BOOK REVIEW: The Line Between by Tamsyn Bester

4 stars

 “…this wasn’t a book, and we weren’t a pair of fictional characters trying to find our way to one another. We were a mismatched set of complications, and craptastic pasts, and everything else that made us a colossal disaster in the making. Stupidly, it didn’t change how badly I wanted to push her away and pull her closer at the same time.”  — Dane Winters

Umm, okay Dane. (lol) ;-)  Yet even though this is a book and he is a fictional character, Dane Winters has nailed the description of the dynamics of his tortured relationship with Kennedy Monroe. 

Dane is a manwhore, a jerk, a bully, who acts out against Kennedy when he can’t get a handle on his feelings for her.

“…one look at Kennedy had my blood boiling for another reason. It drove me f*cking crazy, and I couldn’t tell which of the two emotions—aversion or raunchiness—was going to win.”

Kennedy was his victim in high school, now she’s fighting back when they are face to face again in college. Their family background reads like an account from Romeo and Juliet or perhaps the Hatfields vs. the McCoys.  It’s certainly a large part of what has messed with both of their heads along with other inner family dynamics.

There’s plenty of drama, and this definitely veers on the angsty side. Both characters are a bit of head-cases, and they let their inner struggles get in the way. While their chemistry isn’t off the charts and there was a connection that I struggled with a little in the beginning, it still reads as a page-turner—as in I kept telling myself “just one more chapter” till it was 2am!  There's plenty of build-up till they finally get together and once they do it’s pretty hot and steamy. 

“‘Baby, I’m an animal. By the time I’m done, you won’t be able to walk without thinking about me.’”

Told via Dane and Kennedy’s alternating first person POV, their lust and conflicted feelings for each other is clearly felt. As far as the rest of their relationship goes, I would have preferred more of them talking out the past and finding their common ground, particularly in regards to their fathers which seemed like an aspect that should have been further developed. Instead the pair avoids the heavy issues till it’s flashing in front of their faces and the dramatic scenes explode. Meanwhile they opt to simply put an expiration date on their tryst and lament what they think they can't change.

Dane can be rather cold but despite his harsh and biter ways, there’s something about him that you want to see healed. It’s obvious he’s broken and Kennedy is the key to the repairs, if only she can get it together too.

This is the first book in The Line Between series. There’s an epilogue; no cliffhanger; HEA. Blurred Lines, a novella for Jade and Reid, Kennedy and Dane’s friends, is to follow. They are both interesting and likeable characters in this book for the most part. An intriguing though equally drama and angst filled sample is provided at the end for a sneak peak. 

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