Official Review: The Prince of Highland Park

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 06 Aug 2015, 11:36

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Prince of Highland Park" by Marilyn Faith.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The Prince of Highland Park is a romantic thriller by Marilyn Faith. Set in Chicago during summer break, this book is the first of a series.

Evelyn Summers works at a country club, lives in a trailer and has been saving up money for college. Ryan Knight is a young, smoking hot member of the club with rich parents and a string of lovers. For three years, Evelyn and Ryan have been watching each other from afar. When Ryan invites Evelyn to a party at his house, he finally makes a move on her. However, Evelyn questions the possibility of having a genuine relationship with him. To add to the drama, they both have dark pasts that hinder their budding romance. Evelyn comes from a highly dysfunctional family. As a result, she is understandably cautious and ambitious. Similarly, Ryan attempts to distance himself from his parents’ shadow. He also has to deal with the obsessive girls who watch his every move.

The chapters alternate from Evelyn’s perspective to Ryan’s. Therefore, the use of the first person was a wise choice. Evelyn and Ryan often interpret the same situation differently. This occurs most notably after their first sexual encounter. Furthermore, the characters have distinctive voices, and there is plenty of humor. One of the best lines appears when Ryan thinks about his uncontrollable phallus: “The sex-depraved bastard stands at attention.” The dialogue is sprinkled with profanity that reflects believable speech, and the erotic scenes are not over the top. The best part of the book was the ending. Learning how Evelyn and Ryan’s pasts are linked was both surprising and satisfying.

The characters are quite remarkable. Ryan is a promiscuous young man who falls for the beautiful and strong-willed Evelyn. Having feelings for her does not automatically turn him into a one-woman man, which is very realistic. The contrast between the relationships Evelyn had with her father, the abusive alcoholic, and her brother, the overbearing protector, explains her conflicted nature. The flashbacks provide useful insight and compelling backstories. Most of the minor characters are well developed, especially their closest friends.

At times, the wording is awkward: “These people pretend their lives are happy, simulating to be living the way they’ve always dreamed their lives would be.” In other places, there are missing words: “And let anyone tell you otherwise.” The absence of the word “don’t” completely alters the meaning of the sentence. Additionally, the placement and italicization of the flashbacks is often abrupt. While set in the present, the tense is not always consistent. These and other slight errors prove to be the worst aspect of the novel.

Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The author should consider having her book professionally edited due to the high volume of grammatical errors. Because the plot and characters are so captivating, I would gladly read the upcoming sequel. If you don’t like melodrama, then this book isn’t for you. However, if you like passionate tension and wild plot twists, then you'll probably enjoy this enthralling tale.

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The Prince of Highland Park
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Post by **bookowlie** » 07 Aug 2015, 17:23

Great review! The book sounds interesting, although the awkward wording might be distracting. You make a good point in suggesting that the author use a good editor.

Kappy · Post by **Kappy** » 07 Aug 2015, 21:33

This is clearly not a book for me, but your review is excellent!

gali · Post by **gali** » 08 Aug 2015, 08:24

Lovely review, though the book isn't for me.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 08 Aug 2015, 19:33

This book sounds intriguing. I enjoyed your review!

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 10 Aug 2015, 10:29

Yeah, this definitely isn't a book for everyone. It's written in the style of fanfiction for the most part, but I love reading fanfiction so this was right up my alley.

Levi · Post by **Levi** » 10 Aug 2015, 10:45

Great job, @Tanaya
Though I am not into genre discrimination, romantical books would be the kind I would steer the furthest away from. However, the story does sound interesting, and you're review brought to life the strong points of the book that even interested me. Lovers from different sides of the track, and chapters alternating viewpoints between the two. I love that kind of psychological examination. And the fact that you loved the story regardless of errors should tell the author they have a strong story, but to make it stronger by taking your editing advice!

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 10 Aug 2015, 10:49

@Escapeartist

Thanks for the response! It's a shame when grammatical and other stylistic errors distract the reader from the story. I'm trying to figure out how to weigh those errors in coming up with the rating. It can be pretty tricky. Even though the writing wasn't the best, I was still captivated by the author's imagination and I value that above all else.

Levi · Post by **Levi** » 10 Aug 2015, 10:55

I agree, I have actually tired lately of so many errors, but the books I have picked were so strong that I could not rate them less. Some had more errors than others, but regardless they are still distracting. I hope the authors take that into account in further editions, but that is up to them.

LivreAmour217 · Post by **LivreAmour217** » 10 Aug 2015, 13:52

Very nice review! I don't think that I would enjoy this book, though.

bluemel4 · Post by **bluemel4** » 10 Aug 2015, 14:19

Great review! This is not my kind of book.

H0LD0Nthere · Post by **H0LD0Nthere** » 12 Aug 2015, 21:13

I am laughing at how many people said, "Great review, not my kind of book." That is EXACTLY what I was going to write, but you all have spared me the trouble.

It does sound funny, however. The humor, twists and turns, and strong plot are a great sign coming from a first-time author.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 12 Aug 2015, 21:19

I must be the odd one out, then. I thought it sounds intriguing!!

PashaRu · Post by **PashaRu** » 12 Aug 2015, 21:38

I will echo the previous comments: not my preferred genre, but good review!

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 13 Aug 2015, 14:47

@zeldas_lullaby

I'm glad someone thinks so! I really tried to sell it, haha. But I definitely understand that it's not everyone's thing. I'll read pretty much anything.