Asian-American heroes and heroines aren’t exactly commonplace in romance novels, so the story of Annabel “Poe” Lee was one entry in Alison Kent’s gIRL-gEAR series I was looking forward to. Sadly, Annabel turns out to be a disappointingly average heroine in her own story, especially next to the much more interesting hero.

As the book opens, we join the relationship of Annabel and Patrick Coffey, already in progress. They began their affair weeks ago, in a previous book in the series. Annabel decides it’s time to call it quits. She is about to finish her degree and needs to make some decisions about the direction of her life, which means it’s time to cut things off with Patrick. There’s obviously no future between them. Patrick is a man of few words, and while the sex between them is sizzling, that’s all they really have.

Patrick has no interest in letting her cut and run. He may not want a future, but he does want her. Then circumstances intervene that give him an extra incentive to stick around. For two years, Patrick was held prisoner in the Caribbean before finally being rescued. Now the man he escaped from is in Houston. He wants something from Patrick, and is targeting Annabel to get to him. Patrick has no choice but to stick close to Annabel, not that that’s much of a sacrifice.

The beginning of the book feels a little like walking into a movie ten minutes late. Something about the way the opening scene unfolds is a little jarring. But what is most disappointing is what a bland, wishy-washy heroine Annabel turns out to be. Formerly a tough, ballsy woman, she naturally turns out to have a standard-issue background that provides her with the usual hang-ups about becoming too dependent or sticking with one man for too long. Flashes of her earlier persona pop out every once in a while, but for the most part she exhibits little of the steely confidence she did in previous books. Even for new readers to the series who haven’t seen her earlier incarnation, I doubt she’ll impress much, since she doesn’t do much of anything in the book except have sex and waver about their relationship.

It doesn’t help that she’s completely overshadowed by Patrick, a much more complex character who is everything she isn’t. His history as a prisoner gives him a unique background you don’t read about every day. It’s interesting to see how it’s changed him from the callow frat boy he was before the experience into the dark and moody man he is today. Kent reveals different sides of his character, keeping him a little bit of a mystery at first, making it easy to see why Annabel is so fascinated. He’s a loner, undeniably alpha, yet also a master chef. A compelling and unusual hero, his personality is so strong that he dominates the story much the way he does the heroine. His storyline is what drives the book, which is why, in the end, while I could recall nearly everything about him, Annabel had failed to make much of an impression.

Like all of the gIRL-gEAR books, this one has a romantic subplot. This time, Kent revisits Chloe and Eric from No Strings Attached. This has to be one of the least engaging subplots in the series. It’s all based in misunderstandings and a lack of communication, leading them to bicker. Chloe whines, Eric is aloof, until they finally knock it off and talk to each other. The whole thing’s basically a waste of space and I would have much rather read about Annabel’s brother Devon, an appealing character who’s given nothing to do.

Fans of the series will want to see how it ends, but this is far from being one of the better entries. It’s worth checking out for readers who enjoy strong, yet conflicted alpha heroes. He would have made a good match for the old Annabel, if only she’d shown up.