WONDERFUL REVIEW 4 OUT 0F 4 STARS- DANGEROUS DECISIONS

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of “Dangerous Decisions” by RC Bonitz.]

Megan is your typical twenty-something-year-old history teacher, except she has a very wealthy “live-in” boyfriend, Doug. Not that you would know it based on how often he is around. Although Megan doesn’t realize it at first, she doesn’t love Doug and only stays with him because he has threatened to take custody of their amazing daughter, Jordan. A very unhappy circumstance thrusts Wade Rivers into Megan’s life, which might just be the push Megan needs to take a second look at her “relationship” with Doug. As Megan starts to develop feelings toward Wade, she learns more about the man she has been living with for the past four or five years. Will fear of losing her daughter keep her from leaving a man she doesn’t love? Can she love Wade after everything she has learned?

Dangerous Decisions fits the romance genre to a T. There is drama and suspense, but there is also happiness and passion strategically placed throughout. The story is set in New England just before summer break. The characters all have a very realistic feel to them and are easy to relate with as you read. RC Bonitz writes in the third person, changing perspectives as needed throughout the story, which helps create suspense and further develop the storyline.

Speaking of storyline – this one is pretty great! The story started off cute as the reader is introduced to Megan and Jordan, but takes a dramatic turn to a tear-jerking incident. If you cry easily, you will want tissues! I was upset with the direction the story went, but quickly recovered as Bonitz used the tragic event to push the characters together and introduce the fun and quirky interactions between Wade, Jordan, and Megan. After that point, there is a lot of twists and turns as Megan tries to find her voice and decide what she wants to do with her life and Jordan’s. I was extremely disappointed when the story ended. I could have read about Wade and Megan for at least 100 more pages! Here’s to hoping that there is a sequel.

I would definitely recommend this book to any romance fanatic! As with any romance novel, there is talk of sex and some inappropriate language, so mature readers are preferable. Bonitz does a good job leaving erotic scenes to the imagination. S/he sticks with the traditional “…” type of ending during those scenes. I think this is a perfect fit for the book since the overall feel of it is very light and quirky. There is an added bonus for the dog-loving romance fanatic with an added storyline that weaves throughout the romantic life of Megan involving her dogs (don’t want to give too much away).

In my opinion, the message to the readers is about not just standing up for yourself, but standing up for others. The story takes readers on Megan’s journey to realizing her feelings toward Doug and their relationship, as well as her feelings toward Wade and her thoughts on the possibility of a future together. It is clear from the first chapter that Doug has made threats to Megan and that she is afraid of him or intimidated by him. Even as she learns more about his dark side, she is torn because of her loyalty to him as her daughter’s father. Readers can relate to her journey to empowerment. Similarly, Wade quickly picks up on Megan’s sadness during their first encounter and her fear of her boyfriend. He is determined to make sure that nothing ever happens to her, but the reason why is completely unexpected (can’t tell; you don’t find out until the end). This book has a great message for people in abusive relationships and friends/family that suspect or know someone is in an abusive relationship.

The novel appears to be self-published with a generic cover and a few mechanical errors. I noted some awkward phrasing at times, some missing periods, etc. There were not enough errors that really detracted from the reading, but another revision could help give it a polished presentation. For a self-published book, I am really impressed with the quality that was presented and I don’t have much to complain about. I would strongly encourage an “About the Author” section though! I was really disappointed that I was unable to find any information anywhere about this author. I confidently give Dangerous Decisions by RC Bonitz 4 out of 4 stars!

******