Triangle: The Complete Series by Susann Julieva & Rommel Engel

Triangle: The Complete Series by Susann Julieva

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The blurb…

When James falls in love with Casey, he knows he is in for trouble. Not only is Casey his best friend, he is also straight – or so James thinks, until notorious heartbreaker Danny Rizzo completely shakes things up. With troubled Nick adding his very own demons to the mix, nothing is set, and no-one is safe from surprises. Soon James finds himself faced with the question: Who does he really want to be with? For only one of them will stand by him as he struggles to face a chilling secret buried in his past…

Unique and unconventional, Triangle was first published chapter by chapter on the internet, growing novel-length without being a novel in the classical sense. It is a love story told in fragments, granting glimpses into the complex relationships between James, Danny, Casey, and Nick while always leaving room for imagination.

So what did I think?

James and Casey. James and Rizzo. Casey and Rizzo. Rizzo and Nick. Lovers. Friends. Enemies.

Triangle wasn’t what I expected. It was more a tangled and complex web of relationships that weave in and out and around, firstly three main characters who are eventually joined by a fourth.

James has a traumatic past and is secretly in love with his best friend but attracted to another. Casey is a surprise, his feelings taking an unexpected turn. Rizzo is a mystery, manipulative and initially hard to like. Nick faces his own demons.

I don’t want to spoil the story by expanding on how the characters are involved with each other but suffice it to say, you will be kept guessing throughout the story as they alternate from wild attraction, deep love, potential hate.

This is quite an emotional journey, focused on the internal thoughts and feelings of the characters which are shared through alternating POVs. It has a darker feel and a slightly uncomfortable undercurrent due to the continued anguish felt by the characters, the playing off against one another and the troubled pasts.

A few quotes to give a sense of the style of the book…

“Friend. Right. I’m inwardly screaming: For god’s sake, turn your head, look at me! I’m right here, right beside you. Mere inches away. I’m someone, too. I see you. I don’t want to be your friend. I want to be everything to you.”

“Because when Casey looks at me like that, like I’m his every fantasy come true, I know I don’t deserve to be held up so high. I don’t get how I can be so incredibly happy, and at the same time…almost sad.”

“I don’t think that night ever ended, because I can always feel him now, underneath my skin. I try not to think about it, but I’m hooked, that’s the way it is. I want more. Wow, and I think that’s kinda pathetic.”

“I bite down hard on my lower lip to keep the agony I’m feeling from spilling out of me. I’m such a creep. I’m worthless. I’m nothing. I’m less than nothing. I’m not even here. There’s only blackness ahead, and the familiar mist if coming over me…”

“The realization comes as a surprise, but I have faith, I do. Faith in myself, faith in us, and for this one moment, even faith in this planets’ sad population. Oh, this is gonna be good. Brace yourself, world, here we come.”

I found myself quite drawn in, despite the sense of melancholy and was intrigued to find out how the story ended. The main downside was the sex. The build up regarding the sexual attraction was pretty intense and the characters come together in a way that is passionate and hot and hard and I wanted to get the full experience so felt slight let down as the scenes faded….maybe all the detailed action wasn’t required for the story but I felt a little like I’d been left hanging.

All in all, a well told emotional story.

A copy of this book was provided by the author in return for my honest review.

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

To find out more about Susann Julieva and her books visit her website.

Buy Triangle from Amazon.