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Escaping Reality (Book) Review

 
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At a Glance...
 

Page Count: 213
 
Genre: ,
 
Author:
 
Year Published:
 
Final Score
 
 
 
 
 
2.5/ 5


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We liked?


An intriguing story line featuring danger, betrayal, and steamy romance.

Not so much?


The romantic lead is overly domineering, the heroine far too insipid for my taste, and you leave the book feeling like you've just watched a "to be continued" episode on television.


Final Fiendish Findings?

Escaping Reality tries to be a sexy, racy storyl of both love and intrigue – and it succeeds on some counts. The story is intriguing, and it’s definitely racy at times, but even if I were willing to look past a love interest whose motto appears to be, “No doesn’t really mean no, so I’ll just make you do what I want,” it never gets quite to the point where you can’t wait to see what happens next (and that’s perhaps a good thing, because in a lot of cases with this book, you never actually find out).

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Posted August 23, 2013 by

 
Full Fiendish Findings...
 
 

Maybe I’m the wrong person to review this book. I mean, I just don’t get the appeal of a simpering female lead with a domineering, overbearing counterpart – you know the one, he’s meant to come across as sexy, but in my opinion leans a bit more towards rapey. Then again, maybe I’m exactly the right person to review it. I am a devourer of books from my early days, willing to read any and every book that came across my path, from trashy to compelling to esoteric, and loving them all the same (as long as the writing was top notch). And so, I think I have a better than average grasp of what it takes to make a truly excellent read.

Escaping Reality, the first in a series entitled The Secret Life of Amy Benson, starts out cryptically. The aforementioned Amy Benson is at a party, simultaneously getting her groove on and obsessing about her mysterious past, when she receives a cryptic message ordering her to leave town immediately and start a new life. Apparently this is a common occurrence for Miss Amy (love the name, by the way), but readers aren’t privy to the why’s at this point (ooooohhh, intrigue!). So, as you begin the story, you are immediately made to wonder what the heck is going on with this girl, which is great. It is the *secret* life, after all. When Amy reaches the airport, however, is when it all went downhill for me.

Our seemingly intrepid heroine, striking off on her own under frightening circumstances for reasons unknown – but she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect those she cares about, no matter how dangerous a prospect that may be. And then, she meets Liam Stone, a gratuitously rich architect whose mere presence turns our independent and valiant heroine into an immediate cliche, who is willing to be completely subverted and dominated by a complete stranger.

Now, let me take a minute here to make it clear that I am not bashing romance ones, even the trashy ones you’d be embarrassed to read in public. They don’t need to be brilliantly written to fulfill their purpose of providing a quick and easy to consume escape that doesn’t make you think too hard. I just don’t understand the appeal of characters that are so submissive. Why any educated woman would so willingly give up control of their life to someone who’s main qualification is possession of a penis escapes me. And perhaps it is only because I apparently have abnormally kickass men in my life (including husband, father, five brothers, and three sons, to name a few), but I can’t understand the appeal from the male perspective either. If you want something that will just lay there and do what it’s told, buy a blow-up doll.

The story, beyond the budding romance between Amy and Liam, is a fairly interesting one, if not wholly unoriginal. Amy is being chased by someone or something that has connections to her past and her dead family. You don’t know who, you don’t know why, but you know that she is terrified of being found, and so cannot confide in anyone. As she tries to settle into her new identity, it becomes apparent that all isn’t as it should be. Who can she trust? What can she do? And does she really have a choice in any of it anyway? You’ll follow along with her journey to figuring out the start to the rest of her life. Unfortunately, you are left with far more questions than answers, even after finishing the book.

Escaping Reality tries to be a sexy, racy storyl of both love and intrigue – and it succeeds on some counts. The story is intriguing, and it’s definitely racy at times, but even if I were willing to look past a love interest whose motto appears to be, “No doesn’t really mean no, so I’ll just make you do what I want,” it never gets quite to the point where you can’t wait to see what happens next (and that’s perhaps a good thing, because in a lot of cases with this book, you never actually find out).


Amy

 
U.S. Senior Editor & Deputy EIC, @averyzoe on Twitter, mother of 5, gamer, reader, wife to @macanthony, and all-around bad-ass (no, not really)


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