SYNOPSIS:
So how did I get myself into this situation, you ask? Simple: desperation. When you're faced with being homeless and hungry or taking off your clothes for money, the choice is easier than you'd imagine. That doesn't make it easy, though. Oh no. I hate it, in fact. There's nothing I'd like more than to quit and never go into another bar again, never hear the techno beat pulsing in my ears again, never feel the lecherous gazes of horny men again.
Then, one day, I meet a man. He's in my club, front and center. He watches me do my routine, and his gaze is full of hunger. Not the kind of desire I'm used to though. It's something different. Something hotter, deeper, and more possessive. I know who he is; of course I do. Everyone knows who Dawson Kellor is. He's People Magazine's Sexiest Man alive. He's the hottest actor in Hollywood. He's the man hand-picked for the role of Rhett Butler in the long-awaited remake of Gone With the Wind.
He's the kind of man who can have any woman in the entire world with a mere crook of his finger. So what's he doing looking at me like he has to have me? And how do I resist him when he looks at me with those intoxicating, changeable, quicksilver eyes?
I'm a virgin, and he's an American icon of male sexuality. I'm a stripper, and he's a man used to getting anything and everything he wants. And he wants me. I know I should say no, I know he's the worst kind of player…but what my mind knows, my body and my heart may not.
And then things get complicated.
My thoughts after reading...
Okay... So I'm very relieved that this book is indeed lighter compared with Falling Into You. I've read Falling Into You as soon as it came out last year, and I was a complete mess. I was ugly crying the whole time and it took me a while to compose myself... I couldn't even answer my sister when she asked me why I was crying like someone had just died. 'Was afraid if I relayed her the story, I will ugly-cry all over again! Anyway....
So STRIPPED is kinda' like a darker version of a Cinderella story... Its about a small-town girl from Macon, Georgia named Grey Amundsen. She is an only child of a pastor's daughter. Her father was the chief pastor of the biggest baptist church in their county. Her father was a by-the-book, well, by- the-bible kinda guy. He was overly conservative, overly traditional... to the point of closed-mindedness.
Although I was raised by a strict father, him being an Army Colonel and a follower of Islam, he wasn't as intense as Grey's dad. He was traditional but always within reason... He even converted to Catholicism just for him to marry my mom, even when tradition and norm dictates that it should be the woman who follows after the husband. My Dad reads a lot, and he can even point out differences between the Q'uran and the Bible...he even knows the bible stories, which he often reads to me when I was little before sleeping...
Anyway, I think traditions are meant to change or adapt to present times... The traditions or norms a century ago, may not apply today... Like women driving vehicles or the way they dress... I think it depends on the person really...and how he/she was raised. And just have to trust their judgment. I think it was what alienated Grey from her father...that he was stubborn and unwillingly to open his mind. He didn't respect Grey enough to make her own decisions. He didn't see Grey as someone who is strong enough to fend for herself... And he was too busy with his work and all his impositions, that he forgets to spend time and know his own daughter... He was a freakin' minister for crying out loud---God loves everybody...including the sinners. He should know that love is the greatest commandment there is.
I understand that every parent just wants whats best for their child, but we also mustn't forget the fact that each child is their own person. We can't force them to do what we want. What we think is best for them isn't really what is best for them... it'll just come right back and smack us in the face. How many stories have we heard about falling-out and depression when it comes to parents forcing their will on their children?? Almost all right?... right.... So all we can do is guide them through and keep an open-mind... And this was what Grey's mom did...
Sorry I was kinda' rambling in there. I just get so temperamental about topics like that because it does happen you know... Children end-up rebelling against their parents, and then shit happens after that.. like drugs, alcohol, etc...And we don't want that to happen do we? Yep, I thought so.
Anyway... Moving on... so the death of Grey's mom became a catalyst why she ended-up being an Exotic dancer... She went and pursued her dream of becoming a filmmaker at the University of Southern California, on a scholarship... Something went wrong with her scholarship and thus, is now faced with the predicament of finding a job. And even though she searched for months, the strip club was the only one hiring...
During one of her shifts in the club, she was asked to perform for a VIP room and then meets the dashing Hollywood superstar/playboy/badboy, Dawson Kellor... and as like every soul finally meeting its mate, they are drawn to each other... They have this intense initial connection and a sense of comfort and safety. Dawson Kellor was relentless when it came to Grey, he doesn't know why. All he knows is that she has kind of a hold on him. He pursued her... He had this sense of protection towards her. And of course it doesn't hurt that she's kinda' the total package, and that she's oblivious to her beauty and sex-appeal...
I admire Dawson Kellor because he didn't give-up easily even though Grey is avoiding him and aways running away. It takes guts not to be fazed by rejection, being him a huge Hollywood star and all... Grey on the other hand is a bit annoying because she was very apprehensive, very paranoid and scared... I understand that it was a fear of the unknown, but God, she wants him just as bad! We just gotta be real...
From this story, I learned that we shouldn't lose ourselves while in a relationship, like how Grey's mom did. There should be balance... You know, compromise... Although we want our partners to be happy with us, we shouldn't also forget that it works both ways... another lesson I learned is that...like what I mentioned earlier, what we think is best for others, isn't necessarily the best for them... Another lesson I learned is, we shouldn't be so quick to judge. I know there is stigma in being a stripper but still, not all who strip are whores and nympho's...(is that even accurate? "nympho's"?? Lol)... And last but not least, we should accept the person we love for they are, scars and all... And as long as you know the truth, you understand each other and make each other happy, then everything else are just minute details...
Although I would've wanted a longer epilogue, I loved it nonetheless. I recommend reading this!👍 Yey Jasinda Wilder!☺
