Thursday 6 March 2014

Truth of Dare by Laura E. James

Truth or Dare?
‘Put the knife down!’ The shout came from the rear of the restaurant.
Kate Blair cursed. Determined to finish what she’d started, she turned towards the voice and waved the knife in the air.
‘No,’ she said. ‘Not this time.’
She braced herself as the woman hurtled towards her.
Published by Choc Lit in October 2013
Pages - 284
Love’s a dangerous game …
Kate Blair’s sick of unrequited love. She’s quietly waited for Mickey for the past six years and finding a compass-carved heart, with their initials scratched through the middle, only strengthens her resolve: no more Mickey and no more playing it safe.
It’s time to take a chance on real love and Declan O’Brien’s the perfect risk. He’s handsome, kind and crazy about her so it’s not long before all thoughts of Mickey come few and far between.
But old habits die-hard. Kate may have started to forget … but has Mickey?
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Firstly before reviewing this book, I must state that I do know Laura. Not that it will affect my review, but I think it is always nice to be honest about these things.
As with all of their debut authors, Choc Lit published this as an e-book, which I do think is a fabulous idea. The story was a lot darker than I expected, especially considering the comical first scene and it covers a lot of deeply emotional subjects that stay with you long after you finish the book.
The first chapter threw me into the action and I really enjoyed how the story alternated between Kate and her best friend, Rosie. They had a beautiful friendship that had survived from their childhood and it was lovely to see how close they are.
The book is split into two parts with the first part set in the late 80’s followed by the second part set in the present day. The plot gives a clear indication of how events from the past finally surface in the future, showing vividly how the truth will always prevail.
If I am honest, I struggled to like the characters. Not that they were badly written in anyway, but they all showed their true sides, bearing their selfish needs regularly through out the book. Even Kate, whom we feel such sympathy for, does something that would be considered inexcusable to many. The author has definitely managed to capture the darkness in human nature that normally we like to keep hidden. I can’t even talk about Michael, he actually made me shudder. I don’t think I have met such a disturbed character.  If I try to compare the author to another, I can’t help but think of Sophie Hannah, who has a similar style of writing about life’s rather dark characters.
A gripping tale that really makes you think. An excellent debut and definitely an author I am keen to read more from.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing ToD, Viv. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. I do enjoy writing a vile villain :-) x

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  2. Many thanks, Viv. So pleased you enjoyed the book :-)

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