Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: To Be Human

SERIES: To Be Human #1

AUTHOR: Pearl Love

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 326 Pages

BLURB:

TM 05637 was created to be a killer. Genetically engineered for superiority, he was facing a life of missions, blood, and death until his creator decides to set him free. On the run from those holding his leash, he is found by David Conley, an ordinary store owner who stumbles upon a remarkable find. Renaming himself “Tim,” TM 05637 sets out to discover what it means to have a normal life.

Through his friendships with a young boy dealing with a nightmarish family life, and David’s mother, who decides Tim is perfect for her son, Tim slowly discovers his humanity. Even more importantly, David teaches Tim about the power of love. But General Woodard, leader of the project that created Tim, threatens their happiness with his determination to bring his evasive quarry permanently to heel.

As the search net closes ever tighter around him, Tim must find a way to thwart his pursuers so he can stay with David and live out his dream.

REVIEW:

This book was a rather unexpected gem that landed in my lap after another reviewer sent up a flare requesting help. Now, that isn’t how it usually works. If we read a book and we don’t like it we’ll rate it and review it accordingly, but as you can imagine, every now and then we find ourselves stuck with a book that, were it not a review book, we’d just toss it aside and DNF it. This didn’t sound like the kind of story that I’d usually go for but for some reason I felt an urge to read it (thank you, oh book gods) so I volunteered to take it off her hands.

So to start off this review I should probably admit that I kind of get where she was coming from. This story is difficult to sink into but at the same time, that’s exactly the way it’s meant to be. Usually I rely on an instant connection to a character to draw me into a story but with this book, that’s just not possible because the whole premise of this is that Tim, or TM 05637, is incapable of forming a true attachment with anyone. Instead it was an interest in the instant action playing out on the page that caught my attention. And while I mightn’t have felt a connection to Tim I was fascinated in his thought processes right from the beginning.

“Nervous?”

As always when Father Paul asked me a question concerning my emotions, I had to think about how to answer. My breathing and pulse were slightly elevated, and I supposed the slight moistness that dampened my palms qualified. “Yes.”

Actually, I think the author did a brilliant job of seeing the everyday things that we’re familiar with from Tim’s new and analytical perspective. So while some people may find it a struggle at first to connect with this story, I would seriously urge you to make an effort to get use to the style of writing.

As the blurb explains, TM 05637 was created in a lab by scientists to be a super soldier. He’s human but was bred with certain genetic enhancements and has been trained to kill from the moment he was old enough to lift a weapon. The scientist in charge, who Tim calls Father Paul, has fallen in love with his creation (in a parental way) and is shot down by the guards while helping Tim escape. Knowing that General Woodard, the bad guy in charge will be right on his heels, Tim starts hitching rides in order to escape the desert as quickly as possible. After escaping the amorous attentions of a truck driver, Tim is picked up by David.

David is a business owner from a decent sized town who is happy with his quiet life and he would rather remain alone than have someone interrupt it. Unfortunately, Tim missed that memo. David knows that picking up a hitchhiker is a bad idea but he can’t help but help people. And from the moment he sees Tim on the side of the road he just knows that the young man needs help.

David and Tim together are possibly one of the most interesting pairings I’ve come across. Firstly, there’s an age gap of twelve years between them, which is a definite issue for David, especially because Tim looks young for his age. (Damn, I can’t remember now but I think Tim is 19). And in some ways, Tim also acted young for his age. It was really strange. David is attracted to Tim from the moment he sees him but is adamant that nothing romantic will happen so he begins to treat him in almost a parental fashion. No, there’s no weird daddy kink but David kind of treats Tim like a child in an effort to put an end to his attraction. And Tim allows it because there’s no denying that he does actually need help acclimating to the real world. When Tim befriends a thirteen year old boy it just adds to the illusion that Tim is too young for a relationship.

Then, there was also the fact that Tim isn’t sure whether he’s attracted to David or not. Tim isn’t a virgin. He’s been well trained in how to seduce a target, male or female, but he’s never actually gotten any pleasure out of any sexual act before. I loved Tim’s confusion over just what he was feeling.

Could I be attracted to David in return? I didn’t even know whether I was capable of something so profoundly ordinary.

To be honest, I wasn’t even sure I wanted David and Tim to have sex. By the time it happens, which is right near the very end of the book, I was comfortable with the platonic relationship that they had, and couldn’t imagine them actually sleeping together. But then they did. And I was wrong. They absolutely, definitely did need to have sex because it was astonishingly hot. I don’t know if the fact that I wasn’t expecting it made it better, but my hat is off to the author for knocking me over the head with that one!

Oh, but the ending – and I warn you. I’m about to spit out a very dirty word. Cliffhanger. That’s right, you heard me. It’s a great big, goddamn, what-did-I-do-to-deserve-this cliffhanger plus…PLUS…the prologue and first chapter of the next book. Well played, Pearl Love. Well played.

But seriously, the only reason I’m not honestly pissed (because does anyone actually like cliffhangers?) is because the sequel, To Be Loved, is released later this month and I’m already in that line begging for more, please!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

ARe