Kathy Ivan

A romantic suspense novel, Desperate Choices was a quick and entertaining read. As a fan of both the paranormal and mystery genres, the premise was appealing and the conclusion for me was satisfying.Ivan has incorporated some original ideas into her story, particularly how Theresa developed her psychic ability, and her villians motivation is unusual. These and other unexpected plot points maintained my interest throughout. I did feel the pace could have been a little tighter, even though the novel is quite short, the overall tension lagged in places where the romantic relationship between Theresa and Max came to the fore.Theresa is likeable though not always consistent (the striptease seemed particularly jarring given her history). Max is verging on the Alpha side of a hero but appealing enough. Their romantic relationship moves along naturally and the HEA is predictable, but satisfying.I liked Remy, but as a secondary character but I didn't think we needed to hear how hot Theresa thought he was quite so often. I read in an author interview that originally she had intended for Remy to be the protagonist (rather than Max) and I think some of the confusion remained, at times I wasn't sure if he was a rival or supporter of the relationship.The villian of the piece is probably the most complex character, his reasons for his actions are original and Ivan charts his behaviour skillfully, though I think there was much more potential to develop his character.I think there is a lot to recommend Desperate Choices as a debut novel by Kathy Ivan and I look forward to reading Remy's story.… (más)