Description (from Amazon): He's persuasive, charming, and way too mysterious. And for Samara Marshall, her co-worker is everything she wants most--and everything she most fears. . .Samara Marshall is determined to make the summer before her senior year the best ever. Her plan: enjoy downtime with friends and work to save up cash for her dream car. Summer romance is not on her to-do list, but uncovering the truth about her flirtatious co-worker, Caleb Baker, is. From the peculiar glow to his eyes to the unfortunate events that befall the girls who pine after him, Samara is the only one to sense danger behind his smile. But Caleb's secrets are drawing Samara into a world where the laws of attraction are a means of survival. And as a sinister power closes in on those she loves, Samara must take a risk that will change her life forever. . .or consume it.
Review: Living Violet walks the thin line of being a satire of the paranormal/supernatural romance genre and being one. At its essence though, it is a standard supernatural-boy--meets-girl romance with a diverse cast of characters as well as an interracial romance, which is not seen in the popular genre.
Samara is the daughter of a biracial couple who at times seems to struggle with her own identity. She is not sure which race she belongs to and how she is suppose to act. She uses her sarcasm and wit to distance herself from people. I loved Samara's snarky comments, but I wished we got to know her on a deeper level. I found her most interesting when she got a bit introspective, but unfortunately that doesn't last very long in the book.
People find it hard to label and identify Samara, which is why Caleb Baker is interested. Unlike all the women that constantly throw themselves at him, Samara resists his draw and just sees him: the smart alec coworker who has a horrible sweet tooth just like her. Caleb Baker is an overall decent-looking guy but not the standard jaw dropping, heart pounding beautiful love interest we find in this type of romance. The only thing that makes him stand out is his "intense violet eyes" that draws females to him. Caleb is literally a dangerous heart breaker: women he is with experience shortness of breath or a tendency to have heart attacks around him.
When Caleb kills a would-be date-rapist in front of Samara to protect her friend at a party, he's forced to come clean and reveal his nature to her. He's a Cambion, meaning he shares his body with an extra soul, that draws the women to him to fulfill its life-sucking nutritional needs. Readers familiar with the types of demons will easily recognize the signs to his identity much earlier on.
The romance between Samara and Caleb is slow and incredibly funny as the two constantly banter with one another. There are many scenes where I laughed out loud as the two work on defining their relationship. Thankfully there is no love triangle but two characters trying to find themselves. The action and tension returns in the last half of the book as we learn more about Caleb's family and how his ties threaten Samara's life.
Apart from pacing problems, the voice is inconsistent, the characters switch between a teen and adult voice, using slang (that didn't suit me well) to be cool. I was a bit disturbed at how Caleb didn't take more of a stand of fighting his demon on his own and his demon's influence was treated so lightly giving the cliche vibe of how a bad boy can do a girl some good. The scenes of Caleb learning how to fight off women was suppose to be funny, I found it a bit disturbing. I can see the author trying to poke fun at itself, but I think it hits that mark. Living Violet is a fast read and overall enjoyable if you don't think too much while reading it. The characters can be likable when the prose is successful and being themselves instead of acting out a part the author wants them to be. The relationship between Samara and Jaime is charming and sweet. I just found it a bit too hard to pick this one out from the crowd of other books in this genre.
Rating: 3 stars
Words of Caution: There is some language, a scene of underage drinking, and some slang that some readers may find offensive. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.
If you like this book try: Burning Emerald (The Cambion Chronicles #2) by Jamie Reed expected in 2012, Mystique by Shari Arnold
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