Review: hauntingly beautiful: my thoughts on this much is true
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 16, 2014
This book is amazing. I was about 80% through it and I was telling my friend who works in the bookstore about it. She was like well did they get together or is this going to be tragic I think tragic and I had to say I don't know I am not done yet. She told me I had to go home and finish it so she could know. When you do that with a book and someone else is entranced and enthralled just with what you are describing you know the book is a keeper and incredible.Katherine Owen writes a hauntingly beautiful, sad, tragic and yet happy romance that shows how fate can bring you together, forces outside your control can tear you apart and love can keep you with hope that all will turn out right.You have several love stories in the mix. Lots of betrayal and plenty of pain. Some selfishness that in reality is also selfless. Charlie and Marla, Rob/Hayley/Tally, Tally/Lincoln and Rob/Nika. Charlie and Marla's story is one in which it starts out as Charlie wanting to make someone jealous but he falls in love anyway. But he is older and needs to mature as does Marla so they go their separate ways but are always drawn back to each other. Theirs is a HEA that will have you cheering for a book on them.As for Rob/Hayley/Tally, this one isn't so happy. Hayley is Tally's twin and she dies in a car accident after leaving Rob and they have planned their wedding. Tally is saved by the handsome Lincoln Presley who can't get over Tally. Lincoln and Tally meet for the first time on Valentine's day and Lincoln doesn't think he will see her again. Rob in the meantime, even though he loved Hayley has always had a thing for bad girl Tally. The forbidden one. when they meet up in NY as she is going through many harrowing changes in her life and struggling with decisions for her future and LIncoln's (he doesn't know) Rob is there for her and they get close. this closeness at one point crushes Lincoln in a poignant and sad moment where you will need Kleenex and he will turn to Nika for comfort and in an attempt to forget Tally.Tally and Lincoln are fated to be. They are normally so focused on their careers that they are taken aback by their desire and love for each other. But it isn't meant to be at the time for Tally has lied and is young. So they separate brokenhearted but Lincoln has hope. Meantime their careers are going well and Lincoln has stayed faithful from afar. Tally though has a life altering moment occur. She makes the decision and makes sacrifices for Lincoln without telling him. Not good but understandable. These decisions in the end turn out to be a little selfish as well for it helps to further her career. When Lincoln and Tally meet up again, she is angry and he is still wanting her. He tries to talk to her and tell her how he feels but she is not in a position to hear. Lincoln sees this and is torn apart so much he turns to the horrible Nika. Nika who is a user but is also in love with Rob. Rob who loves Nika but is out to get Tally and win the game over Lincoln. The next time Lincoln and Tally meet we have some stolen romantic moments but those are wrenched away by Tally making yet another decision for Lincoln. Her decisions aren't always great though. She crushes him this time and Nika is his way of numbing himself.Now the next time they meet Lincoln yet again saves Tally only to have her make yet another decision for them and she walks away. Only this time it costs Lincoln more than his heart. It costs him everything. His freedom, everything. To fix this she turns to Rob who is secretly seeing Nika who is with or was with Lincoln and who also robbed Lincoln of everything. Tally feels she owes Rob so she stays with him and in the process loses everything but her ballet. It is a tearjerker to say the least. Poor Lincoln. This guy cannot catch a break and all he ever tries to do is the right thing. He loves her so much. Meanwhile, a friend of both Lincoln and Tally tells Tally what is what and she sees things with new clarity including Rob and Nika.What will happen? Will Lincoln and Tally be together? What about Rob and Nika?To find those answers you need to pick up this wonderful poignant beautiful and hauntingly sad and romantic book.Ms. Owen wrote a poignant and beautifully tragic along the way love story that will have you laugh, cry, and hope for a happy ending to this haunting tale of two souls meant to be together but tested in all ways possible.