Talon

by Carian Cole

I’m not a reality TV fan and when I picked my way through the synopsis I wasn’t sure that this was the book for me, the whole idea sort of set my teeth on edge but this is a Carian Cole book, and because of that and that alone, I flicked open the first page.

Well, I will tell you know that I have knocked my own head off the wall for being a complete doughnut, this was the best of the bunch so far – it was extra-ordinary!

So what had me on the back foot – well it was the whole strangers getting married malarkey, it had social car crash not experiment written all over it but how stupid was I, Carian took this thoroughly modern phenomenon and breathed fresh life and humanity into it.

Spending or attempting to spend 6 months married to someone you know nothing about is either brave or foolish but morbid curiosity had me hooked fairly early on – and when Carian unleashed the deviousness of the whole situation, I was a goner! Because when she matched up Talon and Asia, I was shaking my head – someone somewhere knew something that I didn’t and I was certain that this pair were going to be the exception to the rule that opposites attract.

So what did we get, well we got the latest of the Ashes and Embers Band to get their heart stolen.

This is Talon, the youngest of the Valentine brothers and the true walking definition of the word rock star – I am sure if he could he would have his face plastered next the word  in every dictionary he would– that doesn’t even begin to stifle the other terms of endearment that I could think up for him !!

But while he was ok with living up to the labels until now, life has taken a more grown up twist of late and the fact that the guys around him have found their soulmates and are all settling down has forced Talon to take a good hard look at what he has going own, and if he is honest it isn’t an awful lot – well nothing that has the meaning that he is looking for.

Asia on the other hand is everything that Talon isn’t, well not that that would be particularly hard, after all one of him is enough but she a twenty something that is looking for someone that will be by her side, treat her right and share a life worth having with her, because at the minute she is living what can only be described as an empty shell of an existence.

Now, I am not sure what they thought they were getting into when they signed the contracts for the show, agreeing to live with someone, sleep with someone that they know nothing about and after their initial meeting I am in no doubt that the alarm bells will have been ringing, because these two couldn’t be further apart on the compatibility scale – they have nothing in common other than the fact that they signed up for the stupid experiment in the first place and that they’re both breathing – although after a few weeks together I wasn’t exactly sure if that last point would still be valid!

Unlike my aversion to reality TV, I could not get enough of these pair, I was entranced as they opened themselves up to their situation and began to see each other for who they really were. I watched with enthusiasm as they pulled back the layers and took a good hard look inside, looked for the opportunity to make the most of who they really needed to be in order to make what they had work.

I smiled at all the times Asia couldn’t help but struggle to control her temper with Talon, the fact that he was so adrift, at times, completely lost as to what he should be doing and feeling, that reading situations and emotions seemed to be so difficult for them. It was crash course 1 on 1 on how to keep the wife happy and he was at the bottom of the ladder but he was at least willing to keep trying and that gave my heart the biggest jolt, I loved him even more from that point on.

I loved the switching back and forth between their points of view, I loved the clarity with which the author laid them bare, stripped them back and rebuilt them so that they fitted together perfectly. I loved the devotion that they were willing to exhibit and to work with to make what might have seemed like an impossible task work and I loved the fact that this odd couple we so realistic.

They loved, laughed and fought almost as much as I would have anticipated any other couple doing and that made the initiation of their particular situation almost disappear, they were a young coupe starting out, learning about each other and loving each other in the process.

I love the fact that Talon’s brothers and the rest of his family are featured in this book and while I know it isn’t necessary to ready the previous novels, it is fun so I would suggest that you let the other guys show you their world – you will not be disappointed.

A fabulously written book, that took a thoroughly modern concept, it gave it a thoroughly old fashion twist, when it solidified for me that no matter the reason you got together, there are only two things that can keep you together and in this case it was Talon and Asia

I love the fact that Talon’s brothers and the rest of his family are featured in this book and while I know it isn’t necessary to ready the previous novels, it is fun so I would suggest that you let the other guys show you their world – you will not be disappointed.

A fabulously written book, that took a thoroughly modern concept, it gave it a thoroughly old fashion twist, when it solidified for me that no matter the reason you got together, there are only two things that can keep you together and in this case it was Talon and Asia