Having been a
connoisseur of glam fiction for a while now, I earned the right to be selective.
But there was a time when I used to read anything from anyone as long as it was
categorized as trash. Not anymore. I’ve been around the block too many a times
and I need to concentrate on what makes my brain—and another bodily
function—pop. Hence Havana Adams’ ebook
BLACK DIAMOND, which centers around a set of twins, who, under nebulous
circumstances (at least they are to them), are torn apart at a young age, only
to be reunited almost two decades later. It’s in between those years that the
novel focuses mostly. In one corner we have a spoiled rich Hollywood celebutante
who makes all the wrong choices; and in the other a poor overweight but
strong-willed black sheep who yearns more out of life in the UK. Cheating lovers, two-timing friends, drug taking,
and child abuse are just some of the heartaches plaguing these girls before coming
face to face eventually.
What I like
most about BLACK DIAMOND, besides its strong but clear narrative, is the sure
way the author handles her plot. She
isn’t afraid of getting into the psyche of her characters, digging a little deeper
than we’re used to even, to tell her story. Not only are her heroines
completely fleshed-out but she throws in a few (believable) curve balls that
make BLACK DIAMOND an even more compelling read. Though she could have done
without the big kidnapping denouement of one of her girls (and some omnipresent
typos), which to me blemishes the essence of an already strong story, this is
an overall impressive first novel—a rare attribute in this era of overindulgent
e-books. Now if her second novel
REMEMBER MY NAME is as exciting as this one, I’ll definitely move her up as a must-read
novelist.
BLACK DIAMOND
is published by Carina UK and you can get it wherever ebooks are sold.
Until next
post—Martin
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