Review: 4.5 beautiful stars - love Brand's story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2014
“...the best things in life are worth the greatest risk. Sometimes, before we fall, we fly.”This turned in to such a beautiful story of love and healing. The characters, the story line, the connections throughout left me feeling such comfort by the time I reached the end, but boy was there some ugliness to get through first.Brand is such a great character. He is sweet, protective, strong and brave. But he is also haunted by a guilt he can’t outrun no matter how long he stays away from home.Nora knows what she doesn’t want, but finds herself continuing to follow her father’s plan for her life anyway. She doesn’t want to join the family business in the legal department, but she doesn’t know how to change the plan at this point. But beyond feeling stuck in her career choice, she is also running from something -- something has her quaking with fear whenever her phone rings.Together they just fit; they make each other stronger and support each other in a perfect way. They both have family horrors they try to hide, but with each other they find a support and understanding they haven’t found before.As much as I loved Nora and Brand together, there were certainly plenty of moments throughout the book where I felt a full-body cringe. I couldn’t help it. The villains were written so perfectly that it was truly horrific to read some of those scenes.Because of his connection with Jacey and Gabe, they do make appearances in Brand’s story. I love interconnected stories like this -- a whole new story with a new set of characters and situations, but those familiar threads weave their way through, reminding us that family comes in many forms.This was by turns a smooth romance and a chance for two people to heal the pain of their pasts, both choices they had made and those of the people around them. For Nora, it was her last chance to feel free with the boy she had a crush on as a child. For Brand, it was realizing what was important and the lengths he would go to keep those he loved safe. It had me feeling a great range of emotion, from sweetness to fear, from sorrow to joy. And that ending? Perfect. Absolutely perfect.I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.