Review: Brenna Blixen Fans Will Love This One!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 13, 2012
I became a fan of Liz Barnholdt as I was drawn into Brenna Blixen series last year.  I couldn't help myself, I had to keep reading even when it was hard and made me mad.  In the end, I loved Barnholdt's ability to make the story real with character's mistakes AND their consequences.  When her characters choose wrong, they experience the pain that comes with it, not just a happily ever after.  The hard part is watching the characters make those mistakes.In Forgiving Trinity, there's a car accident and Aiden takes the blame and goes to Juvie for it.  Both Aiden and Trinity were drunk/ high the night of the accident and were hard partiers looking to escape the bad choices they had made, but failing.  The Night of the accident changes their lives.  Four months later, Aiden is out of juvie and is volunteering and doing community service while Trinity has returned from a break at her uncle's ranch and is trying to get her life back.  Aiden starts to help her heal and she begins to learn not to prejudge others and makes a new best friend, Ruth on the advice of her fabulous therapist.So for most of the book, swoon-worthy Aiden (who is A LOT like Jake) is devoted to helping Trinity find herself and get a life.  Trinity keeps running away from him both physically and emotionally as she tries to reconcile what happened That Night and forgive herself for what she has done to herself, her family and Aiden.  Trinity has the greatest brother ever in Christian, a pierced and tattooed musician who truly loves his sister.  Their relationship is enviable.  (Honestly, I don't get either of their rebellions, so we must not be getting the whole story).Those who recognize the Wiccan philosophy will comprehend the idolization of Halloween in the story and Trinity's dependence on the goddess Kali.  While visiting with her therapist, she admires the statues in the office and decides to use the one of the goddess Kali as an inspiration when she starts to feel depressed. Kali is a strong female blood warrior, a destructive force seeking to be aggressive or primal and she reminds Trinity of her own strength and prowess.  Trinity continually asks herself WWKD (What would Kali Do) when she encounters difficult choices and flares her nose and sticks out her tongue like the statue while deciding.  It freaks Ruth out and she is continually telling her to stop making that face, but it empowers Trinity and makes her decisive.  The irony of the rebellious "Trinity" and "Christian"  names along with their preference for Halloween over Christmas is not lost on the reader along with the WWKD replacing the WWJD.Any fan of the Brenna Blixen series will like this one also.  The drug addiction and rehabilitation was handled with sensitivity and was extremely believable.  The bad choices the characters made had real-life consequences that caused both them and the reader pain, but the final solution left the story with hope and possibilities.  The ending has the girls Trinity and Ruth leaving for a month long trip to Ireland so we know the next installment is going to be another emotional rollercoaster.  Can't wait!Would I/Did I buy it? Yes (.99)Would I read it again?  YesWould I recommend it to friends? Yes