Love for Two Lifetimes

by Martina Boone

[Sam@WLABB]

Everything was going great for Izzy. She had her bestie, Elli, their future plans, and an acceptance letter from her #1 college choice. But everything was taken from her the day she lost her mom in a car accident. While packing up her mother's things, she stumbles upon a box of letters written by her mother, but never sent. This discovery sets her on a search for answers from the one big love of her mother's life.

As a fan of The Heirs of Watson Island series, I was really excited to see that Boone was releasing a new book, and it was in my favorite genre nonetheless. This one spoke to the romance lover in me, and there were many, many things for me to love.

• The relationship between Izzy and her mother was one to envy. Though we only got a short peek into their present time life together, Boone gifted us with a bunch of flashbacks, which clearly showed the strength of this mother-daughter bond.

• Izzy and Elli were such close friends, they were practically sisters. The fact that they go way back to the hospital nursery together was a testament to how the universe thought they belonged to each other. They were so close, Elli became like that little voice in Izzy head, that gave her advice in some sticky situations.

• Malcolm was one of the soft boys that I love. Izzy may have been saying in jest, but I think he really was a sort of Prince Charming. His love of history and his ancestral home scored him many points in my book, and I was elated when he finally started to untangle some of his complicated feelings.

• Boone took us on a beautiful and scenic trip from Virginia to the English Countryside to India. Her love for India was quite obvious in the care she took to bring us there via the sights, the sounds, the smells, and the tastes of the region.

I have one complaint, which is about -- you guessed it, the ending. Though it ended with this very beautiful reflection, I still have some questions. I feel like I am always asking for an epilogue, but if you read this book, you would understand why I really, really wanted one. Or a sequel? Something, because, like I said, I have a few unanswered questions.

Overall: This was a really lovely story of what it means to love, the sacrifices we make for those we love, and how love can transcend it all. It was beautifully written and packed with a lot of emotion.