One Year Love

I feel like I've been waiting forever for a new release from Devon Hartford...and finally he delivers.  This novel is being released differently than he's done in the past though and I'm not sure if I like it or not.  He's doing more of a bit-by-bit release, much in the same style of H.M. Ward with her series'.  There are definite pros and cons for the reader when releasing a story that way and that can be debated, but not today.  I'm just going to talk about Hartford's new release, One Year Love.  Parts 1, 2, and 3 have been released already and there is rumors of a fourth release as well coming soon to conclude the story.

What I enjoy about Hartford's writing is that his characters are very funny.  They generally don't take themselves too seriously and I'm guessing that neither does Hartford himself. That's a good thing because it brings a layer of realness and believe-ability to the characters he creates.  I feel like he probably puts a lot of himself into his characters as well and that can go either way as far as the actual writing goes.  Oftentimes it works, because as I mentioned, it makes the characters real, more like you and me.  Sometimes, however, the fact that he's a male writing in what is a predominantly female genre becomes very obvious.  His language and thought process though are very much along the line of being male dominated.  When he's writing from the male prospective, that's a good thing.  Hell, that's a phenomenal thing really.  Help us ladies out and let us know what is really going on in those tiny brains of yours!  When we're dealing with the ladies it sometimes comes across...hmmm...I'm not sure what the word I'm looking for is.  Maybe crass?  No.  Just strange, I suppose, and not quite right in my opinion.  Regardless, Hartford does come up with some fascinating characters that he writes about and this new novel in no exception.

In One Year Love we meet River, a masseuse at a high end hotel.  She's strong willed, but also a bit innocent in a way.  She's sweet and impulsive at the same time and exceedingly likable.  We also are introduced to Drakken, a foreign business man with lots of money and not a huge grasp on the English language.  He also seems very troubled...but then again what kind of story would it be without that flawed character, right?  ;)  When these two very different personalities come together, you won't believe what kind of sparks start flying!  The flirting between them is both hilarious and sexy.  I can't wait to read how the rest of this novel plays out but I have a feeling that I won't be disappointed.  So far, Hartford has always delivered a great storyline, fun & friendly characters, and a great ending.