Book Review - Exposed by Jasinda Wilder • Ana's Attic Book Blog

Exposed (Madame X 2) by Jasinda Wilder

Contemporary Erotic Dark Romance. Book 2 of 3, does not stand alone.

Madame X by Jasinda Wilder was one of my favorite books of 2015. Despite my having difficulty getting into it because of the writing style, the story had me sucked in and addicted immediately. Exposed is book two in the trilogy, and I had a little more trouble with this one. Jasinda’s incredible writing was there, but I again had trouble with the second person writing style, and this time, not enough happened to get me over that. I hate to say it, but until the very end, I felt like Exposed kind of suffered from what many second books in trilogies do, where not much happens, it’s just a bridge between book 1 and book 3.

In Exposed, the mystery of Madame X continues. She has left Logan and is back with Caleb. He is all she knows.

“We are your whores. We are your addicts. You are a drug, and you are in our veins.”

But she has changed, evolved. When Logan contacts her with a little bit of information about her, she needs to know more. So back to Logan she goes. To me, if I were to describe the majority of this book, it would be that Madame X spends more than half of it having sex with either Caleb or Logan. I don’t often say there is too much sex, but some of the scenes went on and on and on and I wanted more of the excitement and intrigue. I actually found myself skimming!

Logan is perfect. Too perfect in too many ways. He must have some major secrets because he is too good to be true. I personally think Caleb is a total dickface. I know there are a lot of Team Calebs, but I think he is disgusting. In Exposed, you do start to see the more human side to him, and you know he feels very strongly for X, but he’s still a creepy fucker. Yet X can’t stay away. He is all she knows. Yet because of this back and forth, I really began to not like X so much, something I really need to love a book.

“The fact that part of me liked what was done to me. That part of me craves those moments of helpless weakness, those moments of belonging, of being owned, dominated, subjugated. I hate that part of me, and cannot speak it into truth.”

She still craves Caleb, yet feels so strongly for Logan!

“I can breathe, for once in my life I can finally breathe. He is my breath…There is nothing like it, has never been anything to match the utter perfection of his body inside me. We are mated, made for each other.”

The ending was by far the best part of the book. If it weren’t for the huge cliffy ending, I am not sure I would continue, because I honestly stopped caring who she picks. But I do want my freaking questions answered, something that doesn’t happen in this book, in fact, even more crop up. Now I have to read the next!

Likes:

Jasinda is an incredible writer!
I hated and loved it at the same time.
Very, very hot sex.
The mind-fuck continued.
Kept you guessing.

Dislikes:

The second person POV, I still find it very difficult to warm up to.
I can’t believe I’m going to say it, but too much sex…like 40 pages in one scene!
Too much back and forth.
Not enough happened; it felt like the second in a trilogy.

The Down & Dirty:

While I had some trouble getting into Madame X because of the 2nd person writing style and lack of contractions, I figured it would be easier with the second book. After all, Book 1 turned out to be one of my favorites of 2015. But this time it just plain got on my nerves and made me feel detached. her writing is, as always, incredible, I’m just not a fan of her talking to “you” throughout the book. Isabel’s ping ponging back and forth between the two men made me not really care as much what happened to her…until the end, when HOLY CRAP, what an ending! Exposed, to me, felt like the second book in a trilogy. Not a lot happened, but there was a lot of character growth, and a shit ton of sex. I still want to read Exiled in August to see what happens, because SO MUCH needs to be wrapped up!