Kimmie Thomas ISBN: 978-0-9830294-0-3
Publisher: Tomcat Publishing
Source: Pump Up Your Book, Blog Tour
Maxine has always suffered from poor self esteem. It is her low self image that clouded her judgment and landed her in a loveless marriage. Now, years later, Maxine sees Dog for the con he is and is determined to end her marriage and take care of her ailing mother, at home. While Maxine’s life unravels, her friends’ secrets and personal struggles begin to surface and Max realizes things are not always what they seem. Maxine looses faith and trust in the people most important to her as she faces the most difficult decision of her life. Her true colors show in the aftermath of tragedy.
“This Side of Crazy” claims the statement “What’s done in the dark eventually comes to light” has never been more true for Maxine and boy is the author right! If one statement could prepare you for this novel that one is it! From the synopsis on the back cover I was not expecting what this novel had to offer. If I could classify the book in only one genre I would have to choose erotic fiction. The novel is very explicit in regards to sexual acts, fantasies and thoughts. It is not a novel for underage readers or for the light hearted romance lovers. This story tells Maxine’s plight with her soon to be ex-husband and two best friends. A subsection of the novel seems to be out of place until it is tied together at the end. I felt this section could have been better tied into the novel as it seemed very out of place for the majority of the novels duration. The outcome of “The Mistress” was not a shock or surprise as it only seemed to make sense with the book as is. I wish the author could have tied the mistress into the story earlier, rather than leaving her identity secret for so long. It only made me wonder what point this subsection had to an already fairly pointless story.
While the authors writing flows easily, the style of writing did not enable me to connect with the characters. The story is told from a narrative stance giving it the feel an outsider is relaying all the information after the events have taken place rather than the reader experiencing the story with the character. Aside from the writing style, the story was okay. I personally didn’t find any depth to the novel. If your looking for sexually explicit content the author is wonderful at bringing this imagery to a reader, she has a way with words that leaves just enough, yet very little to the imagination. Aside from this, the base line of the story is simplistic.
The novel felt amateurish to me for a variety of different reasons that could have been avoided. The novel has severe spacing issues that someone clearly missed in the editing and printing process. There were many, many spots that had ample spacing between two words and other spots where the alignment of the text was off completely. For example a section of a paragraph was concentrated to the far left leaving an open void on the left side of the page. For spacing issues I could fit at least one finger in between two words. Another area I really would like to see an upgrade with is the front cover. It desperately needs a make over as it is one of the worst covers I have seen. I would chalk this up to personal opinion, but I actually had people comment on their dislike of the cover while I was reading this novel at my local coffee house and at an extended family gathering. After reading the novel I don’t feel the cover helps portray the story or add value to it. It is hard to understand exactly what the cover is trying to help the reader understand about the novel. While I assume the three ladies on the cover are Maxine and her two friends, it appears more like a mom and two fighting siblings who are more dramatic than anything else.
Overall this book was an okay read. I really couldn’t recommend it as a top read and would suggest borrowing it from the library if you are unsure about its content. If you’re looking for erotic fiction this book has plenty of it to satisfy. If the novels synopsis interests you, try it. With so many reading options out there, this one didn’t fit me as I felt it was a waste of my reading time. I will opt out of reading the sequel that is in the works.
About the Author
Kimmie Thomas is native Detroiter living with her husband and children. Her experience as a psychiatric nurse has given her the ability to create characters that display common perosnality flaws. She writes when she not working as a teacher and a nurse.
To find out more about Kimmie or to learn more about This Side of Crazy visit http://www.kimmiethomas.com/ or http://kimmiethomas.wordpress.com/.
Although this wasn't my particular style of book, (I was taken aback by the erotic content at first and had to start and restart before I was able to push through it); I enjoyed the story at the center of it. I liked seeing how Max came into her own (and I know quite a few women who are in one-sided marriages, so I saw a comparison to real-life situations there). I too, had some issues with the editing (although I noticed the spacing, my biggest issue was some incongruities within the story itself).
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