Week 42 ~ Driven

Week 42 ~ Oct 15-21, 2007

Driven
by Eve Kenin
(paranormal romance)

I picked this book up to research the line and see if it was one I could write for. (Side note: yes, I do believe it is. Must get cracking.) I'm not sure that I would have picked it up based on the cover alone, which looks like anime-grown-up. Since I'm not a huge anime fan in itself (nothing against it, though) I am not the target audience for the book's cover. So, I'm glad that I had a recommendation from someone I trust to prompt me to look for this book, because I really enjoyed it.

Driven takes place in the future, in something similar to a nuclear winter. The main character is a trucker, driving shipments to and fro in the frozen northern wastes and saving money in the hopes of moving to the still-warm tropics. There are, of course, plot twists which include a shipment that isn't what it seems, a group of ice-pirates on her trail, and an intense attraction to a man she barely knows.

The attraction is the romance-book sort, for those who shy away from sex scenes. It does get quite steamy in places. However, the romance isn't entirely contrived. There are more emotions at work than just lust between the hero and the heroine. There is even a little peek into the villain's thoughts, and though he is not as fully fleshed out as the bad guy in a longer book would likely be, it is still fun to get a glimpse.

Anyway, this was a fully engaging book. I really enjoyed reading it, and - while the line doesn't automatically imply a sequel - I am curious to read more about the characters. Will I get to? Maybe. Maybe not. But to leave your readers wanting more without feeling cheated is a very good thing.