Review: Meant To Be by Karen Stivali

Blurb:

Sometimes you’re already committed to the wrong person when fate finally brings you the right one.

When NYU professor Daniel Gardner’s career-obsessed wife convinces him to move to the suburbs, he hopes it’s a first step toward starting the family he longs to have. Instead of domestic bliss he finds his neighbor, Marienne Valeti. She loves her freelance design job, but must contend with a growing sense of isolation created by her husband’s indifference. A penchant for good books, bad movies, and Marienne’s to-die-for brownies sparks a powerful bond between them. Passion simmers, but they resist its lure, surrendering only in the seclusion of their minds. Their friendship helps them weather every hardship, from divorce to widowhood, leaving them both secretly wondering if it can survive a first kiss.

Review:

So where to start? The beginning of this was a little slow for me and books I find easy to put down I quite often don't pick up again. Because however, I agreed to review it I forced myself to pick it up and I'm glad I did because somewhere along the line I got hooked. Then I just couldn't put it down and I'll admit when I read the words THE END I wanted to yell and scream and say where's the rest. Thankfully there is a preview of their continuing story at the end of the book and it is due to be published in November.

I love Daniel and Marienne they are two very realistic characters to me and I found myself hoping and praying that  they would find their way too each other even though there was obstacles a plenty in their way. I must admit a couple of time I would forget that Daniel and Marienne were actually married to other people but this is not a story about cheaters and they never cross the line.

Overall I give this 4 out of 5 a very enjoyable read and I look forward to reading the next book Holding On

Bio:

Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies and fictional British men. When she’s not writing, she can be found cooking extravagant meals and serving them to family and friends. Prior to deciding to write full time Karen worked as a hand drawn animator, a clinical therapist, and held various food-related jobs ranging from waitress to specialty cake maker. Planning elaborate parties and fundraisers takes up what’s left of her time and sanity.

Karen has always been fascinated by the way people relate to one another so she favors books and movies that feature richly detailed characters and their relationships. In her own writing she likes to explore the dynamics between characters and has a tendency to craft romantic love stories filled with sarcasm and sexy details.

Karen has published three erotic romances with Ellora’s Cave: Marry Me (June 2012), Long-Distance Lovers (co-written with Karen Booth, March 2012) and Always You (Passionate Plume First Place Novella Winner, RWA 2012).

Karen’s first full-length novel, Meant To Be, will be published by Turquoise Morning Press on August 26, 2012. Its sequel, Holding On, will be released on November 26, 2012. A prequel to these novels, the short story All I Need, appears in the Foreign Affairs Anthology (Turquoise Morning Press, August 2012).

For more information about my current and upcoming projects please visit my website: http://karenstivali.com

I can also be found on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenstivali

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/karenstivali

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5170527.Karen_Stivali

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005KWSFGO

Coming in 2013 Karen will have several contemporary romances releasing from Samhain Publishing and Turquoise Morning Press.

Buy links for Meant To Be:

Amazon AllRomanceEbooks Barnes & Noble
Publisher's site: Turquoise Morning Press: