that the grammar errors have been fixed for the official release, so no need to worry about those anymore! It was interesting to read about moving on after significant loss, and who doesn’t like a little alpha male?

Smut level: The phone sex was definitely dirty, but in addition to being a sexually talented millionaire, Daniel is also a millionaire with an extremely long-lasting libido. The dude can go all…night…long.

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