Playing Through Every Choices Book, In Order (Part 88: Surrender, Book 2)

Hey! Today we navigate our new relationship with our divorce attorney and the allure of the D of BDSM!

Next time, we head across the pond to take our sister's place in marriage into a wealthy British family...and along the way, we investigate the suspicious circumstances of her death...

Link to previous reviews: https://www.reddit.com/user/stresseatingdog/comments/sj3s3m/all_choices_reviews_megapost/

Surrender, Book 2

M/C: Lauren Valentine

Final Love Interest(s): Reagan

Favorite Characters: Anderson

Least Favorite Characters: Reagan, Reagan's Dad, Natalia, Malorie, Luis

Rating: 1/10

Review:

Sigh. Did you think it would get better after Book 1? I did. I held out hope. It wasn't.

My main gripe with this book is the utter lack of plot. This book has no clue what it wants its main storyline to be. Is the main plot Reagan's family issues? Is it Reagan's issues with letting M/C dom? Is it the Natalia plot? Is it M/C's political reporter career? I don't know, and neither does the book. It's all an excuse to just have constant sex scenes in improbable locations for the majority of the book. Not to mention M/C getting fired at the beginning of this book thanks to her ex interfering...only for her ex to not appear at all in this book, and for the firing to end up incosequential since she gets another job in like three minutes.

And look, I get it. It's a smut book. There's gonna be sex scenes. However, much like The Nanny Affair, my biggest issue with M/C and Reagan's so-called relationship is how it seems to be purely based on sex. Every single time they are together, they have sex. Reagan legitimately cannot go a few minutes without trying to slip into M/Cs pants whenever they are together. It's bordering on hypersexuality, and its disturbing how M/C feeds into it just as much as Reagan demands it.

Speaking of Reagan, they're just as detestable here as in Book One! We finally get context for why they are so afraid of commitment and being dominated - their dad was the authoritarian sort. Neat. Do we get a good character arc and development from this? No. Instead, Reagan has like one chat with their mom and then immediately resolves their deep-seated trauma and control issues. Oh, and their dad shows up in like one chapter to be mildly antagonistic before disappearing again.

And then there's the whole "dom" angle. After Book 1 barred you from having any choice in being a sub/dom, I thought this book with its opening scene and promises of M/C getting to dom would be at least a somewhat refreshing change. Do you want to know the first time you can actually "dominate" Reagan in a sex scene and they let M/C be in control the entire time? Chapter 18 out of 19. No, I am not joking. The whole selling point of this book - finally getting the option to dom Reagan - isn't actually given to you until the second-to-last chapter.

Then Reagan proposes to you at the end of the book? Are you kidding me? We literally only have sex and haven't even been together that long? What makes you think we're ready to get married? Why is M/C so okay with this total loser? Where the hell did our ex-husband/wife go from the plot??

Oh, and every time Reagan calls you "little lamb", I wanted to puke. Please, Pixelberry, between this series and Roommates with Benefits, PLEASE STOP THE BABY ANIMAL NICKNAMES. I beg, my eyes cannot handle it any longer.

The genderlock, and the way it feels targeted against gay men in particular, still irks me just as much as Book 1. (Literally making this book GOC would have made me add at least like 2-3 points to my rating...)

Overall, a thoroughly unenjoyable, somehow even less focused in terms of plot sequel to a book that already received my first 1/10.

Again, if you enjoyed these books, that is wonderful, and I will never disparage you for that. In my honest opinion, though? I hope to never touch these books again...ever (unless there's a remaster adding in GOC, in which case I'd give it a tenative second chance).

I will say, getting to hook up with Han from AME's sprite was the best part.