title: Losing Beauty
author: Johanna Garth
genre: paranormal romance
published: 2011
pages: 315
first line: "I've been to hell and back."
rated: 4 out of 5 stars
Her beauty was the lure and what lay beneath was the trap. She wished she could warn them, tell them to run from her before it was too late, but she couldn't. That was the other part of the deal. She got to be beautiful but she never, ever got to tell the truth.
p.3
About:
When Haden Sarantos arrives in the small town of Iowa claiming he is the new librarian, something is very different about him. He knows when people will die and I wondered if he was the grim reaper.
The beautiful Persephone Campbell is well known in her small home town.
She was raised by a single mom, her father having died in a car crash before she was born.
After meeting Persey, the one thing Haden notices right away is that as the ruler of death, he cannot 'see' how she will die.
Haden knows every 'humans end', how and when they will die, yet Persey is a mystery to him.
Persey herself is not like others, people are compelled to confide their deepest secrets to her, secrets she sometimes wishes she didn't know. The darker the secret, the stronger the urge for people to unburden it on her.
As the years pass, Persey goes on bewitching everyone she meets. Aaron Strait, a high school football player, falls in love with her. The two eventually marry and Persey goes to work at a law firm in NYC. Aaron goes on to become a Wall Street investment banker.
All the while, Haden is in her life in some form or another, waiting to make her his own. He has been obsessed with Persey since he first laid eyes on her.
A lawyer named Daniel Hartnett works with Persey and is hopelessly in love with her as well, even though she is married. Soon enough Daniel realizes there is something different about Persey, and he figures out her special talent of inspiring people to confess themselves to her.
Persey comes in contact with Haden again in NYC when he is instructing her Yoga class. Little does she know, Haden has plans to make Persey his own and will stop at nothing to claim her. He wants to make her his immortal queen.
The heat of his body threatened to suffocate her with its intensity. It was more than heat. It was devastation, sorrow, musty odors from rooms where people sobbed lonely tears. His secrets were inside of her, consuming her. She could feel their darkness and the horror. Each one was more devastating than the next, and yet, something in her called to them. They were part of her, their pain and suffering belonged to her.
p.145
My thoughts:
I have to say I didn't know what Losing Beauty was about when I first began reading it.
I have been pleasantly surprised! It reminded me a bit of the film Meet Joe Black as far as Haden's character was concered.
Author Johanna Garth does an excellent job at weaving a unique and interesting story here. In the beginning I couldn't figure out whether Haden was a villain or not. And when I did see that he wasn't one of the good guys, I still liked him. He's one of those bad boys you love to hate. Haden became my favorite character in the story. I now have a new literary crush.
The interactions between Haden and Persey gave me the chills.
The first time Persey came to the library, he felt her. Her presence was a dark space—a hole where knowledge should be. She entered the room and filled it up with nothingness. He found her sitting on the carpeted floor, between the stacks of older children's books. She looked up as though she was expecting him. He crouched down in front of her and she inched away from him.
"Hello, Persey," he said, smiling at her.
"You know my name." She said it without wonder or surprise. It was as though his knowledge of her name was just another thing she expected.
p. 11
I liked Persey's character. I wondered who she was, where she got this special power from. Imagine people having to reveal their deepest, darkest secrets to you? I think that's a sad fate.
I liked that Persey married Aaron, and yet, I liked Daniel too and could see her being happy with him as well. Daniel himself was a sweet guy with a good heart. I rooted for him throughout the story and I enjoyed the interactions between Persey and him.
The paranormal and romance elements in this book were right up my alley and I enjoyed reading Losing Beauty very much.
I liked the mythology of the story as well.
Kronos—ruler of both the world and immortals—lived on Mount Titanus. From his mountain-top palace, he pulled the strings of time which governed all human life. His palace was carpeted with the ever-changing map of time. He walked over it as he observed and guided the timing of all events in accordance with the dictates of natural law.
p.197
The book took some unexpected twists and turns and I never really knew what would happen next, my interest was held throughout. I also like how the events in the story were wrapped up together towards the end, to create an exciting conclusion. In my opinion, the ending leaves the story wide open for a sequel.
Special thanks to author Johanna Garth for providing me a copy of her debut novel for review! I recommend Losing Beauty to fans of romance and paranormals, or for anyone looking for a good story to get caught up in.
On a final note, I'll also mention, I'm old-fashioned and still have yet to purchase an e-reader. I don't tend to read full length books online, mainly because I just prefer to be holding a paperback. I did make the exception for Johanna's book and am glad I did.
About the author:
Johanna Garth is a writer of urban fantasy and mythic fiction for adults who resides with her husband and two children in Portland, Oregon.
This is her debut novel.
