Review: Devil in the Details
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2013
I almost enjoyed this book, but the timing was so ridiculous that I couldn't take Dace and Ella's relationship seriously. I liked their dynamic, their banter, and I particularly enjoyed his possessive intensity. BUT...it all happens way, way, way too fast.Ella loses both of her beloved parents in a car accident a week or two before Thanksgiving. She returns to school, meets Dace, and 3-4 days into their relationship they're very, very good friends. Ella believes she SEES and UNDERSTANDS him as others do not. And even though he's the Dangerous, Angry, Man-Ho with Tats, he's instantly and inexplicably all about her. They immediately begin spending all their time together, but only as friends. Good friends. Dear friends, etc.Two weeks into their relationship--Ella declares that Dace is her Best Friend and tells him she loves him as such. Wow, that was fast. And oh yeah, they watch a scary movie and being sleeping in the same bed--as best friends. Except he sleeps on top of her, lying between her legs. The new friend zone, apparently. (Ella gets a bit riled up in this position, but apparently no, ahem, 'rise' out of Dace in this situation.)BEGIN SPOILER----------------------->Soon after, very soon after, they make out a time or two. Virgin Ella slows things down a bit, so Dace storms off and gets it on with another chick. He's only sorta cheating, because after all, they're just friends. Good friends. Best Friends. Ella is understandably crushed but realizes she's been sending him SO many mixed messages for SO long that he just cracked and thought it would never/could never happen with her. Except, what's it been, like FOUR FREAKING WEEKS? And he couldn't wait a little longer to see if he could escape thr friend zone before doing the bar fly doggie style in his office???????????!------------------------> END SPOILERBy the time Christmas Day rolls around, Ella and Dace are happily together. In fact, Ella thinks that she's never been happier, which is great for her....except wait a minute, her parents DIED last month!!!!!!!!!!!!! So either she's the most emotionally shallow chick ever or the author really should have re-considered her timeline.So in about 4-6 weeks, Ella loses her beloved parents, finds a new best friend, loses that bestie, finds true love, and begins living happily ever after. I can suspend my disbelief, but her perfect happiness so soon after such a traumatic loss is just too much. The devil is in the details. Although I could've liked the characters, lack of attention to timing ruined what might have been a good read.