Hyde - Review

Hyde #1

By: Lauren Stewart

Published: July 8, 2012 by Off The Hook Publishing

377 pages

Source: Personal Kindle Library

(Goodreads / Amazon FREEBIE, at time of posting)

Summary:

This novel is intended for adults only. HYDE was inspired by Stevenson's novella but is not a retelling, in part because he and this author have very different definitions of 'bad boy'.

Honesty is impossible when you don't know the truth to begin with.

Mitchell Turner is everything women want most in a man--he's charismatic, successful, and undeniably gorgeous. But he's not a man--he's a monster. By venting his rage 24/7, Mitch keeps people out of the danger zone that surrounds him. But, after the most incredible night of his life, he realizes that might not be possible. Except the woman he wakes up with claims she doesn't remember any of it. And that kind of thing can make a guy insecure.

Eden Colfax is kind, loyal, honest to a fault, and cavity-inducing sweet. To rid herself of the monsters that haunted her broken childhood, Eden doesn't lie, doesn't curse, and definitely never wakes up naked in strangers' beds...until the day she does. Then the flashbacks start--places she's never been, people she's never met, blood she's never spilled. And the only person with any answers is a man she never wants to see again.

What they don't know is that someone is manipulating them, determined to find out exactly what they're capable of. And when the truth leaves them nothing to hold onto, they will be forced into a partnership neither expected. Or wanted.

But in life, who you trust is as important as who you are. And when you can't even trust yourself, sometimes the only person you can rely on is the last person on earth you should be falling for.

MY REVIEW:
I contemplated not writing a review for this book on my blog, primarily because this is listed as an adult novel and my blog focuses around the Young Adult and New Adult fiction. But really, I felt it could go either way from a New Adult to Adult. The main male character is 31 and typically that's far outside of the age range for NA genre characters. But the main female character is only 23. So yeah, I decided to just go ahead and write a post for it.

The cover first and foremost drew me in. Gorgeous contrasts between light and dark colors, isn't it? It's perfect symbolism for the light and dark sides of our characters. Second to that would be the intriguing take on the original tale of Jekyll and Hyde.

The book opens with our female lead, Eden, waking up in a strange man's bed, completely clear on the activity that must've taken place given her state of dress (or undress as she finds herself), and completely blank on who he is and how she got there or what happened while she was with him....since she fell asleep in her own bed at her apartment ALONE. This sets the stage very well for the confusion this poor girl feels. A series of several nights, she finds herself waking up on this same man's doorstep. Colliding in to one another is a good and accurate description. With the help of her best friend, and roommate, Carter, and eventually the help of this strange but gorgeous and wealthy man, Mitchell, the story begins to unfold around a whole lot of lies and secrets and mysteries.

I loved how the mystery lasts the entire book. I loved the moral compass of Eden. I loved the connection between Mitchell and Eden. And ooh, I despised some characters as well. Be warned, it does end in a cliffhanger. For a freebie, this was a very good read.

Favorite Quotes:
"If I don't figure this out, I'm just going to end up like a newspaper - on your welcome mat every morning...Grandpa."

"If I'm not honest, then how can I expect other people to be honest with me?"

Dang it, of all the men in the world, why was she only attracted to this one? He was her Kryptonite - weakening her knees, destroying her strength.

Oasis. He was her oasis. After a very long walk through hell.

It wasn't her outward beauty that drew him in. It was her strength, her fire, her desire to do what was right even when it wasn't easy, her ability to make him see himself as a worthy human being.

Language Rating: 2-3 (medium - heavy)
Mature Content: 2-3 (medium - heavy)
Final Rating: 4 stars