Review: Honest review given
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2014
NOTE: This volume contains two complete books, so this review may be longer than a normal review. I will be focusing on each book separately. Because of that you may not want to read the second half of this review until you've read the first book. Otherwise you may find some spoilers to the first book within the second book's review.BOOK ONE: The Education of Sebastian:Well, my mind has been blown.This is a beautiful book about a beautifully unorthodox relationship between an unhappily married 30 year old woman and a 17 year old boy. Right away I know you may be thinking to yourself, ugh. I did too when I first realized what was going on. But if you have the guts to stick it out, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by what you find here.Caroline is just sleepwalking through life, and through her marriage with David, a military doctor. They have been married for 11 years now, and Caroline has always put forth the happy front that is expected of a military wife. But she is not happy, not at all. If she is anything it's numb and defeated.They recently move back to the west coast, as military families are wont to do. Caroline has no real family, and what few friends she had were left behind when they moved. She is virtually alone. David is not physically abusive to Caroline, but he is mentally abusive. She can do nothing right in his eyes. He is constantly belittling her, talking down to her, and treating her as hired help, and not as a true partner in their relationship. Caroline has put up with it because she feels she has no other choice. Her self esteem is shot, and she has come to believe the things her husband says about her.Until she meets Sebastian again. You see Caroline used to babysit little 8 year old Sebastian when they were last on the west coast. He is no longer a little 8 year old boy. Sebastian has grown up, but he still remembers the beautiful woman who had such a positive influence on his life so many years ago.Sebastian's home life is horrible and abusive. His alcoholic mother and father are just as bad as you'd imagine them to be. They care for nothing, except for getting drunk. His father is sleeping around with everyone on the base, and his mother drowns herself in liquor just so she doesn't have to feel anything. As a result, Sebastian has had to grow up much faster than he should have.Everything changes for both of them when they see each other again. There is obvious chemistry immediately, but Caroline knows this is wrong, and struggles to keep some distance between them. Inevitably, things happen, and they ultimately give in to the temptation. It is only afterwards that Caroline discovers Sebastian is not yet 18 as she had believed, but he is still 17, not turning 18 for four more months. Caroline is devastated, knowing she has broken the law by sleeping with this underage kid. But in spite of every instinct telling her this is wrong, the stronger instinct is to enjoy the love they share for each other.The book is perfectly written and sucked me in from the very beginning. The characters are well drawn and believable. I could not put the book down. I wanted to feel judgmental toward a wife who would cheat on her husband with a 17 year old boy, but I couldn't. I felt so sad for Caroline. Sebastian is the first person to ever show her real love. Even her own mother was hateful to her when she was growing up. I began rooting for a happy ending for both of them, but I just knew this could not end well.I won't give anything away, but I can tell you that their story continues in The Education of Caroline, which is also included in this double volume. Continue reading for my review of Book Two, but only after you have read Book One.BOOK TWO: The Education of Caroline:Do not read any further until after you've read The Education of Sebastian. There will be spoilers for Sebastian from this point on.You must read the Education of Sebastian before starting this book. It picks up 10 years after the events of the first book. Caroline and Sebastian have both picked up the pieces of their lives and moved on as best they could.Sebastian is now a 27 year old hot headed Chief Warrant Officer in the Marine Corps, and Caroline is now 40 years old and a successful writer and press correspondent being sent to war torn areas to write about what she witnesses.They meet up again in Geneva Switzerland when Sebastian is tasked with teaching some journalists basic survival techniques in Afghanistan before they are deployed there. As you can imagine, seeing each other again was quite a shock for both of them.Sebastian is a bitter man, thinking that his beloved Caro had abandoned him. He waited for her for 3 years after she had been run out of town, but she never contacted him. He is angry with her, but he still loves her and no other woman has ever lived up to his memory of her. Although he has certainly tried to find one. He now has a well deserved reputation as a ladies man.Caroline, on the other hand, has never forgotten Sebastian. She has had a few flings in the last 10 years, but nothing serious. It turns out she had tried to contact Sebastian when he turned 21, but her letters were returned unopened. She figured Sebastian had already moved on, so she never tried to contact him again.The old spark is still there, however, even if it does sputter at first. The story of them getting to know each other again is beautifully written and very believable. I love these two. They were simply made for each other.I will not tell you how it turns out, suffice it to say there are large hurdles to overcome, but they come out on the other side closer than ever before.These are not your typical billionaire romance books. There is no BDSM here, no submissives, no red room of pain. What we have here is a much more realistic view of two people who are fated to be together in spite of overwhelming odds. They love each other unconditionally, and despite being torn apart at one point, love ultimately conquers all.This combined volume also contains a couple of beautiful epilogues, and several very interesting alternate chapters. There are so many wonderful extras that it's almost like getting a third book for free.I highly encourage you to try out The Education Series. I loved it, and I think you will too.