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At first I saw Dan as this strong, independent guy who teetered on the verge of being more like a father figure to Cynthia than a lover, now he's this sappy, lonely, desperate guy who can't get a girl. His character is flawed in so many ways to me. I immediately couldn't stand him when he yelled at Cynthia for missing their date, it wasn't that he yelled at her, it was the tone I could imagine. He acted like her father, not a concerned lover. Anyone else have an opinion on the guy?

Jlprince26 wrote: ↑06 Jun 2019, 17:06 At first I saw Dan as this strong, independent guy who teetered on the verge of being more like a father figure to Cynthia than a lover, now he's this sappy, lonely, desperate guy who can't get a girl. His character is flawed in so many ways to me. I immediately couldn't stand him when he yelled at Cynthia for missing their date, it wasn't that he yelled at her, it was the tone I could imagine. He acted like her father, not a concerned lover. Anyone else have an opinion on the guy?

His character was like an afterthought. If you have been able to finish the book, it seems that the author needed to tie loose ends up toward the end and used this character to do it. He was concerned for Cynthia when she was sick, but then he turned out to be a class A jerk. I didn't think his character was used enough in the book to be part of the title. He didn't seem the second most important character to me.

I agree that he acted more like a father in some parts than a lover. I felt the same way about Sky at times. It seems like Cynthia always needs someone to take care of her. I almost felt bad for Dan because it seemed like he really cared about Cynthia, but he lost my sympathy toward the end. I agree with DC Brown that he seemed like an afterthought.

I did not care for this character. Like the others (Cynthia and Sky) he appeared incomplete. His development was lacking. It kind of felt like the author needed a 'throw away' character to kind of force one of the subplots and this was how it was achieved. I thought most of the interaction sequences in the book between Cynthia and Dan were ridiculous. Between Cynthia trying to justify her cheating and betrayal of Dan and his insane stalkerish habits, the characters seemed unreal and silly. At this point, I'm not really sure I understand why Dan's name is in the title.

He was a convenient character that authors use to steer a plot line or leading character or to make other characters in the story a certain way. I guess we should feel that after he yelled at Cynthia for missing her date justified in her cheating with Sky. And I hated it. I feel we are told and not shown that Dan and Cynthia are in a stagnant relationship.

DC Brown wrote: ↑06 Jun 2019, 22:30

Jlprince26 wrote: ↑06 Jun 2019, 17:06 At first I saw Dan as this strong, independent guy who teetered on the verge of being more like a father figure to Cynthia than a lover, now he's this sappy, lonely, desperate guy who can't get a girl. His character is flawed in so many ways to me. I immediately couldn't stand him when he yelled at Cynthia for missing their date, it wasn't that he yelled at her, it was the tone I could imagine. He acted like her father, not a concerned lover. Anyone else have an opinion on the guy?

His character was like an afterthought. If you have been able to finish the book, it seems that the author needed to tie loose ends up toward the end and used this character to do it. He was concerned for Cynthia when she was sick, but then he turned out to be a class A jerk. I didn't think his character was used enough in the book to be part of the title. He didn't seem the second most important character to me.

Agreed! Did you notice how at the end of the book, the author addressed that she knew Dan was a loose end?

I was not a fan of his character at all. First, while he should naturally be upset he got stood up, how he displayed his anger went too far. When the author mentioned that someone hid from Cynthia after they placed a tracker on her car, I felt it was a bit obvious that it was Dan. Afterwards, Dan became her stalker pretending to actually care for her. His actions leading up to the miscarriage seriously put him in a bad spot of the one inducing the miscarriage by slipping her the medicine in the syrup if the syrup wasn't the medicine already. I felt that could have been explored more. Lastly, his attempts to have Sky arrested were pretty bogus. Overall, I'm not a fan of Dan.

Jlprince26 wrote: ↑06 Jun 2019, 17:06 At first I saw Dan as this strong, independent guy who teetered on the verge of being more like a father figure to Cynthia than a lover, now he's this sappy, lonely, desperate guy who can't get a girl. His character is flawed in so many ways to me. I immediately couldn't stand him when he yelled at Cynthia for missing their date, it wasn't that he yelled at her, it was the tone I could imagine. He acted like her father, not a concerned lover. Anyone else have an opinion on the guy?

I agree. I didn't like the way he yelled at Cynthia. I didn't particularly like him, I thought his character was underdeveloped.

I expected to like Dan's character, but in the end, I felt he was trying too hard. He wouldn't take no for an answer, and Cynthia was obviously not worth a second chance. By the end of the book, he just seemed like a man with a weak character and a little bit of a bully of sorts.

This might be slightly off tangent but the first thing that felt weird for me about Dan’s character in general was the language he used in his messages to Cynthia. As a sergeant, I expect him to be generally serious and grounded (even boringly so) and write messages that sound like that. Not something like “Anser, Pleez!” or “OMG What hapend?” that sound like someone still in high school (seriously, smartphones have auto correct nowadays, so is he getting those words wrong on purpose?)
For me, this kind of language is okay with Cynthia’s character, but not ostensibly upstanding Sergeant Dan.
This is definitely not a major issue but just one of the little things that did not make Dan’s character feel believable to me.

Dan was like a ghost. I thought with his name being on the cover, he was going to be a big time character. Not so much. It was like he was just a minor, shadow character that Cynthia was trying to avoid. Basically, Cynthia immaturely cheats on Dan and does the whole cover up thing, Dan wasn’t the problem because he really was portrayed as a nobody. Cynthia, she is the one that has major issues and is not likable for me.

Well, his behavior, later on, is reasonable for me. I mean, who wouldn't have a guarded attitude towards his relationship with Cynthia when that sly fox is actually cheating on him? Dan's character became a shadow because of Cynthia making him like that.

cpru68 wrote: ↑13 Jun 2019, 08:00 Basically, Cynthia immaturely cheats on Dan and does the whole cover up thing, Dan wasn’t the problem because he really was portrayed as a nobody. Cynthia, she is the one that has major issues and is not likable for me.

I agree with this. I can't actually believe why Cynthia was hogging all the spotlight when she's not written well and flawed in all senses than Dan. I didn't like her from the start and seems like I was right.

I didn't like almost any of the characters of this book, especially Sky and Cynthia. Dan was a man whose girlfriend kept lying to; he yelled at Cynthia because after she stood him up without calling, she gave him a lousy excuse. He seems like a caring boyfriend, at times too lazy, according to Cynthia; then he suddenly became the villain who risks his job and reputation for getting his girlfriend back. Even though he was more realistic than other characters, he didn't convince me completely.