Review: Heartless by R.C. Martin
Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Enticing Journey Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
Heartless is my first read from author R.C. Martin, and talk about diving in the deep end! I knew what I was getting into story-wise from the short blurb alone, and this is where I'm going to give a heads-up to my fellow readers who are thinking about reading this book--There is cheating. Now, I'm not averse to cheating in the books that I read for as long as there aren't all these excuses or a lack of remorse involved. Own up to what you did, and thankfully, that's what happens in this standalone. However, everyone has their limits, and I know that I have reader friends who consider cheating of any sort a hard one. I'm not dissuading you from reading this book. It's actually exceptionally well-written and while I do NOT excuse what either of the main characters did to their respective partners, I did empathize with their plight (but more later). I'm just saying that if cheating is a no-go, then skip this.
Now, on to the nitty-gritty! Heartless is a love story involving thirty-seven-year-old Michael Isidro Cavanaugh and twenty-four-year-old Blaine Foster. He's in his first term as the governor of Colorado and was a former district attorney. He's also very much married and has been for fifteen years to his wife, Vanessa. They have no children, not for lack of wanting but simply because Vanessa isn't able to have them. Then there's Blaine, who is a bartender at the Prohibition Lounge and also happens to be in a committed relationship with her live-in boyfriend, Mateo. Are either of their relationships perfect? No, but then whose is, right? When their paths cross, there isn't that immediate lustful need to get in bed. There is curiosity, which leads to interest, then care and concern, until it's evolved into more. There's no question about them falling in love; but will either of their live survive the fallout?
Any first read from an already established author comes with a bit of trepidation, especially when they happen to have a fan following and have received good reviews and high ratings. In the case of R.C. Martin, not only did she already have all that, but this was a book that had a touchy but all-too familiar subject matter. But see, here's the thing--she made me care about Michael and Blaine. Here were two essentially good people who fell in love while they were still with other people. Does that make them evil? No, but it does make them human, and while I think couples caught in this sort of situation could have hoped for some ideal resolution, the world simply doesn't always work that way. There was an air of familiarity to their story, and while it would be so easy to judge, who am I to be the one to do it? I will, however, judge the book on its literary merits and I deem Heartless five-star worthy. ♥
Release Date: 04 December 2017
Date Read: 03 December 2017
Learn more about R.C. Martin.
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