Review: An excellent read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 18, 2011
[...]** CONTAINS SPOILERS**I was up until all hours reading Eternal Eden, it was one of those books that held my interest from the first to the very last page.Bryn Dawson has moved from California to Oregon to start a new life for herself having lived through a number of tragedies.After meeting new student, William Winters her life is sent spiraling out of control from a strange connection she feels towards him. William is good-looking, oozes confidence, is wealthy and shows immediate interest in Bryn much to her surprise; he has females flocking at his feet so she doesn't understand what he could possibly feel for her.Mystery was created from the onset of the novel; I had no idea whatsoever what William was and there is a lot he is hiding from Bryn and a reason he is so different; he is a Powerful Immortal and has spent 200+ years in search of Bryn, it was an obsession for him knowing she was his one true love, his soul mate & not ever knowing if she was a mortal from his past, present or future.He never got a chance to explain anything to Bryn as he had broken an immortal code in contacting her therefore had to leave (although was never far away) and only leaving her with a note saying he won't be returning (which he never actually wrote). A distraught Bryn, escapes to the beach where she spent time with William in order to feel a connection to him; it was here her life is forever changed when she drowns, is saved by William to then wakes a week later to find out she too is now immortal.She accepts William and the immortality all too easily having fallen deeply in love (and lust) with him, it was nice seeing their romance grow and the intensity of their feelings toward one another.It is a new world Nicole Williams has created with so much depth and mystery, the rules and regulations controlling the immortals is strict and defined with no room for leeway without suitable punishment. There was a lot of detail to take in but nothing that was too confusing, there were a number of different affiliations within the immortal world, of course the good but also the bad, a few of their codes were a tad old fashioned but it was something they all seemed to adhere to. The supernatural element of the book never overtook the actual love story.As Bryn begins to explore the emotions that William evokes in her, I was always thinking his secrets would threaten to separate them just when they had found each other but it was actually quite the opposite that occurred, their shared trust and love bought them closer even with certain people threatening to tear them apart.I absolutely loved William's family and look forward to learning more about them in the next installment; Nathaniel and Abigail were mysterious, Cora & Joseph wonderful and Patrick hilarious! I like knowing an author has put a lot of thought into her characters and come up with some surprising and delightful detail that makes the whole reading experience enjoyable.I really wanted closure and a HEA (Happily Ever After) for Bryn and William and I am truly hoping they are able to find this in Fallen Eden. I too hope there is a story & HEA out there for William's brother Patrick; he was witty, sarcastic and adorable.A beautifully written love story, there were a few misused words and incorrect spelling at times but nothing too distracting.