Preservation
by Rachel Wade
May 25, 2012
Rabbit Hole Press
Contemporary Romance
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Fear is sabotage’s sweetest weapon.
Kate has no time for meaningless romantic charades, and definitely no time for hot college professors who are full of themselves and smitten with her. Constantly battling eviction notices, tuition she can’t afford, and a sick, dependent mother, the last thing she needs is to be distracted with someone else’s complicated baggage.
When she stumbles into Ryan Campbell’s creative writing class, he is only “Mr. Campbell” to her, until Ryan finds himself captivated by her writing and she is forced to face their mutual attraction. His cocky know-it-all syndrome is enough to send her running in the other direction, and his posse of female admirers and playboy reputation are enough to squander any odds in her favor.
But underneath Ryan’s abrasive facade is something to behold, and she can’t stay away for long. Ryan and Kate must decide who they’re willing to become and fight against their former selves if they want to make things work. That’s if academia, vicious vixens, old skeletons, and their own mastery at self-destruction don’t pummel their efforts first.
I was actually looking forward to the personal writing of the female lead and how it would intertwine with her real life situation. I find that most writers are more eloquent in expressing their thoughts and feelings through printed words rather than outwardly say them, so I hoped this would happen within the story, but it didn't. I was okay with that since the author wanted the story to go to another direction, so I read some more.
Basically, this story is about an Insta-Lust (Instant Lust) between two characters who are very different from each other. They always seem be to at odds but they couldn't deny that they're attracted to each other. What happens next is a relationship reminiscent of Rihanna and Eminem's Love The Way You Lie. They have a toxic relationship, and they both know it, but they still hold on.
The conflicts within the story are mostly minor. Or well, normal conflicts in most relationships. Besides the fact that this story involves a teacher-student relationship, the conflicts are mostly trust issues, secrets and jealousy -- like I said, normal conflicts. There was no real tangible conflict that was a serious threat to the relationship between the two main characters. I also have to mention that their relationship didn't seem all that natural to me. Before I knew it, the story had reached its end. I didn't even feel a climax or rising action.
As a voracious reader, I have read my fair share of contemporary romances. This one just didn't make the cut to earn more stars in my rating. I feel that there should have been more. As a book reviewer, I'm duty-bound to express my honest opinion and this is precisely it: this story felt unnatural, it felt forced and the relationship between the characters just didn't draw me in.
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