Review: Making the Cut by Anne Malcom

Making the Cut by Anne Malcom

Series: Sons of Templar MC #1

Publication date: April 26th, 2015

Pages: 450

DNF Percentage: 47%

Spice:🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

Gwen Alexandra does not need a man in her life.

One wearing leather, riding a Harley, and covered in tattoos.

Gwen can bet every pair of her Manolos that Cade Fletcher is trouble.

From the moment she meets him, the attraction sizzles between them. Gwen has a problem when it comes to attractive men in motorcycle clubs.

The last one she got involved with almost killed her.

After healing physically, Gwen decides to get a new start in a small town, half a country away from the man who nearly cost her her life. She isn't in town five minutes when she runs into Cade, a man that is too sexy and dangerous for his own good.

She tries to keep away from him, to ignore the attraction between them.

But the biker has other ideas, soon she is in way over her head, and her heart, and her life are in danger once again.

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Plot: While I would like to say that the plot in this book was decent, it felt a little like it was lifted from another author. It was a mis-mash of a bunch of stellar scenes from other books that seemed to be slapped together and given a new title. The MC romance is obviously strong in this book and with that all the obvious terminology and neanderthal type of approach to women went along with it. From what I gathered Gwen came from a meager lifestyle growing up but then was wearing a bunch of name brand things and able to buy a Victorian style house without batting an eye. I got about half way through the book before I realized I kept checking the percentage to see if I was anywhere near the end. I felt like the plot dragged on and on with no real substance to keep it enticing. Where is the big evil? Where is the antagonist that is going to try to drive the characters apart? It should have been well introduced before the middle of the book. I had a feeling the book would carry on in its doldrum style until the very end where everything would rush towards the finish line enough to make my head spin. I got off the rollercoaster before I could find myself bent over a trash can losing all the funnel cake and popcorn I had just consumed prior.

Characters: I was a little confused by Gwen as a character. It seemed that she was brought up in a lifestyle that was less than the lap of luxury, but she was walking around wearing clothing that only the wealthy would partake in. Granted, she was a buyer before she opened her little shop in the middle of nowhere but it didn't really feel like she was budgeting her money at all. She was the rich woman who was slumming it to escape her past it seemed. Add to that the fact that the characters were never consistent with how they were portrayed. Gwen was traumatized and flinched at everything and then she suddenly feisty and unafraid of anything. Cade was sweet and sensitive until he was angry and then he was 'bitch' this and 'no pussy is worth this' that. He was a thoroughly unlikeable male lead for me but then again I don't feel I got to know him much at all. It was all about pushing the two together and not anything about forming a connection between them. It felt like an insta-love type of book which is far from the realism that you would want to harness if you're trying to tug at the heartstrings of the reader.

Writing: I am unsure whether the author took a creative gamble or just left out the word 'I' anytime Cade spoke for a reason. That neanderthal vibe he gave off? It was only intensified by the fact that anytime he talked he forgot to refer to himself at all. For example: "Feel for ya, babe." No 'I' in sight. The overuse of 'babe' and 'bitch' was also enough to make me grind my teeth. That word 'bitch' already is a pet peeve of mine but the way the author threw that word around left and right to try to degrade the females in the book was completely detestable. I couldn't handle it. I do feel the author should also have a copyeditor go over the book overall because the grammar, sentence structures, and overall story format needs a little work. A lot of the writing of this book felt a little like something AI would produce and that makes me weary on a visceral level. I am not making an accusation or saying that is what is happening, just that it read a little inconsistently like that. Which is why I would definitely recommend a copyeditor to fine tune things a bit more.

Overall: This book was not for me. In 2026 I have decided to start cutting myself off from finishing books out of moral obligation and instead finishing those who I thoroughly enjoy. The story had a seemingly good idea but the execution left me wanting more and less all at the same time. I think if the book was a little more fine tuned then maybe it would be a more acceptable reading. But for now, my review ends with my first DNF for the year. :(