Official Review: The Both of Us by Jayne C and Doug Sedwick

Please use this subforum to discuss romance or erotic books.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
Juliana_Isabella
Posts: 728
Joined: 19 Feb 2019, 22:34
Currently Reading: Modern Death
Bookshelf Size: 176
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-juliana-isabella.html
Latest Review: Love, Grandma by Ann Morris

Official Review: The Both of Us by Jayne C and Doug Sedwick

Post by Juliana_Isabella »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Both of Us" by Jayne C and Doug Sedwick.]
Book Cover
2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


The Both of Us by Jayne C. and Doug Sedwick is a steamy romance novel about two people who meet by chance at a train station. Cass is too busy yelling at Doug to notice how attractive he is during their first meeting, but repeated chance encounters give her the opportunity to explore how she feels about him. Meanwhile, Cass is the only thing on Doug’s mind, but he’s afraid of moving too fast for her. Between this and his complicated roommate situation, he doesn’t know how forward he should be.

This romance had a fairly original plot for the genre. The story is told by alternating viewpoints between the two main characters. Cass is a more developed character than Doug, who doesn’t get nearly as much backstory. I felt like even Doug’s roommate had more personality and depth than he did. Although it employs very typical romance tropes, I wasn’t bored reading the book because the writing was good and (mostly) avoided clichés.

Of course, the middle of the book is largely made up of erotic scenes with little plot development. I expected this to be the case, but I didn’t think it would just be one sex scene after another without much development of the characters or storyline. It felt like the overall plot was paused for the middle 60 pages (out of 90). When the plot finally came back, it was an obvious attempt to wrap up the book quickly with an unnecessarily dramatic situation that hits the reader in the face. I don’t want to give spoilers, so I’ll just say it was incredibly jarring and felt like a forced attempt to push the two lovers closer together so they could make a commitment.

Overall, I would give this book 2 out of 4 stars. I appreciated that it avoided clichés, and I enjoyed getting to know Cass’s character better; however, Doug was simply a stereotypical male love interest, so I didn’t get invested in his side of the story. In addition, the book really lacked a plot, and the ending didn’t feel like it fit with the rest of the story. I also found many grammatical mistakes, which weren’t very distracting but did indicate that the book isn’t professionally edited.

I would recommend this book for people who like romance with a heavy dose of erotica and aren’t looking for a complicated plot. Of course, the sexual scenes in the book make it inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18.

******
The Both of Us
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
User avatar
kandscreeley
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 11683
Joined: 31 Dec 2016, 20:31
Currently Reading: Believarexic
Bookshelf Size: 486
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kandscreeley.html
Latest Review: The Elf Revelation by Jordan David

Post by kandscreeley »

Sounds fairly typical. Most erotic books don't seem to have a plot. Apparently they think they don't need one? In any case, it isn't my genre. Thanks for the information, though.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
User avatar
Wyland
Posts: 1159
Joined: 27 May 2019, 03:22
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 444
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-wyland.html
Latest Review: The Cult Next Door by Elizabeth R. Burchard, Judith L. Carlone

Post by Wyland »

I like the plot feels original and is uncomplicated. Thanks for the wonderful review.
User avatar
Areej Tahir
Posts: 349
Joined: 05 Jan 2019, 04:03
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 43
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-areej-tahir.html
Latest Review: Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1) by Janet McNulty

Post by Areej Tahir »

Whatever the book, the lack of a strong plot just makes it boring or annoying. Thanks for the review!
User avatar
Laila_Hashem
Posts: 280
Joined: 17 Jun 2019, 00:39
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 157
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-laila-hashem.html
Latest Review: Phobia Relief by Kalliope Barlis

Post by Laila_Hashem »

It frustrates me when romance novels are highly erotic but don't have a clear story. Of course, some readers might prefer it that way as you suggested. Great review!
kdstrack
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 6473
Joined: 10 May 2017, 19:49
Currently Reading: The Savior
Bookshelf Size: 530
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kdstrack.html
Latest Review: How To Be Successful by M. Curtis McCoy

Post by kdstrack »

A steamy romance with no plot doesn't sound too intriguing. I appreciate your honest comments about the book.
User avatar
tbrookins
Posts: 6
Joined: 08 Jul 2019, 17:15
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by tbrookins »

Good to know that the plot needs so much work, but your review was so intriguing that I just might take a chance on the book anyway!
User avatar
jasmine-louise
Posts: 71
Joined: 11 Aug 2019, 02:03
Currently Reading: The Book of God
Bookshelf Size: 49
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jasmine-louise.html
Latest Review: Undead Redhead by Jen Frankel

Post by jasmine-louise »

Thanks for the review, however I probably will not read it.
Post Reply

Return to “Romance and Erotic Books”