Defining Destiny by Deanna Chase: Reviewed

SYNOPSIS:

When destiny fails…

Singer-songwriter Lucy Moore thought her life was perfect. At just twenty-one, she’s already met her soul mate and together they’ve landed a recording contract. But when her father dies and the love of her life betrays her in more ways than one, she returns home to pick up the pieces. On the shores of Mendocino, California, Lucy has some decisions to make. Should she start a solo career? Or should she leave it all behind for some semblance of normalcy in the quiet town she grew up in? And what about Seth, the tortured artist who always seems to be there when she needs him?

Seth Keenan has demons of his own. Eighteen months ago, he was involved in a horrific accident that he never talks about. His career as an accomplished oil-paint artist has been abandoned, replaced by the buzz of his tattoo gun. And women—well, he never sticks around for longer than a few hours of pleasure… until he meets Lucy. After one evening of listening to her seductive voice, he’s pulled under. But what about the vow he made to never get close to anyone again?

In a world where everyone has one true soul mate, can these two find love in the arms of each other?

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21463494-defining-destiny?from_search=true

My Thoughts

I think this book has a good plot and had the potential of being a great read. Sadly though, I don’t think the author delivered it well. I was looking forward to reading about Lucy Moore getting a hold of herself and taking over her life and her love life but I didn’t see that happen. Normally, with stories that started the way this one did, you see the heroine or the hero get up from the mess of the relationship they were previously with. Then step by step they started to move on, have a better life, meet someone and find themselves in a better state of what falling in love really meant. I don’t know if I’m just being a silly romantic with these notion so not everyone probably share my opinion on this. But I think I didn’t actually see both of the characters “moving on” and finding a new love. Moreover, Lucy Moore was so confuse all the time regarding what she felt that it made my head ache just reading about her thoughts.

I don’t think the soul mate thing actually worked either. I didn’t understand what the author was trying to mean with the soul mate idea because I don’t think it worked that way. The characters also lacked the background to make them feel real. It’s as if their past was just mentioned to give justice to the conflict and not really as a means to build their characters. The only good part of the novel was the latter part where everything was put into place even though it also felt like the author rushed her way to achieve that happily ever after.

When it comes to the characters, I’d say I liked the best friend better than both the hero and heroine. Maybe when the author decide to write her story, I might pick that up and see if her character will be given justice. Though this book, has been lacking for what I look for in a novel, I think the author have the potential of writing better ones in the future and I won’t hesitate to give her work another try.

AUTHOR BIO:

Deanna is a native Californian. After spending five years traveling in an RV, she and her husband moved into an adorable cottage in a small town outside of New Orleans. After about six months, Deanna was convinced their 1907 home was haunted. Late at night as she penned Haunted on Bourbon Street, she often heard footsteps throughout the old house. Luckily, the spirit appears to be harmless, as he/she has never done more than make a little noise and possibly smoke a few cigars. However, if the ghost ever shows up in a dream, you’ll be the first to hear of it. Smudge stick anyone?

When she isn’t writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans, playing with her two shih tzu dogs, and making glass beads.