2 out of 4 stars
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Escape by Belle Ami is a romantic thriller focused on the dangers of a nuclearized Middle East. Layla plans to travel with her Saudi boyfriend, Zamir. They are in Dubai when both get abducted and sent to Tehran, Iran. Zamir is released after his father pays his ransom, leaving Layla who has to bear with the harsh jail conditions and ill treatments from the Iranian officials. Layla then meets Cyrus who is instructed by his boss Jalal to seduce her to gain her trust and get information from her. Her father Aleck is a nuclear physicist which makes her an ultimate target for blackmail. This leads to activation of deep cover Mossad agent, Cyrus who works with Oghab 2, to help Layla escape.
This story is an eye opener that gives insight to the Iranian political system and the abuse of power by greedy, powerful officials. It is well written, some characters are well developed. I liked the most Cyrus’ and Aleck’s character, they were best laid out. Zahra’s and Cyrus’s baby sister’s character were not well developed, they contributed little to the story.
The plot was well thought and laid out, seems to me that she had done her research well on her geographical settings which made me want to visit Israel. The cultural settings are so clear, helps you understand Iranians and Israelis. She is rich in languages; I really liked the use of different languages, which made the story interesting.
I feel the love between Cyrus and Layla was somehow rushed. Even though it’s Stockholm syndrome, I think it was too quick, she trusted him too fast, and they fell for each other too quickly. The fake sex bit was also not well elaborated and the real sex scenes were, well, too much given these two were absolute strangers. Layla giving herself to Cyrus because she was attracted to him and thought that they may never make it out of Iran was not a good enough reason to break the promise she had made to her late mother (to give her virginity to man she loved). Also, I at times got confused by the italic writings; sometimes I didn’t know who was talking.
The use of acronyms was extensive; it left me confused at times. The use of religious jargon was tiresome too.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed reading it though I feel it was really rushed. She could have taken some more time to build on some characters, and the love affair between the main characters. The book is appropriate for mature readers.
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Escape
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