The Joy & Torture of Joshua James Review

TITLE The Joy & Torture of Joshua James
AUTHOR Julie Rieman Duck
PAGES 109 (ePub format)
PUBLISHED April 11, 2012 by Smashwords
READ April 19, 2012
BUY IT Smashwords / Amazon

SYNOPSIS Girls are difficult for 16-year-old Joshua James - especially the ones living right next door. This pair of sisters is more than he could have ever hoped for, and when both take an interest in Josh it’s all he can do to keep things straight.

Blonde Jordan is an angel, with a perfect body and adoring personality. Goth girl Jessa is the devil and much more than that… or so Joshua thinks. But when things start disappearing from his house, and the sisters wage a war of finger-pointing over Joshua, he must decide which one is crazier before he also disappears.

The Joy & Torture of Joshua James is a great little novella that I was sucked into and couldn't put down until I had devoured it all.  This story holds nothing back, Joshua is very blunt and his language is what some would call risqué. I wasn't too sure what I was in for when I started this but I was pleasantly surprised as it was an engrossing tale that had a great flow and felt very natural to read.

I'm not often a fan of male narrators, and in the beginning I did find it hard to connect to Joshua but as the story went on I realized he was the perfect, typical horny teenaged boy. There were alot of, let's say interesting people in Josh's life, from his self-medicating mother to his dads voyeuristic new girlfriend and "Gothic Gretchen" from next door.  There is no shortage of fascinating, well-developed characters in this one.

Julie Rieman Duck has woven a tale that will leave you guessing until the very last page, and longing for more.  I really hope there is more to come in the saga of Joshua James. If you're looking for an Alluring Read, give this great little novella a go!