Book Review: Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes (The Mask Series #3)

By: Melissa Pearl

Published By: Evatopia Press

Publication Date: January 30, 2015
Buy it at Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks, or Barnes & Noble

Source: ARC Kindly Provided by Author

Audience: Young Adult/New Adult - Paranormal Mystery

Review of Book #1: True Colors

Review of Book #2: Two-Faced

Snake Eyes is the third book in Melissa Pearl's Masks' series. And what a rollercoaster of a ride it was to read this book! About halfway through the book, I wanted to throw my iPad across the room. I was so angry with what was happening to the characters in the book! But I knew Melissa would not let me down. By the time I finished the book, all I could say was, "Holy Crap on a Cracker!" 

 Caity and Eric just finished a wonderful summer together, which they deserved after what they went through in Two-Faced. They are back at UCLA and it's the beginning of Caity's sophomore year. She and Nicole are roommates once again and things are looking great! The year looks to be even better when Eric and Dale end up with an empty bedroom in their house and ask Caity and Nicole to move in with them. 

Unfortunately, Kaplan, the FBI agent we love to hate, chooses that moment to show up and coerce Caity into helping her with another case. This one involves Diego Mendez, a man involved in human trafficking. Caity has seen the news reports of the kidnapping and disappearances of these girls. She is heartbroken over what is happening and can't find a way to say no to Kaplan. What Caity doesn't realize is the devastating effect that decision will have on her relationship with Eric. 

 Kaplan tells Caity she cannot move in with Eric. And since Nicole is moving out, Kaplan arranges for Mendez's daughter Quella to become Caity's new roommate. This leads to numerous problems for Caity and Eric, and things only go from bad to worse between the two of them. Kaplan has forbidden Caity to tell Eric what she is doing so she must lie to him. Given Eric's trust issues, he cannot help but doubt everything about his relationship with Caity. 

 It was at this point in the book that I about lost it. I was so angry with Kaplan and quite frustrated with both Caity and Eric. But when things took a turn for the worse for Caity and Eric, it also ratcheted up the action in the book and I couldn't put it down. 

 I've always said I like a good mystery with a healthy dose of romance. This one had both - it's just that the romance occurred in the beginning and all the action and mystery was in the last half of the book, leaving you with a MAJOR cliffhanger ending. It's a good thing Book 4, Poker Face, comes out next month! 

 If you enjoy romance, mystery, and even some international intrigue (habla español?), then get yourself a copy of Snake Eyes!

Summary:

Caitlyn Davis expects her sophomore year at UCLA to be perfect...until she walks into her dorm room to find Special Agent Zoey Kaplan of the FBI waiting for her. In that instant, she knows her idyllic year with new best friends, Nicole and Dale, along with her super hot boyfriend, Eric, is about to fall apart.

Having been forced to work with the FBI months earlier, Caity accidentally gave away her special ability to read people's emotions and know whether they were telling the truth. Now, Kaplan wants Caity to go undercover again for a secret operation that will bring her close to the sadistic Diego Mendez, a man believed to be involved in human trafficking. 

Eric Shore is not a man who trusts easily. Having been burned multiple times, it’s hard for him to open up completely, but his love for Caity makes him want to try. Yet, her sudden withdrawal worries him, particularly when she chooses to spend time with her new roommate, Quella Mendez, over him. When Caity’s behavior begins to match that of her wild roommate, Eric wonders if their relationship is as strong as he believed.

As Caity struggles to maintain her relationship and do her job, she finds herself pulled further into a dangerous world that could take away everything she holds dear. Will Eric learn the truth in time to save her? Or will the man with the eyes of a snake destroy their perfect romance?