Blog Tour: Book Review – A Little Too Far – Lisa Desrochers

Forbidden. Taboo. I get a naughty little tingle any time I come across those two words 🙂 So when I read the blurb for A Little Too Far, I knew I had to have it!

Lexie is on the rebound. Her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her with every girl in town, wants her back. She goes home confused about her feelings for him and all she wants to do is have a good cry about it. Her step-brother Trent hears her and comes to console her. They’ve been best friends since they were 15, ever since Lexie’s dad married Trent’s mum. They’ve always been each other’s confidants, they supported each other through their worst times, and she feels safe in his arms. Until it becomes more. They’ve kissed before but swore never to tell anyone about it… or pursue it. But this time, this kiss feels different. More desperate somehow and they can’t help it – it feels natural and this kiss turns into something more.

Never during any of it, even once we’re both naked on my bed, does any part of me feel like we shouldn’t be doing this. All of a sudden, he isn’t my stepbrother. He’s everything I’ve ever needed.

But Lexie is leaving for a semester abroad. And while she’ll miss Trent, maybe this is what they need. Distance. Because pursuing anything would break their family apart. It’s already made things awkward. So yes, distance is what they need. So Lexie leaves for Rome. She’s an art major you see, and Rome is every art major’s dream. Once there she stumbles onto a church and raised Catholic, she decides to go for confession hoping to alleviate her guilt. There, she meets Alessandro Morretti, a soon-to-be priest. And he’s the hottest soon-to-be priest she’s ever seen 🙂 The more time they spend together, the closer they become. And even though Alessandro has taken a vow of celibacy, there’s just something in Lexie he can’t resist. And so Lexie finds herself torn between falling in love with a man she shouldn’t want and the man she can’t have.

Wow what a story! Two ‘taboo’ topics rolled into one and I loved it! I only had to read the first three sentences to know that I would love it. There is a flow to the writing that I absolutely enjoyed. The kind of writing that has you reading the book in one sitting. Add to that a captivating storyline and you have a winner. For the first time ever I hated that a book is a standalone. It was tied up neatly at the end but I just wanted more

Two things that have to be said about the book. First, the characterization. I loved Trent and I guarantee everyone will. So strong yet so soft on the inside. He’s a musician so he had that tortured artist vibe that I love. God the things he said, the songs he wrote! After I was done with the book I re-read all my Trent highlights, they were that good…

He lifts my head and thumbs the tears off my face, gazing so far into me that I feel him in my soul. His voice goes all gravel as he sings ‘You picked me up and helped me heal, you taught me what it meant to feel… I can’t stop now, I’ll come unglued, when everything I feel is you.’

Sigh… but let’s not forget Alessandro. Also tortured. I mean, he’s a few months into becoming a Priest and then love comes knocking.

He lifts a hand and brushes his fingertips along the line of my jaw. He lifts it higher and traces my eyebrow and down my nose with his index finger. “You are truly exceptional Lexie Banks.” For a long time he holds my face and stares into my eyes. My breathing is ragged, but I don’t dare move for fear of breaking the spell… His lips brush down my cheek and along my jawline. “You make me question myself… my choices,” he says low in my ear.

I love love triangles! But onto the second thing. I don’t consider myself a huge fan of art. I mean I appreciate it but study it I have not. And one of the things I loved so much about the book is how much I learnt about Italian art. There were tidbits in it that I loved ‘discovering’. It also reminded me of so many fond memories 🙂 for example that of a Ukranian girl I once met who loved watching documentaries on the paintings done by Caravaggio… she was so passionate about it and I remember thinking that I should visit more museums… I love when books do that… allow you to travel, introduce you to new things, remind you of old memories… it felt like taking a guided trip to Rome and I absolutely enjoyed it.

All in all it was angsty, bittersweet and beautiful. My only qualm is that when I read the last line I expected more. I felt as if the ending was rushed. I wanted more. I found myself wishing for a sequel, alternate POV, anything! But that’s a good thing…. right? right?

4.5 stars.

Amazon Buy Link – A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers

 

Finally I’d Like to thank the author via Edelweiss for providing this copy for my review.