Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Shine by Badsquirrel


Shine
by Badsquirrel
Pages: 200
Date: 2007
Publisher: None
Series: Edgewater

Review
Rating: 4.25
Read: September 19 to 20 2016

This book involves two people who are ‘messed up’ by past events. One is proceeding with life and believes they are ready to ‘live again’, while the other is still trying to hide from life as much as possible.

Maureen Baird, the one ‘ready’ to try things again, is a 30-something (just short of 40 if I recall correctly) librarian (as in the county librarian, which is, apparently, super important). Three things to know about her immediately: 1) she got absorbed into a prior relationship to the point wherein she basically lost all of her friends except for a husband and wife and their kids – and she kept them, to a large except, because she grew up with the wife and they kind of see each other as almost sisters; 2) she’s gorgeous (apparently) but thinks she is fat and not gorgeous; 3) one and two are somewhat related – she’s had some bad relationships and hasn’t exactly had much in the way of healthy people as girlfriends – none of whom seemed to mean it sincerely when they mentioned her looks; and one of whom probably, though not outright stated, tried to degrade her on her looks (since we, the reader, know that she did outright attempt to degrade her in other means) – which leads to three – no, not that she has had some bad girlfriends, but that one is in prison now for beating Maureen to an inch of her life.

One of the things that got her through her recovery period was a specific voice that she heard on her radio. Though she’d heard it before that hospital and recovery stage. It was just there during that specific time as well. That voice belonging to one Shine Avery.

Shine Avery is the other ‘damaged’ woman in this story. Another 30-something woman. 8 years ago ‘something’ happened that caused Shine to sever all ties with friends and she hasn’t ‘been with anyone’ in the same amount of time. She has also not really felt the desire for sex in that amount of time. She’s lived a life of almost constant travel, though about . . hmm, 2? 4? Years ago she arrived in this Edgewater place. She was on the way out of town when she learned her last connection to another living person had been severed due to death. She almost continued on to her next location, but she didn’t really feel up to moving right then. Needed to recharge. So got a job at a radio station as a radio personality/DJ.

None of this is, for the most part, known by Maureen, or Jim and his family (Jim being 1) one of Maureen’s few friends; 2) Shine’s coworker at the radio station). This is important in its way, of course. So, that stuff above was unknown when Maureen asked Jim for a favor – to introduce her to Shine. Jim proceeds to invite Shine over for a meal, mentioning wife, kids, himself, and a family friend but not mentioning how it is a ‘set-up’. He fully expects, even with this modified invitation (i.e., not mentioning blind date aspect), for Shine to decline the invitation. Because that’s what she does. Always keep herself apart. But Shine accepts. Reluctantly.

So, a meal is had. More or less immediately upon Shine’s arrival at the house she senses she has been tricked and confronts Jim. She sticks around, though reluctantly. As much as possible, she attempts to avoid Maureen.

Maureen, though, is still interested. She doesn’t know what to do, though, and Jim suggests that she do what men do. Pursue the woman, wear her down. Like Jim did with his wife (is it obvious yet that I can’t recall the wife’s name? hehe). So, Maureen turns up once a week and asks Shine out. Weeks go by. Finally, ‘just as friends’ ‘something’ starts up between Maureen and Shine. A door is shoved open.

So, Maureen first had to break down the wall to get Shine to accept her in her life before even thinking about breaking any more walls to get close enough for potential dating.

For the most part, I liked Maureen, Shine, and to a lesser extent Jim and his family. It was a better than okay book but not an outstanding one. Interesting, kept my attention. Didn’t annoy me too much. Reasonable first book by an author.

Another book wherein I’m confused as to why I have access to it free as opposed to it being offered for sale. Nothing here that would limit sales. Shine has a kind of ‘Seven of Nine’ vibe in her approach to emotions, though not in 99% of the rest of her make-up (I can’t really imagine Seven of Nine being as playful and joyful as Shine is when her guard is down and/or she’s near children). That’s the only thought I had re: fanfiction type things, and I’m fairly certain that’s me noticing a similarity in one aspect of a character’s personality that has no real connection to something done by an author on purpose (as in, I’ve no idea if the author has even heard of Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager).

And, shockingly, no one is referred to by hair color, eye color, height, or job occupation. And considering how much Shine was kind of reluctant to have anything to do with the county Librarian, and how . . . important Shine’s job as a radio personality was to Maureen, I’d not have been too put off if one or more people did slip in a few ‘the librarian’, ‘the dj’ type references.

Basically I’m just saying that this did not seem to have anything that would keep it from being sold, as is, copyright wise, nor was there anything ‘fanfictiony’ about the book – at least in terms of the tricks that get used and or picked up from writing fanfiction (referring here to the part here I mentioned referring to people by hair, eye, height, or occupation).

A good book. My second by this ‘BadSquirrel’. I gave the first book I had read by this author a solid 5 star rating, while seeing this book here being closer to a solid rating of . . . hmm . . . 4.25.

September 20 2016

No comments:

Post a Comment