Perception

Secrets #3

by Lace Daltyn

Laid off from her job and evicted from her condo, life couldn’t get much worse for Melinda Atkins. When Dylan Maguire invites her to stay with him, the strings attached are more than Mel is ready to take on. After all, she’s ten years older than him, and more years than that separate her and the models he photographs. It’s inevitable that he will lose interest.

Dylan has tried everything else to convince the woman he loves that he’s forever material, that their age difference means nothing to him. Now he’s out of options. Afraid he’s on the cusp of losing it all, Dylan submits an application for help.

111 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 7, 2014

About the author

After years of searching, Lace settled down with a man whose first words to her were "Save me a dance."

That's all it took. Four little words and she was a goner. Twenty years later, she still remembers that first kiss, standing beside his yellow Ford Mustang cool car. (Yes, it was yellow. "Hey," Lace says. "It was cool at the time.")

And it still is in her mind and in her heart. That kiss and the future love it represented is the reason she enjoys stories filled with romance and emotion.

And dancing. Always dancing.

Reviews

[Ruthie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I received this book for free to read and review for Wicked Reads"

This is the third in a series of five stories, with an overall theme that is tied up in book 5 - I know because I have just devoured them all! They are fun, sexy and ultimately very satisfying. Drea, a mysterious benefactor, is determined to help love's true course. Michael, her 'man Friday' helps her achieve this by setting up elaborate scenarios to right wrongs and bring people together. Each story reveals a little more about Drea and deals with a couple who need help.

Even though Melinda works hard to look after herself, she does not recognise that she is the beautiful woman that her (not) boyfriend says she is. When she is laid off and faces losing her apartment, she loses even more self-confidence, but Dylan remains constant, and maybe is just what he says he is after all. I loved this older woman, younger man story, which raises many genuinely difficult issues in a sensitive and entertaining way. Their chemistry is great, as is the outcome.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The past can be such a bitch. It can keep you back even when your heart begs you to take a chance because this is what it wants. That was Melinda. She's seen the devastation left behind when someone was left for a younger person, and those memories bolstered her resolve never to let her relationship with Dylan come to that point. The heartache of him leaving for someone younger would kill her.

Dylan however wasn't going anywhere. His heart was set on Melinda and only Melinda. The models he worked with were beautiful, sure, and closer to his age, but they didn't do anything for him. He couldn't rely on words at this point anymore; he had to show her what he saw every time he looked at her. And he did by doing what he did best: he photographed her.

Pictures convey more than words ever could. In those pictures, Melinda finally saw herself as Dylan saw her.

"This is what I've wanted you to understand," Dylan said. "I've wanted you to see the real you."

"And this is it?" Mel chewed on her lower lip.

"Yes. This is the caring, adventurous, beautiful woman I love." (Kindle, ARC, Loc 1643)

This moment was when I cheered the most because Melinda was finally aware of herself. This man wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't going to ditch her when she turned fifty and he was forty. He wasn't going to chase the next pretty thing to grace every billboard across America. As much as she was his, he was undeniably hers.

(Received from Tasty Book Tours for an honest review)

[Girl Reading Books Too · Rating 2 out of 5]

Melinda has issues with her age difference between her and her boyfriend, Dylan. Again Dylan is the soul of patience and love, while Melinda and her rather superficial hang ups were annoying and self absorbed.

This story revolves around Melinda's life being turned upside down and she's no longer in control and self sufficient. A situation is manufactured for her to find that she needs to depend on Dylan but frankly, for most of the story, it just seems like she's using him and taking advantage of the fact that he's in love with her.

It got to the point where I started wondering why the heck I was reading so many stories with frustrating women who just don't seem to deserve the men who love them since they are so blatantly exploiting the men. This story drove me bananas and I never got to the point of liking Melinda even as they got their happy ever after.

[Bambi Unbridled · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't for me. The writing was fine, but I just didn't connect with Melinda. I am close to her age, and I am not really into the whole younger guy thing (yet). That being said, her repeated rejection of him annoyed me to the point of wanting to shake her. But the relationship between Drea and Michael is still intriguing me, I can't wait to get to book 5.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.