Review: 'Because You Are Mine' by Beth Kery (2013)

When they met, the instant attraction was unmistakable…a purely, exquisitely physical charge. 

Succumbing to their desires is the easy part. But when passion opens the door to an intimacy neither has known, can a man known for being unbendable learn to love?

When the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ trilogy by E.L. James topped the book charts all over the world in 2012, I got curious and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I had never read any erotic romance fiction before, so it was something completely new (and I have to admit, slightly scary) to me. The tale of Christian Grey and Ana Steele definitely held my interest; otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to read all three books. But to say I absolutely loved the novels and couldn’t wait to sneak in a few pages of reading after a long working day... No, not really. So, when I received a review copy from Headline of Beth Kery’s ‘Because You Are Mine’ and I read the blurb, I wasn’t too sure whether this book would be for me. However, I wanted to give the genre another chance, so with a large cup of tea and a blanket ready on the couch, I dove in. 

‘Because You Are Mine’ tells the story of thirty-something wealthy businessman Ian Noble and twenty-three year-old artist Francesca Noble. Francesca is an Arts student who has won a competition to create the centrepiece painting for the lobby of Noble’s new office building in Chicago. During a party held in her honour, she meets Ian Noble for the first time and from the start there is something between them. Francesca is immediately fascinated by Ian and the attraction appears to be mutual. Ian helps Francesca to discover her sexuality, but it doesn’t take long before Francesca longs for more. She wants to break through Ian’s walls, but is he ready for this and does he want the kind of intimacy Francesca is looking for?

The storyline of this novel seemed very familiar: a dominant, rich, handsome alpha male falls for a younger, slightly shy, virgin whom he teaches about sexuality. This is apparently seen as a ‘winning formula’ within the world of erotic romance fiction (so I’ve read), which is probably why it reminded me so much of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.’ A bit too much, to my personal opinion. I really missed the chemistry between the two main characters, Ian and Francesca. I liked Francesca at the beginning of the novel; she seemed to be a strong young woman, opinionated, and not someone to simply play around with. However, as the story progressed, Francesca became more and more submissive. I know this is part of the novel and the relation Ian and Francesca have with one another, but I thought it was a waste Francesca seemed to transform into someone completely different. I really missed the development of the characters throughout the novel, and felt like not much was going on or actually changing.

While ‘Because You Are Mine’ was published as one novel in 2013, it had already been released as 8 separate parts at the end of 2012. I didn’t notice that the author originally wrote this story as several parts; it definitely fit the form of a longer novel. I also really liked Beth Kery’s writing; it was easy to read and seemed to be of a certain kind of quality which I sometimes miss in these kind of novels. Yet, while I was working my way through the book, I wasn’t once really grabbed by the story. It didn’t bother me to read it, but I also wasn’t sad when it all came to an end. I am sure there are people out there, particularly fans of erotic romance fiction, who will be able to really appreciate and love this novel, but it wasn’t one I think I will pick up again.

Rating:

6,5/10