Tag Archives: Release Week

Review: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

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The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy, #3)The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at The Romance Evangelist.

The final book in Deborah Harkness’s fantastic All Souls trilogy is finally here, and it seems like it’s been forever since we last saw Diana and Matthew. THE BOOK OF LIFE picks up where SHADOW OF NIGHT left off, with our favorite witch and vampire returning to their current timeline and dealing with the aftermath of their actions back in Elizabethan England. To say more is to spoil, and I won’t do that. But be assured, all their past interactions are accounted for here in the present, even as time appears to start circling back on itself while the story hurtles toward its final confrontation between good and evil.

After Diana and Matthew began their improbable quest in A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, and then stepped back in time for SHADOW OF NIGHT, no less than the safety of everyone on Earth was at stake in THE BOOK OF LIFE. Its landscape spans across time and space, and nearly every question posed in the first two books is answered in full. But what made the All Souls trilogy work so well for me was the romance between Diana and Matthew. Their love was forbidden, impossible, and irresistible. It should never have happened, should never have lasted, and yet by the end of this final book, we see how perfectly they fit, and how their romance wasn’t just fated, it was required in order to save the world and everyone in it. To take their love story out of THE BOOK OF LIFE would be like removing the first three pages of the Book of Life in the story itself; all the words would run together in search of the missing portion that made them all make sense. And to call THE BOOK OF LIFE one of the best romances I’ve read this year is no insult – it is the highest compliment I can pay. If you enjoyed the first two books in Deborah Harkness’s All Souls trilogy, this final book is the payoff you’ve been waiting for. If you haven’t read the other books, then you need to start now with A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. I envy you the ability to read all three books in a row for the very first time.

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Review: Straddling the Line by Jaci Burton

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Straddling the Line (Play by Play, #8)Straddling the Line by Jaci Burton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

STRADDLING THE LINE is the eighth book in Jaci Burton’s popular Play By Play sports romance series, featuring a hero and heroine who briefly appeared as supporting characters in MELTING THE ICE, the story which takes place immediately before this one. Our hero, Trevor Shay, is a college buddy of other characters in the previous books. His heroine, Haven Briscoe, is the daughter of their beloved mentor who has recently died from liver cancer, leaving family and friends bereft.

When Trevor discovers that Haven is going to abandon her new job as a national sports broadcaster after the death of her father, he vows to do whatever it takes to stop her from making such a huge mistake. Haven is surprised to find herself chosen by Trevor as the first person allowed into his daily life to document how he succeeds at playing both professional baseball and football, not realizing his hidden agenda to keep her from throwing away her career before it’s begun. But when Haven’s college crush on Trevor flares into a shared passion, it’s only a matter of time before she gets too close to what he’s kept from nearly everyone in his life. As much as Trevor may need Haven, he needs to protect his secret more, even if it means pushing her away completely. And now it’s Haven who needs to save Trevor from himself and a future without love.

For me, STRADDLING THE LINE clearly established its own identity in the Play By Play series without straying from its established sports romance formula, We got to see how professional baseball differs from professional football beyond what’s already obvious, and how their competing interests were a constant issue for Trevor, even as he continued to excel in both fields. Keeping both teams happy would be an herculean effort for anyone, yet the added strain of Trevor’s big secret didn’t appear to be as much of a problem as I would have expected under the circumstances. For yes, I did figure out what he was hiding fairly quickly, but that’s only because I’ve read a few other romances recently with the same plot twist, including one featuring another baseball player hero. Once I’d guessed Trevor’s secret, all the signs were there like big red flags, and although I tried not to hold it against the book for making it so obvious by the time of Trevor’s big reveal, I did find it all too convenient that Haven was uniquely qualified to help him not only face his problem but also work to help others in a similar situation. But with such an otherwise appealing hero and heroine, and all the familiar characters from the previous books making an appearance to help this latest couple along toward their own HEA, how could I not enjoy how it turned out in the end? It was also great to meet the new family of sports heroes who will be featured in future Play By Play books. This is a series that continues to prove itself worthy with every new installment, and STRADDLING THE LINE is no exception.

Ratings:

Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 3

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Review: Vipers Run by Stephanie Tyler

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Vipers Run: A Skulls Creek NovelVipers Run: A Skulls Creek Novel by Stephanie Tyler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

Thanks to the success of television shows like Sons of Anarchy, one of the big new trends in romance is the Motorcycle Club romantic suspense novel. In these books, the MC provides the structure and context for whatever sort of havoc may occur as the hero (usually a member of the club) and heroine (who may or may not be an innocent civilian) find true love. I’ve only read a few of these books so far, but unfortunately VIPERS RUN was only a so-so read for reasons almost entirely unrelated to this particular trope.

The book begins with an introduction to Calla, who has always felt split between two worlds without being a full member of either one. Her father is an extremely rich and powerful man, but her mother forced him to stay away, preferring the company of low-lifes who only brought pain. It was only after Calla had suffered her own victimization by a man she should not have trusted that her father entered her life, but now eight years later, Calla is still barely scraping by as receptionist to a slightly shady but kindly private investigator. When her boss leaves behind his cell phone one fateful morning, the call that comes in is one she’ll never forget. And when that call forces Calla’s journey to the doorstep of a man she’s never met, what happens next will change her life forever.

Cage is the voice on the phone and the man who will soon claim Calla as his own. He went rogue on the Vipers six months back and now that impulsive act has left him dying on the floor of a parking garage. But it’s Calla who keeps him talking on the phone when all he wants to do is curl up and die, and it’s Calla who will eventually redirect him away from suicidal revenge against the evil Heathens MC trying to destroy Skulls Creek. But can Calla and Cage really live happily ever after in the face of all that threatens them?

As you can see from what I’ve written here so far, there is a whole lot going on in VIPERS RUN even without the additional need to set up the world for this new series. What made reading this book difficult for me, in spite of a hero and heroine that I genuinely liked, were all the machinations required to get from the nearly implausible start to the somewhat improbable finish, not the least of which was how the romance part of the story begins. I tend to take a charitable view of “insta-lust” and “insta-love” in romances, but I simply could not wrap my head around the notion of two people falling in love from a single telephone call, albeit one as emotionally charged as theirs was. Another plot maneuver involved characters who had previously remained off-screen suddenly appearing in ways that were clearly meant to serve the predetermined outcome, if not its actual credibility. Then when the final two major conflicts played out within the last few pages of the story, each was resolved far too easily with actions that were told, rather than shown.

There were a few other continuing issues I had with VIPERS RUN as I struggled to get to its end. Although Calla and Cage move quickly to a sexual relationship, there is never any reference, not even in passing, to their use of any protection against unintended pregnancy or STDs. This notable absence grated on me even more when Cage made a point of sneering at the other evil MC for heedlessly “breeding” their women. There was also an excessive amount of switching between Calla’s first person POV, Cage’s third person POV, and a late addition of yet another character’s third person POV. All that head-hopping, including an occasional slip from third to first person in mid-paragraph, often made it difficult to keep track of who was telling the story and where.

So if I had all these problems with VIPERS RUN, then why am I giving it 3 stars? Because as I mentioned before, the hero and heroine were a couple I really did like, in spite of how they’d found each other. Calla never veered into Too Stupid To Live territory, and Cage was able to balance his need to claim her with the reality of how his chosen life would impact hers. And what I got to see of the Vipers’ world, I found interesting and convincing. But in the end, VIPERS RUN was simply not the right book for me, and I’ll likely pass on the rest of the Skulls Creek series.

Ratings:

Overall: 3
Sensuality level: 3.5

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Review: Over Exposed by Stephanie Julian

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Over Exposed (Salon Games, #3)Over Exposed by Stephanie Julian

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

OVER EXPOSED is the third book in Stephanie Julian’s excellent Salon Games series, with a hero and heroine who were both supporting characters in the previous book, NO RESERVATIONS. Greg Hicks is the best friend of Tyler Golden, co-owner of Haven, and the man chosen to join him and his beloved Kate in that hotel’s infamous Salon for their own private sexual games. Sabrina Rodriquez is both friend and employee of Tyler and Kate, using her brains and will to succeed, vowing never to blindly trust any man in the same way her mother always had . When our hero and heroine first met each other in NO RESERVATIONS, the sexual chemistry was instant and obvious to all. But it wasn’t until Greg retreated to Haven for some quiet time to finish his latest screenplay that Tyler and Kate were able to put Sabrina back in his path, with the not-so-subtle expectation that something more would come of it. Yet even as Greg and Sabrina succumb to their shared desire, neither one is certain that what they have found can survive once the storm that’s trapped them together has ended.

What I love about Stephanie Julian’s books is how she can keep me on the edge of my seat without resorting to easy ploys like evil ex-girlfriends or a madman on the loose. Greg and Sabrina already have enough obstacles to overcome after they finally act upon their sexual attraction that any additional fabrications for the sake of drama would be annoying. As the two of them move closer toward their HEA, there are multiple conflicts, both large and small, that they need to confront, not the least of which is Greg’s inevitable departure back to Hollywood and his all-consuming career there. But with each instance, they learn to trust each other more, so that by the time Sabrina and Greg enjoy their own Salon encounter, their romantic journey has reached its natural completion. Their realistic give and take as they become more adept at each other’s wants and desires are the best part of OVER EXPOSED and why it’s yet another solid entry in the Salon Games series.

Ratings:

Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 4

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Review: White Collared by Shelly Bell

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White Collared Part One: MercyWhite Collared Part Two: GreedWhite Collared Part Three: RevengeWhite Collared Part Four: Passion

 

 

 

 

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

If you read my reviews with any regularity or follow me on Twitter, you’ve already heard how I’ve soured on most serial romance novels, especially when some seem to go on forever, with a total cost well beyond the price of a comparable full-length novel. But as with so many other romance trends I claim to dislike, there is always another writer out there who can prove me wrong and make me love the thing I’m convinced is no longer for me. Today that writer is Shelly Bell and the romance serial in question is WHITE COLLARED.

Nothing I hate about most serials is here, as Shelly Bell and her publisher have done everything right. There are only four parts to this romantic suspense story. They have been released only a week apart. And each only costs 99 cents in the US. Normally I try not to let cost influence the content of my reviews (because hello, I’m often fortunate enough to get an Advance Review Copy) but when the entire story can be purchased within one month’s time for under $5 USD, I think it’s notable enough to include here as another point in its favor.

Still, just because it’s affordable and a reasonable length and you don’t have to wait months for a conclusion doesn’t mean you should go out and read it all yourself. What does mean you should go out and read WHITE COLLARED is that it’s an amazingly addictive erotic romance between two characters from entirely different worlds who meet under terrible circumstances and then must track down an unknown killer so they can live long enough to find their HEA. And when I say it’s amazingly addictive, I mean exactly that. I was given the opportunity to read the first part before deciding to review the entire story, and was hooked so completely that it was all I could do not to jump up and down until I received the other three parts the next day.

Kate Martin is a determined young lawyer with a secret past she thought she’d buried for good. She may be crushing on her handsome boss, Nick Trenton, but they both need to keep clear heads if they’re going to exonerate Nick’s good friend, Jaxon Deveroux. Jaxon’s wife has been found tortured to death in their mansion while he’s allegedly been out of town on business, so naturally he’s the only suspect. Kate first meets her new client as he’s being interrogated by the police, and he soon has her head in a spin. It’s wrong that Kate is so attracted to a man being accused of the worst sort of murder, and yet it’s all too obvious that the feeling is mutual. She knows Jaxon can’t be guilty, but if it wasn’t him, then who did it? Their deepening attraction could be as potentially fatal to Kate as the danger that threatens to engulf them both. But who wanted Jaxon’s wife dead, and why does this person seem to know so much about what Kate would like to keep hidden forever?

I’m always a bit skittish about romantic suspense stories, if only on account of so many misplacing the romance along the way, but also because I don’t have a particularly strong stomach for excessive violence. So i was even more wary about WHITE COLLARED, until I read the scene where Kate meets Jaxon in the police station. From that point on, until the very last page of Part 4, I was gone – hook, line, and sinker. Every moment, every flashback, every interaction down to the most seemingly innocuous detail is essential to the story. It seemed like both Kate and I were over our heads at first, but as she did her best to juggle her desire for Jaxon with her still-active attraction to Nick, all while working to find the real killer, I just let myself sit back and enjoy the ride. Even when I was sure I’d figured out whodunit, WHITE COLLARED wasn’t content to let me gloat in comfort, throwing a few last curve balls near the end that almost made me change my mind more than once. Best of all, when the murder mystery is solved, it still isn’t all neat and tidy, as there are more than a few villains in this story, and only one of them murdered Jaxon’s wife. WHITE COLLARED reminded me of the Glenn Close / Jeff Bridges movie “Jagged Edge” but with an entirely different sort of ending, and I loved every minute I spent reading it.

I will warn readers that there is some hardcore BDSM in this story, and a few scenes between the hero and heroine that may appear to flirt with dubious consent. But it is not torture porn by any stretch, and Kate’s consent was made obvious at least to my own satisfaction as the story progressed. If such themes are not what you prefer in your romance reading, then you should probably pass. But if you enjoy seeing good defeat evil in the middle of a white-hot sexually charged romance between a perfectly matched Dom and sub, then WHITE-COLLARED is the story for you. I hope you enjoying inhaling it in large satisfying gulps as much as I did. 5 stars for all four parts.

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Review: Naughty Bits Part III: Bound to Please by Joey W. Hill

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Naughty Bits Part III Bound to PleaseNaughty Bits Part III Bound to Please by Joey W. Hill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

So much happened in this penultimate installment of NAUGHTY BITS that it’s hard to know what to cover in this review. Madison has become more comfortable working in the shop and being around Logan, yet there’s still the nagging feeling that she’s not quite ready to submit completely to either one. Now that the reality that her sister Alice isn’t ever coming back has finally sunk in, Madison is ready to move past all her previous failed relationships toward a new life where she embraces the submissive self she’s denied for all these years. But first, she needs to try just one last thing, one more variation that will require the full cooperation of Troy, Mistress Slade, and Logan himself. Because how can Madison be entirely sure she should be Logan’s submissive if she hasn’t tried being a Domme first?

Logan must be the most patient man that ever lived, for he never hesitates to do everything Madison needs to give her the confidence to choose him as he has already chosen her, as she was already chosen for him by Alice. That’s really what BOUND TO PLEASE is all about: showing the reader the value of choice and full consent, both by demonstrating it in its full flower, and also by proving its innate value when we see another relationship entirely absent of consent. It’s an essential lesson for both Madison and the reader, and provides the sense of security required for both Madison and Logan to take another step closer to the happy ending waiting for them in the final installment. Their HEA may be inevitable, but it won’t be a sure thing until it finally arrives. And after these first three fantastic chapters of NAUGHTY BITS, Part IV is sure to be just as amazing.

Ratings:

Overall: 5
Sensuality level: 4

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Review: Summer Rain (Love In The Rain series), ed. by Sarah Frantz

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Summer RainSummer Rain by Ruthie Knox

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the authors for an honest review at The Romance Evangelist.

SUMMER RAIN is a new anthology of short stories by an all-star list of romance writers where each story has three things in common with the others. The first feature tying them all together is at least one scene where rain appears to play a key role in the plot. The second characteristic they all share is that each and every one is beautifully written and deeply touching. And the final, most important aspect of every story in SUMMER RAIN is that they were all donated by their writers and editor so that 100% of all profits from the sale of this anthology could be donated to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (www.rainn.org), the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the United States.

As with any large collection of stories, even ones with such impressive credentials such as these, it’s likely not every story would be to every reader’s preference. But I have to admit that at least for me, I loved them all so much that I had to stop reading for a while after each one, so I could wallow in a lovely book hangover before moving on to the next. These may be relatively short stories, but each packed such a visceral punch that there was no way I could read them all in a single sitting like I usually do. More than one left me in happy tears at its end, but none left me unsatisfied, though it would have been nice to follow a few of the romances beyond what was provided here, if only to enjoy being in their world for just a bit longer.

I know I haven’t been very specific here about what is in each of the stories in SUMMER RAIN, but that’s because I want every reader to experience the same feeling of discovery I had, without any expectations other than the knowledge that you’ll be reading something very special. SUMMER RAIN is a wonderful way to help people who have suffered from sexual violence, but it is also a collection of achingly beautiful romances so good that I bought my own copy. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.

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Review: Arrest by June Gray

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ArrestArrest by June Gray

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

This review may contain spoilers for DISARM, the first book in this series. You should not try to read ARREST as a standalone, as it assumes you are already familiar with events of the previous book that are not always fully explained in this one.

I enjoyed reading June Gray’s DISARM romance novelettes after they were released as a full length book back in 2013, so when that book was acquired by a major publisher, I was happy that there would be two more books in the series. ARREST picks up where DISARM left off, with Henry and Elsie newly married and embarking on the rest of their Happily Ever After together. But just because they got past all their previous obstacles doesn’t mean that there aren’t new ones now that they are finally married. The primary source of their problems now is Henry’s new career as a law enforcement officer. It was bad enough when he was still in the US military and being sent into a war zone for months on end. Now Elsie has to worry about him every day and night, forever dreading a future where he doesn’t come home safely at the end of his scheduled shift. Their shared adjustment to this new reality, combined with his reaction to Elsie’s independent career as a web designer and the usual dips and bumps that happen in a marriage, constantly threaten their happiness even as they both know that they could never survive away from each other. The story of ARREST is how each crisis in Henry and Elsie’s marriage ultimately makes them stronger together, and better able to deal with whatever life throws at them next. But the journey isn’t easy and when Henry begins to rely on his old destructive coping mechanisms, it will take both of them working as hard as they can to get to the true happy ending they’d thought they already had on their wedding day.

As much as I enjoyed the previous book, the way Henry was always retreating from Elsie when he was upset did get to be tiring after a while, so I was worried that I might not be as sympathetic to him when all the new bad things started happening to them both in ARREST. However, I was quite happy to be proven wrong in my concern, as it appeared that Henry has indeed grown emotionally since then. The love he and Elsie have for each other is never questioned, and it never wavers. But as they and we already learned before, love isn’t enough to keep them together if they can’t communicate and compromise, and in ARREST, Henry and Elsie must both relearn those painful lessons if they’re going to stay married and happy together.

ARREST also has the advantage of hanging together better as an complete story from the start, as opposed to the previous title. We are shown once again how their past continues to affect their present, but also how they are aware of how easily they could fall back into a vicious cycle of hurting each other, however inadvertently. Being able to see Henry and Elsie take real steps toward a fully reciprocal relationship made reading through all their pain and sadness worth it for the true happy ending awaiting them both. ARREST is an excellent example of how the “marriage in trouble” trope can be realistic without being too depressing. But I’m relieved that the next story in the series will be about someone else, so I can be content in the knowledge that Elsie and Henry have finally earned their HEA and won’t have to suffer any longer.

Ratings:

Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 3.5

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Review: The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving by Jessica Clare

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The Virgin's Guide to Misbehaving (A Bluebonnet Novel)The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving by Jessica Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

Although this isn’t my first Jessica Clare book, it is the first one I’ve read in her Bluebonnet series, where different couples find love in a tiny but interesting fictional Texas town. I didn’t have any problem diving into the story of a hero and heroine from vastly different worlds who found themselves more compatible than anyone could have predicted. Elise and Rome’s romance is both sweet and hot, and it kept me interested even as another character in the book did her best to try to make me stop reading altogether.

Elise is quiet and shy because she spent her formative years suffering from a self-image severely damaged by a large facial birthmark and scoliosis. The birthmark was mostly removed by lasers, the scoliosis mostly fixed by years in a body brace and major surgery, but some external and internal scars remain. So when Elise finds herself irresistibly drawn to a handsome stranger covered in piercings and tattoos, she’s as surprised as anyone at her decision to pursue what would be the first real romantic relationship of her life. But will he give her a chance?

Rome has learned to trust no one after the multiple betrayals of his family resulted years spent in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. His checkered past and intimidating appearance have kept everyone at arm’s length, until pretty little Elise sneaks past his defenses and convinces him to embark on a passionate affair. But when Elise’s over-protective brother discovers the truth, what will it take to keep the lovers together when it seems like everyone else is working to keep them apart?

For me, reading THE VIRGIN’S GUIDE TO MISBEHAVING was a constant battle between the parts of the story I loved and the parts that made me want to throw my ereader against the wall in frustration. Rome and Elise really are a beautifully matched couple. Each has been taught not to trust other people, albeit for entirely different reasons, and even as they realize they want to be together, they each still take turns bracing for what they believe will be an inevitable betrayal by the other. It was wonderful to see how Rome proved he wouldn’t take advantage of Elise’s naivete, and how Elise in turn showed him how he was worthy of her love and the respect of others. Their intimate scenes exquisitely raised the sexual tension and deepened their emotional attachment each time they came together, and by the end of the book, we could see that they’ll continue to grow in their affection and trust as a united team against anyone who would dare threaten their happiness. But Rome and Elise weren’t the problem for me.

The reason I found this book to be as annoying as it was entertaining can be summed up in one word: Brenna. Brenna is the fiancee of Elise’s brother, Grant, and she is as wild and crazy as he is buttoned down and straitlaced. She may be a good person, but she is not a good friend to Elise. Brenna is the reason why Rome thought Elise didn’t like him. Brenna is the reason why Grant finds out about Rome and Elise before they are ready to go public, even after Elise specifically asked her not to tell anyone. And then to top it all off, when Rome leaves town in a misguided attempt to protect Elise from her brother’s wrath, Brenna is the reason why Elise uses a truly reprehensible trick to force Rome into coming back.

I’ll admit it’s possible that if I’d read Brenna’s book before this one, I might have a more rounded picture of who she is and why she behaves as she does here. But as a new reader to the series, I found Brenna to be such an incredible distraction that every time she appeared to mess things up, I wished I could tell her off and make her go away for good. If Brenna is in all the other Bluebonnet books, then frankly, I’m not interested in reading them. Thanks to her, I was only just able to finish THE VIRGIN’S GUIDE TO MISBEHAVING so I could enjoy Rome and Elise’s lovely HEA, including a satisfying epilogue that emphasized just how good they would always be for one another. But if you can stomach a relentlessly wacky secondary character like Brenna, you might like this book even better.

Ratings:

Overall: 3
Sensuality level: 3

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Review: Fall From India Place by Samantha Young

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Fall from India Place (On Dublin Street, #4)Fall from India Place by Samantha Young

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

This review may contain spoilers for previous books in the On Dublin Road series. You can probably read FALL FROM INDIA PLACE as a standalone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

I’ve been a big fan of Samantha Young’s On Dublin Road series from the very beginning, with each book in turn reminding me why New Adult romances have become so popular in the first place. Her characters have genuine roadblocks in their lives that don’t appear just to gin up extra drama, and their coping mechanisms are completely understandable in the context of each story. And although each story is set in the same world with previous couples continuing to appear as recurring characters, each one is also unique in terms of what brings the main couple together and what threatens to keep them apart.

In FALL FROM INDIA PLACE, the timeline has advanced several years past the last book in the series, and many of the previously featured couples are married with young children of their own. Hannah Nichols, the younger sister of Braden and Ellie, is now all grown up at 22, teaching high school English by day and a weekly adult literacy course at night. Her job and extended family appear to be enough to keep Hannah content, but there’s a lingering sadness there, thanks to the only man she’d ever wanted but could never really have.

Marco D’Alessandro was introduced in BEFORE JAMAICA LANE as the busboy at a local Italian restaurant and Hannah’s first school girl crush. We only got a brief glance at them together back then, but it’s clear in this new book that something significant happened between them in the interim when when Hannah finds Marco’s picture in a box of old things that her mother has asked her to clean out. It’s at that moment that FALL FROM INDIA PLACE begins to tell Hannah and Marco’s entire story in both the past and and present, showing exactly how what they shared before could be the one impossible obstacle to finding that happiness again for good.

One of the things I loved about FALL FROM INDIA PLACE was how we got a complete picture of the adult Hannah living in the present day before Marco was ever mentioned. We see that her love life is practically non-existent, even as her friends from school keep trying to fix her up with eligible men. We also see how she channels her kind and loving nature into her job and interactions with family, while never really having much to do for her own happiness. So when Marco suddenly reappears in Hannah’s life after five years missing in action, it’s like a bolt from the blue for both her and the reader: Where has he been? Why did he leave? How can she possibly take him back? And that’s when both we and Hannah start to get a much better picture of who Marco was, why he left, and how that made him the man he is now. When Hannah agrees to give March another chance, it becomes obvious that the time apart has made them both better suited to each other in a way they never were before. But the secrets they both still carry from that time are on a collision course toward an inevitable confrontation that will either help them heal completely or split them apart forever.

What surprised me the most about FALL FROM INDIA PLACE wasn’t that I was able to eventually figure out what secret each of them was keeping back and how those two secrets would be in such horrible conflict with each other, but that I was actually happy with that outcome and how it was ultimately handled. It proved that being able to see where the story is going to end up isn’t a bad thing when the path there is written so beautifully and the actual events play out in a way you might not have expected. That’s what I’ve loved about every book in this series, and why FALL FROM INDIA PLACE was such a wonderful read for me. I can only hope that Samantha Young can keep up this consistent level of excellence in all the books to come.

Ratings:

Overall: 5
Sensuality level: 3

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