Book Review: Dangerously Close by Dee J. Adams

Title: Dangerously Close
Series: Adrenaline High, #3
Author: Dee J. Adams
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: NetGalley
Published: July 23, 2012 by Carina Press

Bad-boy rock star Seger Hughes hit rock bottom after a near-fatal tragedy at his concert. He hates how his life has spun out of control. After changing his appearance and his name, he transforms into a different man: Mel Summers. Now he just needs a place to hide out from rabid fans and paparazzi.

An isolated cliffside mansion is perfect. Ashley Bristol, his only neighbor, is blind—and her assistant is a classical music fan. They have no clue who he really is, but someone else does and she’s waited her whole life to be with him.

Struggling to find her way after an accident that took her sight, Ashley is determined not to feel anything. Yet she gets to know Mel and can’t help falling for him. When her assistant mysteriously disappears, Ashley must rely on Mel more than ever. But then his past comes back to haunt them both, and just when they must pull together to avoid danger, betrayal and lies threaten to tear them apart...

Why I Read this Book: I have enjoyed reading this series from the start and I will continue to read each book in this series as long as the author continues it on.  

What I Liked: I honestly thought I was going to have a hard time with this book for the simple fact that, at first, I did not like the hero. If you don’t like the hero, what’s the point of reading a romance starring him, right? Everything about Seger rubbed me the wrong way. He’s a famous rock star who’s the epitome of ‘sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll’. His latest conquest was barely, and I mean barely, legal. I thought I was going to have a difficult time getting into this story but as Mel, he grew on me and I grew to love his character. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Mel. And in case you’re confused, Seger and Mel are one in the same; Seger is his stage name and Mel is his real name.

Mel and Ashley share a commonality: they’re both starting over. Mel is turning over a new leaf, leaving his sex-crazed, alcoholic former rocker self behind. Ashley is moving forward after a horrible accident, which has forced her to grasp a new leash on life. That girl has been to hell and back more than once. She just can’t seem to catch a break. She loses her central vision and, for all intents and purposes, is considered legally blind. She doesn’t see total darkness but all she sees is blurriness in her peripheral vision. But she never gave up. Girl has perseverance.

I love the celebrity falls in love with the girl next door (literally in this case) trope. At first, all Mel wants is solitude. He doesn’t want to make nice with his neighbors; he just wants to relax and just be. He bought the house looking for a retreat, a place to relax and unwind, not expecting to share his seclusion with someone else. So Mel was surprised to realize that he enjoyed spending time with Ashley. Mel and Ashley enjoy each other’s company and quickly become friends. The conversation, the friendship, and the bond between Ashley and Mel came naturally.

A good portion of the book, probably about the first half or so, sets the tone and stage for the budding romance between Mel and Ashley. The suspense doesn’t start up until about the half way mark. But once it did build up, it just took off. The ending was very climatic. I was clutching my Kindle for the last 10% of the book. Nothing else existed.

The story arc surrounding villain slowly develops. Not too much is given away at any one moment but once things start to unravel, it’s fierce. Crazy girl, that villain. Cray-cray!!

What I Didn’t Like: There wasn’t anything about this book I didn’t like.

Memorable Moment: My favorite scene in the entire book is when Mel tells Ashley that he wants to call his best friend to share some happy news. He pulls out his cell phone and dials. A moment later Ashley’s cell phone rings. There is so much more to this scene but all together, in its entire context, it’s a great scene and it shows the friendship and bond that has blossomed between these two characters.

Overall Impression: Dangerously Close is hands down my favorite book in this series thus far and it’s easily one of my top picks for 2012. I was completely and utterly drawn into this story. The strong romance balanced out perfectly with the suspense element. This book could be read as a stand alone however you get Ashley’s background from Danger Zone (book two in this series).

Brianna’s Rating:

Brianna’s reviews on the other books in this series:
Dangerous Race (book one)
Danger Zone (book two)

    

 

 

Don’t miss the giveaway for (1) copy of Dangerously Close and (2) copies of Dangerous Race.