Review: Ruthie Knox takes role-playing to a whole new level
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 2, 2013
~Reviewed by ANN & posted at Under the Covers Book BlogRuthie Knox takes role-playing to a whole new level! ~ Under the CoversBIG BOY is another book in the multi-author Strangers on a Train series with Samhain. I'm a huge fan of Ruthie Knox's contemporaries so I definitely jumped at the chance to read this short story.Knox does something interesting in this book. As you know, all the books in this series are centered on couples meeting or falling in love on trains. Though I don't think the train aspect was as strong in this story as it is in others, I think it definitely fits the role-playing that Knox does. Now, the role-playing in this book is very different than what I was expecting.Mandy meets Tyler through an online dating service and his witty profile catches her attention. When they meet for the first time, Tyler requests that they dress in costume and role-play as different historical figures or characters of different eras. I found this to be both interesting and...weird at the same time. As Mandy's friend, Lisa says, it seems like something crazy people do. However, the spontaneity and craziness is exactly what Mandy needs in her life where it is weighed down heavily by single parenthood. They have some crazy adventures (and sex!) on trains and I thought the book was fun overall.I do think the historical role-playing thing may fly over some people's head if you're not particularly interested in history, so that's where I think some readers may find it simply not for them. One other thing I want to mention is that the conflict and resolution seemed to have happened very quickly. I wish the book was longer because for 70 pages, we only saw a little bit of the great emotional layering Knox is known for.*ARC provided by publisher