If you have read Carrie Clarke's books, you have come to expect a little sweet, a lot of swoon, and more spice than you can handle! Her books always find a way to make you laugh and make you feel. Her characters aren't the best version of themselves, the people we wish we were, the people we would envy. They are real, they are relatable, they have flaws, insecurities, struggles, and hardships. What I love about how Carrie writes is that they don't magically overcome them or dismiss them - we learn how their biggest fears drive them and how their disadvantages motivate them. Always inspired by the stories Carrie crafts, A Capacity For Falling in Love teach us how prospective and expectations can be a blessing and a curse - propelling us forward or hindering us from ever being able to reach out full potential. While each book is a standalone, they do overlap in some ways either in terms of timeline, characters, or a social gathering reference (love the story point connection in all three books). I highly recommend starting with The Art of Falling in Love - especially since Lulu (from Book #1) plays such an active role in this book as Rosanna's best friend.
Eight years. For eight years Rosanna has been a loyal, faithful, caring girlfriend to Marco - the man her father wanted her to marry so they could take over the family business. More out of duty than love, Rosanna has suppressed her own happiness for the sake of her family. That is, until a well timed trip to the restroom at a nightclub grand opening revealed her betrothed has been sleeping around! He wouldn't touch her because he “respected her and wanted to wait until marriage" but apparently the rest of the city wasn't off limits. Infuriated by the lies and hurt, Rosanna accidentally bumps into Benedict (Ben), Will’s brother as she exits the bathroom. Attracted to him since the first time she laid eyes on him at Nick and Lulu's wedding, he is the last person she wants to see as her world is falling apart. Ben has other ideas as he takes charge, giving her a place to quietly recover from her shock and taking her home to ensure she is safe. Quickly donning the title of "White Knight", Rosanna can’t believe the next couple of days of her life as Ben steps in more and more to protect her, especially with things taking a turn with Marco after creating a plan to catch him in the act of cheating. The problem is Marco doesn’t know when to walk away, intertwining himself more and more into Rosanna’s life. Torn between revealing the snake Marco is and risking her father's health or being the "good Italian daughter", staying with Marco, and not stressing out her family - the last thing she needs is the complications of a crush!
I swear the sense of foreboding and doom never let up in this book! Carrie decided to add a little suspense to this time around and as one who was on pins and needles, I can say she succeeded.
Speaking of male characters, I have read a ton of books where the male protagonist is witty, endearing, and totally crush-worthy. You swoon as you dive deeper into the story but once it is over, the crush subsides and you move on. Carrie's male protagonist - I am still crushing on Nick from Book #1, Josh from Book #2, and don't even get me started on Ben! Carrie is gifted in writing characters you love but her book boyfriends are a work of art.
I also love that Carrie does a wink to her dedicated readers in two ways. One is the recurring lunch of all four characters and seeing what is really going on from each of their view points. The second is when she indicates that someone/something is a story for another time - causing you to sit up and pay attention to the supporting characters as they may be back again.
Moving back to the story itself - Carrie is the master of build ups! A lot of spicy romances introduce the two people, let them get it on, and then that’s it. Carrie take a different approach, building up the soft and sensual before bringing on the heat.
There was one point the story hit such despair that I had tears in my eyes and my heart ached. I didn’t realize how sucked in I was until I felt a tear down my cheek. I had to stop reading for a moment and remind myself it was an HEA and would work out but man, that one hurt. I actually took a break and read something funny just to cheer up BUT that is what I love about a talented writer, they get below the surface and attach themselves to the essence of you and work you like a puppet.
Through laughter and tears, smiles and gasps, A Capacity For Falling in Love will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The moments I walked away from this book were only to reset and re-center to keep going - that is how much is captures your attention. You feel like you know these characters, care about these characters, and want nothing but the best for them (or to watch those who hurt them get what's coming to them). I know this book is just coming out but I am already anticipating Carrie's next one (looking at you Will!)