Every Which Way

Book Review March 20th

Every Which Way (Sloan Brothers #1)

by: Calia Read

★★★ 3 Stars

Blurb: Severine Blake has seen far too many friends taken down in the crossfires of dating. She devises a precise course of action to protect her heart. The plan is working very well...until she meets Thayer and Macsen.

When the Sloan brothers come into her life, nothing is the same.Thayer is self-possessed, arrogant and used to getting what he wants. Being near him leaves Severine unsteady and shaken. He makes her question everything.Macsen contradicts his brother in every way. His calm personality captivates her. Severine is drawn to him instantly.

But Severine quickly discovers that when you want something, that want can turn wicked. Giving in is not always easy, especially when your heart refuses to give up the fight.

What little illusion of love Severine has is soon destroyed. Every option is broken, and the protection she has built around her heart instantly crumbles.

Before my review I just have to release some GIF tension!!!

While reading this I kept feeling like....

 

And then I got annoyed...

 

And still I was like.....

*Beware the ranting and Potential Spoilers*

Every Which Way did not really impress me, in any way. I was mildly bored and disappointed throughout and found myself reading multiple items in between and putting off this review for far too long. The dialogue of the characters was so overthrown with sarcastic comments that barely made any sense. It became hard to understand and know the characters thus taking away from the entire book. I still don’t know who the hell they are. 

I think the POV is what ruined it all for me. If this book was in dual first person POV’s I might have enjoyed it more. How it is now keeps us too separate from the characters. We hardly know what they are thinking and when they say something out loud, half the time, you can tell they are keeping some things bottled in. 

Everything about the book felt too scripted. It fell into the typical college NA novel but every plot point felt staged and the drama was more annoying than anything. I liked Macsen. His betrayal was so odd and out of place. The act didn't even seem part of his personality but was awkwardly written that way to cause drama in the story. 

It was annoying knowing that the relationship between Macsen and Severine was doomed from the start. Thayer strolling through the background was like an annoying fly buzzing in and out at his leisure. I recognize they have brotherly drama going on but I wasn’t even sure of his intentions all the time. As if he was only interested in Severine to one-up his brother and still after she chose him over Thayer. He makes sure she is thinking of him even when happy thoughts of Macsen are invading her mind. “I saw you first… Remember that. I saw you first,” –Thayer Normally, I’d find Thayer swoon worthy but I just don’t get that feeling from him. It’s more like Severine is a challenge he needs to win.  

Occasionally the banter between Thayer and Severine was comical. Though more often than not I was left puzzled and trying to figure out what they meant. Hardly anyone spoke their true thoughts, instead they come out as some convoluted sarcasm that seems either too childish or too grown for their age. 

Something that really bothered me was how though Severine acted concerned about Macsen and his response to her and Thayer, I didn’t really feel that she cared. She tried hiding their relationship like a dirty little secret for awhile and it was more a selfish act on her part than anything else.  “Severine had the potential to collapse two brothers deeper into hatred that had already pulled them apart. She didn’t want every action to focus on that.”

Thayer does add to the redeeming factor, “our situation is messed up. But I’m dead on about one thing-you can’t get me out of your head as much as I can’t get you out of mine,” – Thayer. I’ll admit he has a way with words and emotions. His relationship with Macsen is messed up and he admits to it. You can almost feel his pain of missing his brother. A brother who is basically a stranger to him now and hating him all over a momentary lapse of judgment Macsen made when he was a child. I hope there is some sort of reconciliation for the entire Sloan family in the books to come.  

I had a huge problem with their separation. It made sense and it didn’t just like the entirety of this book. I’m either upset or indifferent when I think about it. And every moment that I feel like this comes with an explanatory remark from the author that just leaves me more befuddled and angry. “Time away from Thayer had almost broken her soul in two. Time away from Macsen was a healing process that she had never allowed herself.” Ughhh, it makes sense and it doesn’t. So angering…
“You don’t own me.” 

“I think it’s too late to say that,” Thayer smirked and moved a finger up and down the curve of her waist. “Look at your skin. It’s already branded with my name.” –Thayer and Severine

And now on her page she says Thayer is getting his own book #4!! What the hell? And again I ask, what the heck did I just read?????? But alas, there is an explanation  from Calia Read's website:
"After Mathias' book, Thayer gets a book. I didn't plan that. I thought he was done in Every Which Way, but when I started outlining and writing out Mathias' book, I started to think, "What if these two (Sev and Thayer) were tested? Would Severine stick around or would she bail?"
Yes, they've been through a lot. But I think this is more than a test. Thayer's the golden boy, and throughout everything that's happened in the Sloan Family, he's been pretty resistant to those changes.
But I'm seeing him differently now that everything is CHANGING for him. And I kind of love it!!"

Link to Calia Read's Blog

Overall
The book wasn't bad but it sure wasn't great. I'm not that excited to read Book number 2 though I can't wait till Mathias get's his own book and jumping back in with Thayer and Severine is a bit intriguing, to see how much their characters have grown and changed. 

I would read this again. However, with so many others on my To-Read-List this is not a high priority. Everything was so cryptic and I felt confused more often than I liked. 

Fans of love triangles, brothers and drama filled sarcastic New Adult novels will love it. 

 HAPPY READING!!!