Review: Renewed My Faith in Romance Novels
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 16, 2013
Sometimes I wonder why I still bother to read romance novels.  My batting average at finding something good to read has been pretty low over the last few years.  Then I run across something like "The Pull of Destiny" and reasons become clear again.  I read them to be transported, moved, and challenged. Most of all, I want to feel that magic of watching two characters fall in love.  I found all of those things In "The Pull of Destiny" and then some.Lucas Astor is your typical, rich kid snob at a prep school in Manhattan.  He is handsome, popular, lazy and jaded. He comes from old money and lives down to everyone's expectations.  Lucas has pretty much done it all (i.e. drinking, drugs, sex, pranks, etc.) at the age of 17.  Behind his pretty boy exterior lies a young man who is unhappy and lonely.  He lives down to everyone's bad opinion of him, because he doesn't know how to live up to his potential or even if it is worth it to try. Then an unexpected health crisis and friendship makes him reevaluate his life.Cici Sawyer is the opposite of Lucas in every way.  She is a smart, beautiful, hardworking, poor AA girl on scholarship to this prestigious school.  Abandoned by her mother as a small child and living in an abusive home in the projects, she doesn't have anything in common with the golden boy Lucas or does she?  One day, she is asked to take Lucas's homework to his penthouse. There begins a friendship that turns into a life altering relationship for them both.I loved both of these characters.  Lucas and Cici were perfect for each other.  They were polar opposites on the surface, but underneath they were surprisingly similar.  This book employed one of my favorite devices, friends that turn into something more.  Through their adventures around New York, Lucas and Cici slowly opened up to each other.  He let her see past his party boy exterior to the kind, loving and descent boy underneath.  Lucas wanted to be a better person for himself and those around him, including Cici.  They provided laughter, support and eventually love to each other through some very dark times.The author handled everything in this book an adept hand.  The story could have veered into the melodramatic, but it never did.  The dialogue was realistic and spot on.  The pacing and plot line development was perfect. Chemistry between Lucas and Cici was there at the beginning and steadily grew as the story progressed.  I also loved the use of the supporting cast of friends and family.  It leant an added layer of depth to the story and helped propel everything along.While dealing with Lucas' illness, Cici and Lucas also dealt with family and friend's disapproval (on both sides), abuse, peer pressure and a myriad of other things.  One of the best things about this book was their relationship seemed totally realistic.  Both Lucas and Cici made mistakes along the way. Lucas wasn't perfect and Cici was more than willing to point out his foibles. But no bump in their relationship was irretrievable and I always rooted for these two.Part of me didn't want to like this book.  A novel about high-school students initially sounded as interesting as a root canal.  But I downloaded the sample and I couldn't put it down.  Despite the age of the characters, "The Pull of Destiny" was a good old fashioned love story that totally resonated with me.  It was about two people opening up to each other, appreciating each other and finally loving each other. It has helped renewed my faith in the genre and will be on my keeper shelf for years to come.