Review by jbgeiss -- Escape by Belle Ami
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Review by jbgeiss -- Escape by Belle Ami

2 out of 4 stars
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Cyrus Hassani is a trained killer. A mole for Mossad, he works deep undercover as an operative for a secretive Iranian government agency focused on advancing their nuclear presence. When Harvard student Layla Wallace and her boyfriend are kidnapped while on vacation in Dubai and taken to a jail in Tehran, Mossad charges Cyrus with removing her from jail, posing as her new Iranian captor. His new mission is to get Layla out of Iran, where they fear she will be captured by Iran and used as blackmail to leverage the secrets of her nuclear physicist father. Cyrus becomes conflicted because of their growing attraction and feelings for each other; should their escape be compromised, his orders are to kill her rather than to let her be taken.
Escape is a fictional book which I would classify as part political thriller, part romance/erotica. Though starting a little slowly, it became rife with suspense and an interesting political storyline. I found the pace to be quick and the story of Cyrus’ double agency within a nuclear-hungry Iran to be entertaining. Possibly this aspect of the storyline- the political repercussions and the reasoning for everything the characters are escaping and experiencing- was the highlight of the book for me. I did like the main character, Cyrus, and found interest in his background and his storyline and inner conflict.
My dislike of the book revolves around the characters in this book and their connection to each other. Both main characters in the book, Layla and Cyrus, are either hot or cold all the time; there really appears to not be much middle ground in their personalities. Cyrus has been hardened by his life and career as a trained assassin and spy, so his gruffness is fitting. Layla, however, is rather spoiled, stubborn, and petulant- characteristics that never quite manage to escape her no matter what happens to her. I just never found her character to be redeeming, particularly interesting, or overly intelligent. Their attraction to each other is nearly instant and seemingly only physical. This isn’t problematic, except that suddenly and without much reason, basis, or even time spent together they are madly in love with each other. This strange and sudden connection seemed unrealistic, even given the unique circumstances of the harrowing escape situation they find themselves in.
This book was, at times, difficult to read as it is strewn with random acronyms that take away from the flow and rhythm of the book. Particularly halting are when the acronyms are thrown into – and explained- within a dialogue. (e.g. during a phone conversation, Layla’s dad says to her “…Besides, I thought you were this big advocate on campus, dedicated to stopping the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction – BDS- movement...”) A lot of them seem unnecessary, randomly explained (or not explained) and distract from the flow of the reading. There are also often words thrown in of another language- again, some explained, some left to contextual clues, some of which hinted to me at the meaning and some of which did not. Someone who is more versed than I in other languages (I honestly could not tell you even what language these random words are in, without looking them up- “agha” is repeated multiple times and appears to be Persian) obviously may not have such an issue with this.
I would rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. The connection between the characters feels forced and not genuine, and I didn’t find Layla to be particularly likable. The quick-moving storyline of Cyrus’ double agency and the chase by Iran to capture he and Layla after his cover is blown and his real alliance is discovered is interesting and even thrilling. Had there been more realistic character development, or any believable way for these characters to develop such strong feelings for each other in such a short amount of time and without much reason, I would have enjoyed this book much more. As it is, it felt unrealistic and unbelievable (unless Layla had indeed developed some sort of Stockholm Syndrome within a matter of hours, and then that’s an entirely different story in itself.) I would not necessarily recommend it as a good or fulfilling story, though if you are able to overlook the lack of logic or personality in the main characters’ exchanges, it does make for an entertaining read.
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Escape
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