Reviewed by me for Reader’s Favorite
The wide variety of topics that the author, Dan T. Cox, has picked up in A Bigger Piece of Blue is truly exceptional. There are 13 short stories that go from being romance genre to paranormal genre among others. A few of these stories go on to fill many pages to reach a climax; whereas, a few others don’t seem to go beyond a monologue. No matter what the length of any story is, there is something to hold the interest of readers. The story titled A Bigger Piece of Blue talks about a man falling in love with a woman who was at least 15 years older than him. As he reminisces about his courtship period with this woman, one might think there would only be romance and all the romantic gestures involved; however, the author managed to add a twist to the story to give a glimpse to the readers that this is no ordinary book. When the first story is as gripping as this one, I, as a reader, know that I have picked a gem. I am delighted to announce that I wasn’t disappointed in the least.
There is a depth in most of the stories of this novella. This depth is an added flavor for those readers who crave for a philosophical intrigue from any book that they pick. There are stories that would make you ponder about various aspects of life. My favorite one is in his story titled Splendid Purpose, where he gently points out that being a wife does not mean that one must forget all about their identity. Work on your identity, hone your skills, keep on dreaming, and be someone. My favorite story is the one that has an unexpected twist. Without giving away a spoiler, I would just name the title: Pictures of Me. Each story of the book has well-defined characters with whom I could connect very easily. The plot develops beautifully in most of the stories. Two or three stories did not make me feel anything at all. These were generally the ones that ended too quickly or left me wondering. I like stories that keep me on the edge of my seat but don’t leave me there. Obviously, other readers might not feel the same. These two-three stories are the only reason why I rated the book a ‘4’ and not ‘5.’
