Verity Review

Many of you already know Colleen as a romance writer first, but I didn't, so when I read her first thriller, I was going in blindfolded :)

What I enjoyed as a writer is how she wrote a book within a book to represent several key themes. In particular, how authors can make some pretty vicious, brutal characters that, as a fan (and writer), make you wonder what it means about the author writing it. It's an intriguing concept. When I put my characters into traumatic situations, I catch myself wondering, should I really be writing that? But what if the author becomes the character? Colleen Hoover weaves this nicely into the plot, and you have the main protagonist, Lowen Ashleigh, contracted to ghostwrite a sequel for a famous author, Verity Crawford, who has been bedridden under mysterious circumstances. As Verity's husband, a handsome, rugged man, Jeremy, invites Lowen into the home to scour her sequel's notes, Colleen Hoover's romance background comes into full play. Sexual tension ramps up the stakes, as does the thrills, when the ghostwriter falls for Jeremy while discovering a draft of a haunting autobiography written by the seemingly incapacitated Verity.

Another aspect of Colleen Hoover that I loved is that she considered her first thriller to be an Indie book. Known as a romance author worldwide, she wanted to branch out into thrillers but had no idea if she could. In her afterword, I love her vulnerability in not knowing whether she would succeed or not (she, of course, did, as you know; but all writers share this self-doubt). It helps to have a dedicated fan base, but she supported herself by making her first thriller part steamy romance to bridge the two audiences nicely. Well done, Colleen Hoover. I will read more of your books in any genre. You also made me blush, many times :)