Official Description: “The target is Isabella Swan, fellow graduate student. Came into a fortune when her mother died, she doesn’t seem to care to do anything with it. Quiet, shy, just waiting for The One. I’ll be everything she wants me to be.”
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One of my favorite things I like to read about in a fic is an Edward that I start out absolutely hating who I come to love and root for in the course of the story. I love “discovering” a character that way, and that’s exactly what happened to me when I read The Confidence Man.
This Edward isn’t a man-whoring asshole. He’s not an overbearing, possessive jerk. He’s none of the usual “Bad Edward” stereotypes. In fact, he’s quite likable. And there’s the problem: it’s all a lie, even his name. He’s smooth, he’s sweet, he’s helpful, he’s funny…and he’s out to rob Bella blind. And that’s why I hated him. Because I love this Bella. She’s a good girl; nice, loyal to her friends, and completely unconcerned with the money she’s inherited. In fact, this girl is so kind-hearted that she’d probably just give Edward the money if he asked for it. But that’s not what he’s there to do. He’s there to worm his way into her heart and steal it all out from under her.
I started out reading this fic preemptively flinching for Bella. She fell for him hard, exactly as planned, and we all knew he was going to break her heart. Poor Bella was the only one that didn’t know. But somewhere along the way, we see the suave Edward, professional criminal, actually develop a conscience where this girl is concerned. Her kindness wears him down and in the end, he ends up every bit as trapped by his con as she is.
OhMyWorld has done a fantastic job showing Edward’s gradual transformation from an (almost) heartless crook, to a man desperate to save the woman he loves. And along the way, she’s laid out a good, tightly-plotted crime story. The shadowy criminal world Edward inhabits is entirely believable and sufficiently scary. This one’s almost finished and I have to admit, every update has me biting my nails in anxiety as I wait to see how it all pans out.
I’m a sucker for a good love story, but I’m also a sucker for a good story. I like plot; I like planning and research. This one has it all, so give it a go. Trust me. 
So I have to admit, I’m not completely finished with this story (I got bit by the blonde bug and read the wrong thing this week), but I wanted to add in my two-cents to say that so far? Loving it.
Edward is clearly hiding a lot of things, and I’m so anxious to find out what they are. And why! One of my favorite lines in the story is from his point of view and I think it explains a lot, but like I said, still so very anxious to find out the reason for it all.
A good lie is one that becomes a part of you and I was a damn good liar.
The writing is clean, and the alternating POV’s makes for a wonderful story. Though you want to hate Edward for what he’s doing to Bella, it’s a little difficult to do it. Because everything he does (though he says he’s lying) feels so genuine.
I’m definitely looking forward to finding out how the tale unfolds for the con man and his ‘mark.’
I confess, I was curious about this concept — could an author really take me from hating Edward to even mildly liking him?
I’m not all of the way through this fic, but my heart is melting, slightly. I don’t hate Edward anymore, I even understand some of his motivations, but I do ache for him, and for Bella.
The author has done a really good job of giving us an Edward that is complicated and complex, has had to make very difficult decisions, and hasn’t always made the right decision, at that. However, you can’t help but be compelled to root for him to come around. He doesn’t seem inherently bad, and in fact, the more the story unfolds, the more you realize he’s trapped.
I’m really eager to see where this goes, because I want to like this Edward, and I want them to work out all of their stuff, but I don’t want it to be an easy five minute solution. I have no idea what’s going to happen or how they will make it through this still together, or if they even will, but so far, I’m enjoying this story immensely.
I’ve been reading and loving The Confidence Man for awhile, but I’ve been putting off rec’ing it. Why?
Because I have no idea what the fuck is going to happen.
Even now, when we are almost at the end of the story, I just don’t know. What I do know is that Oh My Word has written a compelling, believable story that immediately pulls you in. This is an Edward I’ve never encountered before and an unbelievable, original plot.
“Tell me you don’t have questions. Tell me there’s never been anything strange or something you’ve just made yourself ignore.” Kate crossed her arms, confident in her quick assessment.
I couldn’t tell her anything, so instead I stood up, pulling my wallet out of my bag. I threw some cash down on the table. “I think we’re done here.”
“Bella wait,” she grabbed the strap of my backpack before I could leave. “You think I don’t know anything, but I see you two together. He’s always there, isn’t he?”
I could barely look her in the eye.
“I’ve been doing some -,”
“Stay out of it, Kate.” Instead of letting her finish, I yanked my bag onto my shoulder and walked away.
All I can say, really, is that this story is amazing. The descriptions, the dialogue, the drama–it’s like a movie. An academy award-winning movie. Just read it.
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