Veena’s review of Finding Julia by Desiree Holt
Contemporary Romance published by Lyrical Press 29 Sep 14
The blurb for this book really appealed to me, because I rejoice in women being able to escape from a difficult situation to find a second chance at happiness. Sure, Julia does get a second and perhaps even a third chance at love and follows a very difficult path, but I found myself rejecting the choices she makes in this day and age with the support system she has in place.
It’s clear from the start of the book that Julia values security for herself and her children and puts up with her domineering and thankfully soon-to-be ex-husband in order to ensure the same. I just could not relate to the fact that she would walk away from a man who truly loves her for the sake of the same security. And I could not respect Julia for the choices she makes, and ultimately, while I feel sorry for the curveballs she has to field, I cannot build up the level of empathy to relate to her as a character.
I’m glad that this is a romance and the author needed to deliver a happy ending, and so Luke comes back into her life, fully intending to find out what had happened to destroy their chance at happiness. I couldn’t believe how forgiving and loving he is, despite the choices that Julia made and the secrets she kept from him.
Grade: D
Summary:
Can a moment of passion outlast years of secrets and misery?
For Julia Patterson, meeting Luke Buchanan awakens within her a passion she’s never dared dream possible. He claims her body and and helps her remember what it means to be a woman. But Fate has a twisted sense of humor. Just when Julia is ready to step over the threshold into a wonderful new life, her almost-ex-husband is diagnosed with a heart condition that puts her divorce on hold. Turning her back on Luke is the most difficult thing she’s ever done. But Julia has a secret, one that Charles discovers and uses against her.Years later, when Luke walks back into Julia’s life, the passion between them is just as explosive. But Charles is still controlling her from the grave, and the secret Julia has hidden for fourteen years could destroy their dreams forever
