Read, Review, and Rinse: BOOK REVIEW (2): Kholodov's Last Mistress

Book Review:

Kholodov's Last Mistress

M&B cover here. The model playing heroine Hannah looks right for her role.
But I don't have much to go on with the male model here...not my Sergei surely.

Let's role with the summary first, why don't we:

When Sergei Kholodov rescued American tourist Hannah Pearl, her wide-eyed approach to the world shocked the man whose life had left him bitterly cynical.

Hating how powerfully she affected him, Sergei made a cold-hearted decision to obliterate his dark emotions . . . . He would lose himself in sinful pleasure before pushing her away and destroying her dreams.

One year later, Sergei returns. Hannah has been seared in his memory - perhaps one more night will allow him to forget her once and for all? Or will he realize her innocence is a Pearl beyond price and that he'll never have enough . . . ?

And then I read the book.

My first thoughts: Stupid, stupid. Why is are you so naive, Hannah!?! *proceeds to kill exclamation and question mark tab on keyboard*

Seriously. I was nodding furiously--like a crazed idiot in the comfort of my home, thank you very much--every time Sergei tried to pop that impenetrable "the world is just" bubble of hers. Okay, okay. Let's work with a visual why don't we?

So a career in digital art isn't in my future...

If this is the spectrum of expectation of our interaction with the world, Hannah would fall on the far right in lala land of lollipops, sunshine and unicorns farting chocolate and to the extreme left Sergei won't budge from his position leading the war against just about everything (and no, not even your babies are safe from Sergei's cynicism. According to him, they'll probably just grow to hate you. Yeesh!)

So in a dream-like way, Thank you Ms. Hewitt, I went all psycho-analytic on our leads' butts. (and, uh, brains.) It made for great conflict, really!

Have you ever wanted to know what would happen after you put a pessimist and an optimist in a room together? This 181-page story, that's what.

So yeah, again, I'm a cynic and I was really angry by Hannah's optimism. And the funny thing is, I know there really are people out there like Hannah. Mellow, happy-go-lucky peace keepers. My mom is one of them and I love her to bits, but that doesn't make me less of a mix of frustration and admiration for such a personality type.

And as much as Hannah bunched me up, Kholodov didn't offer me much of a reprieve. Sergei's so wish-washy with his feelings. There's a reason I don't like Katy Perry's "Hot n Cold" and it has nothing to do with the lyrics and music.