Review: Imperfect Monster

Imperfect Monster by Jennifer Bene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes I find myself in need of a dark romance. The kind to show you the darkness of the world, while somehow leaving you with a belief in love. It’s a hard line to toe, and I often find books labelled as ‘dark romance’ aren’t actually all that dark. The hero is a member of a gang, or the heroine has a dark past. Those things are fun, sure, but they do not equate to a truly dark romance. Dark romances need to be gritty – like a good thriller, you need blood, guts, and tears.

Due to my bad luck with searching out truly dark romances, I was a wee bit tentative about Jennifer Bene’s Imperfect Monster. It sounded wonderful, but I couldn’t help but question whether it was too good to be true. I mean, would it really be that dark?

It turns out, yes – yes, it would be.

I have read a couple of truly dark romances in my time – a few insanely dark ones – meaning this one does not earn the spot as being my darkest romance. However, there is certainly truth in the label. This isn’t just a book with a dark label, this is a book that delivers what it promises. Therefore, I certainly recommend fans of dark, yet insanely hot, romances jump upon this. This is not a book to be missed, one you do not want to overlook, as it is truly wonderful.

From the very start I was pulled into this story. Not only was it exactly what I needed to cure my dark romance craving, it was a truly addictive read. There is so much about this one – the world, the characters, the storyline – to pull you in that you find it near-impossible to put the book down. Once you start, you’ll be wanting more. It’s not just a case of wanting to know how the story ends – it’s a case of needing to know.

There are plenty of romance books on the market to deal with the mafia and gangs, but I find there is a line that quite a few authors do not consider. Some take it too far and fall into clichés, with one too many viewings of The Godfather result in a very stereotyped view; some seem to step away from the idea all together, making it seem just like any everyday situation with the occasional shooting or drug exchange thrown in. In Imperfect Monster, we get one of those good examples of the underworld. There is violence in abundance, and the events that play out will leave you pulled into the world in no time at all. It is real and brutal, just the way I like these kinds of reads.

Add in the wonderful characters, and you’re guaranteed a wonderful read. Both our male and female lead brought so much to the table. I fell in love with them both in no time at all, and the relationship between the two of them was wonderful. It leaned a tiny bit towards insta-love, but I was so wrapped up in the individual character storylines that I didn’t mind at all. I may not be a fan of insta-love, but every so often it plays in really well with a book and I find myself able to overlook it. Such is what happened here – I was so in love with both characters that I was able to overlook how quickly they reached the point of love. Not to mention the interactions were insanely hot – with something so intense, I was able to turn my head and ignore the whisper of insta-love.

Both of those things are wonderful alone, but it’s always great when a wonderful world and amazing character come together in a gripping storyline. Throughout things are building, you know we’re moving towards the action scene. Personally, I would have liked for things to have been a bit more explosive – nevertheless, I adored the way everything came together. It was such a wonderful story, with multiple elements coming into light throughout.

There is no doubt I will be picking up more Jennifer Bene in the future. Imperfect Monster was a wonderful introduction to the author’s work, and it’s left me extremely eager for more.

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