First off, let me start by declaring that I've never left a one-star rating for any books. The only thing that inspires me to write this review is to warn readers not to invest time into this book, especially if you like other titles by Mariana Zapata. I am glad that I read 《Kulti》before 《Under Locke》. If I'd read her works in chronological order of publication, I would've never get pass this book to discover how brilliant 《Kulti》is in comparison to this. Unfortunately, improvement is appreciated only by those who are patient enough to stick around. In the dozen of times I tried to talk myself into quitting 《Under Locke》, I hung on to the hope that something good would come around soon. But no, that didn't happen. But in case you would still be interested after reading this review (yeah yeah yeah I know how reverse psychology works), I am just throwing out some of the essential elements of 《Under Locke》here for your reference without the spoilers.
Dex, the hero, is a foul-mouthed and heavily tattooed ex-felon who has served time for "angry management issues" which, much to my disappointment, the author does not elaborate. Iris (AKA Ritz) is a 24-year-old virgin falling for this 6 feet 3 hot guy Dex after 2/3 of the entire book. Classic good-girl-meets-bad-boy plot, plus some unfortunate (yet not dramatic and original enough for a good romance fiction) events brought by her jackass father's debt from a loan shark, mixed with a couple of ganster-turned biker/tattoo artists, and voilà! There you have it, a story lacking the page-turning excitement that pushes readers to look deeper into the MCs.
Pace is my other issue with this book. I understand that slow buildup is necessary and common in a lot of stories to develop the characters, and Zapata seems to make this her style. But no no no, in this story, it simply accentuates the stupidity of Iris. Not only is she unable to get over the little things she overheard Dex says about her like calling her stupid, but she's also blind to the gestures that obviously show Dex's cares for her. And come on, what kind of girl with common sense will go into a strip club to bargain with a loan shark without thinking he would want something from her that she definitely would not willingly give? That's not brave or selfless, just straight up dumb! How this apparently ruthless (and in some weird way, handsome in Iris's eyes) Liam guy would let her leave with just a peck on the lips and sweet parting words, is beyond me.
The last couple of chapters focus on the search for Iris's dad Kirk, who abandoned the kids he fathered with women that blindly believe his love till their die. Honestly, it's basically dragging dialogues in Iris's head repeating over and over again. Messed up families are as abused in fictions as soysauce in Chinese cuisine. Aside from the inevitable development of her feeling for Dex and the increase vocabulary of her foul language, she stays the same insecure and timid girl that's hard for me to love, despite of her sad teen years and illness.
By contrast, both MCs in《Kulti》are much more lovable. The chemistry between the headstrong woman football player Sal and the reclusive German football superstar retiree Reiner surely keeps me wanting more each page I turn. I mean, how can you not like a story that ends with marrying your childhood idol? It's also a real pleasure following the growing affection of Reiner towards Sal, who keeps defining her feelings for him as friendship but eventually comes to her sense after his confession at her bed side in the hospital. I love the hidden meaning behind the pet name Kulti gives Sal, the poker face masking his affection, and the light German assent in the audiobook. The sweet surprise at the end simply makes the story more romantic. Five stars!
Then there's also the highly reviewed《The Wall of Winnipeg and Me》. Slow as the other stories by Zapata, the plot itself is not as impressive as 《Kulti》, although it also comes with a sports theme. But at the end of the day, a housekeeping wife centering her life around a super hero husband with some kids is just not my definition of a "happily ever after".
In conclusion, if you want an adult romance with hot sex scenes, Zapata's stories are not for you, but they are perfect to cleanse your head after something like the 《Fifty Shades》trilogy that's laced with R-rated contents. Sadly, 《Under Locke》has killed my appetite for Zapata. Maybe, just maybe, some other day when I am bored out of my mind, I'll try《Lingus》.
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