Official Review: November 11 by Carmen Vela

Allyseria · Post by **Allyseria** » 21 Sep 2018, 18:56

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "November 11" by Carmen Vela.]

2 out of 4 stars

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November 11 is a contemporary romance novel written by Carmen Vela. The story follows two colleagues, Malavika and Martin, during their years working alongside each other as police officers in the Phoenix Police Department. However, when Malavika starts to fall in love with Martin, a married man, will she be able to successfully hide her feelings and preserve their friendship? And when Malavika faces a big decision that will change both their lives, will she lose Martin and his friendship forever?

The book is written in the third person and the theme is forbidden love. The best thing I liked about the book was the way the author successfully created real and relatable characters. Even the minor characters were well-developed! I especially liked the chemistry between Martin and Malavika. The way the author wrote their interactions made me feel like I was witnessing a secret love between these two characters, and that only I was privy to their innermost thoughts. I also loved the plot as it was very well-executed. I was delighted by the twists and turns of the plot as it had me constantly on the edge of my seat wanting them both to finally end up together.

However, there were flaws in the book that is preventing me from giving it four stars. Firstly, there were many editing errors throughout the book. Secondly, the book lacked detailed descriptions so I found myself having to fill in the missing details in my head in order to create a clearer picture in my mind. There was also almost no dialogue in the book. It felt very strange and it was something that took me a while to get used to. I ended up imagining the dialogue in my head instead.

The opening was also very slow. We were given a long backstory for each character and I found myself wanting to skim it. It was almost halfway through the book when the plot finally started, and as mentioned above, it was fantastic. But then when the plot concluded, the ending was prolonged and filled with unnecessary scenes. Scenes that just detailed normal everyday life.

Overall, I have to rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. It’s a shame because the plot was very well-executed, but because of the padded backstory and the prolonged ending, the full impact of the plot was diminished. If you are content with reading a slow-paced beginning and ending, it is a light read that romance fans will enjoy. However, if you are looking for a fast-paced romance book, this book is not for you.

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November 11
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crediblereading2 · Post by **crediblereading2** » 22 Sep 2018, 15:03

Wow! Malavicka is surely in a sticky and dangerous situation. I hope she will be able to sort out her feelings and make the right decision. I am sorry about the prolonged ending to the story. Thank you for your honest review.

Amy+++ · Post by **Amy+++** » 23 Sep 2018, 13:18

The book sounds so promising. It's to bad that the errors and the lack of dialogue hurt it so much. Great review.

Julie Green · Post by **Julie Green** » 23 Sep 2018, 14:04

I like the concept of the book - it's a shame it doesn't quite fill its potential. Great review!

Dolor · Post by **Dolor** » 23 Sep 2018, 18:23

A slow pacing is a turn-off for me. I usually like a gripping start and a smooth flow. I'm so sorry about the errors and the lack of details. I will bypass reading this book. Thanks for the honest review.

Georgia Lyonhyde · Post by **Georgia Lyonhyde** » 24 Sep 2018, 12:20

I really like the detail you have included in the review.

It's a shame though, as I was getting really positive vibes until I read about the many errors and lack of dialogue. These are deal breakers for me and I don't think I could see the book through or invest fully in the characters.

Hiruni Bhagya 81 · Post by **Hiruni Bhagya 81** » 26 Sep 2018, 06:18

The title of the book intrigued me, but after seeing it has only got a score of 2 made me reconsider my decision to check it out. Then I felt curious to learn why it got such a score. What I think is even if the plot is good, delivery is not. I'm not sure whether I'll be reading this, but most probably I won't.

Allyseria · Post by **Allyseria** » 30 Sep 2018, 16:43

crediblereading2 wrote: ↑22 Sep 2018, 15:03 Wow! Malavicka is surely in a sticky and dangerous situation. I hope she will be able to sort out her feelings and make the right decision. I am sorry about the prolonged ending to the story. Thank you for your honest review.

Thank you for leaving a comment! If only the ending had ended with the plot. It would have been a much better read

Allyseria · Post by **Allyseria** » 30 Sep 2018, 16:45

Amy+++ wrote: ↑23 Sep 2018, 13:18 The book sounds so promising. It's to bad that the errors and the lack of dialogue hurt it so much. Great review.