Review: Prequel to Binding Arbitration - 3.5 stars
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 24, 2013
Prequel to Binding Arbitration, which I have not yet read.  The story introduces us to Libby and Aiden from vastly different backgrounds who meet at Illinois University with very different goals in mind.  He wants to become a major league baseball player and is intrigued by Libby who he believes is a cutter; a derogatory term for someone living in town and doesn't go to the school.  He wants her and she refuses to become his one of many, making him try even harder.  They eventually become good friends.  Libby, on the other hand has not had his advantages growing up and has good reasons for holding him off even though it was love at first sight.Their friendship takes place over a year and while we can easily see that Aiden has fallen in love with her, other than some feelings of lust on her part, we get no sense of emotion from her until the end.  It's partly due to her past and knowing she won't fit into his plans for the future.  And while I guess it makes sense and probably works when combined with Binding Arbitration, it hurts the feel of this tale as it's hard to imagine just why Aiden has fallen for her.  I felt no empathy for her for much of the story.There are a couple of phrases that pulled me up short although you can get the gist of most of them.  But what the heck are we supposed to imagine when reading that a character's voice sounds like a mouse swallowing a hurricane?  I'm completely lost on that one.The writing is good and the story moves you along at a good clip.  You'll find some humor and it's easy to like Aiden.  And due to the ending of this one, I think I'll be reading Binding Arbitration.  I want to see how this works out.