And it’s not just about smut. Not at all. Well, not totally.
What she really excels at, what really makes me come back to her books time and again, no matter the premise, is how she tackles tough subject matter and makes it sweet and filthy. Her characters are often post some horrible trauma that should make them broken and fragile, but they are often steely and tough. And then they fall for a softer character, also not totally whole, but who treats their hidden fragility with emotional woolen gloves.
Never Sweeter was completely sweet
Letty is a college student with a horrible trauma in her past: she was mercilessly bullied by a group of guys in high school, and one of them hit her off a cliff with a truck. Yes. OFF A CLIFF. So as you can imagine, she doesn’t trust people easily. But she’s healed, and she’s entering college a couple of years late with her confidence, her wit and her courage.
Enter Tate: one of the guys that was in that truck. Her bully. Her attempted murderer, basically. He’s in one of her classes. She runs into him in the hall. She’s terrified.
You think there is no way that Charlotte Stein could make a sweet romance between these two plausible, or even desirable. Who wants to see a plucky, witty heroine fall in love with a former tormenter? It’s not a good premise. It’s a terrible one, in fact.
But that’s what makes Stein so good. She not only makes you want to see them together, she makes you hurt when HE hurts. Those nearly audible heart thumps that you get when a character is nearing a really painful moment or realization? That drop in your chest that’s almost visceral even though all you are doing is reading a page or thumbing through your phone? Never Sweeter has them in spades.
So get you some Charlotte Stein novels, and enjoy the filthy sweetness.
Buy Never Sweeter
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Are you a Charlotte Stein fan? What are your favorite heroes and heroines of hers?
