Author: R.L. Mathewson
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 2011 (2010)
Pages: 340
Format: eBook - EPUB
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Free on Kobo
When the mother that abandoned them years ago suddenly shows up and moves them to New Hampshire, Madison has no choice but to go or lose her family. Shoving her dreams aside yet again, she tries to make a life for her siblings only to discover that nothing is going the way that it should. It's really cold. Her fifteen year old sister acts like a hooker in training. Men act funny around her. Her boss is a real jerk. She feels like an outsider. Her best friend turns out to be a mouthy sixteen year old kid and the incredibly handsome guy renting the room adjoining hers not only hogs the bathroom, taking three showers a day and leaving her with cold water, but he also has a secret. A secret that she becomes a bit obsessed with and can't let go no matter how many times she's warned off.
Detective Ephraim Williams learned long ago not to show any emotion or allow himself to get attached to humans. What was the point? They came and went and he remained. This time wouldn't be any different or so he thought. When his landlady told him that her grandchildren were moving in he didn't expect much, well other than to be left alone. What he didn't expect was to have to fight bloodlust every time he so much as caught the scent of his delectable neighbor's blood or her bombarding him with questions every time she cornered him. If that's not bad enough, a Master from his past has found him once again and is demanding his blood and is willing to do anything to get it, even using the beautiful, irritating, neighbor that makes him feel more than pain for the first time in centuries to get it. (Goodreads Synopsis)
Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to like Tall, Dark & Lonely. It had a promising premise, but there were simply too many issues. To begin with, the book badly needed a solid edit, both for structure and for the nitty gritty of the language. There were commas in the wrong places, missing commas where they were needed, incorrect word use, and repetition throughout the text. Then there were the characters and plot. Madison and Ephraim both suffered from major character shifts during the story. They were one type of person one minute, then something different the next, and their dialogue, especially to each other, didn't always ring true, so I never bought their romance. The plot, too, began with one focus, then suddenly shifted to an entirely different story. One saving grace, that earned this book an extra half star, was the character of Chris. He was amusing and believable, and whenever he appeared my feelings towards the story improved slightly. I wish I could have liked this more than I did, but the manuscript was simple too rough and problematic. 2.5 stars from me, because Chris was great, and I did like the idea behind the story, even if it didn't work out in practice.
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