See more of Shelley's Contemporary Romance

This book grabbed my attention when I read the synopsis, I knew that I would have to read it!  It’s a story about tragedy and grief, love and loss, and secrets and lies.  It is far from an easy love story.  It is laden with sadness, guilt, and a lingering love that hasn’t extinguished over the years.

The book is split up into two parts.  It alternates between Rory’s point of view and Houston’s.  The story is set in the present day, but it also goes back five years into the past. This enables the reader to have a better understanding of the characters, their personalities, and their relationship.

Rory was best friends with Houston’s sister, Hallie.  Rory developed a crush on Hallie’s older brother when she was only eleven years old.  Houston didn’t give Rory a second glance until he was home one year for the holidays and noticed that she wasn’t the little girl that he remembered.  Hallie was determined to try to play matchmaker and get Houston to date Rory.  Personally, I don’t know of any teenager who would want their best friend dating their brother, but Hallie was hell-bent on them getting together…hmm.

Rory and Houston do eventually get together when she is in university, but their relationship is born out of an unthinkable tragedy that fills both of them with immense grief and heartache.  Their relationship is passionate, needy, and under the heavy burden of a secret. When their relationship comes to an end, Rory is left heartbroken.  She loved Houston.  He was her first.  But Rory was determined to forget about him and move on with her life.  Houston moved on with his life too, but he never forgot about the love that he felt for Rory.  No woman could ever compare.

When Rory and Houston meet again five years after their break-up, they still feel the same attraction.  It has brought all of their old feelings back to the surface.  But a lot has changed in their lives.  The one thing that has remained is the love and chemistry that they both still feel for one another.

I liked Rory right from the beginning of the book, but I had a difficult time warming up to Houston.  At times he seemed like a nice guy, but then other times he just came across as a selfish, cold jerk.  I will give him one thing, he was a very good brother to Hallie.  I found myself rooting for Liam, another man who was showing interest in Rory.  Liam seemed like the perfect man to get her mind off of Houston, but of course, she was finding it difficult to turn off her feelings for Houston.

The first part of the book was a bit slow for me, but the second part really picked up and I was in my page-turning glory. It had twists and turns that I never saw coming.  I am anxious to see where the story goes from here.

 

*4 Stars​​

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