A DATE WITH THE DEVIL by Kira Adams

Amazon.com – A Date With The Devil

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author, Kira Adams, for an honest review.

Genre: Adult/Fiction/Romance

Plot: The Monster. In one moment, my entire life was ripped away from me. I ignored the warning signs until it was too late. Until I became the victim. He took my life away from me; my freedom, my courage. I’ve lived my life in debilitating fear since that fateful day. The Savior. He was there the day it all went down, and he’s been by my side ever since. He’s been the only thing that’s kept me going. He’s my best friend, but he wants more. I’m terrified to lose him. I’m terrified he’ll leave. One tried to kill me. One brought me back to life. I’ll never be the same person again–that girl died when the match was dropped. Too much has already been stolen from me. It’s time to take back what’s mine.

Opinion: I saw that this book was generating a lot of buzz via Facebook and reviews, so I figured that this must be a fantastic read. Not only is this the first book I have actually requested from an author, but I figured this would be a memorable and emotional read so I told myself I should definitely get my hands on it.

After Bryce is the victim of being beaten and set on fire by her ex Robbie, she is forced to deal with the aftermath of the trauma that she experienced. Unable to leave her house out of fear the Robbie will come back to kill her, Bryce leans on her friend Tyson for support and strength. But soon things start to happen that might prove that Robbie is back to finish what he started.

I am not sure if I just had high expectations for this book, or if I just couldn’t completely absorb myself into the words, but I didn’t find this to be my favorite book ever. This idea for the story is a great concept to write about, and a lot of different people can relate to it. I think the idea of how Bryce has become emotionally impacted by her trauma by not being able to leave her home is very realistic, especially because Robbie (her psycho ex) disappeared right after the “accident”. However, I think everything else fell a bit short for me. I didn’t feel emotionally connected to this character, or any of them for that matter. They felt scattered, underdeveloped, and instead of me feeling the words they were speaking…I was literally just reading them. Which brings me to the writing, which really confused me. A lot of the dialogue for Bryce was literally just small sentences: “I hope I will make a good impression. I hope I will fit in.” Although I found this style rather bothersome, it is at least not going on throughout the ENTIRE book. If you can get past that little bit, then you probably won’t even notice it happening. I am not exactly sure if the author wrote with a certain style for the character of Bryce intentionally, or if this is just her unique style of writing…but overall it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I enjoyed how extreme the character of Robbie was, he was extremely ruthless and the definition of an obsessive and abusive person. Though the things that Robbie did were unforgivable and scary, I did appreciate his character having no limits as to what he would do to ensure that nobody could have Bryce if he could not. However, I think there could have been a lot more emotion going on! I was reading the anger Robbie portrayed, the protection that Tyson had over Bryce, and the fear that Bryce kept with her, but I wasn’t FEELING those emotions with them. I want to experience what a character is going through, I want to get lost in their world no matter how amazing or terrible. Another aspect that of the story that I did not exactly “fall in love” with was the character of Bryce. I feel like this story was trying to portray a “you are strong so stand up for yourself” kind of attitude, but I just wasn’t convinced that Bryce had grown all that much. It seems unrealistic that she gets better so quickly after something THAT demented happens, and that she is suddenly so trusting with another man. I love a female lead that doesn’t need a man to rescue her or make her feel whole, but unfortunately that is what the character of Bryce feels like to me. I think that the author has tremendous potential to really grow into a fantastic writer, but I think that the details and character development need work.

Overall, this wasn’t my favorite read or very memorable for me. As having personal experience in a negatively charged and volatile relationship, the duration and the aftermath of such relationships are…HUGE. For me, what makes a book like this POP is it feeling realistic and truthful. I think the author was on the right track…but didn’t completely get to where she needed to. However, this is only my opinion. There are MULTIPLE reviews on this book from other reviewers that will argue that this book is fantastic, so try it for yourself and see what you think.