Angie Dokos

After being attacked and defending herself from an attempted rape, Serena is discovered by the roadside, disrobed and left for dead, by police detective Levi Morgan and his son, Zayne, who rush her to the hospital. As his father investigates to find the attacker, Zayne becomes very protective of Serena and commits himself to helping her recover and regain her trust in others. But as Zayne and Serena’s friendship grows, will they be able to get over their fear that their growing attraction to each other will hurt this friendship? The tremendous dramatic incident that brings Zayne and Serena together creates the impression that the reader is about to experience a strong suspense mystery with dramatic underpinnings of a character’s battle with post-traumatic stress; however, the mystery is quickly and almost too perfectly resolved, while Serena’s post mental fears are lightly touched upon and minimalized in order to bring the reader to the true theme of a mainly clean YA romance. The story is mainly presented through conversation and long texting over the period of plot time, and readers who enjoy a light HEA romance between college age adults and their circle of friends will be satisfied by this tale, while mystery, suspense, and mental drama adherents will feel a strong story may have been missed.… (plus d'informations)

Family . . . . Death . . . Tragedy . . . . Secrets . . . . Challenges . . . . Survival . . . . Growth . . . . Love . . . . Romance . . . . Marriage . . . . Happiness

According to the author, this is the art of a fictional story. But while reading those pages, it felt as though I was walking alongside a journey of true-to-life characters. That is how crafted this author’s writing style was. And what an amazing skill, as a first-time author!
I won’t go into details of this story and what it’s all about since others have ALREADY done so. But I will say . . .
Truly, I was highly impressed with how this author initially drew out the colorization of characters and scenes. In my life, I’ve read a many fictional tales which weaken the style of creativity and development. And when that does happen, one’s story becomes less moving and limits its connection to characterization and scenery. But that was not the case, here, for the works of “Mackenzie’s Distraction.”
Yes indeed, quite a bit was happening in the life of Mackenzie. So, one could readily see how easy it was to become distracted. This title was definitely a great fit for the story. And the cover design . . . well, it made an even better mix. And as an author, (knowingly) those two elements go hand-in-hand in pumping out a great product. There was no doubt this author knew the literary formula for what it took . . . in giving readers a measurable creation.

I must confess, though, there were some areas where the storytelling tended to shift to those “tell me” moments, rather than continuing with “show me” ones. It is those types of moments (the show me ones) that beautifies the characters’ emotions and polishes the scenery (and places its readers in the moment). But then again, this was classified as a fictional tale and not a non-fictional one. Seemingly, its weight didn’t take from the overall structured development. Now, should this author create for us (readers) a non-fictional tale, I’d hope those show me moments jump off the page and stand out at ya.

This book is at less worthy of no less than a 4 ½ star rating, but no indications for such a rating. In that case, I plugged in a “five-star” rating simply for the deep thought processes, those points at the “show me moments” (that I read), points of colorization of its characters/scenes, and its overall development of such a storyline. And notwithstanding the fact, it kept my interest. Truly, with the depth of pages, it had to take (the writer/author) a great deal of thinking to lay it out, plot it out, and bring it out to closure.

Really, I suggest readers make their own judgment . . . not just ‘cause I found it an interesting read. Having such a product under her wings, I’m looking forward to the author’s next work of art. Kudos, to you (Angie) for this creation!… (plus d'informations)

Mackenzie and her brother’s life turns upside down when she receives a phone call from a nearby hospital that her mother and stepfather was just in a major auto accident. Her stepfather has escaped with several broken bones, but her mother is in a deep coma. Then, as other members of the family arrive at the hospital, a nurse recognizes Mackenzie’s grandmother, and in the ensuing conversation, inadvertently reveals a protected family secret that affects Mackenzie greatly. A few days later, Trevor, a handsome young hospital phlebotomist, enters the room where Mackenzie is keeping her mother company and is instantly attracted to Mackenzie. Yet, how can Mackenzie open up to Trevor after facing the recent drastic changes in her life? Despite the near tragic opening to this novel, the following story travels a mainly straightforward, predictable romantic path as daily life dialogue and details overwhelm the occasional moments of conflict. Except for inner insecurities and angst, major characters tend to be a little too perfect, and I felt characters should have expressed deeper interactive emotions at times, while common events could have been summarized more, but patient HEA readers should find satisfaction in the journey. In the version I read, basic editing is generally good with missing commas being the major issue.… (plus d'informations)