Review: Hitting Her Stride
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 4, 2014
After having read Tia Kelly’s book ‘The Love Sessions’, I felt prepared for ‘And Then’ but was also a little nervous to be honest. Having read the book that first introduces us to Donovan and Mya, Eric and Shelby, and Darius and Veronica, I was certain I would not be getting a fairytale, and knew that the author does not shy away from making her characters go through some very challenging circumstances. Though I don’t particularly enjoy traditional HEAs, I wasn’t prepared for an un-HEA either.But that wasn’t what ‘And Then’ was about.In the three sections, (subtitled, Faith, Hope and Love) which each follow one couple, Kelly explores what happens as couples settle into their relationship and prepare for the long haul. Or decide to opt out of it.In the section subtitled 'Faith', one couple (Donovan and Mya) of the three is very much in love, caught up in the hectic business of managing a career and growing family, but not finding the time to nurture their personal connection. Though they love each other, the sappy love story is decidedly over and real life has begun. The resulting miscommunication and non-communication could threaten the solid foundation they've managed to build after the adversity they faced in 'The Love Sessions'. I loved Donovan and Mya's story because it follows a couple where love is not the issue--they clearly are committed to each other--but the pressures of life still threaten to tear them apart. At some point, Donovan and Mya (but particularly Mya) have to find the faith that the rough patch they're going through is just that and nothing more.In the 'Hope' section, we revisit Eric and Shelby. Shelby was for me the most challenging character in 'The Love Sessions'. Though she had a loving and supportive man at her side, she was a festering pit of unresolved issues, insecure and volatile, subconsciously pushing Eric to do what she was convinced he would eventually wind up doing anyway--disappointing and leaving her. Now, Shelby is at a completely different place emotionally. She and Eric have a happy, functional union, but one that is about to be tested not by internal issues this time, but by external ones--the arrival of Eric's mother to live with them. How Shelby handles the ensuing conflict explains the name of this section, and paints an optimistic portrait of personal transformation.In 'Love' Darius and Veronica are constructing new lives after their divorce, learning things about themselves while apart that they could not learn while together. The overarching question in 'Love' is whether despite the tests they will face, their enduring feelings for each other will be enough to help them put it all back together. Veronica, who in 'The Love Sessions' was an aggressive, outspoken ball-buster, is now softer, quieter and humbled by the loss of her marriage, and struggling to figure out a way to maintain her lifelong friendships that were so inextricably tied to her being part of a couple. And Darius is reflective about his marriage and regretful about its loss, but wary of reconnecting with the woman who he recalls as having a hard shell and sharp tongue. Watching this couple navigate their fear and hopes, and fight to understand their persistent love for each other was by far the high-point of this book for me.'And Then' was, in my opinion, this author's best work. It wasn't trying to be anything it wasn't--no Alpha male antics, no contrived drama, no gimmicky explicit sex just to keep readers engaged. Instead, it was good, solid, storytelling about what its like to be in and maintain a relationship. Though there were many characters, Kelly did a good job of distinguishing them all and of giving each couple moments that defined their relationship.For Donovan and Mya it was a comical scene early on where she tested him to see whether he really listened to her prattling about her day as a stay-at-home Mom and found to her surprise that her husband was very much 'present' even when he didn't seem to be; for Eric and Shelby it was one where Shelby decided to forgo for the moment confronting Eric about a momentous decision he'd made without consulting her and opted instead to give him the emotional support he desperately needed; and for Darius and Veronica, it was a conversation where they decided that they could let the relationship of their past stay there, and possibly build something different.I keep saying this about Kelly's work but I think it bears repeating --this is not traditional, romance. So for those who are looking for that, at least in this book, you will not find it (though you may in other books of hers). This is something that makes you think as well as feel and all the more satisfying because with each successive book of hers, you get to see an author hit her stride, sharpen her voice and (like her characters)figure out who she is (as a writer)and what she wants to say. I highly recommend this book.