Giveaway Precious Embrace (Embrace #2) - Review Dangerous Embrace (Embrace #1) by Dana Mason

Description:

A second divorce and a new baby wasn’t the vision Alison Hayes had for her future. Now a single mother with two young boys, she wants to focus on her kids and what’s left of her stagnate career.

When Detective Johnny Rhay Bennett breezes into her life with his country-boy accent, she wants to run. She doesn’t need another man in her life, or another reason to make people talk. But when her worst nightmare becomes a reality, Johnny is the only person who can pull Ali out of her despair, forcing her to stay strong and not give up hope of finding her missing child.
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Who falls in love after a one-night stand? Johnny Rhay doesn’t believe it’s possible until it happens to him. With Nashville in his rear-view mirror, he’s determined to convince Alison she loves him too, even if it means moving to the West Coast.

Ali’s not easy, and she’s living on just this side of bitter after her divorce, but Johnny doesn’t care. He’s up for the challenge. At least, he believes he’s up for it until baby Micah is stolen right out from under his nose. Now Johnny has to keep it together and get that sweet little boy home safe before his dreams of having a family vanish too.

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OK, so I found myself (again) in the situation in which I had to read/review Book #2. Because I wanted to read book #1 first and the „hell is paved with good intentions” I didn’t had time anymore to read the second book so I wrote the review for Dangerous Embrace.

Precious Embrace’s review will come soon, but if the quality of Dangerous Embrace is a sign, go ahead and start read them both.

REVIEW

Dangerous Embrace is according with the definition of the genre: we have the relationship, the suspense and the thriller’s creeps, and they are well combined by the author.

Suspense and thriller - their generic features are present throughout the novel. They are well used, although I would have liked if the author would overcome the "optimal dose" of her audience target (which she sets very well). The author uses these elements in an excellent way, managing to create the necessary atmosphere and to motivate the heroine’s sometimes "hasty" actions and to render her terrors. I noted that the author has made researches for this book and so she succeeds to gently introduce "advices" and explanations.

The suspense and thriller are developing on two distinct plans that still influence each other through their moral effects. I liked that some details lead you to think to a possible stronger link between the two plans, and your curiosity will be maintained until the end.

Romance – the love story is born and develops in an unusual setting. Not only its existence, but also the lovers’ life is threatened more than once and until the end you will not know if they will succeed. If not the assaults then it could be the law repercussions.

I liked the fact that our heroine Sarah doesn’t give up and that Mark remains “human”.

The insecurity and fear of what could happen are always present in Sarah’s life. She has to face not only the assaulters, but also her own fears induced by them. She has reasons to behave as she does and she cannot be blamed for choosing the path that she already known and it seems the safest for her. These choices will endanger the expectation of a normal and happy life, yet she will not give up fight till to the her last breath. What may seem irrational is well motivated. Mark, although is very good in his line of work, it’s impossible to be in every moment with Sarah and he can be sometimes taken by surprise. Anyway, I think he is that type of guy that many readers will dream about and not just for how he looks, but also for how he acts in every situation. The vanity and self interest seem to be totally unknown for him. He is the difference between "protect" and "control" someone. The important thing is to not reach Sarah too late, when there is nothing to be saved.

Another book’s plus is that the author points out very well other relationships (parent-child, brother, sister, friend, etc.). Using them to motivated states and actions, she will warn us in a delicate way about the importance of what we do and how we affect the lives of those around us.

Sandra Bullock had a line in the movie Speed (1 or 2 I cannot remember) saying that love born in a moment of crisis cannot survive. It remains to be seen whether Dangerous Embrace will agree with that.

 I received the book for review as part of Book Tour - Thank you!

 Romanian:

Dangerous Embrace respectă definiția genului: avem relația, avem suspansul şi fiorii thriller-ului, iar acestea sunt bine îmbinate de către autoare.

Suspans şi thriller – elementele caracteristice sunt prezente pe parcursul întregului roman. Ele sunt bine folosite, deşi aş fi vrut ca autoarea să depăşească „doza optimă” a publicului țintă (pe care o stabileşte foarte bine). Autoarea foloseşte aceste elemente într-un mod fericit, reuşind să creeze atmosfera necesară şi să motiveze acțiunile uneori „pripite” ale eroinei precum şi să redea spaimele acesteia. Remarc faptul că autoarea s-a documentat pentru această carte şi astfel reuşeşte să introducă delicat „sfaturi” şi explicații.

Suspansul şi thriller-ul se dezvoltă pe două planuri distincte care totuşi, prin efectele produse, se influențează reciproc. Mi-a plăcut că unele amănunte te duc cu mintea la o posibilă legătură mai puternică între cele două planuri, iar curiozitatea cititorului va fi menținută până la sfârşit.

Romance – povestea de dragoste se naşte şi se dezvoltă într-un cadru neobişnuit. Nu doar existența ei, ci şi viața iubiților este amenințată nu o dată şi până în final nu vei şti dacă vor reuşi. Dacă nu sunt atacurile atunci pot fi repercursiunile justiției.

Mi-a plăcut şi faptul că eroina noastră Sarah nu se lasă învinsă şi că Mark rămâne uman.

Nesiguranța şi frica pentru ce se poate întâmpla sunt mereu prezente în viața lui Sarah. Ea are de înfruntat nu doar criminalii, dar şi propriile frici induse de aceştia. Ea are motive să se comporte aşa cum o face şi nu poate fi învinuită că alege calea pe care o cunoaşte deja şi care i se pare cea mai sigură. Aceste alegeri vor pune în pericol speranța unei vieți normale şi fericite, totuşi ea nu va renunța să lupte până în ultima clipă. Ceea ce poate părea irațional este bine motivat. Mark, deşi este un tip priceput în ceea ce face, este imposibil să fie în fiecare moment alături de Sarah şi uneori poate fi luat prin surprindere. Oricum cred că este un tip la care multe cititoare vor visa şi asta nu doar pentru cum arată, ci şi pentru modul în care se comportă în orice situație. Vanitatea şi interesul față de propria persoană par să îi fie total străine. El este deosebirea dintre „a proteja” şi „a controla” pe cineva. Important este să nu ajungă la Sarah prea târziu, când nimic nu mai poate fi salvat.

Un alt plus al cărții este că faptul că autoarea punctează foarte bine şi alte relații (părinte-copil, frate- soră, prietenie etc). Folosindu-le pentru motivarea unor stări şi acțiuni, ea va avertiza într-un mod natural importanța a ceea ce facem şi cum influențează asta viețile celor din jurul nostru.

Sandra Bullock avea o replică în Speed (1 sau 2 nu mai ştiu) în care spunea că dragostea născută într-o situație de tensiune nu poate supraviețui. Rămâne de văzut dacă Dangerous Embrace va fi de acord cu asta.

About the author:

Dana Mason started writing to prove to her computer geek husband and her math & science geek kids that she actually has a brain; it’s just a right functioning brain instead of a left. She’s lived all over the country and uses that experience in her writing and character studies. Her debut novel, Dangerous Embrace, is the first in a contemporary romance series about a group of friends from Northern California who learn just how short life can be when you don’t hold on to what’s important. Second chances don’t come easy…but sometimes love is worth the risk.

When not writing, Dana specializes in professional development and training. She’s also a board member on the local Art's Council and does what she can to support the art community.

As an avid reader and movie watcher, she always requires a happily ever after ending.

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