Rachel Reviews: Silent Bites by Melissa Ingoldsby

I do like a good love story and Melissa Ingoldsby does them very well. In fact, she is a romantic for the modern age, I think. She has no trouble imagining situations which are very much relationships of the 21st century and bringing the love into the light with her depiction of them and the people who find themselves there. Having already read two of her novels (links provided below), this book has all of the traits of her previous books but this one felt slightly different, a quieter read, gentler, evolving at a pace that was cautious but controlled. It felt more confident and I enjoyed it very much.

The book deals mainly with a love affair between Arturo and Dan, Arturo being a Colombian immigrant who is questioning his gender identity and has the freedom to do that now he is away from his parents and living in the cosmopolitan city of New York; and Dan, a police officer on the verge of retirement with a past filled with damaging relationships, both familial and with partners. Ingoldsby shows a love growing in the most unlikely of places and I love that she chooses to do this, holding up a window through which we can peer into a world other than our own and showing people who are striving to be true to who they are, to find happiness for themselves.

Whilst the narrative concentrates on Arturo and Dan, there are other characters who feature and become more crucial as the story goes on and more is revealed about Arturo and Dan and their pasts. Sera is the owner of the coffee shop where Arturo and Dan meet and Aki is a frequenter of the shop also, who has taken a shine to Sera - but does she have eyes for another?

What I liked about the way that this narrative has been plotted is the link of which Ingoldsby makes us aware that exists between all the key characters, steadily dripping connections through the book to show us as readers, whilst the characters remain oblivious. This creates tension and curiosity about how it's all going to end and of course, whether a happy ending is achievable.

It's not all plain sailing. Hurt is part of Arturo's and Dan's lives as is the weight of opinion, and past incidents lurk, threatening the life which Dan and Arturo hope to build together.

So how does it all end? Happily ever after? You'll have to read it to find out.

Rachel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

You can read Melissa's offerings on Vocal here at her profile where she writes prolifically, not just stories but great poems too:

For other books reviews of Melissa Ingoldsby's books, check out the links below: