The first advance review for Target: The Girl (Emily Calby Book 3) was released by Readers’ Favorite, and it’s a good one (5-star Seal). The Kindle version of Target: The Girl is available for preorder on Amazon. Both the Kindle and paperback will be released December 1.
Here’s the full review:
Readers’ Favorite
Rating: 5 Stars
It’s truly a pleasure for me to pick up the third book in a series and enjoy it as much as I did the first two, but for different reasons. Dorian Box’s protagonist in all three books, Emily Calby, is a distant cry from Emily Calby of the other books. Emily is now 20 years old and studying to be a lawyer. In The Hiding Girl, the first book, a justifiably angry Emily killed someone. In the second book, at age 16 she was The Girl in Cell 49B who successfully pleaded her own case and was released from prison. Both of those books were breathtaking reads because of the unique plot and unusual characters.
Target: The Girl is initially slower-paced than those first two stories but for good reason: Emily has grown up. Through therapy, she has mellowed and become less volatile. Her past, however, has made her ever vigilant for herself and others like her aging professor who is being scammed by a female con artist. This Emily Calby captures readers’ hearts with her intelligence and empathy for others, her keen sense of injustice, and her determination to out those who abuse the unsuspecting. But now she is prepared to do it within the confines of the law instead of with her neck knife and killing skills. A less exciting read than those first two books? Hardly!
What I find absolutely wonderful about Dorian Box’s writing is his ability to get us inside Emily’s head. She is unusual, quirky. She flits from one raw thought to another so quickly, she comes fully alive in readers’ minds. There is one other character in this series who also engages us, intrigues us, and ties all three books together: Lucas, the ex-gang member. He is the father Emily never had. He is also her mentor, the voice of reason, her hold on sanity. The relationship between Emily and Lucas is so beautiful, it’s unforgettable, and so perfectly captured by Dorian Box. Box’s writing is that superb blend of absorbing plots and captivating characters that readers crave. You don’t have to read the first two books to enjoy Target: The Girl but you will enjoy it even more if you do read them. Do I recommend doing that? You bet!
