Review: Adriane Leigh's "The Mourning After."

@AdrianeLeigh

Review of Adriane Leigh's "The Mourning After."

Amazon.com:  http://amzn.to/13atMEy

Amazon UK:   http://amzn.to/12pdAMh

Synopsis: 

Haunted by a painful past, Georgia Montgomery escapes the memories by buying a beach house on the North Carolina coast. She hopes a summer filled with sun, sand, margaritas and best friends will heal her, but when an unexpected visitor shows up, her past, present and future collide.

Georgia is instantly drawn to Tristan Howell, the bronze-skinned, golden-haired stranger with an easy smile and eyes the deepest shade of green she's ever seen. She tries to deny the depth of her feelings for him, but just like an addiction- one look, one touch, one taste is never enough. With Tristan she loses control of the lonely world she's constructed for herself and learns that moving forward isn't possible while she's still chained to the events of her past.

Before the summer is over friendships will be tested, hearts shattered and lives changed, and waiting for Georgia to find herself may destroy them all.

My Review: Kirsty

Loved Loved Loved this!

I have a very love/hate relationship with love triangle books. I loved the likes of Thoughtless but had a real hard time getting through From Ashes. I've come to the realisation that my issue is with the characters in said books, not the love triangle aspect itself. If I'm reading about young, teen girls in a love triangle then I find myself wanting to strangle and kill them. If they are adult characters, in adult situations then I find that I can deal with it much better. Thankfully The Mourning After was about adult characters in established relationships and I felt that the heroine was truly torn over what to do for the best.

Georgia has been with her current boyfriend, Kyle, a LONG TIME. I'm talking childhood friends to lovers long time, but lately their relationship has been strained. Kyle is working towards a promotion at the law firm where he works and his head is constantly stuck in a book or at an office, leaving Georgia alone 90% of the time. Instead of working through the issue together, Georgia ends up buying a house on the beach 300 miles away and decides to spend the summer there with her best friends.

I adored Georgia's best friends. Originally it was supposed to be her gay best friend, Silas and her other friend Drew. There wasn't one thing I could dislike about these two friends, they are the sort that every body should have in their life. As usual though, plans aren't always stuck to and Drew ends up not only inviting her latest boyfriend, but his friend Tristan too. And this is where all the fun starts.

"I knew he was trouble wrapped up in a sexy, charming, seductive package."

From the off I was a massive fan of Tristan's and knew for sure that if Georgia didn't end up with him then I was going to have a fit. He was absolutely everything you could wish for in a book boyfriend (maybe not an actual boyfriend so much though..). He was gorgeous, a mahoosive flirt and knows exactly what he's doing when it comes to women. The only problem? He is a huge manwhore. He isn't one for settling down and he sure as hell isn't afraid to show you that.

The relationship between Georgia and Tristan didn't start up instantly and I have to give the author credit for not making Georgia like some easy, slutty girl who just jumps in to bed with a new man straight away. Georgia was very much aware of the fact she had a boyfriend who she loved but at the same time, she knew that their relationship hadn't been right for a long time. Of course though, Tristan wanted Georgia and he was going to do everything in his power to get her. 

I whizzed through reading this and ended up reading the last 40% or so in one big chunk because I just couldn't put it down. I needed to know that, despite her reservations, Georgia was going to make the right decision not only for the two men in her life, but for herself. She's lived through an awful time in her past and is so used to thinking of others and thanking others for getting her through it that she ends up forgetting about herself. I hoped she would make the decision that made her happy for once.

The last 20% had my stomach in knots. I could never truly tell which way the author was going to go. Would she stay with Kyle because she felt like she owed him for all he has helped her with in the past? Or would she follow what her heart really wants and go with Tristan because he finally makes her feel alive? I had no clue. One minute I thought one thing, the next I'd had a complete 180 and thought the other. Even though it had me feeling all sorts of crazy, the author did a great job of keeping you on your toes.

"If you let go of the past - let go of the pain - if you followed your heart, 

you may find something beautiful."

If you are a fan of a love triangle with more mature characters then I would say this one is for you. I was comparing it to Thoughtless a lot of the time and can honestly say Georgia is in no way as annoying as Keira. I really felt her pain and her reasons for being so unsure were valid. I loved every minute.

I rated this one 4 Hearts