Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, but it does not influence my opinion of the book nor the contents of this review in any way.
* spoilers included *
I was first intrigued by Crossing the Line by the blurb. I love dark romances and haven’t been reading them of late, so this one really caught me. He’s a killer (and a bit of a stalker), obsessed with a girl across the street. Sounds promising, right?
Unfortunately not.
There was just… nothing to like. The main character was more like a feather, subject to flitting around by whatever outside forces were pushing her one direction or the other. She seemed to have no personality of her own and just did whatever the other characters told her to do. She had almost no personality and honestly felt like a doll that just flops around.
Hunter, the other main character, had a little bit more going for him, at least. He was supposed to be this badass assassin/spy, but the heroine literally recognizes him because she saw his tattoo. Like what kind of assassin kills someone and lets his tattoo show. Like uhhh. Wore a ski mask and gloves but forgot to wear sleeves to cover the forearm tattoo. uh-huh. That’s the highlight of a true good assassin. It not like she spent a whole three chapters building him up as this #1 Assassin Badass who was Untouchable.
“I don’t want your time here to be terrible. I’m trying to make you as comfortable as I can until you go home.”
In a bit of a backstory… Addy sees a crime (killing) she shouldn’t have seen and is put in the Witness Protection Program. But really she saw Hunter, the guy who’s been trying to figure out a way to approach her and introduce himself since she moved in, kill someone. So he tracks her down in the witness protection program and asks her out there. After two dates (where she honestly doesn’t seem to like him that much), she sees his tattoo and recognizes him as the killer she’s attempting to hide from. So he kidnaps her and takes her to his cottage in the woods. A real Beauty-and-the-Beast scenario here.
It read like really bad fanfiction, and I really didn’t enjoy this one. Not only was the main guy a big flop, but the main girl was a complete idiot. She spends two days in the witness protection program, and then in a fit of loneliness, tells a guy who she’d just met online that she WAS in the program. Then she talks to him on the phone. Uhhhhh… that’s all mighty suspicious. The toe, despite having zero chemistry and her having a not-so-much interest in him while they were “dating” before he kidnapped her, fell in love fast once in the cabin. It was like somebody floored the accelerator, and they were at the “Love you’s” and her wishing she could be kidnapped forever. Ahhh… okay.
The whole Stockholm syndrome plot device / Beauty and the Beast retelling thing has been done time and time again, and done well! Unfortunately, this one was not for me and I will not be continuing the series.
Thank you Enticing Journey Promotions for the title, and for the work you do ?
Other reads you may enjoy…
Have you read any Dark Romances you enjoyed lately? What are some of your favorite hate-to-lovers romances? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you!
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