Review: Well written story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 2, 2014
Ok this has taken me a little time to consider what to write, and what rating to give this combined edition. It is somewhere between a 3.5 for book 2 and a 4 for book 2.I haven't read any of this author before, and I didn't read reviews for it before reading it. I like to go into a book with an open mind and decide for myself, rather than go along with what everyone else thinks. Unfortunately I don't tend to agree with everyone else where this book is concerned, but perhaps not for the reasons you may think.This is a well written story, don't get me wrong. The writing style is good, the grammar is good, and the story flows well. But, and this is a huge but for me, I just didn't like the storyline in the first part.Perhaps it's because I work in childcare, perhaps it's down to personal reasons, but it just doesn't sit right with me reading a story where a married woman in her 30's starts a relationship with a 17 year old boy. Because that is exactly what he is. A boy! There is no getting away from that fact. And yes I know this is fiction, and yes I know I shouldn't take it seriously which I don't. But it just didn't sit right with me and spoiled my enjoyment of the story somewhat.However, the second part of the story is a different matter altogether. Had that been a separate entity, a young military man meeting a war journalist, then my rating would be higher. But combined with the first part of the story unfortunately brings the rating down for me.The relationship in the second part of this edition is a lovely one, once they work out their anger issues towards each other. There is a lot for them to go through, acceptance being a huge part of it, and they face obstacles along the way. But if they can work together there is always a chance.The added extras in this edition allow the reader to gain a deeper insight into some of the feelings of the characters which you wouldn't have known about had you read the single separate editions of the stories. It did help to enhance the reading experience for me as I do like different POV's in stories. I always feel it gives a better understanding of the characters and what they are going through.All in all this was a good read, well written and I know from reviews that it's a firm favourite with a lot of people. Just for me the subject matter unfortunately marred my enjoyment slightly.