Review: 4 Star Review for Away From Him
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 10, 2014
4 Stars for Away From Him by Kaelyn SwanMelanie strives for peace, harmony and tranquility in all that she does.  As a yoga instructor and owner of her own studio, she has made it her life’s work to spread as much peace as possible.  Her mantra? Everyone has peace inside them.  But sometimes, being too peaceful isn’t the answer.Billy is hard.  Physically, he’s in shape and takes care of his body-he works out.  Mentally, he is always on guard-his eyes roam any room he is in, looking to be sure nothing will surprise him.  Emotionally, he lets no one in.  It’s easier to walk away that way.  And finally, Billy is angry.  Very angry.  Dangerously angry.  Woe to anyone who thinks they’ll get away with anything on his watch.Hot and cold.  Fire and ice.  Yin and Yang.  Everyone says opposites attract.  Melanie believes that the universe puts everyone where they need to be, when they need to be there.  So why in the world is Billy here?  He is the antitheses of Melanie’s world.  But oh my! He is nice to look at!Yoga?  Really?  As anger management?  Billy can’t believe he’s been sent to this place with this wacky woman who thinks breathing will solve everything.  All he wants is the paper signed that says he was there so he can leave.  Should be easy.  Riiiiiiight.This is the first book by Kaelyn Swan I’ve read.  And I read it in about 3 days.  I was very intrigued that the setting for this story is a yoga class.  How in the world do you work a story around yoga?  Well, Kaelyn did a fantastic job.  When I was reading the descriptions of the studio, Melanie's actions, thoughts and words, I felt the peace she exudes.  And I also could feel Billy’s anger.  It’s hot, red, and always close to the surface.  But why is he so angry? What makes him lash out?  And how does Melanie go through life not raising her voice or becoming upset when the waiter brings her the wrong order?I’ve given this book 4 stars.  I loved the setting, the descriptions, the story behind who Billy and Melanie are, and how they got to where they are today.  There were some typos, and grammatical errors, but for the most part they were few and far between.  I’m not exactly a grammar fanatic, but I do find that misplaced punctuation, or the wrong tense can ruin a good paragraph.  But these instances were very few, and very easy to overcome.  Well done Kaelyn!  A very enjoyable story about very memorable characters.  Congratulations on a job well done!Jackie HuntingtonIndependent Reviewer