Pimpernel (Pimpernel, #1)

by Sheralyn Pratt

[sstaley]

This book was not was I was expecting. It is not a story to read when you are tired, you need to be awake and alert or you will be lost. There is a lot to take in during the first half of the book. The set-up of characters and what is going on can be confusing at first, but soon you are piecing things together. At the middle point of the book is where the surprises start popping up and then you can't read fast enough.

You have PhD student Claire who is a genius and also happens to have OCD. Right from the first, you know that she is involved in something where she is in over her head. Claire is a character where you really feel for her because of her strange family and her infatuation with her professor who is in jail. You never know what is going to throw Claire into a tail spin and a mental breakdown. With wealthy parents that have always been so cold, and she's never been kissed, you want something good to happen to Claire.

Jack is the Pimpernel. He is a mystery and Claire isn't sure if she can trust him. I wasn't sure about him either as the story unfolded. It was hard to know who to trust at all. It's crazy to read a book where you have no clue who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. I was stumped for quite awhile. Jack is in neck deep with the organization trying to get to the bottom of the scam that Claire is in the middle of.

It's really hard to describe what happens in this story without giving too much away. Let's just say it is intense, exciting and edgy. As the romance starts blooming, you can't help but wonder if it is real, or part of the scheme. Now that we have been introduced to the characters, main and minor, I hope that the author writes more of this series. I think now that you know them and what they do, the story would move more smoothly along. I liked this book, but felt like I should have been taking notes to try and figure things out. Author Sheralyn Pratt is a great writer, so she is able to pull this off and make you hungry for more of Jack, Claire, Margot, Nate and Ren. If you like to be challenged as a reader in figuring out a mystery, you will love this book and be happy that you read it.