Inseparable
Grade : F

I enjoy reading and I always begin a book with anticipation and one thought in my mind: "This is going to be a good story." With Inseparable, that thought did not last through the prologue. After I read where Mike Greywolf's father and grandparents are murdered in a torrent of blood, gore and overwriting, it went downhill from there.

I've read books that had characters that I could not warm up to, but were so well-written that I ended up enjoying them anyway. Most of Anne Stuart's books are like this for me. I have also read books that were not so well-written, but I empathized with the characters and enjoyed the book in spite of its flaws. Beverly Barton's Cameron is such a book.

But with Inseparable, I did not like any of the characters. Not one. Not the hero, not the heroine, none of the supporting characters, not the villain. No one. Nobody. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Without exception, they were, to a one, either bland or distasteful. I did not want to spend any time with them, and the few short hours I spent reading their story was far too much.

If the book had been well-written, I could have gone along with the characters, but it was not. To begin with, the author uses a story-line that is almost impossible to make credible - the good twin/evil twin. Bette Davis could not pull that off in the movies, and Major does not succeed in this book either.

Mike Greywolf is a part-Navajo youth whose family is killed in the prologue. He is found in the desert by Kara and Emma Shayne, young twin girls. Kara hits Emma on the head and leaves her with Mike. They are rescued and Emma does not tell on her twin, but Kara's actions show her to be a twisted and cruel person. Emma, young as she is, falls in love with Mike. Mike is taken in by the Shayne's Aunt Z, who nurtures his love of art. As he and the twins mature, Emma follows him around with lust, love and desire practically oozing from her. Eventually, they make love. All would be well, but Kara, the evil twin, takes Emma's place in Mike's bed, making sure that her sister catches them in the act. Emma runs off, Mike runs off and Kara runs off.

Years later, Mike has become a well-known artist and has a daughter Lilly whose mother is one of the twins. Kara is a famous actress and Emma is a reclusive writer. Eventually, their paths all cross again and there is a murder and a mystery to solve. But I didn't care a lick and was only hoping for the book to end soon - not because I was anxious to see what happened, but because I just couldn't take it anymore.

I don't demand perfection to enjoy a book, but this combination of muddled plot and thoroughly dislikable characters was too much for even my fairly easygoing nature to accept. I started a new book immediately after I finished this one. I just had to forget this most unpleasant reading experience.

Reviewed by Ellen Micheletti
Grade : F

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : December 10, 1999

Publication Date: 2000

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Ellen Micheletti

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