Review: Expect the unexpected
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 17, 2014
First, I have to say, I love that one of the characters is an overused cover model, and the author put an overused model on THIS cover. On the flip side, I almost didn't give this book a second glance because of that image, but since I knew the author to be an talented writer, I ignored the pic, enjoyed the irony, and pondered on what came first - the idea or the cover model? We might never know. ;)I went into this thinking it would be Mr. Vance's flavor of erotica (which I adore). But let me be clear, this is very much a romance. Is that bad? Of course not. Besides showing off his writing chops with how versatile he can be, it made for a very interesting journey. And that wasn't the only surprise I got with this book...When I read a book, it hit the book blurb first, then go into it armed and ready, anticipating what's going to happen. Except the blurb only got me halfway through and then I had absolutely no clue what was coming next. It turned out to be a book full of twists and turns, with an interesting approach and a mystery to unravel. Nothing went the way I thought it would, the characters didn't turn out to be the people I thought they were, and the romance didn't even come from the direction I thought it would. The discovery was really something to behold.Case in point is our Hero, Dane: In the beginning, I thought he was flat when it came to matters of the heart. He even admitted as such, stating he was an author who couldn't write emotions. Since he was the one telling the story, when he talked about dating, etc., he came off as indifferent. The words themselves came off as indifferent too, which made me think I just wasn't connecting. Boy, was I ever wrong. The author was so attuned to the character arc, that even Dane's voice shifted and changed throughout the story, from apathetic to passionate by the final page.Now, don't get me wrong, Dane had emotions. Being under the effects of a curse, his writing consumed him to a near maniacal level. You could feel the stress and strain it put on him, as well as the highs and lows. It was a unique blending of his fierce drive to succeed and apathetic heart, until he actually met the one who would make his heart go pitter-patter.I won't get into how he got from Point A to Point B. You'll have to read it for yourself to find out. Just keep in mind to hold on for the ride, and expect the unexpected.