Title: The Man in Blue
Series: The Claudia Belle Series, Vol. 1&2
Author: C.S. Luis
---MIMDBLOWN---
Before I start getting into detail, let me just say as an "Alien Invasion" romance book, The Man In Blue is by far the best I've read! I'm not big on paranormal romance, but when I do read such books I'm careful with my choice. And this one did not disappoint. I can tell you right now that I'm absolutely at a loss of words. In a good way, of course. The Man In Blue was suspenseful, edgy and very well-constructed. I admit, at the beginning, I was a bit lost, cause there were too many random facts. There were a lot of sort of cryptic dialogues between the characters! But, as I read further and towards the end mostly, I had no problem with it, because all of the little pieces of information that stood out at the beginning and seemed confusing, sort of binded together into one beautiful and captivating story!
I'll try and explain what I mean in detail without giving away any spoilers! So the story goes a bit like this. There's a girl "Claudia Belle", who makes up the paranormal part of the story, cause let's be honest, there's always one part normal and one part paranormal in pretty much all the stories that are paranormal. I feel like I'm saying paranormal too much. PARANORMAL. I digress. Claudia is a teenaged girl, she's a bit sheltered due to her father being overly protective of her and she has mind-reading and kinetic powers. Unfortunately, she's just learned her parents were in a tragic car accident and she has no other choice than to go live with her estranged grandfather.
Enter "Dr. N. Edwards". He's your typical caring, compassionate and charming grandfather, if you exclude the fact that he too has powers. He also has secrets. That's part of book that confused me a little bit, cause I couldn't understand who was in on the secret. But, as I said before, it all gets sorted out in due time. Dr. Edwards is the principal of the High School Claudia is obligated to go to since she's now living with him. Even though he had no contact with his son, Claudia's father, they have one thing in common. Not counting the looks and powers, of course, they both want to protect Claudia from something even more powerful and sinister. So, you've heard of Aliens, right?! Aliens or Oddities want or better yet "need" something from Claudia. She's somehow special to them. And they will do anything to get it.
But, as much as Claudia is being hunted by them, they're just as much being hunted by someone else. Aaaand that's when the guy of the story and the normal part of the book comes in. If you can call HIM normal.
"John Slater" aka "The Man In Blue" aka "John Black" is a guys' guy/Alpha Male/dominant kind of character. He's in his thirties, tough, unrivaled, charming, good-looking, loves women and particularly petite, Spanish Brunettes!! His goal in life is to catch as many alien forms as possible. It is also his job. He's an agent in an organization called "The Company" that deals with those type of things. They go on missions and eliminate the threat. So far, John has managed to complete every mission, except one. Project X!
That same alien has now brought him to the very High School Claudia goes. He's ordered to go undercover to that High School in order to find and retrieve the alien "Project X". He's well prepared for the job, as he has always been for every mission he's gone to, but what he's not prepared for at all is the petite, Spanish, brunette girl, who's a student there. Also known as Claudia Belle. He's starstruck by her beauty and her manners towards him, which are not very friendly at first encounter. The attraction is not one-sided, though. She is also charmed by his elegant looks and authority. Something that doesn't escape his skilled and well-trained mind. One other thing that doesn't escape him is the fact that she's quite unique. Meaning he knows about her powers. During their random, short-timed talks they exchange some heated words. They're both strong and clever characters, which shouldn't make them a good match, but the author has managed to work so well around them, that there couldn't be another, better version of their story in my opinion. They are in some ways very compatible and in other ways very strong-willed when they disagree. It's what makes the journey more joyful and less boring!
I am enchanted, for lack of a more fitting word, by the story the author has written. It may start with a lot of unanswered questions and confusion, but what makes a book good is when there's enough mystery and when it keeps the readers on the edge of their seats. You wouldn’t want a book where it'd be easy to predict the ending, would you?!
The Man In Blue is part of a series, so it ends in a cliffhanger. Don't let that stop you, though. The story is beautiful and there are a lot of sweet moments among the characters. It has humor, warmth, edge and tons and tons of mystery!! It's worth reading, so if you're into paranormal romance, I highly recommend it!
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5 "Pocahontas & John Smith" STARS!!
The Man In Blue
Claudia Belle never imagined what life would be like with her parents gone. Now she must face that horrible reality.
With her parents, dead and her grandfather a perfect stranger, Claudia has never felt so alone. Her mind-reading abilities have always made her feel like an outcast. And now will those same abilities reveal who she really is?
Following the death of Dr. Edwards, a new principal is sent to take his place, undercover for a secret organization called The Company. The Man in Blue’s true mission is the identification and eradication of alien life forms. The entity he pursues, this time, is as dangerous as they come. He must identify the source of the creature's powers to capture the subject and complete his job.
There is just one problem, his one weakness: women. And Claudia fits the description of his dream girl.
Success or downfall. Which outcome awaits him?
---MIMDBLOWN---
"He looked like he was posing for the cover of GQ; even the expression on his face gave that indication."
Before I start getting into detail, let me just say as an "Alien Invasion" romance book, The Man In Blue is by far the best I've read! I'm not big on paranormal romance, but when I do read such books I'm careful with my choice. And this one did not disappoint. I can tell you right now that I'm absolutely at a loss of words. In a good way, of course. The Man In Blue was suspenseful, edgy and very well-constructed. I admit, at the beginning, I was a bit lost, cause there were too many random facts. There were a lot of sort of cryptic dialogues between the characters! But, as I read further and towards the end mostly, I had no problem with it, because all of the little pieces of information that stood out at the beginning and seemed confusing, sort of binded together into one beautiful and captivating story!
I'll try and explain what I mean in detail without giving away any spoilers! So the story goes a bit like this. There's a girl "Claudia Belle", who makes up the paranormal part of the story, cause let's be honest, there's always one part normal and one part paranormal in pretty much all the stories that are paranormal. I feel like I'm saying paranormal too much. PARANORMAL. I digress. Claudia is a teenaged girl, she's a bit sheltered due to her father being overly protective of her and she has mind-reading and kinetic powers. Unfortunately, she's just learned her parents were in a tragic car accident and she has no other choice than to go live with her estranged grandfather.
Claudia
Enter "Dr. N. Edwards". He's your typical caring, compassionate and charming grandfather, if you exclude the fact that he too has powers. He also has secrets. That's part of book that confused me a little bit, cause I couldn't understand who was in on the secret. But, as I said before, it all gets sorted out in due time. Dr. Edwards is the principal of the High School Claudia is obligated to go to since she's now living with him. Even though he had no contact with his son, Claudia's father, they have one thing in common. Not counting the looks and powers, of course, they both want to protect Claudia from something even more powerful and sinister. So, you've heard of Aliens, right?! Aliens or Oddities want or better yet "need" something from Claudia. She's somehow special to them. And they will do anything to get it.
- "You speak Spanish very well" I simply said, hoping he would stop staring at me like that.
- "Perhaps it's because I love everything that is Spanish" he merely offered, but it was the expression on his face that said far more than his words, and it shocked me.
But, as much as Claudia is being hunted by them, they're just as much being hunted by someone else. Aaaand that's when the guy of the story and the normal part of the book comes in. If you can call HIM normal.
"John Slater" aka "The Man In Blue" aka "John Black" is a guys' guy/Alpha Male/dominant kind of character. He's in his thirties, tough, unrivaled, charming, good-looking, loves women and particularly petite, Spanish Brunettes!! His goal in life is to catch as many alien forms as possible. It is also his job. He's an agent in an organization called "The Company" that deals with those type of things. They go on missions and eliminate the threat. So far, John has managed to complete every mission, except one. Project X!
John
That same alien has now brought him to the very High School Claudia goes. He's ordered to go undercover to that High School in order to find and retrieve the alien "Project X". He's well prepared for the job, as he has always been for every mission he's gone to, but what he's not prepared for at all is the petite, Spanish, brunette girl, who's a student there. Also known as Claudia Belle. He's starstruck by her beauty and her manners towards him, which are not very friendly at first encounter. The attraction is not one-sided, though. She is also charmed by his elegant looks and authority. Something that doesn't escape his skilled and well-trained mind. One other thing that doesn't escape him is the fact that she's quite unique. Meaning he knows about her powers. During their random, short-timed talks they exchange some heated words. They're both strong and clever characters, which shouldn't make them a good match, but the author has managed to work so well around them, that there couldn't be another, better version of their story in my opinion. They are in some ways very compatible and in other ways very strong-willed when they disagree. It's what makes the journey more joyful and less boring!
I am enchanted, for lack of a more fitting word, by the story the author has written. It may start with a lot of unanswered questions and confusion, but what makes a book good is when there's enough mystery and when it keeps the readers on the edge of their seats. You wouldn’t want a book where it'd be easy to predict the ending, would you?!
The Man In Blue is part of a series, so it ends in a cliffhanger. Don't let that stop you, though. The story is beautiful and there are a lot of sweet moments among the characters. It has humor, warmth, edge and tons and tons of mystery!! It's worth reading, so if you're into paranormal romance, I highly recommend it!
I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review!
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