Review: Ten Thousand Words by Kelli Jean

<3<3 <3 <3 <3 

I really liked the concept for this book going into it. I mean, the idea of an author and cover model dating seems like a really unique and interesting novel and I was wondering how exactly the meat up would turn out and how the characters would interact. The author used a lot of sound choices in terms of plot that really boosted this book into the five star range.

The author did a great job of creating characters that were completely independent from each other and kind of balanced each other out. I felt there were things about both of the main characters which challenged thier relationship and caused emotions to run high. Yet I loved these parts of the book because it made the characters seem real and not just some happy-go-lucky people who have the perfect relationship. There is definitely a depth in this novel that is absent in other books within this genre.

"I wanted to be the one to discover all the things that made Xanthe who she was."

I really loved the alternating perspectives in this book surprisingly. I don't always like the way authors switch perspectives within a novel but Kelli Jean does a great job of making the transition clear and concise while still keeping the tempo of the book constant and smooth. A lot of the switched perspectives were at the perfect parts to get a unique spin on the characters and situation. I was able to not only understand the reasons behind some of the characters reactions but also part of their secrets and get a more in-depth look into thier past and some of those driving forces behind their actions. When this switching perspective is done properly, it really adds another dimension to the novel, like in Ten Thousand Words.


I have a lot of respect for Xanthe (pronounced "Zan - thee") as a character because of just her pure acceptance for who she is and her non-judgement attitude combined with a no-bullsh*t tollerance. I feel like this combination creates the perfect female lead within this novel for it perfectly balances some of the imperfections of Oliver (the male lead). Xanthe faces so much opposition from so many different people in her life that it really surprised me that she was able to be so strong.

Oliver was a character that I equally disliked and liked. Especially at the start of the novel, I felt as if he came off as arrogant and a little rude. He was almost predisposed to make snap judgements of people which were often a little offensive. For this reason, I found it took me longer to become infatuated with Oliver compared to the average romance novel. Yet this also added to the charm of the book overall because the characters weren't perfect.

"There was a darkness within her, and it was quite profound. She had described horrors as though she had seen them in the flesh."

Overall this book was pretty darn amazing and I loved the unique twist within the novel. The characters were uniquely complex and I really like the story of an author and cover model and just the circumstances of Xanthe and Oliver meeting was fun and interesting.

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burb

Reclusive author, Xanthe Malcolm, likes her private and quiet life. However, when her wildly-popular series Paranormal Hunters gets picked up by a big-time publishing agency, she’s thrust into the limelight alongside sexy, photographer-turned-cover model, Oliver Fairfax. Upon meeting, the chemistry between the quirky writer and arrogant model quickly intensifies, creating a steamy page-turner of events made for romance novels.

Then comes the plot twist.

Xanthe has secrets that have kept her bound to silence.

And the truth has Oliver questioning every unspoken word.

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The insane don’t know they’re insane.

Kelli uses her imagination to create worlds she can escape to from the mundane tasks of everyday life, such as washing the damn dishes and vacuuming up Legos off the floor—and don’t get her started on the mad amount of cat hair on the end of the couch. She gave up on that a long time ago. When the household goes to sleep at night, she writes down everything that happened in her head while doing such tedious chores. But she enjoys living in her own head, so that’s pretty cool.

Technology terrifies her. She can barely turn on a computer, and was completely shocked when she’d actually written a book on one. To this day, she has no explanation for this baffling mystery. It took her three years to realize she can take screen shots of messages and pictures of bearded, tattooed men with her phone. Now that she’s mastered this task, her phone is slowly dying, and she’s nervous that she’s going to have to buy a new one and it will take her another three years to learn how to use it.

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