Review: Play of Light by Debra Doxer

Summary:

I lived in paradise, and I loved Spencer Pierce.

At fourteen, my life was perfect. The beach was my playground, and the boy who stole my heart lived just around the corner. But perfect never lasts. In one horrifying moment, I lost it all. My family was destroyed, and the boy I believed in turned his back on me. Paradise became a nightmare.

That was five years ago. Everything changed when we moved from our home by the sea. I’ve changed, and I don’t like who I’ve become. I miss the smiling, carefree beach girl who disappeared that terrible night. I want to find her again. I want to face the people we ran from so long ago. Most of all, I have to face Spencer. So I can prove that when he broke my heart, he didn’t break me.

But when I see him again, Spencer Pierce is no longer the boy from my memories. He’s now a man who could devastate me if I let him. He watches me when he thinks I’m not looking. There’s regret written on his face when he’s near. Each time I see him, my heart aches for what might have been, and I think his does too. How can I convince myself I’m over him when I suspect he never got over me?

Publication Date: December 2014

Play of Light has been sitting on my Kindle for a while now and for some reason, I just couldn’t find the time to read it. I’m really regretting the wait now because the love story between Sarah and Spencer was so touching. The novel was so much more than just a cookie cutter New Adult romance.

The characters were just so easy to connect with. I felt like I was right with Sarah and Spencer as they had shared moments of happiness and heartbreak. I loved their relationship as young teens and how protective Spencer was of Sarah from the very beginning. And then five years later when they come back together, I was completely swooning over Spencer. His chemistry with Sarah was off the charts. I do wish that the intense feelings hadn’t been so instantaneous and took a little more time to develop after the two of them not being in contact for five years.

From the very beginning, I was completely engrossed in their love story. The pace never dragged and I enjoyed Doxer’s writing style. She expertly captured all of the different emotions that each character was going through. During the intense scenes, I felt choked up and in the heartwarming scenes, I felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

The conclusion was the perfect ending to Sarah and Spencer’s epic love story and I can’t wait to read more from the author.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

Review: Keep You From Harm by Debra Doxer

Goodreads Summary:

Secrets…

They weigh you down. I’ve kept a secret all my life. It’s my mother’s secret, too. I inherited it from her along with a unique ability that only we possess. She’s gone now, another victim of addiction. If her death isn’t enough to bring me to my knees, her betrayal flays me to the bone. Because the secret my mother and I have been keeping is just one of many she’d kept. She never told me I have an older brother. And now he’s here, eager to be my guardian.

There is no one else. So I move across the country to live with this stranger, my brother. But experience has taught me that most situations are temporary and forming attachments only leads to hurt in the end. That’s why I’m determined to keep to myself in this new place, struggling to seem aloof while I’m quietly breaking apart.

Then I meet Lucas…

His magnetism is hard to resist, and most girls at school aren’t resisting. I don’t fall so easily though, especially not for guys who use their good looks as a weapon. From the start, our interactions are tense and volatile. I know it’s because I’m denying the unwelcome desire that grips me when he’s near. I think he feels it, too. He looks at me with an intensity that threatens to unhinge my resolve. Soon he’s trying to break through the walls that past hurts have built. But I’m not what I appear to be, and it wouldn’t be fair to get involved with him. At least that’s what I tell myself. Until a terrible act of violence reveals that Lucas has a secret, too. It’s a secret that links us together and ties us to an evil history I could never have imagined.

Publication Date: September 25, 2013

Keep You From Harm had a very good beginning and end, but hit a bit of a lull in the middle. Overall, I liked the story and with the cliffhanger ending, readers will be eager for more.

Keep You From Harm blends several different elements and I felt like the mesh of genres kept the story interesting. It’s part mystery, part paranormal romance and part YA contemporary romance. The book hooks you from the beginning with the murder of Raielle’s mother.

I didn’t fully connect with Raielle at first, but she grew on me as I sympathized with her uncertainty living with a brother she never knew she had. I did roll my eyes several times when every guy within a couple of seconds of meeting her falls for her. However, I liked her individualism and her toughness.

Lucas was a good romantic lead: he’s handsome, intriguing and has secrets of his own. I liked his relationship with Raielle and he says some very sweet things to her that will have readers swooning. The secondary characters were fully developed too and I liked the new friendships Raielle made as a result of switching schools.

The pacing was a mixed bag and I think the main reason was the beginning was so good. I skimmed portions of the middle as Raielle deals with high school and boy drama. I was happy to see the book get back on track by the final third of the novel. I’d be curious to see what will happen next for Raielle in the sequels.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the author for a copy of this novel for review!