****4 Stars
There truly is a thin line between love and hate. Michelle Marshall will learn this lesson after she suffers a vicious rape that nearly destroyed her. When she meets Tyler Austin, her world is flipped upside down once more and she is faced with holding true to her moral code of forgiveness and trust. The man that he is, will define the woman she becomes.
The author uses third person limited POV to tell this story from Michelle Marshall’s eyes. The story is fluent and the author’s ability to navigate the reader is skillful. The author does not use cumbersome words to fill up the pages and frustrate the reader. She is efficient and her writing style is pointed – nothing fancy.
The storyline was fresh and brilliant. It’s obvious that the writer writes with a moral code in mind and it is done tactfully. She does not try to hide this fact as other writers attempt to do and fail because they are too obvious. Erin Armstrong stays in her lane and she delivers this story better than some accomplished writers in the genre. For instance, she was able to write sexual tension without sex and sex without vulgarity. This is not a small feat. She kept the necessary amount of bravado in the scenes.
Stories have a beginning, a middle, and an ending. The cover and title was appealing. It definitely drew the reader’s attention. The first couple of chapters could’ve been more powerful but chapter three is where sparks begin to fly. Readers want to be wowed from the first few words but give this one time and it won’t disappoint. The middle is where the author’s best work is and the pages keep turning. There were some grammatical errors (spelling) throughout, nothing to distract from the story. Had the writer been less skilled, it would’ve been irritating. The ending can make or break a story. Rating this strictly on writing and not on preference is what pulled a higher rating.
Character development is essential and the author did a decent job. Tyler Austin was understandable and at first even likable, but then he devolved, which was ok, but for the story a bit awkward. When an author causes a reader to like someone that would generally not be likable, let alone understandable, then that author has done well. Ms. Armstrong should’ve continued in that vein for the story. Since the book is The Twisted Truth, it would’ve been interesting to see some even more reckless abandon in the protagonist. Michelle Marshall had already shown the reader that she would compromise her morals for what she wanted, it would’ve been interesting to see her really become twisted and edgy.
In sum, Erin Armstrong’s ability is evident. She has a voice that can ascend with the greats. I am looking forward to see what is next to come from her creative mind. Bravo!
Trenika Austin
AAMBC Reviewer