Review: Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma.

Main Characters: Caleb Kalani, Kate Monrovi
Series: None

“Romeo + Juliet gets an update in this story of forbidden love. Shakespeare’s never been so hip.” — Jenny B. Jones, author of The Charmed Life Series As the popular darling of the junior class and heiress to the five-star Monrovi Inn empire, Kate has both everything and nothing. She’s bored with school and life…until she locks eyes with Caleb at a school dance. Caleb is new to Kate’s exclusive prep school, and it’s clear he doesn’t fit in. In fact, he and his dad work in maintenance for Kate’s father. And while Caleb knows better than to spend time with the boss’s daughter, it seems that every time he tries to back away, something pulls him right back in. When their parents demand that they are to stay away from each other, they learn of a fight between their families that occurred more than fifty years ago. It’s a mystery Kate doesn’t understand…but a legacy Caleb has endured his entire life. With the world stacked against them, Caleb and Kate will have to walk by faith to find the path that God has planned for them.

This is a modern re-telling of Romeo and Juliet with the whole feuding families and what not but I enjoyed this story. Caleb transfers to Kate’s school and because the principal knows all about their family feud, she pairs Caleb up with Kate so that Kate can show him the ropes around school. She does this in an attempt to show that the past is in the past and also in hopes that the new generation would learn to be civil to each other.

Kate has no idea about any family feud so when she finds out about it all from her principal, she’s confused and then when she meets Caleb, she’s so attracted to him that it’s hard for her to remember to stay away from him. Caleb on the other hand, knows all about the feud. He was raised on the feud and knows that he should stay far away from Kate but when that becomes impossible, he gives in gracefully.

I enjoyed the romance that blossomed between Caleb and Kate. I thought it was young love at its best but what I didn’t truly get was the whole feud. I guess I didn’t buy it all that much. The way that Kate’s Dad flew off the handle and lashed out at Caleb at the dinner table kind of threw me off, Caleb’s grandfather and his Hawaiian pride seemed off to me but outside of the whole feud thing- I enjoyed the book.

I thought that both Kate and Caleb were great characters with flaws that made them likeable. I loved that Caleb was going to fight for Kate’s honor and I love that Kate was so head over heels in love with Caleb. I loved how pure their love was too. You could tell that they meant the world to each other but Caleb held true to his beliefs and I respected him for that. I adored Caleb and loved that he was Polynesian. It was good to see some Poly’s get some good page time without being either dumb, a bouncer or someone scary.

The one thing that I flat out could not stand was Kate’s reaction to Caleb leaving. I thought she blew that crap right up and made a big deal out of something that Caleb couldn’t control anyway. I couldn’t believe that she would make him choose between her and his family. It dampened my enjoyment of her character and though things ended okay, I still resented her a bit.

All in all, I was glad that I read this book and I’m already looking for other books by this author. This book was a solid spin on the Romeo and Juliet story and it was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. I would recommend this one to lovers of romance in their story. There’s a happy ending and that makes me a happy camper.

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Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com

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