Customer Reviews

Enemies and Playmates

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I confess, I didn't finish this book. Not because of the writing or characters, both of which are well crafted, but because the subject is just too dark. I read for escape. I prefer my books light. Enemies and Playmates is neither. It deals with abuse very frankly.

Lauren Covington's father is a highly successful businessman who shows the world a face of compassion. But to his family, he is brutal, vicious, and unforgiving. Lauren wants to escape, to just live a normal life of a college student, but feels trapped by her mother's helplessness and the need to protect her younger brother. She meets Jesse at a bar, feeling an instant attraction to the man, without realizing that he works for her father, handling contract jobs her father wants kept off the book and out of sight.

Darcia doesn't hold anything back in this story. This story went places I just didn't want to go. I couldn't finish it. If you want a compelling story dealing with abuse, I'd recommend this book. If you want a beach read, try something different. This book will give you nightmares.

Very well written! Interesting, entertaining and overall a great read. I was at first worried about the name and the picture on the cover, but after reading two other books by the author first, No JusticeNo Justice and Hit ListHit List, I realized that the author simply writes well all the time.
Something else I noticed about this author: she manages to add unpredictable and thrilling turns in all her novels when you at least expect it.
And yes, you kind of know that the two main characters will find their happy end, but you will never be able to guess all the "how it will happen", which, of course, makes this book such a "take a break from the day and get lost in a good escape-book" read.

What happens to the abuser when the person being abused fights back?

Lauren Covington, age 23, seems like a happy person when out with friends but at home, her father, Alex, is a domineering control freek who physically and verbally abuses his family.

Lauren gets her biggest break when she meets Jesse Ryder. Jesse is a private investigator and the two are immediately attracted to each other.

Jesse had been doing work for Alex Covington's law firm but when the asked Jesse to fake some evidence and set up someone to be framed Jesse tells them to forget it.

Lauren keeps the abuse to herself but when her brother overdoses, she can no longer stand it and confides in Jesse. Jesse then decides to take action against Alex but Alex has influential friends and hires some muscle to do the dirty work for him.

Darcia Helle tells an inticing story. She states that she has been influenced by Tami Hoag, John Sanford and Janet Evanovich. Her story has such a strong message that copies should be distributed at women's shelters.

The story is well told, Jesse Ryder is a likable character with a strong sense of morality. Lauren and her mother are somewhat meek but perhaps this is a trait common to the abused.

Copies of the book can be found at the author's website [...]
or through Amazon by searching under the title and indicating, paperback copy. Read it, it's worth the effort and you'll have an enjoyable experience.

I am happily surprised with how much I enjoyed this book and how I ripped through it once I got started. Initially, I hesitated to pick this one up because I'd seen it billed as a suspense or detective story mixed with romance. When I hear "romance" I think of the classic cliches of the genre and this usually doesn't appeal to me. However, with "Enemies and Playmates", Helle has engineered a world bereft of the usual cliches and instead crafted it with all the pacing and movement of the best novels in these genres. I won't ruin it for anyone by spilling plot details but I will recommend this book for readers who like to have their heart rate tested. And if you like fiction that also draws you into truly caring about characters as they navigate through their struggles, then you'll enjoy this one. A fine balancing act!

Not knowing what to expect, I tried to read Enemies and Playmates last night. After about 2/3 of the way through, I simply stopped...I couldn't do it anymore.

Here are my complaints:

1. There is absolutely NO character development in the beginning...I still have no idea how old Jesse is supposed to be. There were no real descriptions of the characters, and the author provided no opportunities for me to attach to the characters before the drama began. Do I feel bad for Lauren and her family? Yes, but it just wasn't enough to keep me reading.

2. How many times must Alex threaten to kill Jesse? This got really old - Alex threatens Lauren that he'll kill Jesse, Lauren freaks out and begs Jesse to stop AND tries to break up with him, Jesse calms Lauren and everything is okay. Seriously? Again and again...

3. It seems like the author wanted this to be a gripping romantic drama (from the description), but it just dragged on and on, with ridiculous plot developments. Not gripping, not romantic.

Sorry, Enemies and Playmates - I can't finish you, I'll be deleting you, and I certainly won't be recommending you.

This was a good, solid romance-thriller about a girl finding her man & dealing with her abusive father. The situation was fairly horrifying & logically structured. The hero & heroine were both tough, but very believable. While there is some sex, it wasn't over done nor too explicit. I should probably give the book an extra 1/2 star for that since too many authors succumb to filler sex lately.

If I have any criticism, it's that the fight scenes just didn't work all that well for me. They weren't bad, but they didn't grab me the way they have in other books. The detail & logic of the story suffered a little there. Still, they weren't bad - just not as good as the emotions & motivations.

The good guys were all very likable, while the villains had no redeeming qualities, so there was no trouble separating the two nor was there much doubt how it would all play out. Still, there were some interesting twists throughout the story.

It was a fun, quick read. I'll be interested in reading another book by this author in the future. After finding out it was her first book, I just can't resist giving her 5 stars & will REALLY be interested in her future work.

Some spoilers in this review! There are things about this book that I liked (mostly the story's concept and some of the writing that captured Lauren's grief over her brother), and the writer shows promise. But that promise is not fulfilled in this book. Given its length, it was disappointing that the relationship between Lauren and Jesse was given such short shrift - we were told much more than we were shown. The author spent far too much time in repetitive scenes dealing with her evil father and his machinations - especially those involving his anti-Jesse campaign - and not nearly enough showing the development of the ostensibly deeply-felt relationship between the hero and heroine. The romantic/love scenes were handled perfunctorily. I don't need to see graphic depictions more appropriate to erotica, but given how the physical aspects of trust were so huge for Lauren, and that she was a virgin, the off-hand way they were written did not support the story overall, in my opinion.

What also seemed incongruous was Lauren continuing to see Jesse in such an overt manner - having him come to pick her up at her house (more accurately, her father's house!) when she knew her father was literally gunning for him.

What ultimately diminished my review were the endless grammatical/editing mistakes. Just a few expamples: mulling vs. milling about; site vs. sight; petitioned area vs. partitioned area; comprehensive vs. comprehensible; released on bale vs. bail; take charge roll vs. role...

ENEMIES AND PLAYMATES by Darcia Helle is a suspense/romance. It is well written with depth and details. The plot is easy to follow and very intriguing. Do not let the title confuse you into thinking it is anything except a wonderful sensationally interesting suspense and romance. While it does have a small amount of sweet sensuality, it is about abuse of a spouse toward his family, other people, power, murder, violence, deceit, betrayal, family, tragedy, romance, and love. The hero, Jesse, is handsome, strong, determined, a policeman turned into private investigator and determined to bring to justice the powerful lawyer, Alex Covington, but he doesn't plan on meeting the beautiful, Laurene. The heroine, Lauren, is brave, beautiful, the daughter of Alex, only knows her father is abusive to her mother and brother. She quietly learns of all the things her father is capable of, and has been doing for years. After the death of her brother more things begin to come to light. She soon learns just how evil her father really is and what he is capable of doing. Jesse, is her strength, her love and her hero. Lauren, is Jesse's world also and together they must outwit and outsmart her father to stay alive. This is a wonderful suspenseful romance with twists and turns and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I would highly recommend this story. This book was received for review from the author and Library Thing and details can be found at CreateSpace and My Book Addiction and More.

I have read all three books and have enjoyed them all. A lot of twists & turns. Books that you can curl up with and not put down.

This book was a huge disappointment for me. The message and plot are extremely important and I picked this one up on that alone, ready to be moved to tears by Lauren's life. But the delivery and plot line were terrible. This book is very poorly written and the author appears to be shoving too many "messages" into the story without allowing any to fully develop within the story itself.

Even as a free book, I'm sorry to have taken the time to download it. The dialog felt very unrealistic and forced throughout the entire book. There are several good books that tell stories of suffering and strength; that help shed light on bad situations while reaching out to their audience. This one did not do it for me