Crossing the Line
by Simone Elkeles
Synopsis:
To escape his abusive stepdad, bad boy Ryan Hess runs from his tiny Texas border town to Mexico. But his plans to keep his head down and stay out of trouble are shattered the minute he meets the beautiful and totally out of his league Dalila Sandoval.
Dalila Sandoval shouldn’t even know someone like Ryan Hess. The daughter of one of the wealthiest lawyers in Mexico, Dalila is focused on studying and planning for her bright future. Ryan is only a distraction from her dreams, but she’s never felt more alive than when she’s by his side.
Ryan and Dalila are wrong for each other in every way. And yet they can’t resist the sparks that fly when they’re together. But their love is like a flame burning too close to the fuse. Something is going to explode. Will their love be strong enough to survive? Or will it burn them both?
Review:
Well. Not a romance, then.
Crossing the Line is a YA suspense novel heavy on the romance elements–though probably heavy on over-the-top insta-lust is more accurate. Almost everything here was more heavy-handed than I remember her books being–the drama, the suspense, the clashes with parents/stepparents/step-siblings, the betrayals…and did I mention the insta-lust already? Dalila and Ryan went from fairly antagonistic to all-in-love way too fast to be believed–which is probably why Ms. Elkeles felt like she needed to end it the way she did. It probably did add somewhat to the realism of the book (which I suppose it needed, that factor being very much in question throughout) but very firmly put it in the “not a romance” category.
Sigh.
I’ve missed two of her most recent series (Wild Cards and How to Ruin)–if they’re more like this book and less like Perfect Chemistry and Leaving Paradise, maybe I’ll have to remove them from my TBR?
Fingers crossed that that’s not the case.
Rating: 3 stars / C
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
