Teacher Beware by Charlotte Raine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pasts define the present in this gritty, suspense driven tale
FOUR STARS * * * *
This is my official book review of “Teacher Beware (A Grace Ellery Romantic Suspense Book 1)” by Charlotte Raine http://www.amazon.com/Teacher-Beware-…
I found this story to be very engaging. First off, I liked the format of the story. I’m not normally a really big fan of flashback story-lines – I hate the feeling of being derailed. However, Charlotte Raine (author) did a fantastic job of keeping you aware, by way of the short chapter titles, who had the lead at the time and the time-frame (present or past) – much like is done in a movie when time and places shift and text is run at the bottom of the screen. The switching between the characters and their points of view was handled skillfully and for me, added to the flow of the story. (Made me lock in and focus as the context changed).
I liked the back-story and the explanations for the characteristics of the main characters. The effort did add depth to them and allowed me as a reader to better understand why they were the way they were. It allowed for a connection to the main characters. I didn’t get as deep a connection as I was hoping for, but that is my personality issue, not the story telling. It “sort of clicked” for me rather than “fully clicked.” That would be my only “ding” to the book – I personally could not quite get that full connection to the characters; their present story or their back-story.
This was a “Goldilocks” length story; it was a suspenseful read with a little romance thrown in.
I read some of the reviews at Amazon.com and I would like to chime in on the aspects of “a cliffhanger ending” and “that’s no way to write a book” from my own personal opinion (and not part of a direct response to any of them). The story had a beginning, a middle, and an end. To me that is a complete story. The epilogue offered “an additional scene” – nothing less than one might see at the end of a movie part way through the credits (the infamous “added scene”). I feel it was done tactfully and appropriately – in the epilogue where it belongs. I don’t think it spoiled anything from the book and just adds to the idea “there will be more to the story – stay tuned.” Some will argue that it the epilogue should be “a section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened” and formally that is what it is for but writing styles have changed over time (read Shakespeare lately?) and today, this is the place to leave that “to be continued” (if so desired).
I recommend “Teacher Beware (A Grace Ellery Romantic Suspense Book 1)” by Charlotte Raine – * * * * Four Stars (out of five)
http://www.amazon.com/review/R20I4813116NXR
The GUNDERSTONE review 