Episode 3 in Chelsea M. Cameron’s novella series is now available!
Deep Surrendering (Episode 3)
by Chelsea M. Cameron
May 2014
BOOK SUMMARY:
Marisol’s days with Fin are dwindling and they still haven’t discussed where they stand, and that’s not the only thing Marisol doesn’t know about him. They’ve continued to trade secrets for sex, but when Fin reveals one particularly traumatic secret, will Marisol be able to handle it? Or is it better call it quits before she falls even deeper?
Review:
This is the third novella in the series–the third “episode”, as it’s called–and I did quickly read the first two before beginning this one just so I’d have a clue what was going on. (Earlier in the week, at least, when I picked episodes one and two up, episode one was free on Amazon–just sayin’ 😉 ) It really makes sense to read the other two first; this one clearly isn’t meant to be a standalone.
Deep Surrendering is the story of Marisol and Fin. They meet in a bar, introduced/set up by a mutual friend, Rory. Rory and Fin grew up together, and Rory and Marisol have become friends more recently. Fin’s job–he works for his family’s business–takes him all over the world, and he isn’t in one place for more than a few weeks at a time. He meets Marisol while in Boston, the one city where he actually has an apartment, though he doesn’t stay there very much. When Marisol asks him what happens to it when he’s out of town, he gives her a very vague and noncommittal “It’s taken care of,” in response.
Vague and noncommittal can be used to describe Fin a lot. He doesn’t like to share information about himself at all. In the first two books in the series, we get the idea that he doesn’t have the greatest of relationships with his family, but that’s about it. We know that he is a very sensual and seemingly sexual guy, yet in the first book every time he and Marisol get close he bails on her, leaving her frustrated and self-conscious. He hints at a deep, dark side of himself and claims that if he let her see the true him, she’d be terrified.
In the second book, we see more of what Marisol describes as the “two sides of Fin”–a dark one and a lighthearted, goofy one. The lighter version is the sweet guy who finds out her favorite flowers and manages to bring them to her on every date even though they’re not easy to get (I know, they’re my favorite too). The darker Fin is the one who apparently could do so much damage to the sweet innocence that is Mari, and he’s still struggling to rein that side of himself in when they’re together. Plus they both have to work around the fact that his sexual hangups have hangups of their own, and he has some very dominant tendencies when it comes to sex…but of course said sex is fantastic, so that makes up for it, right? Mari’s willing to overlook a whole lot to get close to this guy. Just the fact that they’re together is huge, since naturally Fin doesn’t do relationships. Ever.
In the third episode, Mari and Fin have reached an agreement of sorts. He’ll reveal one secret about himself to her for each time that they sleep together. (“Sleep” is of course being used euphemistically, since Fin also doesn’t “do” sleep, apparently. Except for that one time on th couch.) We–and Mari–learn a little bit more about his troubled past, and it is…well…troubling. Something very bad has happened to this guy, and it’s been affecting his entire life thus far. At the same time that they’re growing closer–in every sense of the word–there is a huge ticking clock hanging over both of their heads. Fin’s time left in Boston is limited, and he’ll soon be moving on again. What will happen then?
Overall, I’m still undecided on this series. It’s enjoyable, but the short installment formula–though convenient in a week when I had other books to read and review (can you say “looming deadlines”?)–is a bit unsatisfying. There’s apparently a lot more to come in this story, but I’d like to see more actually happen in each episode. I like both Mari and Fin, though she’s a bit overly sweet at times, and he can come off as somewhat emo. Still, it has my interest enough that I’ll be on the lookout to see what episode four is going to reveal…
Rating: 3 1/2 stars / B
I received a complimentary copy of episode three in exchange for an honest review–episodes one and two were purchased so that episode three made sense. 😉
BUY LINKS FOR DEEP SURRENDERING – EPISODE 1:
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1hCqMWa
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1gALqDA
Author Information:
Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world’s worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.
Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)
Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, Listen coming out in 2014.
Website: http://www.chelseamcameron.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chel_c_cam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chelsea-M-Cameron-Official-Author-Page/304422529610919
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752359.Chelsea_M_Cameron
