Review: Entertaining Coming of Age
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 17, 2014
I take a lot of free books when offered, in the hope that I will find new authors that I like.  It took me a while to get around to reading this book, because the cover made me think that it would be one of those boring books with lots of sex and no story. I finally decided to try it, thinking I would end up deleting it before I had finished the first chapter.  Instead, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed reading it.There were some problems with grammar, that would upset a purist.  I didn't find them to be too  distracting and they did not affect my enjoyment of the story. Overall, I liked the story. It flowed well and held my interest.After the first part of the book, I began to dislike the heroine. I probably would have liked her and found her to be a very romantic  and tragic figure if I had read this when I was younger; Sort of in a "Wuthering Heights"  vein, but with a happy ending. My older, more jaded self, wanted to shake some sense into her.  Some of her actions were forgivable because they could be attributed to youth. Everyone makes mistakes when they are young.  As she grew older, though, her actions seemed to stem from immaturity and narcissism. I still enjoyed the book, but I didn't like the heroine.The hero was a more likeable character. He seemed weak at times, because he allowed the heroine to manipulate him. Still, he always tried to do the right thing and regretted it when he felt he failed to do so. He had a conscience and forgave easily. He was simply a "nice man".I have problems categorizing this book, but I think "contemporary fiction" best describes it. There is some romance, some mystery, some tragedy, and some coming of age in it. It is not literature in the "depth and meaning" style. What it is, is a book that tells a story in an entertaining manner.  It was an enjoyable book with which to while away an afternoon.One reviewer complained about profanity. It was probably there, but it must have fit well within the story line and dialogue because I didn't notice it. Obviously, if profanity and pre-marital sex offends someone, this is not the book for them.  If someone doesn't mind a bit of profanity and a few mild sex scenes in a contemporary novel, then this book would probably suit.This was a good book, but it could have been better.  An editor who could check for grammar mistakes and who could point out where to tweak things to improve the book, would have been of benefit.  However, as it stands, I still recommend it to those who like this genre and just want an entertaining story.