Review: Don't know what to make of it all
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 19, 2013
I am a big fan of Latrivia Nelson's stories. I love the 'Chronicles of young Dmitry Medlov' and I am head over heels for the Medlov Crime Series. But even I don't know how to interpret this story. o.OI felt the real and gritty moments that Latrivia is known for, and I even felt the story book moments that are also expected from this story and author. While I had no problems reading this story in one sitting, I still don't know what to make of it all. I didn't hate it and I don't not like it either (totally redundant), but I just don't understand it enough to pick a side.Years in this book was treated like days and I kept counting on my fingers to make sure I got the time difference correct. In retrospect, this whole story is split in three parts. Their beginnings, their secret arrangement and their reconciliation. None of these times passed without a span of eight or eleven years in between. And with their age, that's some time.I loved them initially and felt like they just both didn't fight for each other.  But then my emotions swayed between all of these characters, because I would have believed this story more if it ended differently. The situations were semi-every day life choices and results but the ending was story book 101.Charlie ... I prefer her alias, is actually lovable. She might not have the best reasoning's or make the best decisions, but I do love her character. She is a feminist, but a more subtle one, and I also love the shift in balance where a woman was in power, as oppose to the husband. This was another conflicting situation that brought about the many complex layers to this story.Build ups and problems were so of this world. They were real, gripping and open to so much interpretations, but the end result kind of left me stumped. It's also not what I come to expect from Latrivia, because as fair as she is, someone always draws the short straw.All the men in this book were near perfect, even with their many imperfections. Alex was ... let's chalk it up to lonely. He had no excuse for his behavior, as loneliness in my book,  is never an excuse. Honestly, he is a prick! His reasons were invalid and as medieval as it gets. Grow a pair and support your strong willed wife, instead of dipping in another pool for Christ sake! I know she was wrong also, but so was he. Thing is, he started it first! (childish I know, but truth nonetheless).And then we get to Sully. I think he got too much of an easy ride, and was the catalyst for every single messy situation in this book. Or most of them anyways. But still, you love the whole lot of them. They are not perfect. They make serious mistakes that mess with their children lives, and if you look at this from a practical, and not romantic way, the twin boys got the short end of this stick. They are now in unfamiliar territory, and they in actuality lost their family, to invade a new one. They might not feel it now, but by they hit their teens ...it's sure to show.Overall though, if you erase the too sweet ending, this was a good book that kept you interested, whilst highlighting,  some every day issues. There was angst, pain, friendship, love and above all else ... forgiveness. A ridiculous amount of forgiveness actually!Maybe we should overlook the status quo and try to be more like the Mendoza/Orrin bunch. They sure find a way to figure it all out.