Can You Live A Lie

I recently finished reading Exodus by Kate Stewart. This is book #2 in the Ravenhood series.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT

  Rating: 4.5/5 stars

"It’s a ghost town, this place that haunts me, the one that made me.It’s clear to me that I’ll never outgrow Triple Falls or outlive the time I spent here.I can still feel them all, my boys of summer. Even when I’d sensed the danger, I gave in. I didn’t heed a single warning. I let my sickness, my love, both rule and ruin me. I played my part, eyes wide open, tempting fate until it delivered. There was never going to be an escape. All of us are to blame for what happened. All of us serving our own sentences. We were careless and reckless, thinking our youth made us indestructible, exempt from our sins, and it cost us all.I’m done pretending I didn’t leave the largest part of me between these hills and valleys, between the sea of trees that hold my secrets.It’s the reason I’m back. To make peace with my fate.And if I can’t grieve enough to cure myself in my time here, I’ll remain sick. That will be my curse.But it’s time to confess, to myself more so than any other, that I’d hindered my chances because of the way I was built, and because of the men who built me. At this point, I just want to make peace with who I am, no matter what ending I get. Because I can no longer live a lie."

You can't go into this book with a closed off heart....or mind. This book tested me and my rational side to the point of questioning what was going on. Shame on me, but I'm here to warn you. This duet in and of itself is one of the best duets I've read in a long time - if ever. This one will sit well with those of us that read for the excitement and the journey; the true discovery of the story unfolding right before our very eyes. This one will ruffle feathers for those that want a scripted, Point A to Point B, safe kind of romance - this isn't for you. Walk away. 

I was that person trying to tell you how much you needed this story. How much you would miss out had you not checked it out. So, after running head first into this one with eager eyes and an engaged heart - I need to sit you down.  Because this was not a clean, unemotional read. This was a gritty, dirty, raw and unconventional read and one that will sit with me for a long time. Things I never saw came in hot. Things I never would have imagined or guessed - threw me for a loop. Kate Stewart was very articulate in her storytelling and this whole story was nothing short of jaw-dropping. The questions, the twists, the head-turning/heart-stopping/breath-catching moments that rendered me speechless or had me opening my eyes with shock - those were not few and far between in this one.

It was amazing to witness these subtle changes, and the not so subtle changes, the characters in this duet made. The growth was astonishing to watch and the twists were head shaking to discover. This inevitable shift in devotion, this need to do right, but knowing it’s wrong? Ugh! So hard to watch, but so necessary to witness. It was truly captivating. There was a definite intimate anger that went hand in hand with Cecelia and her love. I couldn't look away as she fought her moral and mental side yet again. It was a volatile, but necessary love, whether she realized it or not. Definitely not one to deny because their chemistry was tangible on every level. Visceral. 

I didn’t love it for just the story, I loved it for the grip it had on my heart the entire time I was reading it. It was the gnarliest, most painful, greatest love story I’ve recently read. It'll sit high on my list of recommendations. The little nuances that were thrown in there that you had to pay attention to, and look into the depth of said notion - those were amazing. I loved anytime He whispered in her ear because that intimacy was special to them, even though on the outside it was all wrong. It was the inside that was special. It was the one thing I couldn’t get enough of. It melted me. The French tongue alone leveled me. The love and anger, the need and lust - it worked in tandem with the story to show the volatile relationship, but the single most important one they couldn’t walk away from. I can't stop thinking about this book....

So brutal, this love affair that an author can afford us for characters that have lived inside their head! I must admit that this one....it rocked me. It was a rough go for a little while, but after it was all said and done. I loved this so much. Because it wasn't just a girl finding her true love, it was so much more than that. It was the journey and the discovery of who she was and how she wanted to finally accept her world for what it was. 

I actually liked all the ups and downs that engulfed Cecelia's life. It was a very turbulent story, and it definitely made me feel the highs and lows. I will admit, I questioned things a few times - but if anything, this was a lesson to trust in the story unfolding before me because it wasn't my story to tell, but it was mine to witness and follow along and hopefully understand. I can say I walked away with a broader spectrum of an understanding of love as a whole, but also the ability to fall in love beyond your imagination's control.

With the ending of Flock so fresh in my head, jumping into this one was a huge change of pace. Not unwelcome, just a change. Be prepared to be a little uncomfortable... and maybe awkward a few times. But so so good. The story moved easily, gaining traction with each revelation. 

Check out Exodus, and discover what happens when you're forced to live a lie.

Happy Reading :)