Blog Tour: Permanent Lines by Ashley Wilcox + Review

Released On: January 13, 2013

Permanent Lines

by Ashley Wilcox

3.5 stars

If I am to describe Permanent Lines with only one word, that would be surprising. Or unexpected. And other applicable synonyms. Because really, this book gave me way more than I could have ever imagined or expected based on the cover and the synopsis alone.

What really caught my eye (aside from that cover, lol) is this additional excerpt included in the synopsis at Goodreads:

A guy who admits on being "a f*cking pussy" from the very beginning? That was definitely something new. Given that the cover shows a well-built man with tattoos up his arm, the disclaimer sounds contradictory to what I assume the character will be like. From the cover alone, Ashley Wilcox is already proving me wrong so I was definitely intrigued!

Indeed, the story starts with Merrick meeting the woman of his dreams. It felt like a Twilight moment (yes, that book) because it was kind of a love/lust/attraction at first sight thing. They were together for only 24 hours, yet that was enough for Merrick to be completely and utterly smitten by Amelia. He tries seeing other girls but he just could not get past the memory of her eyes, her hair, her laughter... yes, Merrick does turn out to be sentimental, romantic and poetic even at the beginning. Remember when you read this book that he DID warn you!

Not many could understand how connected I could get with someone so fast, but for fuck's sake, it happened.
I hated not having her here. I hated not being able to see her anytime I wanted. I hated that I didn't know if I would ever see her again. I hated acting like a whiny romantic. I hated the unknown.

Merrick is very likable though. He is definitely a looker with a drool-worthy body (again, refer to the cover please!). He is a motocross racer and he owns a pub. He isn't wealthy, but he does well enough on his own. Amelia is a badass. She is an excellent motocross racer as well! She prefers cacti to flowers because they are more resilient. I just wish that we saw more of her personality, though. It seemed to me that she wasn't able to show her full potential because she was terrified, restricted and in hiding for the majority of the book. 

Staring at the cactus in my hand before placing [it] back on the counter, I smiled the biggest, goddamn pussy grin ever. I was going to get my girl. I was going to find her. 

The first 28% of the story talks about the two-months-and-a-day that Merrick spends pining for Amelia. See, after their 24 hours was up, she disappeared completely and never returned his calls. He didn't know her address or any other information that might help him find her. Convinced that she was one of those cruel girls out to play on men, he tried to date other women--but he failed. Then one fateful night, he finds Amelia in the most unlikely of places. Now this is where the surprising and the unexpected begins to unfold.

Consider this part as the beginning of Part 2. Part 1 is a very light read, one that will make you expect an ending wrapped in flowers and rainbows. There are no serious, life-or-death conflicts at all. The way it's written, life-or-death situations will actually feel out of place! That's why when "Part 2" begins, it felt a little abrupt. I felt like Alice did when she fell into the rabbit hole and found a new universe that's parallel yet completely different from the world she left behind.

A much more serious and deadly conflict begins as soon as Merrick sets his eyes again on Amelia. We find out that nothing was what it seemed when it came to her. It turns out that she is in a very dangerous situation and the only way out of it is if you're on your way to the morgue. It is that serious. The shift from "aww, you poor, likable, hot, smitten guy" to "what the heck is happening, look out for that gun!" is so jarring, I actually turned back a few pages to see if I missed a chapter on my kindle.

That is one of the reasons why Permanent Lines is a 3.5-star read for me. The other reason is that the ending was just too good to be true. Spoiler alert: If you have read LOTR: The Return of the King, the final events will bring to mind Sam Gamgee getting past an army of orcs to get Frodo after he was paralyzed by Shelob, the giant spider. It wasn't very believable. I can definitely see the logic of the theory, but it ended up kind of funny, really!

I contemplated giving this 4 stars because Ashley Wilcox's writing style is really good. She knows how to catch a reader's attention and make you ask for more. I just can't get past the ending and how the book felt like two books merged into one. Still, many readers seem to have enjoyed Permanent Lines much more than I did. Just take a look at Goodreads reviews! If you want to read about a hot male who is absolutely and irrevocably in love with the female lead, then you'll enjoy reading this one.

We were fucking cacti and would never let anything come between us. No matter the storm that surrounded us, we would survive. We would still stand, untouched and perfectly fine.
We were permanent.

Buy links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Synopsis:

Merrick Drake.

Bartender, dirt bike racer, and far from settling down…until that one race, and that one girl that changed everything.

Amelia Driscoll.

Amelia took Merrick by surprise, bringing out emotions that he never knew existed. Amelia stole his heart…

Only to break it.

When fate puts Merrick and Amelia back together, it doesn’t come without a price- it comes with vengeance, determination, and putting his life on the line for the one he loves. 

But, how much is Merrick willing to put on the line to have a future with no reason to hide? In the end, fate will decide...

Who's permanent.

Giveaway!

Tour-wide giveaway prizes include 4 signed paperbacks of Permanent Lines and 2 Amazon GC's worth $50.

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