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June Mitchel wakes up one morning to find a stranger next to her in bed. Except, maybe he isn’t a stranger. Narrated in the first person, the novel begins with the heroine convinced she is experiencing a dream within a dream. Neither the reader nor June knows what actually happened that night. After all, June had been drinking. Still, she woke up in a strange man’s bed, naked. Soon, June remembers meeting the man next to her, Alrick Samson, the night before at a bar. While there with her friend, Jennifer, June tried not to recognize the looks Alrick had been giving her. But the primal attraction is undeniable and the author does a good job describing the immediate tension between the two characters. The dialogue is convincing, and the Canadian setting is well-drawn.
Alrick is more than he first appears, however, and the story turns darker as it progresses. Alrick is secretive and unpredictable, and both the reader and June struggle to understand his true nature. The author capably unravels the story, and the reader longs to understand this complicated character, as well. Empathy for June and her situation is felt by the reader early on. June discovers that Alrick practices kendo, a form of self-defense martial arts that incorporates swordsmanship. It turns out that kendo is also a form of mind control, and another way to beat an opponent. The cliff-hanger ending is well-plotted and leaves the reader questioning the absolute power of mind control. This is a complex and thought-provoking novel.