Megan Hart
Collide
Harlequin Spice (US: 21st June 2011)
Buy (US) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Any story with a fictional celebrity is bound to be awkward, and Collide is no different in that respect. The first half has an unsettling fangirl/stalker vibe. The fictional celebrity in question is Johnny Dellasandro, whose name reminds me of Joe Dellasandro – a name I recognise from the author’s Twitter/Facebook feed, though I don’t know who he is. Actor, perhaps? I wouldn’t be surprised if he shares Johnny Dellasandro’s New York accent (eg. “hooah” instead of “whore”; “pitchahs” instead of “pictures”). Makes for very uncomfortable reading.
At the age of six, Emmaline Moser fell off the jungle gym and wanged her head. No permanent damage, and no surgery required, but since then Emm’s experienced fugue states. All the medical tests run on her don’t explain the fugue states or how to control them.
At first the fugue states seem like hallucinations, which would’ve been realistic. But instead they’re time travel, which ends up with Emm becoming pregnant in present time, even though the unprotected sex happened in the travel time/fugue state – the 1970s.
Those of you hoping for psychological drama will instead get paranormal activity. I want my science, damn it!
