Review: Hero and heroine fall short in likeability - drags on a bit, but still finished to see the HEA
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 6, 2014
Stella is a 20 year old girl that recently left college due to severe panic attacks.She lives in a huge mansion, alone. There is a housekeeper, absentee father and a self-centered mother. Stella is housebound and is unable to leave the house without experiencing horrible panic attacks.Stella's mother, Liza, hires an artist, Daniel, to teach her daughter in hopes that it will help.Daniel is 24 - a bit of a struggling artist - and is paid by Liza to sleep with her. Payment either comes directly or via the commissions that he is paid when she purchases his artwork.Sounds like an interesting story.For some people, a very timid heroine with a hunky hero is enough to meet romance requirements.Stella was a bit too timid for me. I understand that she is working on combating horrible parents in addition to her emotional struggles - but it was a bit too much for me to have to read her struggles and insecurities throughout this book.Daniel is sexy and doesn't apologize for being paid for sex. that was alright.But later in the book, he does something to hurt Stella (who is working super hard to get better) and that caused him to fall down in his likeability scale (and he wasn't that high to begin with).There are a few steamy sex scenes - but it's not the focus of this book. It's more about how stella grows while she is working to conquer her panic attacks - which helps her 'find herself' in the midst of an over controlling and materialistic mother.Daniel is also finding himself - he hides behind his glib and 'devil may care' attitude.Their quips are sometimes funny and enjoyable to read. Wish there were more of those interactions.There is more angst in terms of Stella's worrying about having another attack - then having one.Daniel agonizes over his need to help Stella, and also about whether he is good enough for her.Lots of stress, worry, and agonizing.I would love more depth in terms of finding out more about these characters. Maybe delve into Stella's life growing up as a child. It would not give an 'excuse' for her panic attacks - but it would lend itself to understanding how alone she really is - and how important it is to break away from her parents.For Daniel - I didn't even really see any problems with him. The book made it out like he was hiding behind a mask. But I kinda liked his personality.Needed to go more indepth to find more issues with him. To flush that out more.I liked the other characters in the book. Caleb and his girlfriend seem wonderful. His girlfriend, Romy seemed to have a lot of history and would love to have known what that was. There was only a slight hint of her overcoming some major issues. Never flushed out.I stayed with the book until the end. Was glad that there was a HEA with no cliffhanger. Would have liked another chapter to have more closure on Stella's growth and understand what happens with Daniel's art.  It seemed like it was trying to leave it a bit open for another book? Probably about Daniel's brother (who is fighting at war abroad).