A well-written emotional romance

This was a well-done dramatic romance. I’m a big fan of books that take place on the Oceania continent, so when I saw the setting was New Zealand I knew I was in. I am also a huge Donna Jay fan so when I realized this was a pen name for her I was really excited to read this. While Donna Jay mostly writes erotic romances, Diana Jayne writes contemporary romance. For people who have wanted to try one of Jay’s books, but might have been wary about the extra spice, this could be the book for you. It was a good first Diana Jayne book and I’m looking forward to reading more.

While I called this a dramatic romance, this is not a heavy book. It is a story about loss and two women overcoming that loss through love. A lot of this book is very sweet. In fact, for my personal tastes, I would not have minded even more emotional tissue moments, but that’s just me. The characters are likeable and I enjoyed reading their romantic journey. The book is on the longer side, for me personally, but I was happy to say that it didn’t drag and there was some good angst and drama at the right moments to keep me turning the pages.

I have to be honest that while I liked and enjoyed this book, I didn’t love it. In this case, it is absolutely a “me thing” and not the book thing. As I mentioned in other reviews I’m not the biggest fan of slower-paced and longer contemporary romances. It’s something I have noticed affecting me increasingly over the years and if I’m not reading Truth and Measure or Haley Cass, I prefer my romances short and to the point. The early reviews for this are amazing and I have a feeling a lot of other people will also love this, but for my personal tastes, it’s not my favorite type of book to read. I think the fact I enjoyed this as much as I did was a testament to Jayne’s writing.

I found myself impressed with the writing. While I have liked other books by Donna/Diana more, I think this was her best-written book. I’ve read many of her books over the years and have noticed real author growth book after book. You can always tell that Diana/Donna really puts all of herself into her books and that is something I can really appreciate as a reader.

TLDR: This was a well-written emotional romance. While this book covers the tough subject of the loss of a child (off-page), it‘s not too heavy and it’s really about the healing process and the wonders of what love can do to a person. While I’m not the biggest fan of longer contemporary romances, this book was well done and it had just enough angst and other drama to keep me reading long into the night. I’m very excited to read more Diana Jayne books in the future. 3.75 Stars.

A copy was given to me to review.