I began reading this and just couldn't get into it, so unfortunately it will be a "do not finish" for me

Thanks to NetGalley for giving a chance to read and review this fascinating novel.
Thomas Wilde has a successful career as a ENT surgeon with a longtime friend. His life has not been all roses. A traumatic war experience and the breakup of his marriage have left him with PTSD and lingering doubts.
Thomas' life takes a dramatic turn one day as he glimpses a stunningly beautiful woman outside his office doors.
He becomes obsessed with the lovely Lana Fauves. Is she a "damsel in distress" or a brilliant con artist? She pulls him into a world that is very different from his own. About the time he feels they have established a true relationship, she disappears. Thomas is a highly intelligent doctor, but loses his common sense and can't let go of his need for Lana.
Author Nick Totem has taken the noir genre from earlier days and infused it with all the postmodern items such as Uber, social media hook-up sites and Google. Even though none of the well fleshed out characters is very likable, the author brings them to vivid life. The backdrop of L..A., where most things are illusion, is perfect for this dark, dramatic tale .The reader is taken on a ride full of twists and turns until the very end.
The author's experience as a doctor bring authenticity and poignancy to the plot. I look forward to any future works by this talented writer

A view of love through a 21st Century Lens and through some very dramatic an unusual situations. Not something I would usually read but I can feel there is an audience for it.

I had a very difficult time getting into this book. Had it not been an ARC, I would have been tempted to make it a DNF.
Yet, at 53% into the book (I remember the exact moment I thought "FINALLY!"), the plot really started to pick up and the second half of the book was considerably better than the first half.

My main issue with this book is that there are no likable characters, including secondary characters. Thomas Wilde is a ENT doctor, Lana is a former philosophy student from Stanford. Thomas instantly falls in love with Lana- and the story begins. I couldn't empathize with Thomas and found many of his decisions to be unreasonable-- although I suppose it is often argued that love makes people do stupid things.

Author Nick Totem has at times, incredibly beautiful prose. His insights divined through Thomas were often interesting and intriguing to read. His website, although not updated recently, shows him to be an intelligent man and practicing physician-- I wonder how much of Thomas he sees in himself. As mentioned, once the story picks up, it becomes an interesting read. This is not a book for everyone, but I can see the appeal for a variety of audiences that enjoy reading about unrequited love and enjoy romantic/noire suspense.

Thank you very much to Lucengeist Literary Press LLC, Netgalley, and Nick Totem for an advanced readers copy of this novel.

Every time a book is read, there is a bargain struck between the writer and the reader. You present to me your work, and I give you my valuable time, my full attention, and the breadth of my experience to interpret and flesh out your words. With A Postmodern Love, I felt shortchanged.

It seems that the writer, Nick Totem, meant to inhabit the world of mid-20th-Century noir, but I never made it to the destination. The main character, Thomas Wilde, is a doctor with an independent specialty practice in Los Angeles. His prior military service in Iraq gave him permanent trauma and took his marriage.

Ten years later, Wilde glimpses a stunningly beautiful woman outside his office, and becomes obsessed. She’s a refined, well-educated con artist, but still -- his powerless obsession with her, and the depths to which he followed her, were inexplicable to me.

We went on a quirky tour through several bizarre subcultures, but at each turn of events, I ranted to the character Thomas, “Why are you making all these conspicuously bad decisions?”

The passages that apply directly to Thomas’s medical practice ring with authenticity. After finishing the book and reading the author’s bio, I saw that Nick Totem is a doctor himself, and was writing what he knew.

Nick Totem can write, but I think a vigorous editing would have strengthened the book’s structure and blitzed the many, many errors, typos and unfortunate word choices.

A POSTMODERN LOVE
BY NICK TOTEM

Although, because of technology used in this novel, there is a contradictory feeling that it could take place in the 1950's. Nick Totem writes using an economy of words. This caused the story to grab my attention on the very first page . There isn't any chance at getting distracted because the narrative never back tracks or describes non essential scenes. II really enjoyed this book and was able to read from start to finish in one sitting. The first few sentences start out with a bang and kept me turning the pages not wanting to stop reading until the end. That too me is the sign of a talented writer who can keep me enthralled so much so that I lose track of time. The story centers around Thomas and Lana. Thomas is a sympathetic but haunted soul who is an ear, nose and throat doctor. One day at his practice he spots Lana and she is a beautiful but cunning and calculating woman.

Lana was a philosophy major at Stanford University who now is involved with a group of dangerous men who have versed her in the stock market and art and money laundering. Thomas falls head over heels in love with Lana and I found what he did for her who is a complete stranger to be highly unrealistic. The setting takes place in Los Angeles but the two of them spend some time in San Francisco. Lana is an unlikable but cunning character and she secretly clings to an unsavory man who keeps her with plenty of money which is all she seems to care about. She uses the haunted Thomas who is obsessively in love with her as she reels him in and then just as quickly disappears time after time.

I was disappointed because I thought this love story would be more balanced but that would lead to an entirely different book. I do understand the dynamics of Thomas and Lana's relationship had to be played out as the people he presented to tell this story as a whole. The book was entertaining and I think each one of us can relate to the extreme availability Thomas gives of himself to Lana as this is unrequited love. Most of us have lived a romance although most likely in our youth. Thomas will keep being blindsided by Lana throughout their relationship. I would recommend this to readers who like dialogue taut and a fast paced narrative. I would round this up to a solid 3.5 star rating. The reason why this was less than a five star read for me is because I had to suspend belief too many times. Lana might not be a likable character as I have already mentioned but what she lacks in goodness she makes up for in cleverness and is the perfect schemer the author would need to make this power off balance that often exists in relationships far too often.

Thank you to Net Galley, Nick Totem and Lucen Geist Literary Publishing for providing me with my digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The operative word here is postmodern. Tinder dating, riding Uber, Facebook stalking. The psychological plot twists here are intriguing, severe, and show the inner workings of two very tortured lovers that can't seem to disentangle themselves from each other. Set in Los Angeles, it concerns the lifestyles of the ultra-rich and famous. The book starts off a bit slow, but quickly engages and by the end you are rooting for both characters to resolve their issues. Highly recommended.

A MUST READ!!!

Thomas Wilde was "merely" trying to rid his conscience of the guilt he bore after his tour in Iraq. He became infatuated with a woman he had seen around in the building his office was in. Thomas is a successful MD in practice with a longtime friend.

One day, Thomas gathers up the courage to meet Lady X. He gives her his phone number. He has to prod a little to find out that her name is Lana Fauves. They go out on a date two days later; to an art exhibit hosted by Lana's friends. A bit awkward, yet Thomas does fine.
He is so taken by this woman that he loans her $5000 and tells her he loves her the following day he sees her.

Recently divorced, Thomas is already thinking about a future with Lana. Not long after that first date, Thomas begins to "stalk" Lana's apartment and almost always finds a man in a black van (wearing a baseball cap) there. This man tells Thomas to leave Lana alone - that she owes him (his boss) $20,000. - of course, eventually Thomas gives $20,000 to this guy!!! Who says that love isn't blind???

Lana is not at her apartment for a few days and Thomas wonders if her (and maybe her friends) are scam artists. That is a lot of money.

As Lana returns to Los Angeles (from Belize) she spends some time with Thomas and his love for her wins out his suspicions. Thomas finds out surface information about her "friend" Lloyd and about her former lover, Cristian, who disappeared a while ago.
There is a back and forth relationship between Lana and Thomas that spans a couple of years. Thomas is still susceptible to Lana's charms. (Lana's lies, half-truths and disappearing acts may begin to infuriate the reader by now).

When Lana passes out she is brought to the ER - she has the hospital contact Thomas, as he is a doctor. He drops everything and rushes to be there (although there is no need). He stays the night with Lana at her new, run-down studio apartment. They become platonic good friends. He cooks for her, spends time with her (still wanting her) but this is enough. Lana is having a preventative mastectomy procedure and Thomas is doing everything to see her through. The days leading up to the surgery are filled with more truths that Lana had been holding back telling to Thomas.

On the night prior to surgery, Lana can't sleep. Thomas is there with her. She wants to get some fresh air. Thomas reminds Lana that it is the middle of the night and they go for a walk anyway....

And this is where the excitement begins...

This book is an easy read - interesting and exciting. I read it in one day and highly recommend it to readers of multiple genres. Characters are well thought out and they really deliver. Awesome climax and conclusion!!!
Many thanks to Lucengeist Literary Press and NetGalley for a really great read!