Reviewed by: Pete Barber
Genre: Romance
Approximate word count: 55,000-60,000 words
Availability
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Author:
Check out Libby's blog here.
Description:
After a
being wrongly accused of betraying trade secrets by her previous long-term
boyfriend, fashion designer Maya Kirkwood leaves New York and moves to San Francisco
to start a new life. She is commissioned to design and install a series of
fabric-inspired wall hangings for Derek Whitley, CEO of a Silicon Valley
hi-tech company. The story follows their often bumpy journey toward romance.
Appraisal:
I don’t read enough romance novels to make an informed comparison between
this story and others in the genre. That said, I enjoyed Unmasking Maya. I’ve tried to examine why, because unlike sci-fi, thriller,
or action, much of this story takes place inside Maya’s mind. In these other
genre, ‘telling’ the story in this manner would be one-star-worthy, but I
became involved with Maya’s internal workings as she shared her thoughts about
Derek (handsome and smart, but too driven, and a workaholic), and her struggles
with her own insecurities (he seems distant, hard to read, and can she ever
trust again after her last relationship).
They get off to a poor start because he doesn’t much like her artwork,
which is a tough pill to swallow as she’s trying to reinvent herself through
her creations. And then there’s the repeated references to Daisy, which both
intrigue her, and make her suspicious of Derek’s viability as a partner - maybe
Daisy is another one-night-stand.
Derek and Maya are both likeable, the more so because they have
interesting jobs. The author’s knowledge of fashion and of San Francisco help
to imbue the story with realism, and the obstacles over which our heroine must
of necessity stumble seem believable, as does the ending and the way they reach
it.
Format/Typo Issues:
Only one typo
noted – Wow! Kudos, Ms. Mercer.
Rating: **** Four stars
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