[A quick note: As an Indy author, I try to read one Indy book a month. It’s so important to support Indy authors. I also tend to judge Indy books differently than professionally/traditionally published books. A trad-pub author has an entire army behind them, helping them develop their work: agents, editors, formatters, cover artists, etc. An Indy author is a one man show and must oversee EVERYTHING. Moreover, reviews are SO IMPORTANT for Indy authors. Most people buy Indy books based soley on the # of reviews that book has. So remember: help your Indy authors out by leaving them a review! Lastly, I’d like to note that this book is outside of my genre of fantasy. I am branching out here, something I don’t often do.]
(4/5⭐️) Say hello to a wild ride! There’s nothing special about Vick Miller, except that he looks a lot like millionaire Alex Livingston’s diseased husband. When Alex approaches Vick with a proposal he can’t resist, Vick finds himself in a dangerous game. Alex is determined to get pregnant. It’s Vick’s sperm she wants—a baby in the image of her deceased husband. Sounds easy right? Donate some swimmers in exchange for a wad of cash? No strings. No obligations. But Alex isn’t the woman she appears to be, and soon Vick finds himself in over his head.
Alex Six is a psychological thriller told from two POVs. The chapters are short and keep you turning pages as you plunge through the plot. Vick’s story evolves, and you find yourself putting the pieces together as you make the shocking realization that Alex isn’t the woman you thought she was. It’s a surprising plot twist, to say the least.
Vince Taplin crafts two characters with unique voices. Both characters are morally gray, multifaceted, and lugging around their fair share of personal flaws. Alex’s flaws are the most extreme. She’s obsessive, and quite obviously suffering from mental instability. Her obsessive tendencies are so insane that she becomes the perfect story villain. Vick’s character was fantastic. His voice was so unique, I was immediately hooked. He’s written in a way that you witness his casual mental processes firsthand. This technique allows the reader to get a deep look into his mind and thinking processes. I loved his mental asides. He felt real and relatable.
Vick’s POV voice was my favorite aspect of this novel. IMO, it made the writing.
The story itself was engaging. I really liked the way the storyline from Vick’s POV didn’t quite match up to his stalker’s (at the beginning). But as the story progressed, the parallel plot began to align, and the pieces started to fit together. This, to me, was another unique aspect of the story I appreciated.
The ending was satisfying. I liked that Vick got his revenge. After what he went through, and everything Alex did to him, it was nice to see some closure. And I finally understood all the hype about the bottle of vanilla! Phew! I thought I was missing something when I saw everyone referencing this.
Okay, now on to the flaws. There weren’t many. As Vince Taplin’s FIRST book, this was a great debut. I have a great admiration for Indy authors, being one myself. But, no first book is perfect. The flaws I saw with this book were as follows:
Some of the past/present tense felt mixed up in places that slowed my reading. Vick appeared to be told in a past tense while Alex appeared to be in a present tense. However, sometimes Vick would have both past and present tense in his thoughts (in a single sentence) and that kind of tripped me up. No biggie.
No to Krayh’s character. I felt that Kray’s story didn’t get much attention. While I understand that the story was about Vick and Alex, it would have been nice to see her character have some development. She wasn’t ignored, per say, but I felt that she was somewhat overlooked. For example, I felt there was some disconnect to their relationship. Vick seemed to come and go without much discussion between them. Didn’t Kray wonder how he’d gotten a membership to a prestigious golf corse? Or did he lie to her every time he went out? Or was she so drugged up that she didn’t even notice or ask? A quick mention might have easily filled this hole.
Maybe this is just how some marriages are? But I didn’t see enough communication between the two of them to make them feel super realistic as a married couple. But again, since this wasn’t 100% necessary to the main plot, it’s okay. It just would have added a layer of realism in the overall plot.
Aside from that, I enjoyed this book! I’m glad I gave it a shot. I don’t generally read within this genre. I pretty much ONLY read fantasy, YA, and Sci-fi. So it was refreshing to branch out and do something different. Bravo to Vince Taplin on his debut novel. I think we can expect many more great reads from this author!
Thank you Vince, for the copy in exchange for my honest review! You can read this book through Kindle Unlimited, so check it out!