Loving Liberty

by Belinda Boring

[Kim Deister]

I love Belinda Boring, author of the steamy and wolfy Mystic Wolves series, and have since her very first book. Loving Liberty is my favorite of everything she has written thus far... and that is saying something! I swear that the book gave me heart palpitations at time, and not from the steaminess. In that respect, this book is a bit tamer than Belinda's wolves.

The characters, oh, the characters. Love them or hate them, they get under your skin. There were some I loved and wanted to hug. There were others that made me want to reach through my Kindle and slap the stupid out of them. And there were others that made me so frustrated that I could physically feel it. Sometimes all three at the same time! Liberty, oh, Liberty. Our main character, she was a 21yo woman, thoroughly controlled by her family. Her friends, her college courses, her clothing. No part of her life was her own. The way she was treated, the way she allowed herself to be treated... it all struck a nerve with me and drove me insane. It was very easy to forget that I was reading a fictional novel sometimes, I was so personally involved! Oliver, however, I loved. His patience, his kindness, his compassion. Everything about him screamed perfection in how he treated Liberty. But Andrew, the other man in Liberty's life? Everything about him irritated me, as it was supposed to, just like Liberty's family.

I loved watching Liberty come into her own and grow over the course of the story. It was an amazing story with so much hurt and angst and heart ache along the way, but it was raw and gritty and real. There were so many times, as I was reading, that I saw shades of myself or of people I have known in the characters on the pages. There were moments when I was reading that I was thoroughly emotionally involved and frustrated that I actually yelled at my Kindle!!

This is not a light and fluffy read, but a thought-provoking one. At it's heart, this story rests on the characters and their relationships and it is truly an amazing read. An incredibly beautiful story that speaks of strength and courage just as much as it exposes the human capacity for cruelty.

Things to love about Loving Liberty...

--Belinda's insane character development. These characters spoke to the soul, both in good ways and in some not so good ways.
--Oliver. He is the epitome of a romantic hero, patient and kind.
--The writing style. She dragged me in and kept me there, right next to Liberty.

My recommendation: Read, read, READ! This is an intense book and a highly emotional one. But it speaks to the heart and the soul and should not be missed!