Review: Complex Plot and Engaging Dialogue
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 4, 2013
Sometimes you read a book and you have an immediate reaction good or bad and then sometimes you read a book and you have to let it marinate for awhile and that was how Playing The Part was for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book but it took me a few days to think about it and fully appreciate everything about this book. I love the premise of this book, I enjoyed the journey the two characters took to reach their HEA, and I like the author's writing style. I however, had a very hard time with the main characters although they did grow on me as the book went on and I always have issues with relationships that are built on lies.Action movie star Anthea Cane returns to her hometown to do some research for a movie role she wants but isn't being taken seriously for. She hoped her childhood best friend would be there to support her but she soon finds that the friend isn't very welcoming for someone who's neglected her for the last decade. Then she finds out the man she needs to help with her research is the boy she secretly had a crush on and picked on during her elementary years. The boy all grown up now but he's also blind so she develops a plan to get his help without him knowing who she is. What she doesn't know is he's discovered her true identity and he plans to have a little fun on his own.I have to say Anthea does not make the best first, second, or third impression. She comes across very much like a spoiled movie star and I found it very hard to like her. I do like that throughout the story, she began to see the error of her ways and even set out to change and made sure to make amends to those she hadn't treated very nicely. It still bugs me that she placed blame solely on Cole's shoulders when she was just as guilty as he was for not telling the truth.Cole Daniels is a very complex character and at first I wasn't sure about him. I can admit though as we found out more about his life, I began to understand why he behaves the way he does and how his past has shaped the person he is. I liked Cole and because of his inexperience with women I can make allowances for him. He was experiencing so many new and different feelings in a short amount of time it had to be overwhelming for him.I found it interesting how the tables were turned over and over on these two as their relationship progress from antagonistic to friendship to love. I enjoyed watching the way they both changed over time and the way they each learned to trust the other. Trust wasn't something that came easily to either of them given the hard knocks they both suffered as children. I found Cole's story to be extremely interesting as I had a friend who experienced something very similar as a young child. So, it was easy for me to imagine how that horrific tragedy affected him. I felt their first kiss and their first time together to be quite poignant and written very well.Playing The Part is a very enjoyable and unique book with a complex plot and engaging dialog. I appreciate that even though I didn't immediately like the characters the author spent a lot of time developing them and they grew on me throughout the book. This is the first book I've read by Darcy Daniel and although this isn't a book I was immediately wowed by, it grew on me and I will definitely read her again!Review copy provided for an honest review.