Review: Well-written and Strong Characters
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 18, 2014
What the book is aboutEric, a single and hard working male, is trying diligently to place himself and the school where he teaches on the radio broadcasting map.  At the same time he works part-time at a gym where he meets up with an intriguing and attractive woman named Tina.Eric’s attraction to married women is attributed to his unwillingness to commit to a relationship (as his mother eloquently points out); that is, until Tina appears.  While Tina is a married woman, it is learned that her marriage is in trouble…in comes Eric.It turns out that Tina lives mere blocks away from Eric, and she makes it a point to have regular visits and phone calls, while working around her husband’s schedule.  Getting caught is a risk they take to be together, and while they strive to be cautious, her husband, fairly early on in the story, discovers that there is heat between Eric and Tina, his wife.What I enjoyed about the storyI’ve read many books where back story tends to ruin the novel as a whole.  The Sunshine Diaries is an exception.  Being inside Eric’s mind is a comical, thought-provoking, warm place to be, and I rather enjoyed being there.The physical control this man has is unbeatable.  Eric is so incredibly attracted to Tina, yet just thinking about her, and being in the same room as her, is enough to keep his motor running for months and months.  It is admirable and rare.  It is quite endearing how he holds on to every memory of being with her; her words, her scent, the subtle physical features only he notices about her.His sense of protection over her, and placing her needs ahead of his own, is something I’ve never experienced; in life or in a novel.  Eric is also a man of impeccable leadership, courage, and has the best sense of judgement whether it’s an issue in his professional or his personal life.The author created an extremely stimulating and strong character and paced the novel extremely well.What I found less enjoyable about the storyThe only reason this book did not receive five stars was because of the ending.  I thought that the author could have given the reader a little more in the end in terms of Tina and Eric’s relationship coming to fruition.  I’m a fan of happy endings, and the ending to this was very disappointing to me.StyleThe diary-style I found to me most interesting.  This isn’t the first novel for me in that manner, and I think it’s going to be quite a trend.  I look forward to it.EditingI found no blatant spelling or grammatical errors.  It was well-edited.Would I read it again or recommend it?I would both read it again and recommend it.  It was well-written and enjoyable.  However, I would stress to potential readers not to get too excited about the ending.Here are some excerpts I enjoyed from Sunshine: Diary of an Affair (Book#1):Yes, Gary, I do.  The radio program was enrolment challenged before enrolment challenged was cool.All I have to do is be me and let him be him and he’ll end up doing my work for me.He will get his moment of glory to speak about something for which he had absolutely nothing to do.  I’m crossing my fingers that the word ‘whoa’ is not in his speech.“Glad you could join us for supper. Nice to be able to put a face to the name,” he says to me.  His tone conveys that not only is he leaving, but I am too.Still feeling sick about the whole naked home improvement story.  How could she do that?Because they’re married, you jackass.  Grow up.“Welcome to the club.  I can’t wait till next Christmas when we can make proper use of the mistletoe. Well, that and nude Twister.”