Color Her Red - Crystal L. Shaw COLOR HER RED is the first book by new author Crystal L. Shaw. I really liked the general basis of the book – I am a sucker for any storyline with a powerful and wealthy hero, then tack on the fact that he is a reformed playboy and I will snatch it up in a heartbeat!

Emma and Thomas have been married for about a year when rumors begin to fly all over the media about Thomas’ supposed infidelity. Emma, understandably, is an emotional wreck and isn’t quite sure what to believe. While dealing with the fallout and emotional aspects of the alleged infidelity, Emma finds herself in a terrifying predicament, as she becomes the target of one of Thomas’ mentally unstable former ex-girlfriends. Yikes!

From the beginning, I was captured by the charming characters and the mystery surrounding them – I was anxiously rubbing my hands together in anticipation – excited about what would happen next. I kept waiting for some sort of twist or pivotal moment in the story that never really came to fruition. I had plenty of suspicions about how the story might wrap up, but I was very surprised to find that there was no twists or surprises at all. In my opinion, COLOR HER RED would benefit greatly if the author added something unexpected that would yank the reader out of the blissfully perfect world in which the characters live and shake them up a bit.

There was also a bit of a disconnect for me as a reader with the “other” woman, Lillian’s role in the story – there were things about her activities that just didn’t jive for me. For instance, How did Lillian keep getting in the house? Where was Emma’s bodyguard, Michael when Lillian broke into the house the last time? Wasn’t the alarm code reset? I didn't buy that Michael would have left for any reason – his sole purpose at this point in the story was to protect Emma. Then, wouldn't they still have the alarm activated even if there were guards outside? I think they would, because the house is probably large - there would be no way that 2 men could properly guard a house of that size well enough to forego the alarm system. And if I somehow missed it and the alarm was set, how did she get in? The author said this would all be explained in the sequel, but I feel that this is information that should have been resolved in THIS installment – there wasn’t much to resolve, so why not go ahead and clear that up? It seemed to me to be more like a gap in the plot than a cliffhanger…

I would like to see the plot in COLOR HER RED to be expanded a bit to include a few jaw-dropping moments. I also think the characters could use some more development and tension. As the story stands, it was a 2 star read for me – if the author were to revamp the book, I would definitely take another look because I think Ms. Shaw has a story that is worth telling, it just needs a little work.


✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

**Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews

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