Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Semblance
AUTHOR: Chris E. Saros
PUBLISHER: DSP Publications
LENGTH: 236 Pages
RELEASE DATE: February 27, 2018
BLURB:
Drake isn’t looking for justice. He’s not interested in doing what’s right. He’s after one thing and one thing only: revenge. That means taking down the Boredega drug cartel—and the shadowy, seemingly invincible man who heads it—even if he goes down with them.
Drake plans to destroy the cartel from within, and he uses his nightclub, Semblance, as a front for money laundering and drug trafficking. He’s sacrificed almost everything to complete his mission, and just as he’s getting close, he’s derailed by flirtatious bartender Scotty, who offers Drake a glimpse of the happiness he’s missed by pursuing a personal vendetta. Scotty might be irresistible, but Drake has come too far to turn back now. He’ll have to find a way to keep Scotty safe, fend off persistent prostitute Natasha, feed tips to the authorities, and edge his way closer to the upper echelon of the cartel, where he can finally strike. He’ll need to do it all while keeping his intentions covert—and he’s not the only one at Semblance with secrets.
REVIEW:
Wow, is this actually the author’s first published work? I totally enjoyed this book, and I’m willing to get on my knees and beg for a sequel. I’m always impressed when a new author can write such a smooth flowing story, a story that grips you tight even while it has you dreading what might happen next. If a blurb mentions the word cartel, I want blood and death and drugs and violence and torture and I want a lot of it. I need my bad guys to be bad, and I need my good guys to be…well, I like it if they’re a bit bad too. Semblance delivered just what I wanted, and left me desperate for more.
We begin the story with Drake, owner of nightclub Semblance, already involved in the world of the Boredega cartel. The infamous cartel uses the club’s backrooms to sell their drugs and if you venture further down the corridors, there are secret, soundproofed rooms where they “interrogate” those that have transgressed against them. Since Drake was a child, his sole focus in life has been the destruction of the cartel and the bloodthirsty man behind it. He figures they’ll probably kill him in the end, but he intends on taking them down with him. Besides, it’s not like he has anything else to live for. Until sexy-as-hell bartender, Scotty, worms his way into Drake’s bed, and his heart. Cue the awww…
The relationship between Drake and Scotty was the only element of the tale that kept this from being a five star read. And I think this is probably a personal opinion, but heck, no one would ever accuse me of being shy with my opinions. Like I mentioned, cartel = dark, and while the overall plot was blessedly shadowy, the love story here was a touch too shiny bright. Drake and Scotty have known each other for a while before the story starts, so I guess you can’t call it insta-love but once they hook up they fall pretty fast. I think our main men just came off as a little too trusting and impetuous considering the position they were both in.
The author so successfully presented Drake as a character deserving of our support, despite his less that upstanding actions, that I got teary several times when it seemed like his quest for revenge wouldn’t succeed. And the ending, that final scene between Drake and Scotty, I’m pretty sure I’m going to need my heart checked by a doctor because it may have stopped beating there for a few minutes. Actually, the ending was fabulously, thrillingly, heartbreaking…and I guess that’s all I can really say about that.
While the ending isn’t a cliffhanger exactly, I’m going to be so disappointed if the story ends here. Even with different main characters if necessary, but PLEASE Ms. Saros, I need to know what happens next!
RATING:
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