Judith’s review of Something So Right by Elyse Mady.
After having her heart broken, Lily Carver ran north to manage an upscale resort—and back to her longtime friend Sam Denning. Though she’s well aware of how hot Sam’s become, she refuses to risk her heart again. No matter how incredible his kisses make her feel…
Sam’s been in love—and lust—with Lily since the summer they met. When he finally shows her how much he wants her, Lily can’t resist his seduction. But Sam’s a forever kind of guy and she’s only interested in short, painless relationships.
Lily thinks she can protect both their hearts with a short affair to let their passion run its course, something where they both know the rules and can explore the sparks between them without getting burned. But their best-laid plans are put to the test by their undeniable attraction—and by a secret Sam’s been keeping from Lily that could ruin everything.
I wanted to read and review this book because I had read a previous work by this author and found it to be quite compelling. I think she is an extremely good writer so was anxious and delighted to read this new book. Once again I was impressed with Ms Mady’s writing ability but my reaction to the book was mixed.
Certainly it is apparent from the first that Lily is deeply wounded and seeking another set of circumstances that won’t constantly aggravate her hurting heart. She is a woman with a caring spirit, concerned for others, and wanting/needing genuine friendship. This she found in a trustworthy source: her long-time friend Sam. She knew that Sam’s feelings for her were deeper than just friendship. But her need for self-protection outweighed her response to Sam’s desire–except on a physical level.
Now I think the reader is aware of Lily’s situation and her inner conflict. My problem in this book is that I felt it just went on and on and on. Given the depth of Lily’s hurt, this is possibly understandable and even in real life I would not be so arrogant as to minimize the profound nature of her inner wounds. But as a reader, I felt that Lily almost got to the point of no return with Sam–and perhaps that is the author’s intent in dragging out the tension between these two. There was a deep afinity with Sam that made me very uncomfortable with the “hell” Lily was putting him through. This guy was the kind of man any woman would have been proud to have in her life. And for Lily to almost drive him away with her worry that she would “lose his friendship” became, for me, the kind of issue that made me quite irritated with her. I guess my feeling was that any lasting love is built on friendship. It is never “friendship vs love.” Yet Lily couldn’t seem to comprehend that. I got really upset with her on a couple of occasions.
All that being said, this is a very erotic novel, filled with sexual tension, with some very steamy sex, and all of it encapsulated in a story line that could easily be real life. It is well written and edited, and I appreciated the evidence of a writer who really knows the language, proper tenses of verbs, and how to construct a sentence that doesn’t end with a preposition. Sorry about being a bit anal about those things, but I get irritated when a writer uses “kneeled” instead of “knelt” and “shined” instead of “shone.” Maybe it’s just me, but after reading as many books as I read, those little things detract from what could otherwise be a very good book. Ms Mady and her editors have done well in that department. I found the book easy to read yet it wasn’t just a lightweight boy-meets-girl kind of romance. There are some important relational issues here–some that impact far more people than we would sometimes like to admit. It is a story that is about the place and importance of friendship and support, but I think it also highlights the fact that one doesn’t have to give up friendship in order to obtain a lasting love.
I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
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