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The Token 1-3 (2000)

by Marata Eros(Favorite Author)

3.84 of 5 Votes: 3

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English

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review 1: This was given to me by the publisher for an HONEST review.Rating: 3.5 starsThis is definitely a story that holds an interesting concept, which is what drew me in from the beginning. I was interested in how Eros would turn a potentially gimmicky, cheesy of exotic dancer and club owner into a story that I believed. And I will say that, in spite of the major cliffhanger, she did a decent job. I am still interested and eager to know what happens next.The Token follows the lives of Faren Mitchell, a physical therapist by day and an exotic dancer by night. Why? Well, it all connects to the tragic past that slowly unravels throughout these novellas. The Token is a 6-part novella series and I am reviewing the first 3 parts. Faren's path crosses that of the club owner, Jared "Mick... more" McKenna, who I personally liked right of the bat. He's not your typically overly controlling, dominant, "what I say goes" kind of guy. He is just someone who, like Faren, has a part that he'd like forgotten and wants to save the "damsel in distress".One thing that I really like Eros for doing is not making Faren a whiny brat who can't save herself. Granted, she makes some really bad calls through the story. I kept wanting to shake some sense into her. But for the most part, I enjoyed her. The supporting characters from Thorn to Kiki were really fun to read about. Kiki was definitely a favorite of mine and once I got to know and understand Thorn, he grew on me a bit more as well.The world of The Token is very simple, very one dimensional. And that is not a bad thing. In fact, if you want to focus on characters and their development, simple worlds are my personal preference. I, as a reader, don't like it when a ton of information is constantly thrown my way.The one gripe I have about this story, and it's the biggest reason why I can't rate this higher than a 3.5 (which is still a great rating for me) is that the execution of this concept didn't feel as authentic as it could have been. As I've said there were moments that I wanted to slam Faren against a wall for her stupidity, not because she's was stupid, but because I just couldn't believe the logic behind some of her choices. I feel like she keeps secrets unnecessarily, especially in the case of dealing with people involved in her past. It just doesn't make sense that she wouldn't try to avoid that situation again. Of course there are other circumstance that prevent her from doing so right away, but when she was offered a solution -- she shoots it down. Why??!The third installment ends at a horrible cliffhanger, which upsets me but also excites me and makes me want to read more. I can't wait for the next parts.
review 2: I'll start off by saying this isn't my usual genre. The whole billionaire/poor girl with shades of kinky sex isn't something I usually go for. I gave Fifty Shades of Grey a try, but couldn't get past the third chapter. Mostly because the characters were too unlikeable. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for erotica, but if I want to read erotica, I buy it, not something with a thin plot that tries to pass as something else. But there was something about this series that intrigued me and this is definitely not dressed up erotica. It is truly dark romantic suspense.It started off a little slow, but by midway through the first book, it had me hooked. By the middle of the second book, it had me turning pages when I should have been doing something else, and by the end of the third book, I couldn't get to Amazon.com fast enough to pick up the fourth book in the series. It's a thoroughly engaging and fascinating romance.PlotThe plot is the strongest part of the first three books in the series. There are plenty of turns and twists and some unexpected moments. I have to admit, the author totally threw me at one point. I thought I had it figured out and at the end of Book 1, and was instead left with my mouth hanging open. Things go from shocking to interesting and then tragic as I worked my way through Books 2 and 3.CharactersI started off feeling like the characters were superficial and not particularly interesting. Especially the main character, Faren. She describes herself as having creamy skin and hair that is rich and honey-colored. I couldn't help wondering who the hell thinks about themselves that way? I didn't much care for her and I wasn't a fan of billionaire Jared "Mick" McKenna either. I mean what kind of man owns a series of strip clubs. And then there's strip club manager, Ty, who is a total lecherous perv.But once again, Marata Eros surprised me. She actually created far deeper characters than I expected. No one is exactly as they seem and as we get to know them through the books, we learn that while they're far from perfect, they are human and each one of them has redeeming qualities that we can't help liking.Bottom LineThis is a surprisingly good story with far more depth and breadth than I expected and I'm very glad I gave it a try. less

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