Review: Good, could have been great
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 4, 2012
I'm writing this to specifically discuss the ending (not the specifics of the ending... ;) since so many seem to have been overwhelmingly disappointed - prospective readers might want to know more from the other side of things. I thought the substance of the ending was appropriate but a little too quick. This did not ruin the story for me, it simply means that it could have been better. I believe that some of the strong emotions around the ending have more to do with frustration for the serialized delivery of the 8 booklets than the actual content.For comparison (I always want to know what reviewers like, to give some idea of whether we have common likes/dislikes), I like Nora Roberts, Tami Hoag, Fifty Shades, Sylvia Day, Victoria Dahl and Linda Howard.Now, as to the way the book was distributed: I found the entire series engaging but will not be starting another Beth Kery novel if it is delivered in this manner. When full books, equally well written, can be purchased for $1.99, $2.99 or $3.99, it's difficult to defend why the publisher wants us to pay $1.99 for every installment of two chapters (granted, they are longish chapters, but still). I paid for each booklet because I liked the Ian and Francesca characters but will question any book in this price range, in case it's another serialized approach. Is this (questioning book purchases) what Ms. Kery, her publisher and Amazon wanted to inspire in loyal readers? Probably not, but everyone is allowed to experiment. I just hope they don't assume the continued purchase rate (I'm sure someone is studying how many readers dropped off between installments) is a given in future books.