Easy Virtue

Holy hell!!!! I have no idea what I just read, but I loved it. This book is pure madness and it grabbed me by the metaphorical balls and wouldn’t let go until I was completely consumed by Blair’s story.

Let me say that this book is not for every one. The MC is a certified gold digger who has sex with rich men so they can help her live a luxurious life of paid lavish apartments in the richest districts, eyeball gouging high priced designer clothes, and enough money to not have a care in the world. Blair is heartless and cold and does not apologize for it. She is not a good person and she knows it. Even embracing it as long as she gets what she wants. If that sounds like too much for you then this book is not for you, because let me know as descriptive as this book is, you’ll be jaw dropping surprised at how much this chick loves to fuck.

So I’m just going to go ahead and let you know that I loved Blair’s character. This does mean that I like her because in my personal opinion she is way beyond saving. Blair is fucked up in the head. Her parents didn’t love her and acted like she didn’t exist, so she needs attention. She finds it in the most obvious of choices. Men. She uses her body and seduces as many rich men as she can because she worships material things. I felt incredibly sad for her throughout this entire book and I wanted her to make the right decision just one time. I get where she’s coming from. Her messed up environment as a child makes her believe that love doesn’t exist, its not an option for and with each nail she drives into her coffin, she believes she is selling her soul and beyond redemption. She is so consumed by her pain and feeling of unworthiness that she digs deeper into the hole she finds herself in and won’t stop until she reaches the fiery pits of hell. I get it. She runs from her emotions and by doing so she pushes people away. She takes the easy road and reverts back to the only thing she knows. Its incredibly sad, but hard to turn away. She sabotages her own happiness and I can relate to this. You don’t want to hurt anyone, but you always do.

This book is a hailstorm and I was more than happy to go for a ride. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but holy monkeyballs it was quite the ride. The writing is tragically poetic. It will leave you disgusted and crying in disbelief that someone would willingly torment themselves the way Blair does. You don’t know what you want for the main character. It will leave you confused and totally mindfucked. And in the end you will want to slap yourself while simultaneously begging for more. Mia Asher you da REAL MVP.

EV had me yelling OMG from the very first chapter right up until the book’s final line. Blaire grew up with parents that left her with emotional scars. She makes a promise that she’ll never let herself get close enough to anybody to let them hurt her. As she gets older she realizes that can be an asset in getting what she wants from the men she gets involved with. But can one man change that?! Blaire is such a different character that I’m used to reading. I love that she has no qualms about who she is or how she lives her life. It was actually quite refreshing. I usually like knowing going in if the book is part of a series. I don’t know how I missed all the talk about that but now I’m really looking forward to book 2. I can’t wait to see where it’s going to take Blaire & ….

Here’s a little about the plot (as spoiler free as possible):
Blair White is a shameless personified gold-digger, (this is all due to her neglectful upbringing and bullied past). Thanks to her parents, she knows neither love nor attention and because of that neglect, she has grown to crave attention through money and despises any form of love. She has no qualms about who she is or how she chooses to live her life. She only dates the rich and well-off men that can “take care” of her and her necessities in life. “I like money. I like power. I like adoration. I like sex.” –Blair. She’s lived her life this way since she was 18 and plans to continue to live her life that way as long as her looks will allow. She is not naive enough to think that what she does will last forever because looks fade, but she’s “milking the system” for as long as she can. And at age 23, she is very successful at what she does. ”My body is my only tool, and spreading my legs open is my superpower. So if they want it, they better work for it – pay for it.” –Blair. In between conquests, she meets Ronan, the “average Joe”, as I like to call him, unexpectedly…she decides to throw caution to the wind and allow herself this moment of time to live a little and enjoy her time with Ronan. Well what was meant to be “just fun”, begins to form into something more…feelings.

Ronan begins to thaw Blair’s frozen heart. Kind of like that Disney saying that’s so popular right now, “only true love can thaw a frozen heart.”…Ronan is beginning to do that for Blair. But you see, Blair doesn’t want that, she “likes” who she is…or at least she keeps telling herself that, even though she feels empty on the inside. Ronan is the first person to make her feel anything and that SCARES HER! “Many say that love will set you free, but I disagree…love is a cage, a very painful one; its gilded bars made with yearning, heartache, and unfulfilled dreams. And the moment I realized that love wasn’t necessary to one’s survival I became free. No one would have that power to hurt me again. That realization set me free.” –Blair. So when her next conquest, the very rich and very powerful Lawrence Rothschild, comes back into town, what else is there for Blair to do, but seek him out and sabotage the potential her and Ronan may have had? Lawrence is a gold-diggers dream come true (sexy and wealthy), but in Blair’s situation, he’s most importantly the opposite of Ronan, he makes her feel nothing emotionally, only physically. Blair has no fear of commitment or love with Lawrence. They have a mutual agreement…what is between them is strictly physical, nothing more.

Lawrence is everything that the gold-digger in Blair craves and needs to survive in life, but what Blair fails to accept and notice is that it’s too late, Ronan has already imprinted himself on her heart. The ice surrounding her heart has already begun to melt. Blair has to decide if she wants to continue her selfish lifestyle or seek out love. We unfortunately, don’t find that out in this book, but hopefully we will in book 2 (SWEETEST VEMON, coming out April 7, 2016).

My thoughts:
First of all, I have to say this…Love-triangles!!! *hits head against the wall* THIS book was a reminder why I try to avoid them! It’s my own fault for going into this book blind. It’s such a love/hate relationship for me with those types of plots, BUT I will admit Mia Asher spun this particular love-triangle in a completely different way than others I’ve read. I almost wouldn’t describe it as a love-triangle, other than the fact that there’s 3 people involved, but not technically at the same time…it’s hard to explain, you have to read it to understand. I think EASY VIRTUE was more of a set up for a love-triangle and SWEETEST VENOM (Virtue #2) will have more of the love-triangle qualities. I can admit that at the end of EASY VIRTUE, I am very curious to see where these “relationships” go. You’ll understand why I put relationships in “quotations” when you read the book.

I devoured this book from the first page to the last. I felt emotions ranging from anger to sadness…I even shed some tears :’( I find it kind of comical that Mia was able to induce such feelings from me, when in this book Blair is so dependent on NOT feeling. Kudos to you Mia for making both Blair and me feel! *wink* LOL.
I also have to compliment Mia this…there has to be something said for an author to be able to spin a plot like this and have an unlikable heroine impossible to not like in the end. I have to give Mia Asher HUGE credit for making me like a damaged heroine such as Blair. Blair is the epitome of a damaged heroine and a poster child for abandonment issues if I ever saw one! “I made the decision that no one—no one—was ever going to hurt me like they did. And whatever was left of my heart, I surrounded it with so many thorns and spikes that if you ever came anywhere near it, I would willingly and happily hurt you.” –Blair. And Blair did exactly that! But my goodness, her character was so incredibly developed and multi-faceted, that it was impossible to not root for her to find happiness and to find someone that will put up with her, even though she seems undeserving at times with the things she does and says. But isn’t it the ones that hide their true selves by hurting others and themselves, that need love the most? Blair is definitely one of those people. I can’t wait to see where her character goes in book 2 and if she removes some of those thorns around her heart.

This was my first Mia Asher novel and I can tell already that I will be coming back for more of her books. I am SO thankful I waited to read EASY VIRTUE until weeks before book 2 comes out. I think if I would’ve read this when it first came out, I would’ve died slowly while waiting for book 2! That cliffy was kan unsettling twist and I, for one, have an ENDLESS supply of questions and I cannot wait to read what happens next for Blair, Ronan and Lawrence! Who will she end up with?!? Right now I am #teamRonan *swoon* “Why me, Ronan?” “Because when I look at you, I see everything I want and everything I need.” But I will admit, Lawrence definitely has me intrigued. “The man is taboo…forbidden, yet so appealing.” –Blair. Who doesn’t get intrigued by the forbidden? There’s more to him than meets the eye and I want to know his story and why he desires Blair so much!

In the end, Mia left me craving more of Blair, Ronan and Lawrence and their unique story. I wouldn’t classify this as a “romance” per say, but there is definite feelings of love happening. (It is heading in the romance direction though) Nor is this a “dark romance”. It is in a genre of its own!

“Love is dangerous. Love has the ability to break the unbreakable.” –Blair.

5 stars!