Perfect Monster
by B. B. Hamel
My review:
I’ve enjoyed a lot of books by B. B. Hamel, but I have to say that I truly think “Perfect Monster” is her best work yet. From start to finish, it’s full of excellent characters, intense situations, gasp-inducing moments, passionate encounters, and non-stop action.
Cassie is a poor but hardworking waitress in a seaside resort town. She’s a sweet person who tries to go about her life as unobtrusively as possible. While working a catering job, she has a frightening run-in with a vicious mafia gangster, who she later witnesses committing a cold-blooded crime. An even more frightening man, Roman, appears on the scene at both crucial moments in Cassie’s life. He’s a handsome and compelling man, but Cassie has no idea why everybody seems to be afraid of him. Roman knows more about Cassie then she realizes. His role in the underworld strikes terror in the hearts of mafia leaders, although most people have no idea who he is. He’s an intriguing character, and as the story unfolds he gets more and more interesting. Cassie and Roman each have their own closely held secrets. The physical attraction between them practically sizzles off the pages. There’s so much I’d like to talk about in this review, but the plot is so good I’m being very careful not to divulge anything because you deserve the experience of uncovering it yourself! Please trust me when I tell you that it’s not a typical mafia story, and it’s got some startlingly emotional parts that really took me by surprise.
The secondary characters throughout this story are vividly depicted. Just as with the main characters, you can picture them all in your mind’s eye. The epilogue indicates that Cassie’s best friend will be an important part of the next story in the series, and I’m already looking forward to it! I’m also hoping there will be much more about Roman’s assistant Roza, and about his best friend/bodyguard Erick.