Single Sundays: Kiss a Stranger by R J Lewis

Single Sundays: While this blog may be focused on reviewing book series as a whole, we can’t forget about the good ole’ standalone novel! On Sundays, I will review a novel that is considered to be a standalone novel. Here is this week’s offering:

Synopsis for Kiss a Stranger (from Goodreads):
I loved him.
I loathed him.

I knew he had secrets.
I knew he had darkness in him.

And yet I took all of him. Accepted all his ugly the way he embraced all of mine.

But sometimes loving someone isn’t enough. Sometimes it breaks you apart and moulds you into somebody else entirely.

And sometimes the person you loved the most can be the one to hurt you worst of all.

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Fav New Adult Standalone 2015
Author: R J Lewis
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Suspense, Dark
Heat Rating: hot
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Date: July 2014
Source & Format: Own–eBook (Kindle)

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I found this book when I was browsing the bestsellers on Kindle one day and the price was totally right (I paid $1 I think). I liked the mystery behind the synopsis–it sounded like a good dark New Adult story with some good twists. I don’t read a lot of NA suspense but this one seemed like it had some promise.

The Plot:

The plot of this book really surprised me! I didn’t really know it was going to be a suspense novel until I actually started to read it. I liked that it was part mystery (what happened to Claire?; who really is Ben?) and part suspense plot line (what is Claire going to do about what she has learned?). I was really surprised with the suspense direction and that is what hooked me into this book. I really had no idea how it was going to end and that really motivated me to keep reading.

There was also a great balance with the romance and the character development as well.

The Characters:

I did not like Claire in the first chapter, but that’s the point. This story is about her growth as a person and she does have some great character development as you read. I started to sympathize with her situation and definitely understood why she makes the choices she makes.

Ben was perhaps a little too alpha male for my personal tastes BUT, I did enjoy his enigma of a character. He was mysterious enough to keep you reading but not so mysterious that I felt like he was underdeveloped. It really worked well I think.

The Romance:

I’m slightly torn about the romance and how its presented. On a personal note, I wanted to see more of a connection between these two. But at the same time, the story is “Kiss a Stranger” and so I understand that things are going to happen fast and be a little superficial. I think it really worked for the suspense of the plot to have the romance as it was. And so, in the end, I suppose I really didn’t mind how it came about even if I wanted a little more between these two.

My Rating: 4.5/5

This is definitely an inflated rating. It’s definitely a solid 4 but I really liked how the plot progressed and so it gets bonus points!

This book kept me guessing and really surprised me with its delivery. If you want to try a darker New Adult or try a NA suspense novel for the first time, this is a great introductory book to start with!

Read if You Like: suspenseful stories, character growth
Avoid if You: don’t like fast romances, darker stories