The Blink of Her Eye by Angelica Thaddeus

The Blink of Her Eye combines a few different genres in one novel. It is mainly a mystery, with some erotica as well. Anika is investigating the deaths of six patients at hospitals under her care. Whilst she is visiting the first, she runs into Gabriel, who then becomes the hero of the novel and the object of her fantasies. It doesn’t take long before this quiet homey looking girl has attracted his attention and he tells her, “I want in”.

The two begin to investigate the deaths together, along the way getting to know each other better. There were many things that I liked about this part of the book. Gabriel was typical of many heroes of this genre in many ways, but Ms Thaddeus also managed to provide many surprises and keep her readers guessing about his background and his intentions. For all his apparent keenness to get Anika between the sheets, which kicked off in chapter one, there is an unexpectedly long journey to their happy coupling.

There are many other characters who Ms Thaddeus introduces along the way. They are varied and interesting. I really thought I’d had them all pegged from the start, but she kept me guessing right to the very end. There is another character, Carlton, who features in the story romantically, and appears to grow genuinely fond of Anika.

The main character is someone who most readers will be able to relate to and aspire to. Anika is a business woman who is looking for Mr Right. She is rather socially shy, but finds herself very confident in the bedroom when Gabriel encourages her. At times however I also wanted to shake her for her naivety. Anika is let down by both Gabriel and Carlton during intimacy early on in the book, and yet she continues to trust them both and allow their relationships to move well past professional ones. I found this excruciatingly frustrating. When she allowed them to continue treating her cheaply like a doormat I found it harder to relate to her as a character and respect any of them as people. I also found it difficult to accept Anika’s need for Gabriel’s help every step of the way. Whenever he was not assisting her, the case appeared to stall.

The book is well-written and edited. It’s easy to read and the characters are well woven. It’s a solid summer holiday story if you’re looking for a bit of fun and a light read.

Link to Goodreads.