Review: Intense story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2014
The Cover:  Gorgeous! I love it!The Story:NOTORIOUS is a contemporary romance novel that explores the themes of deep seated emotional pain and loss as well as forgiveness and second chances. The hero and heroine are both damaged individuals but through love they manage to find redemption and a second chance at happiness together. The writing is solid, the story well edited and almost all of the conflict stems from internal sources. (No explosions or bullets flying here folks.)Leanne Davis explores (and challenges) stereotypes extensively. How someone may look to others versus how they really are. Why people behave in a particular way even when it results in others judging them in an unfavorable light. Her characters are complex and interesting, and she doesn't sacrifice integrity for the sake of making them always likeable. There were moments in the story when I didn't really care for the way certain characters behaved, but those flaws go a long way toward imbuing the reader with a sense of empathy.NOTORIOUS is the second book in the Seaclusion Series. I have actually read but not reviewed POISON, the first novel. While there is much to be gained by reading POISON in terms of understanding the relationship dynamics of the primary and secondary characters, it is not necessary to do so. NOTORIOUS works perfectly well as a standalone novel. I very much preferred the positive tone of this novel and how Luke and Kelly work together to heal each others wounds.  I also enjoyed seeing familiar faces return as secondary characters. In particular, I really like Tim, who is Kelly's nephew, a really sweet boy who possesses unusual insight into human nature.I enjoyed the charisma between the hero and heroine, especially once they started to get over their misconceptions about each other. Love scenes hovered somewhere in the sensual range. The author delivers a satisfying HEA-ending.NOTORIOUS is a great choice for readers who like contemporary romance that features mature adults with complex personalities who suffered from past hurts. This is a feeling story, not an action story.I downloaded NOTORIOUS during an Amazon free day and the author requested a review.