Review by AmandaW -- Escape by Belle Ami

[AmandaW]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Escape" by Belle Ami.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Escape is a romantic thriller novel, written by Belle Ami. It follows the unlikely love story of an American graduate student, Layla Wallace, and Cyrus Hassani, an undercover Mossad agent. Layla and Cyrus cross paths when she is kidnapped while on vacation in Dubai with her boyfriend Zamir. This story is told from a third person point-of-view, alternating between characters. In the beginning, we are first introduced to Cyrus Hassani, a Mossad agent currently in an uncover role as an assistant to the deputy director of a secret organization called Oghab2.

The Oghab2’s goal is to obtain active nuclear weapons to utilize against its enemies, and it is the goal of the Mossad to prevent that from happening. That goal is threatened when Oghab2 gets its hands on Layla who, unbeknownst to her, has a connection that would prove to be an invaluable asset to the corrupt organization. It is up to Cyrus to get Layla to safety before the Oghab2 can use her for their own agenda. The road to safety is paved with many obstacles and getting her there will not be easy, but Cyrus is ready to do just that or die trying.

While there weren’t many parts of Escape that I didn’t like, there were times were the plot and certain events seemed predictable. One of those times was the implied comparison between Layla original boyfriend and Cyrus. It appeared to me that the author wanted a clear difference between the two, which was achieved without a regard to realism. Zamir was painfully shallow, superficial and weak as was his relationship with Layla. The only purpose he seemed to serve was to move the plot along and to be honest, I think it could have been done without including him directly.

The most enjoyable part of Escape was watching the relationship between Cyrus and Layla develop. I loved that Layla was written to be sassy, smart and opinionated. The banter that she and Cyrus had alternated between sweet, steamy and humorous. Overall, it was a well-rounded relationship between two individuals from completely different paths. Both Cyrus and Layla were well developed and likable. It was easy to become vested in their relationship and genuinely want them to succeed.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, mainly because, as an avid romance reader, it did not draw me in from the very beginning. While Escape is an interesting read, there were several instances in the beginning of the novel when I felt I was receiving more background information on Cyrus and the Oghab2 organization than the actual story. I had to work hard on focusing on each page and not skipping ahead. However, I’m glad that I stuck through it because it turned out to be a sweet and entertaining romantic thriller and I would recommend this to others. Aside from the beginning, I believe that Escape had the right balance of suspense and romance.

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Escape
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