yocowabunga

Reviewed for The Romanceaholic Expected Publish Date: March 21, 2011. Cold case detective Charlie Vargas is searching for a killer—but what she really needs to know is what happened to her lover, who vanished several months ago. When the phone rings and she hears Seth’s voice, she’s skeptical. He tells her his name is Mason Alridge, and the only thing he remembers after his accident is the number he called…hers. Mason looks nothing like her former lover, but there’s something about his mannerisms, if not his face, that draws Charlie in. As they begin to piece together what few clues and skimpy details they have, Charlie and the man she believes is Seth slowly discover a mutual passion. With the Feds following at a distance and someone trying to kill them, will they live long enough to find out his true identity? I do love me a good amnesia story, and this one is no exception. There’s just something about a character not knowing who they are and who they can trust that’s incredibly appealing to me. Add to that facial reconstruction surgery which leaves him without even a face that could look familiar to not only himself but to those who might have known him before he was injured, and you’ve got me hooked. What worked for me: * As I said, I love amnesia as a plot device. On a similar note, I also enjoyed the fact that the man in the relationship is the one with amnesia. So often this plot device seems to be most often applied to women, so it was refreshing to see a man afflicted in this story. * I really liked that both “Seth” and Charlie were hesitant to start up a relationship with his memory loss still in place. Both felt it would be taking advantage of the other, and I had to approve. * I adored both Charlie’s dad, Sam, and her police partner, Julio. * Three words: “Nag, nag, nag.” * The Big Reveal injected just the right amount of angst to the story, without descending into melodrama. What didn’t work for me: * There was a strange little scuffle about halfway through between Charlie and “Seth” that didn’t really do it for me. * Charlie felt a little too forgiving after a certain situation that would’ve had me sulking for a lot longer. Just another item of note that I think is important to know ahead of time. When the blurb mentions that her lover disappeared, for some reason I was thinking that they’d had a longstanding relationship, when in reality, they’d only known each other a few weeks. This changes the dynamic of their previous relationship enough for me that I felt it important to mention. Overall, I say that if you’re in the mood for an amnesia story without a lot of the melodrama of a Harlequin Presents, I’d highly recommend this book. 4/5 Stars.

2022-10-21 05:34