Book Review: The White Aura (Book 1 of the White Aura …

Summary:
How do you live with the gut clenching truth that the one you love will die if you meet them? Twenty year old sorcerer Scott Tabors is learning how. After seeing seventeen year old Olivia Whitehead outside of a coffee shop, his heart will never be the same. He longs for her, he wants her, and he knows she will be his. They are heart mates. …but due to a curse on his family, he can’t meet her. Not yet. So for now, he visits her in her dreams. Her dreams where he can tell her everything but his name.
Olivia Whitehead is a typical junior in high school. She and her best friend are having the time of their lives, but she can’t help but notice the changes happening to her. Especially the changes in her heart after she begins dreaming about a mysterious dark haired young man. But what will happen when the school heartthrob decides he wants Olivia? Will she realize the dream man is real or will she move on?

Review:
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review (Lover of Paranormal Group on Goodreads).
I love the concept behind this novel—boy sees girl but can’t be with her, very Romeo and Juliet, but I’m afraid the execution fell a bit short for me. I realize this is paranormal fiction, and as Samuel Coleridge said the reader must willingly suspend disbelief; however, I found some of the events and explanations unacceptable. Parts of the family heritage were explained thoroughly while other things that I thought were important were hardly touched. For instance, the council was explained in great detail though we never encounter them in this novel, but the fact that 5000-year-old Anna just now has a family though her heart mate is never mentioned is odd. Also, when Delana is mentioned, I really thought she’d be a big part of the story, but that whole thing kind of goes away. Some of the actions and the dialogue seemed awkward and stilted. At times, the characters sounded like teenagers, but other times, not so much. I needed more foreshadowing on some events, too. Olivia’s power and the whole aura thing just pop up and seem to come from nowhere. In all fairness, however, this is a series, so I have a feeling some of my issues are addressed in later volumes, but frustration may keep readers from continuing the series.
There are some positives. It’s a quick read. I finished it in a few hours, and it has some steamy dream sequences which don’t go too far (or far enough depending on your perspective), so teens will love it. Scott seems completely sweet and devoted—perhaps too sweet—if you can get past Olivia calling him “Mr. Sexy,” which, for some reason, made me cringe every time she used it.
3 Stars