His to Claim (His To Claim #1-6) by Opal Carew

What if you could have everything you’ve always wanted, but it cost you the life you’ve always known?

Rafe Ranier was my boss and secret crush. A rock musician by night and head of a billion dollar empire by day, Rafe could have any woman he wanted. But I was just the shy secretary he never noticed. For years I obsessed over him, until I finally realized I had to walk away. I needed to leave my secure life behind to discover who I really was.I never expected Rafe to follow me.Now I’m on the road with his band, Savage Kiss, and all my secret fantasies are coming true. But I fear I’ve made a huge mistake, because if I get any more attached to a man I can never truly have, my heart will be broken beyond all repair.

Type: Erotica
Heat: 4 out of 5--menage elements though HEA is m/f only
Rating: 2 out of 5

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Well. This one did not play out how I'd hoped. I was really looking forward to His to Claim. I've enjoyed Carew in the past and, hello, hot rockstar billionaire romance where the two have a past? That is right up my freaking alley. I love all those bits and pieces. But His to Claim landed more in the hot mess category than stellar erotic romance for me and more often than not left me seriously confused as Rafe (who also goes as Storm when with his band) and Melanie--his former employee-- try to figure things out both with each other and what they want in life.

Alright so what did work for me. 

 There were some great aspects to the story and parts that really had some nice potential.

• I liked that Melanie was doing something to change her life. Now, I didn't always see her logic but at least she was doing something. Things weren't working for her so she's trying a new route in life. Getting a different job, working on her art--even if her new job doesn't allow her for much spare tim, doing things like getting a tattoo she's been dying to get, etc. Rock on girlie! That was awesome.

• Ample sex scenes. There was a lot of hot and heavy happening. I am all for that. And for the most part it was hot and steamy. Including a foursome with two of Rafe's bandmates that he set up since it was one of her kinda fantasies. There's a little bit of dominance being thrown about as well though the hero is very hesitant over it's inclusion in things.

• I loved the band. The guys are, sexy, talented and fun to be around. They've got sweet sides to match their bad boy sides which was nice to see. I wouldn't mind reading more about a couple of them. Especially Diego and Travis who might just have a thing for sharing women. *bites lip* and were part of that foursome. 

• A hero and a heroine who had to grow in some way. Melanie spreading her wings and doing things like going on tour with the band and actually experiencing life--meeting other artists, working on her craft in down time, etc. And Rafe getting over his childhood hangups and the idea that being dominant in the bedroom was akin to abuse. It wasn't easy for him and he had some serious blunders along the way but finally caught on.

• The cover is freaking amazing. So hot. 

And what really didn't work for me.

Unfortunately there were quite a few things. Some minor on their own but when added with everything else were just too much.

• The beginning was confusing as hell and left me floundering on timeline/relationships/etc. This is what I gathered. Maybe. 

1. Dane (Rafe's brother) and Jessica--from another book--are engaged. 
2. Rafe had been in love with Jessica. And maybe had a threesome with his brother and her
3. Melanie was Rafe's secretary and quit because she couldn't bear to see Rafe with her best friend Jessica.
4. But Rafe has been away from the family business for a year touring with his band. So how would she have seen him and Jessica together?
5. And for that matter. Why would he need a secretary if he wasn't part of the company for the past year? What would Melanie have been doing that whole time? 
6. Plus Jessica is with Dane, not Rafe so it's a moot point.
7. But he's still off limits to Melanie for some reason even though he's not dating her best friend and not her boss. Uh? 

Is your head spinning? Because mine was. And this was in like 40 pages as Rafe tracks down Melanie to her new job. Though why he wouldn't just go to her home or call her if she's been working for him for years...I've no idea. It made my head hurt.

• No condoms. Anywhere. That's just kind of disgusting. Especially when foursomes start happening and the guys in the band all mention how they have sex with groupies. Bleck and gross! Plus the whole coming inside her (ex--during quickie up against the tree sex) coupled with no clean up after then going about in a short skirt like that's not gonna have any trouble.

• Inconsistencies-- Things like Rafe getting in a fight with a band mate and it making news and them still not knowing he was a millionaire and one of the people behind a huge local corporation. Or things happening more than once--a major question was asked in two separate chapters of the book like the other time had never happened. (maybe an issue with it being a serial book originally?)

• Melanie calls Rafe...Storm. Which is his rockstar persona. It was just...weird. She's known him for years as Rafe but suddenly he's a rocker and Storm it is. It made her sound like a groupie and was just awkward. Especially when he wasn't preforming and emotions were being discussed and still she was calling him Storm.

• Lots of wishy washy-ness going on. Rafe doesn't want to have a committed relationship and isn't in love but then at the first sniffing of interest by another man in her he has a complete 180 and wants to claim her because he's in love and she's wonderful and he wants to be with her. Then he freaks out again and then we're back to solid ground. Blerg. It just was not okay with me. I wanted him to want her for her. Not because someone was threatening what was "his". 

All in all, obviously, I had some major issues with His to Claim. And just not enough positive things to balance them out. Which made for a very disappointing and frustrating read. It had so much potential but just...fell short of coming together for a solid read. I'm not sure if it was because it was originally released in a 6 part serial format or not--though I read it as a completed book-- but it was definitely a struggle for me and while I really enjoyed peeks at certain secondary characters I'd have a hard time jumping into their books I think.

Have you read Carrew? Have you read this book or the previous one?

Have you read a serial format book where it's released in 40-80 page installments? What did you think?

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