Liz Loves Books
I love to read and to talk about books. I review many of the books I read. I do not accept any author/publisher submissions for reviews. I do not read or review ARCs. I do not enter any giveaways or contests. I obtain the books I review by purchasing them at the same price they are offered to the general public at the time of purchase. My reviews are intended for the use of my fellow readers. They are not advertising or promotion. They are not beta reads or constructive criticism or editing or advice to the author. My only obligation to the author is to pay the price charged for the book at the time of purchase. My reviews are sometimes critical and I will not stop posting critical reviews just to spare delicate authors' feelings. I am happy to make new friends, but friend requests from authors or promoters who have few or no books (and/or friends) in common with me and write or promote categories I do not read (especially new adult) will be ignored. I used to read more self-published books. After recent meltdowns by self-published authors, I now only read self-published authors I've previously read or who have been recommended to me by fellow readers I trust. I also used to read young adult/new adult books but rarely do so now.
The Choice by Lorhainne Eckhart
I feel a little unsure about my feelings regarding this book, so this review may seem a little confused. I’m still trying to work it out in my own mind.
I like this book. I didn’t love it, though. I was left wishing there was less of parts of it and I was left wanting more. I’ll try to explain. This is a paranormal romantic suspense novel. In my opinion, those can be very hard to pull off well since you have to write both a satisfying romance and a satisfying suspense story and then add paranormal elements that fit with both on top. I feel Ms. Eckhart succeeded with a satisfying romance. It’s not my favorite, but it was good and I was happy with the ending and the way the hero and heroine got to their HEA. The suspense story is what left me wanting.
I’ve checked on Goodreads since finishing last night and it appears that the next book in the series continues the suspense plot, with a different couple as the romantic leads. I can think of a couple of similar series I’ve read and really enjoyed, despite (or perhaps because) of the serial nature of the suspense plot. One is Kaylea Cross’s suspense series (which starts with Out of Her League). Another is Shannon McKenna’s McClouds & Friends* series (which starts with Behind Closed Doors). In both cases, each book closes with the part of the suspense plot revolving around that book’s main characters being resolved. The “Big Bad” is still out there, but whatever element of the overall suspense plot was specifically targeting the H & h is dealt with in a way that left me satisfied. I don’t feel like this was the case with The Choice.
(show spoiler)
There were several things I really liked about this book. I liked both the hero and heroine and loved them together. I like several of the secondary characters. I think the romance was well developed and I think the suspense plot was well developed to a point. It just didn’t end in a way that satisfied me. I wish I felt like jumping immediately into the next book to get more and to get possible resolution. Unfortunately, I don’t quite feel that way. Maybe in a few days? And maybe reading the next book will help?
*This was kind of a stretch but I think it still applies. Parts of the series have a storyline that threads through them and parts of it stand alone.
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