Official Review: First Life by stella Bonanno
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lmoses
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Official Review: First Life by stella Bonanno
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "First Life" by stella Bonanno.]
3 out of 4 stars
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First Life, a romance and thriller novel written by Stella Bonnano, is the first of three books in the Life Unveiled series. The novel is told in first person POV of Katarina “Kat” Levy, until Chapter 20, when the novel alternates between the POV of Kat and Michael “Mike” Cage. Set in the forest of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Kat meets brothers, Mike and Chris, after she wakes up deep in the forest with no memory of how she got there but quickly forms a relationship with the boys.
Kat is 19 years old and is the daughter of Russian Crime boss, Victor Lazarev. All she has ever wanted is to live a normal life and leave her abusive father’s reign behind. Upon waking in the middle of the forest, she stumbles across Mike and his younger brother’s, Chris, home, who also have family they are trying to move on from. The novel explores why Kat dreamed about leaving her life, the dark past of the Cage brothers, and the relationship Kat forms with them. Unfortunately, happily ever after is disrupted for Kat and the brothers when their pasts collide with their future.
I rated First Life 3 out of 4 stars. The reason I did not give 4 stars was because the novel felt like it was trying too hard to mix romance and thriller. Many chapters felt out of place to the point that it seemed like two different books. What does save the book for me is the last seven chapters, where the romance and suspense are interwoven perfectly to provide intensity that the first 18 chapters are missing. The novel also has very few grammatical/writing errors and the characters are well written, which is why I did not give it 2 stars.
I would recommend First Life for fans of romance and thrillers, but would caution readers to expect a slow progression for the first half of the book. The relationship between Kat and Mike feels true, especially since both come from similar backgrounds with poor parenting and have hopes for a better life. Their relationship blooms quickly, even with the multiple obstacles and Kat trying to fight her feelings.
First Life has a fresh theme for a romance novel and, while there is some difficulty including the thriller aspect, towards the end the novel is very enjoyable. Fans of romance novels who enjoy having more action to their books then romance, will find First Life a gem of a read.
Mike to Kat: “I’ve been yours this entire time, only it took longer for you to finally realize it.”
******
First Life
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3 out of 4 stars
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First Life, a romance and thriller novel written by Stella Bonnano, is the first of three books in the Life Unveiled series. The novel is told in first person POV of Katarina “Kat” Levy, until Chapter 20, when the novel alternates between the POV of Kat and Michael “Mike” Cage. Set in the forest of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Kat meets brothers, Mike and Chris, after she wakes up deep in the forest with no memory of how she got there but quickly forms a relationship with the boys.
Kat is 19 years old and is the daughter of Russian Crime boss, Victor Lazarev. All she has ever wanted is to live a normal life and leave her abusive father’s reign behind. Upon waking in the middle of the forest, she stumbles across Mike and his younger brother’s, Chris, home, who also have family they are trying to move on from. The novel explores why Kat dreamed about leaving her life, the dark past of the Cage brothers, and the relationship Kat forms with them. Unfortunately, happily ever after is disrupted for Kat and the brothers when their pasts collide with their future.
I rated First Life 3 out of 4 stars. The reason I did not give 4 stars was because the novel felt like it was trying too hard to mix romance and thriller. Many chapters felt out of place to the point that it seemed like two different books. What does save the book for me is the last seven chapters, where the romance and suspense are interwoven perfectly to provide intensity that the first 18 chapters are missing. The novel also has very few grammatical/writing errors and the characters are well written, which is why I did not give it 2 stars.
I would recommend First Life for fans of romance and thrillers, but would caution readers to expect a slow progression for the first half of the book. The relationship between Kat and Mike feels true, especially since both come from similar backgrounds with poor parenting and have hopes for a better life. Their relationship blooms quickly, even with the multiple obstacles and Kat trying to fight her feelings.
First Life has a fresh theme for a romance novel and, while there is some difficulty including the thriller aspect, towards the end the novel is very enjoyable. Fans of romance novels who enjoy having more action to their books then romance, will find First Life a gem of a read.
Mike to Kat: “I’ve been yours this entire time, only it took longer for you to finally realize it.”
******
First Life
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like lmoses's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "Incandescent" by Shannon Avangeline
