Crazy Wild by Tara Janzen

Maybe I was a bit of a space cadet. Maybe I just was reading tired. After all, I did the majority of my reading of this book between 11 pm and 1 am. Maybe it was just me. But I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the first two. This is Creed's story. Back to terrorists. And Creed could have been so much deeper than he was. I just didn't connect well enough with him. Given the torture that Creed went through in S America when he and JT were there, I felt like Janzen could have and should have made so much more of his PTSD. Don't get me wrong. Everybody else talked about it. All the Steele Street gang mentioned it, was worried about it, fretted over it. Even Creed thought about it. But we, the reader, just didn't really see enough of it to make it believable. I've read some amazingly well done PTSD heroes in other romances, and I just wasn't buying this one. Was it because Creed was a relative unknown to me before this book? I don't think so. Anyone else out there feel like this, or am I just Crazy? (ha, get it?... courtesy laugh, please...)

The story felt convoluted. I couldn't find my way from one end to another with the whole Russian/Czech/German bomb thing. Huh? And the ending? I wasn't sure how Creed and Cody ended up where they did. The whole book just made no sense to me.

What else was missing? Where was the humor? The first two books had such funny stuff mixed in. Granted, there is absolutely nothing humorous about PTSD, but there was also absolutely nothing humorous at all in this book. Much of what I enjoyed so much in the first two was the wild sense of almost campy adventure - the cars (did the Hummer not have a name?), the teasing, the silliness. All missing from this one. Sorely missing, I might add.

But, all was not lost. What did I like about this book? Oooohh. Something hot is gonna happen between Dylan and Skeeter. Wow. Janzen really turned it up with these two. I enjoyed every interaction. Dylan's guilt over wanting Skeeter, though she is 12 years younger - "not even old enough to drink." I loved the scene where Dylan was looking at her sketches of all the Steele Street guys, and he felt hurt that there wasn't one of him. Powerful.

Then there's Skeeter wanting Dylan to see her as an adult, wanting to be close to him. I so remember that feeling you get just standing next to "the one." Janzen did a great job describing Skeeter's emotions when she is close to Dylan. (If only she had done such a good job with Creed and Cody.) Each book reveals a little more about Skeeter, and her story is more and more intriguing... and sad. Just makes you love Superman all that much more, doesn't it, for rescuing her?

Anyway, Dylan and Skeeter redeemed this book for me. Their story, Crazy Love, is being released the end of this June. So first I must read Kid Chaos and Nikki's story, and then Dylan & Skeeter's story. I am looking forward to them both. That way I can just put Crazy Wild out of my head and return to the good feelings I had after reading the first two in the series (see below).