L.J. Kendall

For the original edi

For the original edition, in my review I noted:

Let me start off with the negatives: there are many typos in the book. I believe the author is currently working to fix that, so if you’re distracted by that kind of thing, maybe hold off on buying it until the 2nd edition is released.

But that is the end of the negatives.

I'm very happy to say the author's new edition has addressed all those typos, as well as making many more subtle but thoughtful revisions, and so I'm very happy to bump my star rating up from 4-star to 5-star.

The book is very well written: the language is good, with a distinctive “voice”. The pacing and plot was very good indeed, and very original. I don’t read many books in the Romance genre, though I do read a reasonable amount of paranormal romance, and have read and thoroughly enjoyed all the Madeleine Brent romance novels. So although a straight-up romance is outside my comfort zone, I think I’m familiar with many of the tropes: like “woman is torn between two men; picks the wrong one...” and “two people, perfect for each other, torn apart by misunderstandings...”, but in this story, both the sources of tension and the characters’ actions and responses felt very original to me, and also very authentic. Note that the author does not shy away from the sexual side of things, either, so this is an adult romance (more on that, later).

Lia, the main character, last saw Nico (the other MC) during a stay in Italy when she was eight and he was sixteen, which ended with a tragic and dramatic family incident. The story shows what happens when the very determined Lia returns to Italy to try to reunite the families split by that tragedy. At the heart of the story is the relationship between Nico and Lia. Nico is a very controlled and controlling personality, who cannot handle messiness or change – and that dominance extends into the bedroom.

I was kept on edge by the ease with which their developing relationship could turn destructive and explode apart. Many times it teetered on the edge of disaster, and the normal romance trope would be for it to fall apart in angst (before all was resolved and they reunited), but Lia’s integrity and courage, and Nico’s directness or need to be in control (especially of himself) either pulled them back from that edge – or plunged them over it in an unexpected direction.

There’s a lot of tension in the book, generated from the numerous opportunities for vast misunderstandings to develop. There were many occasions where I thought the relationship would turn destructive and explode apart – but Lia’s integrity, empathy and insights steered them past those rocks time and again. So what’s the source of the dramatic tension? I won’t say, as that would be a spoiler, but on each occasion it comes very naturally from the characters themselves, even though I didn’t see them coming. The romantic tension, conflicts and twists were utterly plausible and natural, yet unexpected. In fact the whole book struck me as highly original.

On the adult nature of the book – there is a lot of (very well-written and engaging) sex in it. (As an aside, how strange is it that in our society, a romance with a towering passion at its heart seems to blend genres simply because it refuses to shy away from the sexual side? Adding to that bravery is that the sex includes dominance and submission.) In some ways it reminded me of Stjepan Šejić’s Sunstone in its honest inclusion of mildly kinky sex – and in Lia’s honesty and courage. And similarly to Sunstone, the sex isn’t just healthy, it helps the main characters grow and mature.

One thing that delighted me was that despite Lia’s inexperience, she doesn’t allow that to compromise her integrity, and sets firm boundaries and sticks to them. She’s young but mostly wise, and very determined. Nico, too, is a very interesting character, with depth and flaws, yet we feel we understand him. If you’ve every known someone unable to handle mess or change, who needs order and control, then Nico will strike a chord.

All the characters felt well rounded, real, and drew me in and made me happy to spend time with them. A very enjoyable and satisfying read. I'm happy to now give this revised edition a 5-star rating.