Review: 4 Solid Stars!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 23, 2014
Songbird Caged picks up where the first book, Songbird leaves off. We continue to see Tara struggle with the feelings she has for both Riley and Cole. She is deeply in love with two men. Two very different men! While Songbird focused on Tara and Riley’s romance, this installment shifts the focus to the building relationship between Tara and Cole.Riley remains a strong force in Tara’s life, even from thousands of miles away. He has faith that Tara will honor her promise to wait for him to return. His notes left behind in his apartment and letters he sends to her prove his love and remind us of the sweet, romantic man she fell in love with. His letters also show us that he may not be the perfect, supportive man we all thought he was…While Riley is off fighting for our country, her feelings for Cole, her ‘Best Friend’, continue to grow. Cole becomes her emotional rock which leads them into dangerous and tempting territory. I find Tara to be very selfish through much of this book. How can she believe that her actions while her fiancé is away are honorable or acceptable?Cole continues to be painted as the womanizer that everyone has always known him to be. However, his feelings for Tara find him making life changes and decisions that shock even himself. This book shows us how romantic, caring and supportive Cole can really be. I know from reading several reviews from the first installment that many do not like Cole. I myself am madly in love with him! He believes he has found ‘The One’ and he is willing to wait as long as it takes for her to see that he is ‘The One’ for her. Has he changed so much that he has become the perfect man? Not by a long shot! He makes mistakes, including a huge one that had the potential to lose Tara forever….When tragedy strikes someone close to her, Tara realizes that life cannot stand still. She knows that she must make a life altering decision and choose to move forward. At this point in the book, I begin to warm up to Tara again. Do I still think she is selfish? Yes, but she realizes at this point that she can’t hold onto both men. She really can’t have it all.As this installment begins to wrap up, we are rewarded with the happily ever after that we all love. Oh, wait….BAM! Surprise! It’s far from over. Tara is hit with shocking news that is sure to turn her world upside again. Now what will she do? And now we wait for the conclusion….As I stated in my review of Songbird, the writing is very well done. I find Lisa Edward to have a smooth, consistent and easy to follow writing style. I recommend this series to anyone that enjoys romance, angst and even a little frustration at times. This was another hit for me and I will be anxiously waiting for the third and final installment.*This review was also submitted to and posted by Mackable Book Babes Blog.