Behind Blue Eyes by Pat Cromwell

Behind Blue Eyes by Pat Cromwell

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow! That was one heck of a read. Talking about drama, this book is full on drama. Once the ride starts, it does not stop. To be honest, I could not handle being around any of the people in this book. Talking about stress....



Let me say, I loved Michael. He is in some ways diabolical, and crazy as a fox. He is a needy, heartbroken boy. He is a powerful, dangerous man. Gosh, he was one of a kind. I think he might up there with my favorite heroes of all time (okay I like the dark, scary heroes ala Anne Stuart, Kresley Cole, JR Ward, and Christine Feehan). Even at his most evil, he did not annoy me for some reason. I was just sitting there with my mouth open, asking for more. He's the kind of hero I really love reading about. The ones that you cannot forget because he's no cookie-cutter, samey-samey, run of the mill Ken (as in Barbie and Ken) type. I also gravitated to him because he was so in love with Seine. He needed her so much and couldn't imagine his life without her. He had the world, but he really just wanted her, and was willing to walk away from everything more than once for her. He needed to be loved like life needs water. How could I resist him?



Now Seine. She was a little more complicated to like at times. She teased this tiger's tail. She pressed the red button. And she got the runaway train that was Michael O'Neal. He even warned her more than a few times. She told him that she would never leave him or stop loving him or give up on him, but her actions didn't back that up in a very crucial moment. We all break promises in life, but you cannot break that kind of promise to an all or nothing man like Michael O'Neal. I knew that in my heart. I felt, this is wrong. I wanted to yell at her when she threw his love back in her face. "Are you crazy?" I wanted to yell at her: "Okay I know he's kind of evil and unstable, but the man loves you liked crazy. Choose him like you said you would." She really disappointed me in that scene because she didn't make the right decision in my opinion. So I kind of felt that Seine was a bit of a spoiled brat. She had the silver spoon and was the Little Girl Lost in some ways (with her father not being there for her). She wanted her Prince Charming not realizing he was the Dark Prince.



Now that is the interesting thing about this book. None of these characters are perfect, sweet, kind, and adorable. Probably the most likable (other than my absolute love for the diabolical Michael O'Neal) is Lynda, Seine's lifelong friend. She was the voice of reason for these two crazy people who were crazy in love with each other but didn't know how to love each other. I really liked the part where she gave the knowledge to Michael, and the numerous times she gave counsel to the headstrong and not very forward thinking Seine.



To be honest, the bedroom scenes verged on being a little too erotic for me. It would probably pass by a seasoned erotic romance novel fan without even eliciting a blink. Let's just say there are certain things I don't like associated with sex and there's a wee bit of that in this book. But it was not enough to make me throw the book away. I would say that you should read this book even if you aren't into the erotic stuff. Because it's too good to resist. How could you pass up reading about a guy like Michael? Have I said I love this guy?



Let me reiterate, this book is intense. There are a lot of yelling scenes. Again, DRAMA. How exhausting. I found the dialog and the narrative very memorable, showing that Pat does have a command of language and a realism to her writing; it has a life and a precision that is memorable. The language is raw and earthy in a way that is kind of new for what I've read so far. However, it wasn't jarring because it fits the emotional climate of this book. The people therein are passionate and very in-your face. If they didn't talk like that, I suppose it would have been peculiar. I'd probably avoid them like the plague (maybe stare at Michael a little first before slinking away in fear).



I definitely would read this book when you are in the mood for a very fiery, passionate, not always comfortable read. I doubt you'll be disappointed if you read it prepared to have the earth shake under your feet with all the violent emotions in this book. It was a great love story that really challenged me in some ways, and very unique from what I've read in a long time. Bravo, Ms. Cromwell.


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