Saturday, October 15, 2022

Bookish Thoughts: Dangerous Beauty


 

Description:

What is the price for freedom?

Liliana Vela hates the term victim. She's not a victim, she's a fighter. Stubborn and strong with a quiet elegance, she's determined to take back her life after escaping the clutches of human traffickers in her poor Mexican village. But she can't stay safely over the border in America--unless the man who aided in her rescue is serious about his unconventional proposal to marry her.

Meric Toledan was just stopping at a service station for a bottle of water. Assessing the situation, he steps in to rescue Liliana from traffickers. If he can keep his secrets at bay, his wealth and position afford him many resources to help her. But the mysterious buyer who funded her capture will not sit idly by while his prize is stolen from him.

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About the Author:
Melissa Koslin is a fourth-degree black belt in and certified instructor of Songahm Taekwondo. In her day job as a commercial property manager, she secretly notes personal quirks and funny situations, ready to tweak them into colorful additions for her books. The author of Never Miss, Melissa lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with her husband, Corey. Find more information on her books at www.MelissaKoslin.com


My Thoughts:

I’m honestly not entirely sure how to rate this book.  I loved the suspense!  I raced through the story in around 2 days, which is quick for me.  It started off abruptly and seldom let up.


I loved Liliana’s character and quickly settled in to learn her story.  I found Meric much harder to like/know.  I understand that’s part of his character - he’s severe, controlled, private.  But for most of the book I really struggled to like him, beyond how he cared for Liliana.  Seeing him through her eyes made him slightly more human, but I ended the book very conflicted over their relationship.  I think the fact that the story is primarily told from Liliana's perspective also added to the disparity in how well I felt I knew him.   


Also, looking back, I was super engrossed as I was reading, but the story itself didn't actually have that much action. It was well dispersed, but somehow the author kept the suspense building to the end. Though I do have to admit, the ending seemed rather anticlimactic after everything that had been said and done. It was a bit unsatisfying for me. 

So I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I'd rush to read it again.


I will add, I was very curious about the "marriage of convenience" trope. What is your favorite trope?

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