Book Review: I'm Only Here for the Beard By Lani Lynn Vale

I'm Only Here for the Beard 

(The Dixie Wardens Rejects MC #4)

By Lani Lynn Vale

Sean is a man with needs—needs that a lot of women were ready and willing to fulfill. Yet, the only woman that he wants to fulfill them dumped him for another man. A man who’s a member of his MC and is someone he has to see every single day and twice on Sundays.

He’s bitter and angry. He’s definitely not in the right frame of mind when it comes to dealing with women. Which is unfortunate for his new partner, Naomi, a fresh-out-of-school and totally green paramedic.

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Naomi’s got enough problems on her plate. A brother who’s self-destructive and doesn’t care who he takes down with him. A man who she’s in love with but who doesn’t love her. A job that she hates because it is a constant reminder of what she can’t have.

Desperate to distance herself from her problems, she runs, taking the first job in her field that she finds willing to take on someone with so little experience.

The last thing she needs is a perpetually pissed off partner, especially when he sets her blood on fire.

But life doesn’t ask how much you can handle when it dishes out challenges. It just keeps piling them on until you’ve bested them or you’ve buckled under them.

___

Sean really doesn’t want to like his new partner, Naomi. He just wants to be left alone to live his life however he damn well pleases and without complications.

Naomi doesn’t care what he wants, she can’t be anything but herself. It isn’t long before she’s breaking down his walls and making him feel again. She’s trying to pull him closer and he’s pushing her away.

It’s not long before Sean sees the error of his ways.

It’s too bad, though, that by the time he realizes she’s the one, Naomi’s already gone.

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My Review:

This was a very nice story. Everything moved at a steady pace and was overall well written. I wished there was more of a transition between events though. There were times where I had to go back and reread a few paragraphs for me to realize why things weren't making sense all of sudden. Only for me to comprehend that the characters were in a new setting (that hadn't been specifically pointed out) and I was lost for a page or so.

Naomi was an interesting and smart character. She was level headed in hard situations and liked to take the rational road to solve things. She also liked asking for advice instead of jumping to dramatic conclusions. I can respect someone like her.

I liked Sean (for the most part). I loved how he handled Naomi's medical condition in the beginning of the novel when most people wouldn't have. I liked how caring and sweet he was toward her. The hot and cold relationship thing was (for most of the novel) his doing. I understand that all the "accidents" that kept happening to Naomi would be a reason to be alarmed and would cause him to protect her, but it felt like a filler for the sole purpose of adding drama to the story.

The capturing of the bad guy moment in the novel was so anticlimactic. I don't know what I was expecting to happen, but it wasn't what was presented to me. The way it was handled made me think that something even bigger was being set up (with only about 4 short chapters left in the book) which made me stay on the edge of my seat waiting and have nothing happen. Overall the ending was sweet and they got their happy ending.

My Favorite Quotes:

"Life has never given me lemons. It's given anger issues, a love for alcohol, high blood pressure, and an extreme dislike of stupid people."

"I've reached an age where my mind says, 'I can do that.' But my body says, 'Try it and die [...]'."

"You don't have to be crazy to be my friend. I'll train you."

My Rating: