Review: Sweet and Suspenseful
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 11, 2014
Despite my awareness of this author's books in the thriller genre, I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this novella, since I don't usually read romance (although I do enjoy some romantic suspense books--which is a genre this book falls into).Ms. Comley's writing skills are evident from the first page, through the opening scene of Nicole and her sister, Christine (aka "Chrissy"). It is established quickly enough that Nicole is a struggling but hardworking hairdresser who had "no man" to thank for the things she has in life. This immediately makes me interested in the female protagonist, unlike the commercial romance stories where the lead female character often has very little real personality and excessively defines her self-worth through men or her relationships (I think everybody has a unique personality that's defined by their own experiences--which includes but is not exclusively made up of romantic/sexual relationships...at least that's what I hope!).While I connected with Nicole very easily, I would have liked a bit more background information on her ex, Josh (like how he came to have his "distinct air of money" about him). I hope this will be explored more in the upcoming novellas in this series.What made the story exciting for me was Nicole's internal conflict between her desire and her logic, and her decisions or thought process regarding the maturity she shows with being a mother to a young daughter. The dangerous situation Nicole finds herself in is a very believable one too, which grounds the story in realism without being too gloom-and-doom or heavy. That Nicole and Josh weren't annoying or sappy with their expressions of love and affection held the story together at a natural pace too. Sweet!