Review: Shaken
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 27, 2010
Julia and Grant's marriage has come to an end under the strain of the tragic death of their daughter.  Feeling emotionally abandoned by her husband, Julia's way of escaping the pain is to walk away, no strings attached.  Grant loves Julia with all his heart but after the loss of his daughter the only way he knows to stay strong is to shut down the pain making him seem as though he does not care.  When they become trapped in an elevator together they are forced to face their mutual pain and the emotional boundaries come down.First Impressions:Although I tend shy away from very tragic love stories, I decided to take a chance on this one since I love this author's voice.  At first I had the impression that Julia would be harsh and the source of angst in the story however it soon became apparent that both Grant and Julia still love each other deeply, and are dealing with more than just the pain of the loss of their daughter.The Hero:Grant had my heart from the beginning.  He's lost everything, and is dealing with guilt since he feels he should have been able to save his daughter.  He wants his wife back and is hurt that she is willing to walk away from him, no strings attached.  He wants to be the one she leans on however he is unable to lean on her for fear of coming undone.The Heroine:Julia feels abandoned by Grant and believes her marriage is not what she once thought.  Grant has been there for her in her grief, but she feels responsible for forcing him to shut down emotionally over the loss of their daughter.What worked:I think love stories that involve the death of a child can be very tricky, especially in short format.  But Dee Tenorio handled this scenario beautifully creating a touching love story, albeit very sad.  (Don't worry though, there is a HEA)What didn't work:Nothing really.  There was a lot more room to expand on this story and the characters of course, but knowing this was a short story going in, I think Dee Tenorio wrote a well rounded story.Final conclusion:Grab a box of tissues, a pint of Ben and Jerry's and get ready for a short but intense and sexy read.  Dee Tenorio combines passion, love, loss, grief, and healing for a story you won't soon forget.