Review: ~~ 3.5 Stars ~~
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 21, 2014
This is the first novel by Janet Nissenson that I have read.  I will say that this was an enjoyable read but it didn't WOW me.  Splendor is the second book in her Inevitable series, but can be read as a complete standalone.  Yes the characters from book 1 Serendipity are in this book, but you won't feel like you are missing anything, since this book truly revolves around Ian and Tessa.If you are looking for that true Cinderella story, were the lonely poor broken girl meets her Prince Charming, then this is for you.  This book was truly a romance novel to the core.  I thought the character development was really good and I also thought both characters were likable and relatable.  My biggest problem with this book was that it was extremely long and drawn out at times.  I honestly think that some of the minor details could've been left out and we wouldn't have missed anything.  I thought the author got a little too descriptive at times.  Plus we seemed to get every aspect of this couples relationship.  What I thought was lacking was really a stronger storyline.  What we got here was a story about two people who meet and under the circumstances can't be together.  Over the course of two years things change and they are finally able to admit their feelings.  This was a strong start, but then after they admit their feelings all we got was a story of their undying affection for each other and a whole lot of Sex!!!!  Now don't get me wrong I like sex in my stories, but I also like a storyline to go along with it.  This book really was a very sweet love story with very little drama.  The author did try to put some drama or hiccups into their story towards the end but by then it was a little to late.  I think had this book been a little shorter, with a little less sex and a little more drama this could've been a 5 star read for me.As I said I really liked the characters in this story.  Tessa was a young broken girl who had a very tough childhood.  She had a sick mother (bipolar) who ended up dying when she was sixteen, which left Tessa all on her own.  This is when she meets Peter (her now ex-husband…long story) and they try to save each other, in the long run they actually do both save each other, but if something could go wrong for Tessa it did.  My heart broke for her many times while reading about her past.  I was glad to see things changed for her over the course of the book.  This was in large part to Ian.  He truly was her Knight in Shining Armor.  I honestly kept thinking to myself that he was just too good to be true.  He was sweet, charming, swoon worthy, and lovable, plus he had an english accents ;)  He definitely knew how to melt a pair of panties.Overall this is an enjoyable story and I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for that sweet love story that doesn't involve a lot of drama.  But just be prepared for a lot of sex.