AUDIO-REREAD
I love age gap romances, and Charleigh Rose’s unique and deft ability to maximize tension and that will-they/won’t they pull seems perfectly suited to a romance of the forbidden nature. Add in a bit of a mystery, a revenge plot, and an unhinged and obsessive stepbrother, and Misbehaved is an alluringly sexy, tantalizingly forbidden, and deliciously sultry page turner.
I love Remi so much as our heroine. Yes, she’s an 18 year old student, but given her family life, she’s much older in soul. She’s had to fend for herself for a while, navigate a tricky family situation. She’s vulnerable and gentle, but she’s also got fire and spine. She has to- she’s surrounded by men with more physical and situational power than her, all trying to take advantage of her in some way. Even her love interest. But despite that she never loses her ambition, she never gives over to despondency. She’s a fighter.
Our hero is her 29 year old teacher at her new elite school, the delicious Pierce James. At first Pierce is arrogant and mercurial- openly disdainful of his new student, and harsh on her. But after he witnesses a troubling interaction between her and her stepbrother, he grow protective and curious about his new tempting student. And turns out Pierce has his own agenda, and like Remi, they both share a similar obstacle to their ambitions.
Pierce grows into a super swoony protective dreamboat, with plenty of edge. He’s possessive and controlling, alpha in many ways, but it’s because he’s protective over those he loves. And he carries an incredible and heartbreaking weight on his shoulders- one that Remi unknowingly triggers just by who she is. The heat between Pierce and Remi is so combustible- I loved watching them get under one another’s skins, burrowing into each other’s hearts. The banter, the pushing, the explosive moments are mouth watering…but it’s the sweet and tender moments, the ones where Remi and Pierce find love and safety in one another, where they can exist unweighted that I loved the most.
We have some side drama and a mystery and a lot of secrets that unfold between the forbidden romance notes, all culminating in a satisfying finale. IN terms of narration, I really enjoyed the female performance, but the male narrator was not my favorite. Breathy, raspy, and almost a bit creepy in tone- perhaps would work well for another character, but in this context I think he detracted more than added to the essence of Pierce, which made me enjoy the audio book less than I’d like, even though I love the story.