I hardly ever get mail from readers, but this came through via my web site and put a smile on my face. It’s an entertaining piece to say the least, and I smiled broadly after I first read it. The reader had a number of issues with my story execution, yet offered up 4 1/2 out of 5 (stars?). In critique sessions, writers are always encouraged to begin with what they liked about the book and save the criticism(s) for later. Not so here. I got it with both barrels right off the bat! I post here with the sender’s permission and let’s just say he’s named Dave and resides somewhere in Florida. Enjoy!
Dear Barbara, just put down your book White Roses in Winter. Read it in two days. WOW!!!! Now before I begin to pile on the compliments I must snivel about a couple things that aggravate me here.
1. For a young man who hadn’t talked to his father since before he was fourteen, Jason shows an abnormal amount of restraint for the horrific amount of abuse that he’s being subjected to. I think if I was in Jason’s shoes I would have at least kept a baseball bat at the door to prevent any further surprise intrusions.
2. For a young man who was actually brilliant enough and wise enough to negotiate a deal with Kenneth and secure his family’s safety right there on the fly AFTER getting knocked on his ass by an unknown intruder, and having presence of mind enough to keep his cool and not become belligerent with a more physically and financially powerful man; it made absolutely no sense to me that he would let his naïve pregnant wife run out of the apartment with flip flops and a robe into 20 degree weather without running after her….after they had a spat. But then again, that’s just me, not Jason.
3. Now about this moving the pregnant girl to a secret clinic business…….. I had to force myself to believe in this Jason character because as stated earlier he was very wise and steeled in his dealings with Kenneth earlier. So it is believable for Jason to not locate a handgun at some point.
However I could not believe that he could just magically NEVER think about feeding the father in law to the gators. It was as if he was like Ghandi or something.
4. Ok Ok Ok since Jason obviously has tremendous character for his age, and since being the oldest sibling of four, and helping raise them, I could actually wrap my head around the idea that Jason was for real. What REALLY bothered me was that when the truth was aaaaaaall out there about Kenneths diabolical interference, is that BOTH these young adults were soo tolerant as to what was done to them. It REALLY would have reinforced Jasons character if Kerrie went totally off the rails screaming murderous threats and telling her parents to “fuck off and die, you will never see this baby” at the top of her lungs after the baby was safely out. Then Jason would have been ten times more believable trying to be the mature one in the picture. For BOTH these young adults to be so mature and reserved amidst such heinous and evil acts done to them is simply not believable……………………for me.
Now the compliments:
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!! The first page felt really standard there just for a second and then BOOM! Kerrie was in love, Jason was in love and Oh Hell, I was in love too!!!!! I love it when Providence intervenes!!!! I found this opening scene to be truly inspiring and I was all bubbly ready to read the next pages…..
After Kenneth and Jason became aquainted, I put my 9mm where I could get to it easily, just in case someone named Kenneth barged into my house at 1am. I would make sure to keep the intruder at gunpoint until I finished the book. To say that this book is entertaining is putting it mildly.
The romance scenes were totally fulfilling for me. I loved the fact that you took about a third of the book to allow Jason and Kerrie to get to know one another with so many obstacles. It made for one helluva romance! I also loved the fact that you had that one sizzling hot scene where they finally got to express the way they felt. Not too graphic, but plenty to let you feel the sizzling electric attraction of young love and undeniable unseen trust. I always was disappointed when I read a romance novel that either sounded naïve during the sex scenes, or went waaay too graphic and felt like a damn porno. Yours was right on the money and made me remember what being in love was like!!!!!! What a blissful read!!
Oh and I love the zinger of an ending that’s in there. I felt like I got the added bonus of a chapter out of a thriller novel at the end!! What an evil little bitch!!
I cant help wondering if Eric ever visited Tiffany at the hospital…or….um…..prison………
Helluva good read!
Four and a half outta five!
And my initial response to Dave:
until my book Phantom comes out in a couple of months. I’ll hardly be able to wait to hear what you’d have to say about that should you read it.