10 August 2011

REVIEW: Cold Case Reunion by Kimberly Van Meter (Series RS)

cold case reunion
Kimberly Van Meter
ISBN #: 978-0-373-27739-1
Publisher Name:  Harlequin Enterprises/Romantic Suspense
Date Released:  July 2011
Genre:  Series Romance – Romantic Suspense
Book Format: Print.

 BACK COVER BLURB:
 A passion that's anything but cold…
 Fifteen years ago, Mya Jonson thought her life had ended. Pregnant and alone, she found strength in her people and the beauty of the Pacific Coast reservation. Now her lover has returned, chasing a killer, and she doesn't dare trust him.
 
For Angelo Tucker, every memory is proof of his failings. Not strong enough to lead the tribe, not smart enough to catch his brother's killer… Coming back was the last thing he wanted. Especially when he sees Mya—and feels a passion he'd long since set aside. But when a fellow FBI agent is murdered and Mya's life is in danger, Angelo knows he must track the killer whatever the cost.or risk losing Mya forever…

 COVER SNARK

 I actually like the cover although I wish the models looked more like Native American's.

FIRST LINES:
Angelo Tucker remembered stories told at his grandfather's knees of how their tribe used to walk on their hands and fished the mighty Hoh River with their feet until Creator came along to show them a better way.

LYNETTE'S TWO CENTS:

I love series romantic suspense novels. Love, love, love. Probably because I like that the series romantic suspense tend to focus on the character development more than the plot and romance to me no matter the subgenre is all about the characters.

I so wanted to love COLD CASE REUNION, after all it is a series romantic suspense featuring non-white characters (Native Americans), but I could not. Despite eagerly opening COLD CASE REUNION with great anticipation, I could not get into it and ended up not finishing the novel after trying for almost a week.

I am going to try to articulate why I didn't like COLD CASE REUNION. The major reason is that I didn't connect with the characters. I didn't understand the conflict. The main conflict between Angelo and Mya was that after Angelo's little brother was murdered he skipped town and her (he was eighteen at the time) when he was supposed to be the heredity chief, even though everyone and their mother knew that was something he never wanted and something that was foisted to him because of his birth order. His younger brother was the one that really should have been the Chief.

I didn't understand why that much pressure was put on a teenager (being head of the tribe) to where now everyone hates him for a decision he made as an eighteen year old. A decision that everyone knew that he didn't want. I didn't get the resentment. He was eighteen people. Do you remember yourself at eighteen? Everyone, everyone wants to get the hell out of dodge when they're eighteen and skip town the first chance they get to exert a little bit of freedom. Or was that just me and practically everyone that I've ever known?

I didn't understand that he was being defined for leaving his high school sweetheart to go to college and it was all that she could think about like nothing happened in her life since he left. I mean, seriously. REALLY. I love a good childhood sweetheart reunion story as much as anyone (really, I do) but I just cannot understand a childhood sweetheart story where there is no growth, no understanding that they were kids, that they are now not the same person that they were. While I know that there are some people that marry their childhood sweethearts are very happy, but the majority of teenage romances DO NOT WORK OUT BECAUSE YOU ARE YOUNG AND IMMATURE AND DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT WITH YOURSELF NO MATTER ANOTHER PERSON. So I don't get that Angelo was being defined by this single relationship and that everyone hated him because his family died under horrific circumstances and he just wanted to get the heck out of Dodge. Normal behavior for a teenager.

I understand that there may have been some cultural factors, but that was not balanced enough with the reality of being a teenager at the time.

That brings me to the lack of respect shown. Mya had no respect for Angelo. If the heroine has no respect for the hero how am I supposed to buy into their romance and believe that they should have a happily ever after?

I just didn't like Mya. She was living in the past too much and never asserted herself. She let herself be pushed by her brother and her best friend and their resentment for Angelo added to her own. Despite being a doctor (and why hadn't she had some character growth from going away to college and medical school) she was not a strong individual.

I also had a hard time with the writing. I felt like I was being told a story instead of shown it. I think that the author was so focused on trying to portray the reservation and the research effectively that it was at the expense of the story and the characters.

I really wish that I could've finished the story, but the above mentioned factors made it too hard.

WHERE PURCHASED:

Received copy from publisher for review.

RATING:
 


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3 people posted their 2 cents:

zbft said...

That's why I love blogger/reviewer like you. It helps me sift through this mass of romance novels.
You saved me time and money more than once. Of course I bought a book or two as well just because you said they're good :-)
Thanks.

Lynette said...

You are making me blush!!! Thank you!

Jade said...

You're right the cover is nice but the characters sound drab. I kind of feel bad for Angelo that so much was expected of him at such a young age. As for Maya, I really hate woman characters like her. Those pathethic living in the past, still clinging to a man women make me sick. I think that's a big part of the reson I couldn't stand Bella. You were good to try and finish, but sometimes you just have to throw in the towel. Nice, honest review.

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