A review by elenajohansen
Silver-Tongued Devil, by Rosalind James
4.0
I've read quite a few of James' other novels, and I have to say, in terms of plotting this one stands out to me as well-crafted. There's a lot of conflict, both external and internal, ranging from tragic family history and old injuries and teenage sexual trauma to criminal activity of several varieties and the hero quite literally saving the heroine's life--but that event doesn't come across as melodramatic or unnecessary to the story. None of it does, and considering the scope, that's remarkable.
The chemistry between the leads is tangible, unforced, and satisfying to watch unfold. By the time these two got into bed together, I was on board with their relationship, even if they weren't quite in it for the long haul yet.
Where this book falls down, really, is a sort of sameness of tone to nearly everyone's dialogue, and that's something I've seen in James' other novels as well. After a while, Dakota and Blake and even Russ all sound alike, with that tendency to quip, to drop the subject of a sentence, to be sly when they think they can get away with it or stubborn a good deal of the rest of the time. The hero and heroine should sound more different from each other, and neither of them should speak like her dad! The only major character who stood out was Evan, because he was by far the most taciturn and emotionally shut-down, at least until he let loose a torrent of "I know better than you" at Dakota the one time.
It's not enough to make me hate the novel or anything, but when I see how good the rest of it is, the dialogue issue is a pretty major distraction.
The chemistry between the leads is tangible, unforced, and satisfying to watch unfold. By the time these two got into bed together, I was on board with their relationship, even if they weren't quite in it for the long haul yet.
Where this book falls down, really, is a sort of sameness of tone to nearly everyone's dialogue, and that's something I've seen in James' other novels as well. After a while, Dakota and Blake and even Russ all sound alike, with that tendency to quip, to drop the subject of a sentence, to be sly when they think they can get away with it or stubborn a good deal of the rest of the time. The hero and heroine should sound more different from each other, and neither of them should speak like her dad! The only major character who stood out was Evan, because he was by far the most taciturn and emotionally shut-down, at least until he let loose a torrent of "I know better than you" at Dakota the one time.
It's not enough to make me hate the novel or anything, but when I see how good the rest of it is, the dialogue issue is a pretty major distraction.