4 Smooches!
Synopsis
The Five Stages of Falling in Love is a Contemporary Romance.
Elizabeth Carlson is living in the pits of hell- also known as grief.
Her husband of eight years, the father of her four children and the love of her life, died from cancer. Grady’s prognosis was grim, even from the start, but Liz never gave up hope he would survive. How could she, when he was everything to her?
Six months later, she is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and get the kids to school on time. Both seem impossible. Everything seems impossible these days.
When Ben Tyler moves in next door, she is drowning in sorrow and pain, her children are acting out, and the house is falling apart. She has no time for curious new friends or unwanted help, but Ben gives her both. And he doesn’t just want to help her with yard work or cleaning the gutters. Ben wants more from Liz. More than she’s capable of ever giving again.
As Liz mourns her dead husband and works her way through the five stages of grief, she finds there’s more of her heart to give than she thought possible. And as new love takes hold, she peels away the guilt and heartache, and discovers there’s more to life than death.
Review
Liz Carlson is the mother of four children and a recent widow. And when a new neighbor moves in, changes happen. Liz is having to learn how to accept help from others and allow herself time to breathe. I could feel the heartache and the daily struggles that Liz had to face. After a crazy encounter that leads her to her neighbor’s house, she begins to feel something very different. Ben Tyler is a lawyer and recently moved next door. He finds something intriguing about Liz. And even though there was the preconceived notion that all men shy away from kids from my personal experience, Ben Tyler was not that. Super sweet and swoon-worthy, Ben was a character the reader was rooting for. I kept talking to my kindle and coaching Ben at every chance I could. Every emotion that was felt with Liz, I could feel. I loved the idea that Liz could get her opportunity for second chance love. Characters were beautifully written. Aside from feeling the emotions from Liz, I especially felt the emotions of the children. Adults can come to terms with death, and well children, after losing a parent, just have a difficult time. The journey the reader embarks is one of heartache, sorrow, mourning of a spouse and also the beauty that can come from a tragedy. The author did a superb job and felt very real to me. I couldn’t get enough of the story and the cover is gorgeous! Romance readers will fall in love with their story and will never look at a pop-tart the same way again. 4 smooches for The Five Stages of Falling in Love by Rachel Higginson.
