Review: Black by Aria Cole

Note: This ARC was provided by TRSoR Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Black is a standalone novella by debut author Aria Cole and give the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale a modern twist with a scarred man who lives in a residence above the library he owns, trying to stay within the shadows, too used to the uneasy glances that once were looks of adoration from the people of his hometown, and the girl on the run who finds a job who soothes his beastly soul while making him crave for the impossible from her: love. 

Thirty-one-year-old Maxwell Black is wealthy, but all the money at his disposal won't find him love and companionship nor would he choose to buy either one. When twenty-one-year-old Ella McKellan shows up at the front door of his library asking for a job, he's stunned. It's not that she doesn't notice the prominent scar on his face; but she seems to see the man underneath it, and that stirs in Maxwell something he hasn't felt in a long time, or possibly even, ever. Being with her opens his life to possibilities he never considered for himself over the past four years, but when her past comes knocking on both their doors, those possibilities may be stolen from him forever.

A pretty quick read, this novella gives what I think the most popular fairy tale given a modern day spin to it an interesting twist with the bits of suspense thrown in. The story was pretty good, though I did find it kinda off that here was this man who barely went outside and interacted with people, and yet, there was barely any hesitation when Ella came along. His alpha male persona came into full force whenever she was around, and that's all well and good, but it just felt too sudden, making it come off as a bit difficult to believe. 

Stories this short tend to have the whole insta-love thing happening so I wasn't really surprised, but there was a part of me that wanted some actual intimacy between Ella and Maxwell. Yes, there's no doubting how much they desire each other physically, but having sex often doesn't automatically translate to intimacy. The trust issue was weird as well, since he seemed to trust her and then helps her with her problem without her knowing and then that's when he begins to have doubts. Huh? And I didn't feel as if there was any actual resolution to Ella's issues with her father. Taking the good with the not-so-good, I'm going to give Black three stars. ♥

Date Read: 08 May 2016

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