Sunday, September 8, 2013

Sunday Story - Detained

WISHES: I announced the winner on Friday for the Three Wishes blog, so scroll down to see if you won!


DetainedThrough the week I read Detained, Ainslie Paton's latest release with Escape Publishing. I loved it! I love everything she writes. This is no different. A cracker story. Huge. Full of twists and turns. Real. Addictive. Fantastic.

Ainslie and I email regularly - usually trying to understand something relating to writing, publishing, marketing, some aspect of the industry. The other day the emails were about Detained. I'd sent one in the wee small hours to congratulate her on her book. She sent one many hours later saying, 'in the cold light of day, why did you like it?'

This is a great question. And good that I'd been able to sleep before answering it because I think the story percolated inside me more while I slept.

My short answer was TENSION. The book is full of tension. Not sexual tension, although there is some of that, but tension caused by not being able to pick where the story is going.

I won't ruin the story by saying too much. But it's romance, so you know the end will be happy. But when you start and you meet the hero and heroine, you just know that they're doomed. Their situation is such that it will never work. My gut was churning. No matter how good they were together, how much fun they had, how well suited they were, they were doomed.

I was compelled to keep reading because I couldn't work out how they'd work this out. How could they get beyond all the problems? How could they ever get a happy ending?

That's tension. That's what keeps me turning the pages even when my eyelids are drooping. That's what lets me plough through her story in 2 nights when any sensible person would take a week or more. That's what I love about books. That's what I'd love to write.

So... if you like tension... if you like to be taken on a sweeping story where the twists and turns have you biting your nails or staying up all night, then read Detained! You'll love it :)

4 comments:

  1. Great review Cate. This book is on my kindle pile & I'll fast forward it to the top now. :)

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  2. I haven't read Detained, but I've liked other books of Ainslie's, particularly Desk Jockey Jam. I have White Balance on my kindle now... not enough time, not enough time. But I will get to this one, thanks for the review!

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    1. Hey Lily,
      There is never enough time! And her books are so humungous, they need time. Lucky they're worth it though :)

      Cate xo

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