Review: A Single Black Rose – Iyana Jenna

When actor Sean O’Reilly receives a flower bouquet containing a single black rose on set, he assumes they’re from his boyfriend Nate. But they aren’t. Flowers keep arriving for him after that, each with a black rose in the arrangement. Soon other things arrive as well, such as photos and a recording of Sean’s voice. As the number of flowers dwindle with each bouquet, Sean begins to worry they’re supposed to be some kind of a countdown … but to what?

Fan Gene Scott worships Sean. He maintains a blog dedicated to the actor and writes out all his fantasies there. He wants Sean to belong to him, and only him, and he’ll do anything to make the actor his own. He can’t accept the fact that Sean has a boyfriend. To Gene, Nate might as well not exist.

Despite increased security and all efforts to keep him safe, Sean vanishes, and Nate feels as if his world has come tumbling down. When the police response is too slow for him, Nate enlists the help of his producer and bodyguard to find Sean. Will he manage to find his lover before Sean disappears forever? Or will Gene finally get what he’s always dreamed of, and make Sean the love of his life, instead?

Series:
Release Date: November 17th 2013
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Source: Manic Readers
Reviewer: Kenna
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

I’ve never read anything by Iyana Jenna before, and I thought the blurb for “A Single Black Rose” seemed interesting, so I decided to give it a shot.

Sean and Nate are actors and lovers.  Nate is away filming a movie.  While he’s away, Sean begins receiving single black roses and creepy pictures.  Maybe I’m a little off, but I really like a good stalker story.  The suspense makes my heart pound a little faster, and there’s always a nice bit of action before the climax.

This had the potential to be a great story.  I’m sad that it was only a DECENT one.  For some reason, it didn’t really grab me and hold my attention.  I loved Sean and Nate, and the fear and confusion that they were feeling was palpable.  The villian?  In theory, he had the right amout of crazy going on, but I wasn’t…I don’t know…feeling it?  He had some assistance, and I found myself getting the two men mixed up.  I know that this wasn’t supposed to be an sweeping, epic story, but it felt like it ended a little quickly.  It wasn’t a bad ending, just a little sudden.  Another small thing.  The book felt like it was “cleaned up”.  There was a scene between Sean and Nate where there was sex, but the scene itself didn’t happen.  They just started kissing and touching,  and next thing you know, Nate is getting up and into the shower, skimming over the fact that he had…um…evidence…of their night together on his belly.  The sex was missing, and while I don’t need to have hot sex in every book I read, I felt that there could have been a nice, descriptive sex scene.

I’m not going to say that I was disappointed in “A Single Black Rose”.  It had its moments.  It was well written and had flow, and as I said, Sean and Nate were great (especially Nate).  I just felt like there could have been a bit…more.