Stockholm Syndrome

Title: Stockholm Syndrome

Author: Sage Marlow

Publisher: Total E-Bound Books

Publishers URL: http://www.total-e-bound.com

ISBN/BIN: 978-1-78184-416-8

Genre: {M/M}, Contemporary, Mystery

Rating: 3 Nymphs

Literary Nymph Reviewer: Critter Nymph

Dan knows his boss isn’t very happy with him after the way his last assignment turned out.  Knowing he’s on the shit list, Dan goes into his new job planning on keeping his nose clean and doing the best job possible.  What he doesn’t expect is to be so drawn to the Hollywood hot shot he’s assigned to protect.

Stockholm Syndrome is the newest book by author Sage Marlow.  The blurb posted on the publisher’s website really caught my attention and I was anxious to get my hands on it.  While the premise is a good one, the book was far from being a favorite. 

For me, the characters were hard to like.  Dan is a bodyguard used to guarding politicians and other high profile individuals.  That being the case, you would figure he was very good at his job, yet several times during the course of this story he came across as weak in his profession and I could not believe how side-tracked he became at times.  There is also the matter of his last assignment.  During the course of this story, Dan’s last assignment, or actually the fact that something went wrong, comes into play numerous times, yet we never find out what happened or why it was so important to the way Dan behaves.

Then there is Bryan.  Bryan is a Hollywood rising star, who is up for an Academy Award at the young age of 25.  You would expect him to be a little self-centered and, in that regard, the readers are not going to be disappointed.  Readers will also not be surprised by the fact that Bryan seems unconcerned about the letters that have his agent worried.  It is the reason why he is not worried that will surprise the readers instead.  Even with his faults, Bryan, at least in the beginning, was easy to like.  Yet there is one scene, as the story is coming to an end, which, for me, totally turned that feeling around.  I was shocked by the young man’s behavior and was surprised that his behavior, both in the past and present, did not result in tougher consequences.

One of the things I look for in a romance is the connection between the main characters. A strong connection between the love interests is what, for me, makes the story believable.  I had a hard time seeing that connection between the characters in Stockholm Syndrome.  While it was easy to see the lust, the friendship, let alone love, was harder to see.  While I really wanted to like this story, I found myself more disappointed instead.