Friday, May 25, 2012

Review of "No Turning Back"


The first time you meet your boss, tripping and landing face down in his lap probably isn’t the best way to make a first impression. Memorable, yes. Good for keeping your job, no. Kathleen Turner manages to dodge Blane long enough to not get fired, but events like a murdered neighbor and someone breaking into her apartment quickly escalate, leading him back into her life, for better or worse.

I think one of the best parts of No Turning Back was the characters. Names are such an important part of how we think of ourselves and how others think of us. I thought the family history of naming their children after famous Turners was a nice touch that instantly gave a little depth the Kathleen’s character. Tiffany Snow did a great job of this throughout the entire book. Every character, even the ones that seemed unimportant at the time had an interesting story to tell. Their pasts made them who they were, but events changed them. I don’t think there was a one dimensional character in the entire book. So even though the book was fast paced and filled with adventure, it was still a very character driven story as well.

And like any good story (in my opinion) there was a romantic element. Blane and Kade were fabulous characters. The way they interacted with Kathleen was as compelling as the mystery. Both were so different, and more than a little hard to figure out, but I enjoyed reading about them and was interested throughout to see were each would end up. Tifffany did create a bit of a love triangle, but it wasn’t the typical kind of triangle. I found the complexity of their relationships very intriguing. There was none of the gushy teenagery “Oh but they’re both so wonderful, how will I ever choose between them?” nonsense. The relationships were meaningful, even in the middle of a murder mystery and a lot of guns, and they definitely pulled you in.

The mystery side of the book was also very good. It wasn’t the type of vague, superfluous action movie story line where there were more explosions than actual plot. Tiffany presented multiple likely possibilities for what and who had been behind the murders, and she kept you guessing until the very end. There were hints that were subtle enough that you weren’t always sure if you should believe them, and I didn’t feel like anything had been overlooked or intentionally misleading by the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I am excited to read Tiffany’s next book “Turn to Me,” and I plan on inviting Tiffany back later this summer for a review of book two. I will give a warning that there were several sex scenes that did get fairly detailed. Aside from that, the book had a lot of good humor, exciting action scenes that didn’t drag on forever with endless description, a wonderful romantic element, and a solid mystery that stitched it all together.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. I had a good time reading it and I am looking forward to the rest of the books in the series.

Who would I recommend this book too? Really anyone who enjoys romance, action and adventure, mystery, and books with great characters. I think men and women alike would enjoy this book. The action and romance are very well balanced. This is definitely for adults, though. It’s not one I would let my nieces read.
No Turning Back is available now from Amazon, and you can get a head start for later this summer by getting a copy of Turn to Me from Amazon as well. 

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