Good Choice Reading: I really enjoyed this book. This story deals with a topic that many young adults face. . . And when the right choice is right in front of you, you don’t take notice. This book demonstrates that sometimes you need to do what is right for you and not what you think is expected of you.
Long and Short Reviews: There is much more to Dahlia than meets the eye.
Dahlia is more than a
little awkward. She’s clumsy, unpopular, and hopelessly out of touch with the
current trends. She doesn’t really fit in anywhere, but even worse is the fact
that she feels like an outsider in her own family. Her life seems very lonely,
but I admire the fact that, for the most part, she does her own thing and lives
by her own set of principles.
Dahlia and her family definitely aren’t
human, but I won’t spoil the story by revealing what sort of paranormal
creatures they are. Ms. Bennett has an interesting take on this particular
branch of the supernatural tree, but when I finished reading, I was left wanting
to know more about the history of these creatures as Ms. Bennett envisions them.
Ms. Bennett included just enough detail to keep the plot and characters clear,
but I felt that the history of these beings could have been fleshed out a bit
more.
Dahlia is in a difficult situation. On one hand, she longs to be
accepted by her family and her kind. On the other hand, she actually hates her
kind and their way of life. When Dahlia decides to pursue Jace, it is clear that
she cannot stand him. She only wants to be with Jace to fit with her family and,
in turn, the supernatural community she belongs to. However, as I said, she
dislikes her kind, so I found it hard to believe she’d be willing to bind
herself for life to someone she can barely tolerate in order to fit in with a
group of beings she abhors. This doesn’t seem like much of a life.
The
one bright spot in Dahlia’s life is Cam, a coworker at the hospital where she
works. Dahlia’s feelings for Cam catch her completely off guard, but their
romance is definitely sweet. I love the way Dahlia comes out of her shell when
she’s with Cam. Something just clicks when they are together. They are both very
comfortable around each other and I enjoyed all the flirty banter between them.
It was truly a pleasure watching their romance bloom. However, Dahlia’s
determination to fit in with her kind just might cost her the love of a
lifetime.
The secondary characters aren’t as developed as I would have
liked, but they serve their purpose in moving the plot along. I thought Dahlia’s
father acted a bit oddly toward the end of the story. When Dahlia talks about
her family, she paints a picture of a family that doesn’t seem to care about her
or each other. However, her father seems to show a different side toward the
end. Why did he wait to show this side of himself if he truly cared about his
daughter? I couldn’t help but wonder if it was going to be a case of too little,
too late.
Reluctance is a fun, fast paced romance that can be
read in one sitting. Dahlia is a sweet, quirky heroine and her romance with Cam
is compelling. I must say again how much I enjoyed watching them fall in love.
If you want to know Dahlias secret and how Cam will handle it, there’s only one
way to find out. Pick up a copy of Reluctance today.
