Friday, October 3, 2014

Review: Dust to Dust, by S.P. Cervantes



Synopsis
If faced with your worst fear, what would you do? Would you run or would you fight? 

Camryn Hamilton is a fighter.

A thirty-something mother of two, Camryn appears to have it all: a husband, plenty of money, and children she adores. When she returns home to spend Christmas with her family, her perfect world she has created begins to crumble, thrusting her face to face with the only man who truly knows her.

Holden Patrick will fight harder.

A powerful, handsome attorney, Holden left town after his adoptive parents’ death. In his time away he almost managed to forget the girl who ran away with his heart. At least until a turn of fate brought him back to Mantoloking, and back to Camryn.
But are they willing to fight for each other?

Faced with a tragic past that they both wanted to forget, they struggle to protect their hearts from being broken again. Will their love be enough to get them through another tragedy, or will they close themselves off and run away again?


Review
4 out of 5 stars

This is the first book in S.P. Cervantes Broken Fairy Tale series, and without a doubt it completely encompasses what happens when you believe you've found your fairy tale happily ever after and then without warning everything goes horribly wrong!  Camryn and Holden were childhood friends who's love for one another grew from friendship to romance.  They were the perfect couple, always bringing out the best in one another while only ever having eyes for each other.  These two always knew in their hearts they would spend their entire lives together.  But one night something unimaginable happens to Camryn, something which rattles her to the core, so much so it changes everything about her.  Lost and withdrawn while trying to deal with new demons she inadvertently pushes Holden further and further away.  Before they know what's happened their lives take on two new, two very different directions.  

Years later their paths once again cross and it's clear their feelings for one another are just as intense as ever before, but with a husband, children, a crumbling marriage and the same demons still lurking will Camryn and Holden be able to find their way back to one another and claim that perfect happily ever after or will they always just remain life long friends?

I loved the journey of watching two people who were so clearly meant to be together handle life, make the most of life, live as best as they could when life handed them lemons.  These two should have never given up one another, but they lost themselves and in turn lost each other, so I have to say I loved how S.P. Cervantes gave them each a new reality, a new norm to make the best of while still providing very real opportunities and obstacles to lead them back down the road to one another.  It was a beautiful, emotional journey filled with courage, strength and true character.  These two were respectful of their current situations, they acted with integrity, it wasn't all just action based on emotion.  It was so much more.

What I found myself frustrated with at times however was Camryn.  While I understood her inner struggles and demons it's as though she could never find her confidence, as though she didn't have any motivation to fight for herself.  I understood where the self depreciation was coming from but I had a hard time that it continued throughout most of the book, it took pretty much the entire journey for her to find herself, and choose to be herself, to fight for her HEA much less think she even deserved one.  Sometimes she would take two steps forward and then three steps back, but at the end when she finally took those 5 steps forward I rejoiced and loved every minute of the ending!

What surprised me most with this story was the element of mystery surrounding the details and events of the unexpected night which changed both their lives.  Ever so often new details would be revealed but only enough to keep me hanging on until the next piece was revealed.  I have to say when the tangles were all unraveled I never saw all the details coming.  It truly caught me by surprise, and I always love when this happens!  For only $1.99 Dust to Dust is a great deal and I recommend you dive into this story and fall in love with Camryn and Holden.

  

1 comment: