Book Summary:
Affected by her parents’ highly publicized divorce, Isabel grows up isolated and alone, with a resolve to never fall in love and repeat their mistakes.
When Jesse Cain enters her life, she falls hopelessly in love with him, and every sadness she’s ever felt is washed away by his intensity and passion. But people change as they grow up. Things can never stay the same forever.
Jesse and Isabel fight to stay together, determined to hold on to what they once had. Isabel wonders if a second love can ever be enough to make her forget her first.
REVIEW:
The Light in the Wound follows Isabel through her journey of growing up, falling in love, and discovering her true self.
Isabel comes from a high-profile family and suffered through her parents’ very painful and public divorce. She was sent to live with her grandparents while her sisters lived with their father. Jesse becomes Isabel’s all-consuming first love. While in high school, he showers her with love and attention. While not a bad person, he soon starts to become very demanding and controlling over her life. She then drops all of her outside interests and activities to focus solely on Jesse, and she almost loses her identity. The inevitable happens, college is looming and Jesse decides that he wants to explore the world without Isabel.
“He had outgrown me. I allowed him to take away my identity. Why would I even wonder how this happened?”
The story is not black and white and Jesse is conflicted about leaving Isabel behind. He begs Isabel to wait for him because he doesn’t want to lose her.
Alex is one of Isabel’s closest friends, who has secretly loved her for years and finally admits his true feelings. Who will Isabel choose? Jesse, the first love who took away her pain she endured as a child? Or Alex, the devoted, unwavering best friend who became something much more?
The Light in the Wound spans almost 15 years in the main characters’ lives and it is an emotional, well-written, coming of age story with just the right amount of steam. This story explores the sometimes painful choices Isabel is forced to make between a passionate first love and a different, but still beautiful relationship with a man who will always be there for her. I recommend this book if you are looking for a story that explores the choices we make in life, but yet is not all wrapped up neatly with a tidy little bow. The Light in the Wound is a great debut book by Christine Brae and I look forward to reading more of her work.
About Christine:
I love to read, write about reading, shop, write about shopping, three day weekends, high heels and purses. I’m a wife, a mother, a corporate executive, a loyal friend and a passionate believer in true love. This is all you need to know about me. If you get my stories, you get my heart.
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TEASER:
“Thank you, baby,” he whispered, as he reached across the table to take my hand. We were dining at our favorite restaurant one night after a late meeting.
“For what?” I lovingly rubbed my thumb on his wrist.
“For being here with me.”
I was so engrossed in the conversation going on behind me that I didn’t respond.
“What?” He chuckled as he caught me smiling at him from across the booth.
“Nothing. These women right behind me are talking about you. The one facing you is gushing,” I whispered, amused.
This had become an acceptable fact of dating Alex. Even before you saw his face, there was no use hiding his body under anything he wore. His clothes just hung on him so perfectly, like a runway model. That night, he wore a white casual button down shirt over low-slung distressed jeans that had the perfect flair to match his canvas designer sneakers. His short hair showcased his perfect jaw, his full lips, his round blue eyes. His clean cut look was tempered by the stubble that lined his jaw and his chin.
“Come sit by me, please. You feel so far away.” His eyes were dancing like little blue lights on a Christmas tree. I stood up, walked around and slid into the booth with him. It was like he gave me his consent to claim my territory. He leaned against me, closing the gap between us as his mouth skimmed my earlobe.
“Much better,” he murmured. “You know, I don’t care about anyone else but you.”
Giveaway:
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