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HIDING
KATHERINE MCDERMOTT
ISBN#: (10) 9781509202854 / (13) 9781509202850
August 4, 2015
The Wild Rose Press
www.thewildrosepress.com
E-book/Paperback
$4.99/$13.75
223 Pages
Romantic Suspense, Sweet Romance
Rating: 2 Cups
Teresa Worthington, an artist from Charleston, has had enough. To escape her abusive boyfriend, Alex Sinclair, she moves to France, leaving behind no trace of where she has gone. She is prepared to start a new life, make new friends, and find her own way in the world.
Immediately upon arriving, she meets Serge Gervais, the handsome concierge of Hotel Garibaldi where Teresa ends up staying. Serge is immediately taken with Teresa, and she with him. But she is not comfortable admitting her feelings at first, considering how wrong those feelings turned out to be when they were for Alex.
Slowly, Serge and Teresa become more than friends, and eventually realize they are in love and want to marry. But their happiness is hindered by the presence of Alex. He has discovered where Teresa has gone, and has followed her across the continent. He is determined that either she must come back to him, or he will kill both her and any man that wants to have her.
The premise for this book was interesting, but unfortunately the delivery fell short for me. The writing style was heavy on “telling,” making it hard to read. Also, the dialogue was unnatural and utilitarian—designed to move the plot forward, but providing little opportunity to get to know and like the characters. I found the pace was interrupted by large portions of description about the culture and history of France, and of religious inspiration. To me, these felt out of place with the story as a whole. The issue of spousal abuse, on which this story’s tension relies, is treated far too lightly. Arguably, when one chooses to write about something so serious, he or she should take into consideration the impact of the long-lasting psychological damage on the victim, as well as the convoluted mentality of the abuser. Instead, Alex’s thoughts and actions came across as little better than juvenile throughout most of the book, and neither Teresa nor Serge seemed suitably alarmed by them. In all, I’m sorry to say that much more development is needed for Hiding.
Veronica
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance and More
