Review: Seeing Red by Sidney Halston

Posted April 4, 2013 by Karen in Book Reviews, Giveaways / 1 Comment

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Title: Seeing Red

Author: Sidney Halston

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Release date: Feb 15, 2013

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tour organized by: AToMR Tours

Book Description:

A love triangle just wouldn’t suffice; Jillian Stone had the ‘misfortune’ of getting herself into a love square– with twins, nonetheless.

Alexander, Oliver, and Jillian were raised on a deserted island. For 12 years, all they knew were those that were marooned with them. A strong bond would link them forever. At 12 years old, they are all rescued and clairvoyant Jillian is immediately shipped off to boarding school. Ten years later, she is reunited with her twins at the funeral of Helen, the woman who “mothered” them while on the island. The innocent and childhood feelings they shared on the island…well, they aren’t so innocent anymore. Her scrawny gangly twins are now grown men. Oliver, the ever-loyal friend and Alexander the ultimate bad-boy, have her heart in a tug-a-war.

Enter, mysteriously sexy Professor Paul Black. He’s Jillian’s law school professor and she has caught his attention, albeit inappropriate. All the while, Jillian’s clairvoyance is wreaking havoc on her life as visions of a redheaded man are becoming all consuming. The dangerous man in her visions is searching for her and has a big secret to share with her about her time on the island as well as about her psychic abilities. Scared for her life, all three men try to protect her, but she must chose one in order to focus on the problem at hand—the redheaded man’s secret.

Seeing Red is a romance with some paranormal elements and some suspense and a lot of sexual tension.

Review

Seeing Red by Sidney Halston is a contemporary romance with a unique premise; one that had me turning the pages wondering where the adventure would lead. The story centers around Jillian Stone, Alexander Jacobs, and Oliver Jacobs. The two male characters are gorgeous sexy blond Viking identical twins, whom Jillian grew up with on a desert island. Jillian was a newborn when the plane that she was on crashed into the Pacific Ocean, making her an orphan. Jillian was cared for by a poignantly witty woman named Helen. Her confidants and lifelong friends the twins were born shortly after, as their pregnant mother was also on the plane. They and a group of adult survivors lived on the island for twelve years, until their rescue and separation. The children of course never have experienced civilization were content in their island life.

Fast forward to age nineteen, the twins and Jillian have been reunited in Texas after an seven year absence. Jillian and Oliver have kept in touch via infrequent emails and phone calls however, they have not scene each other in the seven years since the rescue. Oliver is the upstanding, boring, solid and responsible twin while Alexander is a hellion man-whore with a drug problem. Jillian has been in love to an extent with both of these young men all her life and they too have been in love with her but nothing ever really happened, as they were all pre teens on the island. Two guys both brothers in love with the same girl and no cloning machine in site, yes this is a problem. Problems arise in this first meeting and it spurs on the plot line.

The book fast forwards again as Jillian enters law school in Texas. She is a recent Georgetown University graduate, and ready to focus on getting her law degree. Jillian has really been rootless since the island, the woman who was the children’s care taker on the island Helen raised the boys, but sent Jillian off to boarding school. Jillian since the island has made no close attachments to anyone or anything. She has isolated herself in her own protective cocoon of self. This poor girl had the only family she has knew wrenched away from her, has never made any close friends, and has insulated herself from life and relationships. Not the ideal formula for a strong life foundation. Oliver and Alexander re-enter her life in Texas and so does a new roommate Heather, a true blue southern gal.

This book is about relationships; how our beginnings shape the path our lives follow. and how one defines family and where your heart leads you. To say that Jillian is conflicted and has major self-doubt, would be the same as commenting on the sky’s color. The back and forth of her self-doubt, and the ‘Who do I love?’ was the major plot lines of the book, a romance at heart. That, however, is not the only plot line… as Jillian has a secret, a rather unique secret that only Oliver and Alexander know about. And because of her secret, Jillian’s life get very complicated. (No I’m not telling you what it is, you’ll have to read the book.)

Jillian and gang soon find out that she isn’t the only one keeping secrets, ones that have the potential to ruin the friends’ lives. In the last twenty percent of the book, it is the web of unspoken truths that propels it. They last part also sets up the plot for the sequel, and leaves the reader wonder where this drama will lead.

This was a delightful read and I liked it because of the unusual premise. I honestly would have liked more of the island life with the kids growing up. Helen as island narrator does an excellent job describing island life. At some points, Jillian’s obsessive nature wanted to make me scream at her but, that was the entire point of her indecision. I recommend this book because of its unique storyline and the ability to stand out of the other formula-type stories so readily available. And before you ask…yes I will be reading book two.

Purchase Links AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE| GOODREADS

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About the Author

Sidney Halston lives her life with one simple rule: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”–Mark Twain. Or even simpler, “Just Do It”—Nike.

And that’s exactly what she did. After working hard as an attorney, Sidney picked up a pen for the first time at thirty years old to begin her dream of writing. Having never written anything other than very exciting legal briefs, she found an outlet for her imaginative romantic side and wrote Seeing Red.That first pen stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing.

Sidney lives in South Florida with her husband and children. She loves her family above all else, and reading follows a close second. When she’s not writing you can find her reading and reading and reading. She’s a reader first and a writer second.

When she’s not writing or reading, her life is complete and utter chaos, trying to balance family life with work and writing (and reading). But she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Author Social Media links:
Twitter: @sidneyhalston

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