Review: 4.5 Stars: Great Characters with Emotional Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 20, 2012
Original reviewed for The Book Vixen by J9It is rare that I love heroines as much as heroes but I adored Grace Thorne in this book. She fought her entire life just to be herself and she wasn't apologetic about being simultaneous strong and soft. Her smart mouth made me giggle often and I could see why Dagger would fall for Thorne. Thorne is a stellar heroine which the complexities of a real woman.I also loved the romance between Dagger and Thorne. Dagger is described as a lonely man who scares everyone around him so it was lovely to watch him fall for the tough-exteriored Thorne. The romance is a delicate dance between Dagger and Thorne and I loved watching it unfold. I also really liked how the author didn't force unrealistic sexual intimacy too early in the book and when the sex did happen it seemed a natural progression of their romance and was delicately described. Nothing in this romance is heavy-handed or forced and that was utterly compelling.The plot includes Thorne's psychic ability to see futures and her forced recruitment to work for the U.S. Government. This provides great tension and kept a strong pace. I was reading this book on my Nook on a plane trip home from North Carolina and every time I heard "please turn off all electrical devices" I was tempted to brave it and keep reading! Don't holler, I promise I turned it off, but I couldn't wait to reach "cruising altitude" to delve in again!Two minor things bothered me and kept this from being a five-star book for me. First, was Dagger's penchant for violence when he couldn't control his emotions. I'm leery of men who hit things in anger and Dagger did this a few times in the story. He punches the inside of a car and breaks a chair. I don't like this in real life and I don't like it in books.  Even though Thorne was never even in the area when Dagger did this, I just didn't like it. Second, Thorne needs friends but the ones she develops were almost exclusively male. From her co-workers at Dagger's security firm to the homeless man she befriends, and her gay dance teacher, they're all men. I just wish Thorne had developed a friendship with a woman to help her balance and grow.Don't let those two minor things prevent you from reading this unique and compelling story. I'm going to be on the lookout for future books by this talented author.