Edge of Darkness
by Jove Belle
List Price:
Our Price: $7.50
You Save: $8.45 (53%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.70 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Jove BelleEdition: Paperback
Published: 2008-05-13
ISBN: 1602820155
Number of pages: 241
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Book Reviews of Edge of Darkness
Book Review: Don't bother
Summary: 1 Stars
This is the first book published by Jove Belle and, therefore, I was prepared for at least some minor glitches in "Edge of Darkness". However, I must say that I was quite disappointed by this book and it took me some effort to read it until the end, since nothing in the book managed to really keep me interested.
The fact that I got stuck on the second sentence of the prologue, was not a good sign for what was going to come ahead in terms of prose. Included in the annoying things in the prose of "Edge of Darkness" are, the frequently unfortunate choice of words (e.g. a police car described as a `black and white chariot of justice' with `crimson and cerulean lights'), the overuse of adjectives and similes, the fact that things are continuously being explained to the reader, the abundant infodumps, the frequent inconsistencies and the confusing way time is dealt with.
Setting seems to have been regarded as mostly unimportant. The book is set in Chicago, but the only thing I got from the book regarding the city was that there was a lot of traffic. Most big cities have a lot of traffic so that is certainly not enough for the reader to get a grasp of Chicago. Regarding Diana's work, I suspect the descriptions are not close to reality. It seems from the book that to be an insurance investigator is quite a nice job. As a top insurance investigator all you have to do is drive around a bit in order to do 3 or 4 interviews per week, do some Googling, and one or two phone calls to the police to give you all the information you need. The rest of the time is used to answer personal emails. You get to drive a Mercedes and you probably get well paid since you can even lend temporarily $5000 to the FBI.
Expecting an intrigue (the book is labeled as "Intrigue"), it soon became obvious that the plot is quite poor. Things seem to happen just because it is convenient and, frequently, they do not make sense, namely psychologically. To show how efficient Diana is investigating, the Police are depicted as complete morons although, simultaneously, all the main information is obtained from them. Some things introduced in the plot such as that Diana's investigation would be two weeks ahead of the police (when it was the police that gave all the relevant information for the investigation) as well as the existence of a Police protocol to follow an order in the interviews make no sense at all. At the end of the book the Police conveniently becomes smart to "save" Diana and Cami. There are three subplots that are complete dead ends and I can only conclude that they exist to fill space. Therefore, that leaves as raison d'?tre for the book, the romance. But even the romance is not well developed. I found it quite unrealistic, with Diana and Cami thinking of living happily ever after only exchanging a dozen words.
A priori, one of the interesting things about the characters was that the person doing the murders does it for a 'good' reason. Not being a black and white situation, this would allow for interesting characterization. Unfortunately, characterization is also a problem, since the characters come as difficult to grasp and, mostly, two-dimensional. We do, however, get a lot of information regarding the clothes they are wearing and Diana and Cami's obsession with having sex with each other. Jove Belle uses extreme physical situations (e.g. Diana's reaction to the website) to portray the characters' emotions to the reader. However, they help alienate the reader from the characters since they are seen as unrealistic situations. A more subtle approach, would probably help make the characters more three-dimensional.
The editing of the book, is not very good, which was a surprise, considering the reputation of the editors for BSB. In summary, in a perfect world, Jove Belle would still be learning the craft and not being published by one of the main lesbian fiction publishers.
Summary of Edge of Darkness
Diana Collins charges at life with an irreverent comment and a right hook, but even her hard-headed attitude may not be enough to protect her heart...or her life.As a senior investigator for a high-end insurance company, Diana searches for the person responsible for the theft of several rare weapons. Diana struggles to protect her burgeoning relationship with kindergarten teacher, Cami Michaelson, as the investigation leads her into a bitter world of rage and revenge. Diana uncovers one damning piece of evidence after another that challenges everything she knows about right and wrong. She finds her hard-driving work ethic, which demands the thief be held accountable, at odds with the desire to protect her new friend, Ali Sandoval, who is caught in the center of the conflict. As Diana is drawn deeper into a dark subculture of sex, power, and death, Ali must choose between vengeance and peace as she struggles to escape with her sanity intact.
General Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Forthcoming Lesbian Fiction 1 (2008)
The Odd Coupleby Q. Kelly
Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC; Published: 2008-02-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.55
Price in other shops:
Sometimes Quicklyby Anne Laughlin
P.D. Publishing, Inc.; Published: 2008-04-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.22
Price in other shops:
Fast Breakby Mickey Minner
P.D. Publishing, Inc.; Published: 2008-02-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.64
Price in other shops:
To Hold Foreverby Carrie Carr
Yellow Rose Books; Published: 2008-02-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.82
Price in other shops:
Rebeccah and the Highwaymanby Barbara Davies
Bedazzled Ink Publishing Company; Published: 2008-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.90
Price in other shops:
The Realm's Mysticsby Robbie Collins
Gate Way Publishers; Published: 2008-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.21
Price in other shops:
Getting Thereby Lyn Denison
Bella Books; Published: 2008-11-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.17
Price in other shops:
Becka's Songby Frankie J. Jones
Bella Books; Published: 2008-12-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.17
Price in other shops:
White Offeringsby Ann Roberts
Bella Books; Published: 2008-08-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.16
Price in other shops:
Midnight Melodiesby Megan Carter
Bella Books; Published: 2008-08-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.16
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Heart of the Matterby KI Thompson
Bold Strokes Books; Published: 2008-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.42
Price in other shops:
The Rainbow Cedarby Gerri Hill
Bella Books; Published: 2008-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.16
Price in other shops:
Finding Home (Romances (Bold Strokes Books))by Georgia Beers
Bold Strokes Books; Published: 2008-06-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.95
Price in other shops:
Love on Locationby Lisa Girolami
Bold Strokes Books; Published: 2008-05-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.00
Price in other shops:
Deal with the Devilby Ali Vali
Bold Strokes Books; Published: 2008-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.76
Price in other shops:
Lethal Affairs (Elite Operatives Romance Intrigue)by Kim Baldwin, Xenia Alexiou
Bold Strokes Books; Published: 2008-07-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.01
Price in other shops:
Naked Heartby Jennifer Fulton
Bold Strokes Books; Published: 2008-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.53
Price in other shops:
Hotel Liaison (Modern Romance (Bold Strokes Books))by JLee Meyer
Bold Strokes Books; Published: 2008-06-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops:
Word of Honor (Honor (Bold Strokes Books))by Radclyffe
Bold Strokes Books; Published: 2008-06-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.49
Price in other shops:
Thirteen Hoursby Meghan O'Brien
Bold Strokes Books; Published: 2008-05-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.56
Price in other shops: