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SYNOPSIS:
It all started with a pinky swear…Linden McGregor is tall, rugged, and gunslinger handsome; a helicopter pilot with a Scottish brogue and charm to spare. He’s also one of Stephanie Robson’s best friends and has fit into that box for as long as she’s known him.
Beautiful, funny and an ambitious businesswoman (with one hell of an ass), Stephanie Robson is one of Linden McGregor’s best friends and has fit into that box for as long as he’s known her.
But some relationships can’t be boxed, can’t be classified, can’t be tamed.
Back in their mid-twenties and tired of the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them are in a serious relationship by the time they hit thirty.
It sounds like fun and games but as the years to thirty tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact becomes larger than life.
Sex is inevitable. Friendships are tested. Hearts are on the line.
The pact is about to change everything.
MY REVIEW:
The Pact is my last read
of 2014. And oh my lord, it was a total bang! Fireworks cannot even begin to
explain what I felt while reading this novel. Pyrotechnics could be close but
does not cover everything just yet. I think if we measure this book by means of
bangs and explosions, it’s a freaking world war! The Pact is an intelligently
written read that has managed to keep me glued on a seat reading without rest
until I reached the very end. It’s a mixture of quick wit, heart warming
romance, steamy scenes, and a writing prose capable of gutting you deep until
you’re totally buried in the story. I mean, what the hell, my mom was calling
me out to eat and it was on her 7th call that I responded. Nothing
kept me away from the call of food. Not until I started reading this book.
I’ve
read too many best-friends-turned lovers story. I’m not even going to hide the
fact that I was doubtful that a story having this storyline could work out into
a really great book. I pictured it as predictable, light, and just like an
ordinary bestfriends-turned-lovers book. But my, was I wrong. Really, really
wrong.
Stephanie and Linden,
bestfriends since they met, agreed on a pact that when they reach age thirty
without a serious relationship, they will marry each other. One would think a
plot sparked by a simple and clichéd “pinky-swear” will not blossom into some
clawing, gut-wrenching, heart-warming, panty-melting read. Surprisingly, Karina
Halle managed to enflame this storyline with her consuming prose and unexpected
twists. Her writing voice became one of my favourites when I read LiE and LiS.
The Pact is a lighter read but still contained the Karina Halle trademark of
in-depth emotional roller coaster and constant heart-quenching, humorous, and
remarkable dialogues. Written in a first person point-of-view, Miss Halle held
the power to transport the characters’ feelings into a reader’s own,
successfully activating all possible emotions and making each scene sincerely
felt. The story was not forced. It played out nicely into a beautiful pirouette
of contradicting emotions. And my, so much #feels!
Another thing that I
totally love about this book is its characters. They weren’t the usual kinds of
emotionally-driven ones. They were smart and actually did everything opposite
to what I expected of them. For the third time (this is only the third Karina
Halle book that I’ve read), I developed a complete love for Karina Halle’s
characters. Stephanie was a smart and sophisticated woman who wanted to go
serious with life by establishing her own shop. Linden was hot Scottish pilot
guised as a manwhore with a noble heart. I love the dynamics of Steph and
Linden’s relationship. It wasn’t an instant fireworks-ish spark at the start
but the connection was there. Of course I knew that they will end up together
but I was really curious on how Karina Halle will escalate that connection into
something more. I doubted that it will work out. But my, I am still appalled by
how she effortlessly made a mild platonic relationship transform into a
rocketing steamy and passionate love. Now I’m just plain convinced she can
write anything and make every storyline work.
The beauty of The Pact
lies between its deceiving light-read facade and its seemingly uncomplicated
plotline. It kept me anticipating and expecting, grounded me in a serene,
easy-going pace, and before I know it, bam! I was crying, my chest hurt, my
head was in total shambles, and I just felt like a time bomb of emotions
unexpectedly exploded inside me. I came from an “Oh, this is nice” to a “WHAT
THE F*** DID SHE JUST DO TO ME?!” When you think the main plot is too clichéd
and the story is unpredictable, read this book and be blown away. I was. I feel
clawed from inside and repaired. I don’t think I can immediately proceed to a
next book now. #TotalBookHangover
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