Truth
or Daire by Keta Diablo
Kindle
Desktop Publishing, 2020
Cagney
Kissler has been saving her V-card for that special someone. When her
good-looking, fast-talking temporary flatmate Daire finally manages
to seduce her, she wonders why she waited so long. Then she comes
home from her job at Bloomingdale’s with her brand new, sexy
lingerie, anticipating another night of delirious pleasure, and
discovers he’s a lazy, lying cheat who’s just using her so he’ll
have a place to crash. She kicks him out, but the damage to her
self-esteem is not so easily repaired.
Fortunately,
she has already planned a week-long winter escape to visit her best
friend Lily in Fort Myers, Florida. The warm sun and the tropical
environment are just what she needs to help her get over her
heartache. When she meets Evan Truth – gorgeous, wealthy,
considerate and insightful – she discovers how shallow her feelings
for Daire really were. Evan’s kiss ignites her; his touch drives
her crazy with desire. Meanwhile he’s such a decent, generous soul
that she can’t help falling in love. But Cagney’s time in Florida
is short and she knows Evan can never be more than a holiday fling.
Flying back to her empty life in frigid, gray Chicago might be the
hardest thing she’s ever done.
Truth
or Daire is a brief but engaging erotic romance that does a
fantastic job portraying the connection between two soul mates. The
love scenes are gorgeous, while the deliciously described Florida
setting reflects the warmth of Cagney’s and Evan’s connection.
This 46 page novella provides a full narrative arc, with a conflict
centered on the physical and psychological distance between the
protagonists’ lives. Cagney’s wrenching parting from her beloved
had me aching for her. However, this conflict is rapidly resolved in
the last few pages and the happy ending assured. Indeed the obstacles
dissolve, perhaps because they existed only in Cagney’s mind to
start with.
Although
it feels complete, this book was too short for my tastes. Ms. Diablo
doesn’t have the word count to go into any depth. For instance,
Evan is a veteran of the Afghan war, but we never really get to see
how that (presumably horrific) experience affected him. We also know
very little about the heroine, other than the fact that she’s a bit
naïve and certainly more conservative than her rather wild Florida
girlfriend. Truth or Daire offers a mere sketch of a
relationship between two characters whom I’d like to know better.
Of
course the answer to the implicit question in the book title was
always Evan, but Daire reappears near the end, in a great scene that
shows how far Cagney has come in a short time. I think Daire could
have become more than just a brief comic relief. The same is true
with Lily. It seems a shame to create such colorful characters but
not take advantage of them.
In
general, I have a personal preference for longer books. If, on the
contrary, you’re looking for a quick romance hit, with lingering
sweetness and luscious heat, Truth or Daire may be just the
thing.
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