Review: What an emotional rollercoaster...great read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 15, 2013
Wow...i'm sitting here, just having finished reading "Arsen" and i'm seriously at a loss as to what to write in my review.NEVER, have I ever had such a hard time figuring out what I wanted to write for a review. It wasn't that the book was bad, actually it was VERY GOOD. It's the emotions that it has stirred within me, are so conflicting. I loved it for it's story of true love because that is what Cathy and Ben had. I hated it for it's story of betrayl and deceit. I loved it for it's steamy scenes and hated it for the selfishness that Cathy showed throughout the book.In the beginning of the book you are presented with a whirlwind romance. You get to witness true love in all its glory. Then, in once brief moment, you get to sit by and watch that love crash and burn. One minute you're feeling euphoric and the next you want to throw yourself on the floor and cry. I can't say that I hate Cathy. Don't get me wrong, she is horrible for what she did, to both Ben and Arsen, as well as herself, but I feel sorry and sad for her. She just wanted to be a mother. She pinned all her hopes and dreams on each pregnancy. Then when the pregnancies ended...she was left trying to pick up the pieces of her heart, which everytime it broke, they got smaller and smaller. Harder and harder to put back together. Why didn't Ben or her doctor INSIST that she speak with a therapist? Maybe this whole mess could have been avoided.  She KNEW what she was doing when she started hanging out with Arsen....deep down she KNEW it was wrong.. yet she continued to do it anyway. Shame on her.Ben....I had a love/hate relationship with him as well. He had a possessive streak in him that didn't sit well with me. He was so loving, caring and attentive but also it felt like something was brewing just below the surface. It also made me so mad, that he didn't fight for Cathy. He just let Arsen swoop in and he didn't even really do anything. He KNEW Cathy was cheating and he just sat there and took it. I wanted him to fight. Fight for their love, their future. It broke my heart when Cathy came clean with Ben. I wanted to take him in my arms and soothe him, but at the same time I wanted to smack him upside his head.Arsen..I think I felt the most for him. Even though he was the "other man," he was still a person...a person who was hurting too after loosing someone he loved. He found Cathy and their souls seemed to recognize the sadness within them and that was it. That sealed their fate. I think he wanted Cathy to say "No" and stick to it. To truly be his friend (even though the sexual tension was there), to help him heal too and somehow he got pulled into the abyss of despair right along with Cathy.The story was well written and flowed nicely. I loved how we got to see everyone's perspectives. I loved the switch from "past" to "present." The author writes in a way that makes you feel you are right there watching it all happen. Her characters are developed in such a way that you literally feel the emotions they are going through. The plot twist toward the end was surprising....I didn't expect that. The ending left me feeling fulfilled but also bereft at the same time. I don't want to spoil it so I won't go into details. Overall I would recommend this book. It does had difficult subject matter that not everyone will be comfortable reading but it's still an amazing book!