Books are like Air ...

07/22/2013 --Overall Rating = 3 StarsBook Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 3 / 2 / 3 = 2.5 StarsWriter’s Voice = 3 StarsCharacter Development = 4 StarsStory Appreciation = 3 StarsWorth the Chili = 2 Stars [$3.99 on Amazon]Two words to describe my feelings about this book: 1 -- Tedious 2 -- ContradictionI liked this book. This was the debut for this author, so keep this in mind. It was rec'd by a friend I trust and I thank her for it.A few things I really liked about this book:1 -- The whole concept of the story. I like the kidnapped girl for legitimate reasons and being moved across country, The Special Forces angle was well told. Very realistic. It was believable for me that Chase took this job thinking it was the right thing to do for the right reasons and that he would also get some relief from his boredom. Believable.2 -- The characters were really well put together. Chase is Special Forces. His back-story and snapshots into his military history were well drawn. I loved Larissa's character. She had great courage. I didn't think her history was told as well. If I think about it, I am left wondering where did her strength of character come from. I get a feel for recent events, but not historically. Where did this woman get her courage -- because she had it in spades.3 -- This may be a "spoiler" area, so be aware ... The investigation after the events unfold in L.A. The police investigation, the FBI involvement. Just WOW. The author really did a great job of the back and forth between the investigators, Larissa and Chase.A few things that didn't work for me:1 -- My first word - tedious. People who know me will be surprised when I say this, but the book could have been 75 - 100 pages shorter. I thought we go way too much detail in places in the story that really didn't add anything. It wasn't that the author didn't do a good job with the detail, only that it wasn't needed because we already had it earlier and had this picture already. I found myself skimming in places. Just too darned long without adding value to the story.This one took me for forevvvvver to read. I put it down and would pick it back up. I'm a one session girl, normally. I really gave it all the benefits of a "friend rec".2 -- The blurb is really good, except for the first line:Suspense and erotic romance abound in this gripping novel of a woman fighting for her very life.This story did have suspense, but it wasn't erotic, or at least didn't fit my definition of erotic. I wouldn't have given the blurb 5 Stars if the word erotic had not been used. I think whoever wrote the blurb needs to understand what this means to a romance reader. Either that or they are luring the reader with a misleading statement.3 -- My second word to describe - contradiction. There were places where this story was really well woven and rather complicated for the "normal" romance. Loved it. Then, we'd have moments of stupid. Where a line just didn't fit with the characters. Some of the thoughts running through Chase's head were just too mushy for this tough guy. He could have relayed his feelings about Larissa without the mush. He told her what he thought, when she hurt his feelings, how he felt when she did, yada. Just not in character and really pretty simple given some of the complexity of other streams in this read.4 -- The price point for a debut book. If this book hadn't have been a rec by a friend with a "read it now", I wouldn't have spent $4 for it. This is entirely too much for this one. A debut book by an unknown? What is a dollar or two? Not much, but it is the market. What is it worth in the market. Know?Okay, hopefully I haven't put you off this book. Hopefully, if the author reads this review she will know I liked her book, but there is some opportunity for improvement. This is a good book. One thing to think about ... editing is more than fixing typo's and paragraph structure. Editing is reviewing a book and being able to know what should be cut because it isn't necessary to the story and what may need to be added for further enhancement. This is the point I'm making.I hope you give this one a chance and enjoy it as much or more than I did. It is worth a shot.Happy Reading!