G1008 Book Review of The Dan diaries by D.D. Marx

Name of Book: The Dan Diaries

Author: D.D. Marx

ISBN: 978-0-9972481-7-3

Publisher:self published

Part of a Series: The Beyond Series

Type of book: Afterlife, modern times, relationship, friendship, coming together, destiny, fate, death, guardian angels, belief

Year it was published: 2018

Summary:

Dan Sullivan was the best friend of Olivia Henry when his life was taken in a tragic car accident. Shocked to be on the other side, Dan navigates his way by learning his new role in eternal life. His first assignment is as Olivia’s guardian angel. He has the crucial role of guiding her to her pre-defined destiny. Dan’s death throws Olivia into a tail-spin which causes her to veer way off course. He understands the enormity of the challenge when he hears the mechanism by which he can communicate. He’s only allowed to use signs and symbols to get her attention and cannot interfere with her free-will.

Every time he thinks he’s close, something throws her off track. He’s forced to start over by convincing her to trust in their enduring, unbreakable bond. Olivia can feel Dan’s presence but is still reluctant to believe the messages he’s sending. She is fearful of falling in love again at the risk of losing another soulmate. Can Dan persuade her to trust in his love from afar so she can finally receive the happiness she truly deserves?

Characters:

Main characters include Dan, Olivia, Finn as well as Frank and Jake, although Frank and Jake would fall more into secondary characters. Dan is best described as carefree and a ladies' man who respects boundaries and who is also loyal and is determined to give Olivia good life when he dies. (His death happens in the first chapter...) He loves giving nicknames to his friends. Olivia is both open but at the same time afraid of moving on. Just like in previous books, she is principled and capable of standing up for herself as well as for others. Finn is Olivia's boyfriend and is a talented chef who inspired Olivia to follow her dreams. Unfortunately not much information is given about Frank and Jake, but just like Dan they are determined to help their charges succeed.

Theme:

Friendship lasts through life and death

Plot:

The story is in first person narrative from Dan's point of view. At first I felt as if I was getting questions answered because the story is pretty detailed and Dan frequently commented or interjected. However, as the story went on, Dan appeared to be in the story less and less, in particular when it came to building the world and forging the new friendships he has with Jake and Frank. Also, a few things about Frank were kind of ignored in my opinion. However, quite a number of times the story did end up giving me goosebumps and I was disappointed to have it end. I really would have liked to see Dan go forward in his heavenly life.

Author Information:
(From the website)

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble
Add to Goodreads
​


Meet the Author:

D.D. Marx is a contemporary romantic fiction writer and blogger. Marx is a graduate of the University of Dayton, as well as the Second City program in Chicago, where she currently resides. A proud aunt and self-described hopeless romantic, Marx has always had a knack for humorous and engaging storytelling. Her pen name is a dedication to her beloved friend Dan, who continues to guide and inspire her in her daily life.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest 

Opinion:

From the summary as well as beginning of the story, I expected it to be a story about Dan. That is, I knew that Olivia "Hank" Henry and Finn will be touched, but I thought there would be more of a story of heaven instead of rehashing of Olivia's and Finn's relationship. I also was disappointed that Mary "Frank" Frances wasn't given a whole lot of attention. I expected for the story to have more focus on Dan, Frank as well as Jake who have formed a pretty fascinating trio and I would have loved to see more focus and growth of their friendship. Instead, pretty much 85 percent of the book rehashed Olivia's and Finn's relationship. Just like in her previous three books, D.D. Marx heavily focuses on friendships, and along with that focus, the characters all have distinct voices as well as personalities. I am a bit disappointed that the ending of the story seemed to be abrupt in my opinion, but I am happy to have been given another dimension to Olivia's world.

This is for iRead Book Tour


BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:

May 14 - Library of Clean Reads - book spotlight / giveaway
May 15 - Working Mommy Journal - review / giveaway
May 16 - Cindy's Love of Books - review / giveaway
May 17 - Cheryl's Book Nook - review / giveaway
May 18 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review / guest post / giveaway
May 18 - A Mama's Corner of the World - review
May 21 - TFaulc Book Reviews - review / guest post / giveaway
May 22 - Kristin’s Novel Café - review / giveaway
May 23 - Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin' - review
May 24 - Two Points of Interest - review / giveaway
May 28 - Paulette's Papers - book spotlight / giveaway
May 29 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review /
May 30 - T's Stuff - book spotlight / interview / giveaway
May 30 - Book Lover in Florida - review / giveaway
June 1 - Haddie's Haven - review / giveaway
June 4 - Bound 4 Escape - review / giveaway
June 5 - The Writing Studio - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 6 - Nighttime Reading Center - review / giveaway
June 8 - Jessica Cassidy - review / interview / giveaway
3 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)