Review of Cynthia and Dan

[Daisy Lou]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Cynthia and Dan" by Dorothy May Mercer.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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“Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War” by Dorothy May Mercer is a captivating blend of romance, crime, and mystery. Cynthia is a dynamic woman who leads a team combating terrorism and cyber threats and grapples with a complex love triangle between her longtime boyfriend, Sgt. Dan, and the mysterious man named Sky. Mercer skillfully navigates Cynthia’s personal and professional challenges, delivering a story brimming with unexpected twists and turns.

Cynthia is an office manager for Senator Mike McBride and fights terrorists in her spare time. Mercer starts the story with Cynthia and her brother, Glenn, assembling an eclectic crew for counter-crime purposes. It’s a non-government-sanctioned, off-the-books white-hat hacking mission designed to infiltrate extremist terrorist organizations and take them down. Aside from organizing the secret mission, Cynthia also “…headed an elite staff of six deceivingly beautiful women who worked the front desk in shifts and accompanied Mike on his travels” —as licensed-to-carry bodyguards.

An accidental meeting between Cynthia, who has a boyfriend of three years, and Sky, an apparent bachelor, turns hot—fast. Their instantaneous connection causes sparks to fly, guilt, and a visit to the confessional where we are privy to a Catholic confession.

The dynamic of the relationship between the protagonist, independent tough-girl Cynthia, and Sky is unconventional. He treats her like a child—even “…touching her nose with the tip of his finger,” and she welcomes it and the plethora of endearing names he calls her. Mercer juxtaposes the chivalrous, secretive Sky with the self-absorbed, transparent Dan. Themes of identity and desire are present, creating good character development. The pacing of the story is good as well.

Mercer breaks from the typical fiction writing standard of first-line paragraph indentation, so her book pages look spacious and read easily, like a long blog article. In general, I found the story enjoyable to read, even though some aspects of the technology seemed a bit far-fetched, but then again, it's fiction. While it didn't completely knock my socks off, I did find it entertaining. I give this book 4/5 stars.

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Cynthia and Dan
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