Review: Masquerade
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 13, 2014
Meet Maddox Cross – A tough, rugged, good looking, straight forward man.  A man who lets the past events of his life dictates his future.  Maddox has a dream to become a tattoo artist.  The question is does he have the strength, determination and courage to make that dream a reality?Meet Bee Malone- A tiny girl with big dreams and even bigger demons.  Her past haunts, confuses and rules her every action.  Bee is a straight shooter who will not let anyone break through her tough exterior.  Bee is determined to live her dream and hopes that one day she will be able to understand who she really is.It would be next to impossible not to become invested in this story and the two main characters. Emotions slowly seep from the words on the page and embed themselves into the readers mind.  This is a wonderfully written story about two lost souls who hide behind a masquerade to protect themselves from the pasts that haunt them.Bee is starting her life over on her terms.  The person people see is not the person Bee is.  In fact Bee is not sure who she is.Maddox is living life on his terms.  The person he presents is one he created to avoid facing the facts, the history that is his life. Both Bee and Maddox refuse to open up and let anyone get close. The fear of the past rules the lives they in the present.  Detachment has worked in the past so there is the expectation that it will work in the present and into the future.A chance meeting, a bit of fate and our story begins.  Maddox wants what Bee has.  Bee does not want to share her dream.  Circumstances happen and Bee and Maddox find their lives interweaving.  Anger, frustration, friendship, trust and fighting the desire to open up and let go are a few of the words I would use to describe the amazing relationship we discover while reading this story. As the story progresses we slowly learn bits and pieces of the past and feel the torment of the demons that hold Bee and Maddox hostage.  Friendship leads to more which reverts back to friendship.  This is a cycle that continues as the characters seem to lose their resolve to protect themselves and their secrets.The pain of the past taunts both Bee and Maddox.  The walls that were built to protect themselves seem to start to crumble only to be patched up again to protect not only their minds but their hearts.  Opening up and sharing does not come easy and at times it does not come at all.  Oh but when we are treated to a little sliver of the truth the intense feelings of hurt and love collide and for just a minute we have hope that Bee and Maddox will make it through and both will find peace in their hearts and mind.One of the things I loved about this story was how real the characters felt.  You share each emotion, every glimmer of hope, the confusion of the past, the brutal truth of acceptance and the deep seated feeling of being alone and unaccepted.I loved how the story was wrapped so beautifully behind the devastating events that form Bee and Maddox.  I wanted with such determination for Bee to achieve the one thing she wanted most… to know who she really is.I melted at the fact that try as they might Bee and Maddox fight the desire, fool themselves with half-truths and desperately lose the battle of the mind and give into the temptation of desire.Masquerade is so many stories rolled together.  It is the story of family, friendships, dreams, life, love, the past, the present and the future.  It is a story of learning to let go and to accept.  It is the story of two very broken lost people and what happens when their lives collide.  It is a story of trust and truths, hiding behind facades and the heartbreak of letting go.  Most of all this is a story of hopes, dreams and healing.Written with such eloquence once again Nyrae Dawn entrances her readers and transports them directly into this wonderfully written story.  With her words she controls the readers mind taking them on a roller coaster ride of emotions.