Monday, March 25, 2013

The Love Of My (Other) Life by Traci L. Slatton

Don’t let the cover fool you... this is far from erotica. "The Love of My (Other) Life by Traci L. Slatton reads more like a science fiction book than a romance. Don’t get me wrong, it is indeed a love story but the only sex going on is the before and after, never the during. Imagine that there are an infinite number of parallel universes (each one different, all based on the decisions we make or paths we don’t travel down), and in each universe, you are destined to be with the same person. In one ‘verse, Tessa is a struggling painter and in the other, an accomplished cellist. In both ‘verse’s, Brian ends up being a scientist. This story throws us back and forth from one to the other, giving us a glimpse of "what could have been". It is very apparent in the beginning that (other) Brian has somehow lost his Tessa and would go through anything to see her again, if only for a short while. When we first meet (other) Brian, Tessa describes him as a homeless person, and yet where she should be scared that he begins stalking her, she isn’t in the least bit freaked out, and that alone freaks her out. Told in alternating perspectives from alternate universes (hers from ours and his from the other) we begin to see what might have been and what still could be.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that I didn’t enjoy this story. It was funny at the appropriate times and touching when it needed to be. I am just saying that with it being classified as a romance, I had higher expectations. If you had given this to me and told me it was a science fiction story, I would have been totally in love with it and would have given it more stars. If you are looking for a sweet love story that’s a little bit "Sliders" and a little bit "The Lake House" then I don’t think you will be disappointed. If you are looking for something smexy, then I suggest you move along. 3 stars.


The peer pressure of a book club

So I belong to this wonderful book club, The Book Obsessed Chicks Book Club, run by an amazing woman named Kim.  Now the fabulous thing about this book club is that we all bring something different to the group.  Some of us read Historicals, some are obsessed with Cowboys, while others are reading Paranormal, Contemporary or Erotica.  The one thing that binds us together is our love of all books Romance.  Now here's the thing.  Tomorrow is a big release day in the Romance Genre.  J.R. Ward's "Lover at Last" is coming out tomorrow and apparently I am the only member of book club who hasn't read this series.  Now these ladies are serious about their Black Dagger Brotherhood and when they hear that you haven't read it yet, they start pushing it like crack in a schoolyard.  Now I don't know about you guys, by my current TBR pile is more than I could read while stranded on Lost island for a good couple of years without reading the same thing twice.  I understand that when you love something, you want everyone else to share it too, but come on now, give a girl a break! I promise, I will get to it eventually.  I really do hope to love it as much as they do, I shudder to think of what would happen to me if I (gulp) didn't love it, or even like it a little. Wish me luck!