5 ALLURING STARS! ★★★★★
“Our relationship, our love, cannot and will never be perfect. It will, however, always belong only to us in all its flawed, intense beauty. Perfect in its very imperfection.”
After reading that quote above, I knew THIS was definitely a winner for me. Once I put down the book, I was in complete awe as the last 20% completely blew me away. I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes and I just wanted to give a standing ovation to Nina Lane for writing one of the most powerful endings I've ever read. And sweet Jesus, this is only the 2nd book in the series but she delivered a mighty punch right there.
Honestly Nina, if you'd write 10 more books in this series, I'll buy and read all 10 of them. No questions asked.
*******
Allure picks up right after the shocking revelation in the first book. Liv & Dean are still trying to pick up the pieces of their troubled marriage but now they're back; stronger and willing to do whatever it takes to protect each other.
When a family emergency calls Dean back home to California, the couple is once again tested. With more revelations on Dean's past coming to light and fuelled with a series of shocking turns, will they finally reach their breaking points?
*******
I don't want to sound like a broken record and tell you how amazing the writing is. Everyone should just pick up this series and experience for yourselves all these wondrous feelings. Nina's portrayal of marriage is as real as it gets and even in the most perfect relationships, there will always come a time that there will be doubts. Liv and Dean are both flawed characters with their own fears and insecurities but trust me, they are some of the strongest characters I've read, both individually and as a couple.
"For despite our differences, our struggles, our childhoods at opposite ends of the spectrum... Dean and I were the same.”
Another strong winning point for me in this book is Olivia's character. She was ABSOLUTELY ON FIRE in this one! I admit in Arouse, I wasn't too sure of her; she wavered a lot and her insecurities were everywhere. But in Allure, this woman completely soared through and stole the spotlight (I still love you Dean, but your wife totally won me over in this one). Gone is that timid, unsure woman and here comes Olivia who's just one BAMF; burning with passion who's ready to fight for what she wants and above all, to protect her husband.
“I now understand the fierce protectiveness that Dean has always had for me. I know that white-hot burn of rage, the certainty that you would do anything, anything, to make things right. I hate the helpless feeling simmering at the edge of my anger, the fear that my husband could be hurt. I want to stand in front of him like some avenging angel, battling anyone who dares to try and destroy what he has worked so hard to build.”
*******
Absolutely phenomenal writing from Nina Lane. The weaving of the past and present continues to be perfectly executed and I can see it coming back to a full circle soon enough. There were just so many beautiful quotes that I almost highlighted 50% of the book.
To keep it simple and short, this book completely surpassed all my expectations. I know all my GR ladies and my book bestie kept telling me how amazing this series was but I still had my own tiny reservations. But after putting this down, I whole-heartedly concur with all of you ;)
In that place of us, Liv and Dean, love has its own poetry and language. Allure, quatrefoil, fleur-de-lis. Right here. PR9199.3 R5115 Y68. My white knight. I’m yours. Give me a kiss. Pie love you. I remember. Professor. Beauty.
No comments:
Post a Comment