After reading the back cover blurb for this book, I was hooked. The idea of losing your way and finding a new life is a theme that resonates deeply with me. The promise of secrets shared that help everything in one's life make sense was enticing. Unfortunately, for me, I never found that path back to where I hoped to be as a reader. While it might be a case of misplaced expectations, the tone of this book and the manner it goes about taking me on an emotional journey fell flat.
While I understand the need to combine Beth's past and her relationship with Mags alongside a love story that involved Connor, I didn't feel as though the two really melded together in a cohesive way. Many of the plot elements never seemed to move the story forward in a compelling manner. In short, they didn’t make me care deeply about the characters in a way that I could identify with them.
But I think the most disappointing thing for me was the gratuitous sex scenes scattered throughout the book. I fully accept responsibility for not recognizing this as what I feel pushes well beyond what some would classify as a "steamy" novel. I've never read erotica, but some scenes in this story definitely seemed to border on it. Personally, I don't have a problem with intimacy in a novel, so long as it's done with intention and to move the emotional journey of the characters forward. To me, there were so many explicit scenes that it was simply too much. I don't feel that any of the physical intimacy added anything valuable to the story. And after seeing it repeat again and again, I became more and more detached from the characters.
There were some beautiful moments and some splendid writing sprinkled throughout this hopeful story. Unfortunately, that's all they were… moments. In the end, the tone and manner of this novel left me wandering in the woods instead of finding my way back home. If you appreciate steamy romance bordering on erotica, this might be the book for you. If like me, you would rather read something with more emotional rather than physical intimacy, you might want to pass on this offering and move to the next one on your list.
Dave’s Rating: ☕️
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