Gable (The Powers That Be #1)

Harper Bentley
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Gable Powers had all the makings of everything my father had ever warned me about: a reputation that was anything but stellar, a dirty mouth that had me shivering at the things he uttered in my ear, and a body (oh, God, that body) that was covered in tattoos, all of which added up to a solid ten-point-oh on the bad-boy scale. 

The first time I met him, I instantly loathed him.

The second time was even worse.

He was a jerk. He was an ass. 

He had secrets.

He was nothing I thought I ever wanted. 

So why couldn’t I resist him?

New adult. Not recommended for readers under 17.

Gable Powers is one of the big men on campus along with his four equally sought after brothers. Scout is a new transplant to the school on a journalism scholarship. He has the ability to both turn her on and off. He relentlessly hassles her to get a rise out of her and he often succeeds. Gable is everything she does not want: cocky, pushy, conceited, and  a man whore. But soon she discovers that their may be more to him.

But she learns more about him in an unconventional way that seems to make real life interactions a bit trickier. She knows he lusts after her. But does he really like her? She is not cool with being the next notch on his bedpost, but is also undeniably attracted to him. She's keeping secrets and so is he.  He starts acting nicer to her and becomes more intriguing. Real life and a digital life all swirls into a mess of  mysteries and contradictions. It's a game of cat and mouse that just keeps getting more complicated. What is real? What is imagined? Where lies the truth?

She starts out acting pretty tough, but is used to being a good girl and ends up in way over head during their game. She is already insecure and his erratic behavior frustrates her. He has his own set of issues and fears that he hides under his cocky facade. They have good chemistry, but mixed up poor communication and a whole other issue that has to be addressed. They act like a  good girl who wants to be a little naughty and a bad boy trying to be better. But along the way there are starts, stops, secrets, and intermittent confusion. Both tend to be impulsive and hide when things get tough.

Eventually it's all got to blow up. But how will the pieces fall?

This was an engaging, humorous, fast paced book with quirky characters and an interesting dynamic and banter. The plot a has some twists, and at times I was trying to figure out the real deal myself. Sometimes the characters actions made me shake my head or irritated me a bit. I liked his brothers Zeke, Loch and Ryker, her brothers Heath and Holden, and her best friends Amy and Bodhi. They all added humor and depth as well as providing inspiration for more stories to come in the series.

I was gifted a copy for an honest review.

When Scout Patterson and Gable Powers meet, sparks fly. But not the good kind. She can’t stand him (or his ego) and he views her as a new challenge on campus.

Coming from a small town, Scout is a curious mix of independent and sassy, and naive and insecure. I had a hard time getting a handle on just what her personality was. But at her core, she is a good girl, a rule follower.

Though Gable was a big man on campus, he was persistent, and Scout began to get glimpses that he was hiding secrets behind his confident exterior.

The chemistry between Gable and Scout was full of heat. Though their communication wasn’t always the best, the sparks between them built quickly. With the sparks came resistance to their feelings, for Scout because she didn’t like Gable’s reputation, and for Gable because of his secrets, but the sparks were there.

The ending happened faster than I would have liked. Though I think the overall events had to happen as they did, the resolution was so quick that even after the epilogue I would have liked more to really feel closure.

This was a fast read with secrets and attraction, and a good deal of back and forth between the characters. They went from strangers, to classmates, to co-workers and no matter how hard Scout tried to hate him, he began to get through her walls. But he had his own walls as well, and she wasn’t willing to let him get away without knocking those down as well.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Harper Bentley has taught high school English for 22 years. Although she's managed to maintain her sanity regardless of her career choice, jumping into the world of publishing her own books goes to show that she might be closer to the ledge than was previously thought. 

After traveling the nation in her younger years as a military brat, having lived in Alaska, Washington State and California, she now resides in Oklahoma with her teenage daughter, two dogs and one cat, happily writing stories that she hopes her readers will enjoy.