Reviewed for Under the Covers
5 Stars!
Amazon link- The Bungalow
Isn’t it frightening to think that in the blink of an eye, your life can
change so drastically? All it takes is for you to walk through door
number two instead of door number one. The decisions you make in that moment can define the rest of your days.
I looked deep into his eyes. “It’s why I need to go,” I said. “I need to find out.” He looked away. My words had hurt him, and I hated that. His left arm, the band one, hung from his torso, limp, lifeless. He didn’t like wearing a sling when he went out. “Anne,” he said, clearing his throat. His voice faltered a little, and her paused to regain his strength. Gerard never cried. “If this is what it takes. If there’s a chance I can have your whole heart again, I will wait.”
A
love that never dies. For nearly seventy years, two halves of a whole
were separated by a gruesome murder and a jealous friend.
The year is 1942 and Anne is about to marry Gerard in a marriage that was planned since they were children. Right before the marriage, Maxine,
the family housekeeper, tells Anne in so many words that a life without
love is no life at all…she would know. Anne insists that she loves
Gerard, that she's always wanted to marry him. Yet, deep down she feels
something could possibly be missing….
During her engagement
party, her best friend, Kitty, is a no show until the last few minutes.
Kitty and Anne have been friends since childhood.
She shows up apologizing to Anne saying
that she’s going off to Bora-Bora where they are in need of Army
Nurses for the war. Kitty feels Anne and Gerard are not meant to be and
has told Anne a few
times before; Anne, naturally, disagrees. With the words in the back of
her mind of what Maxine said, she decides to join Kitty to Bora-Bora.
They will only be there for one year. Surely Gerard will understand and
wait for her.
Once on the Island, Kitty immediately takes to a
few of the service men. Naturally, the men flock to Kitty. She is
stunning, a real beauty. Anne manages to catch the eye of one man in
particular, Westry Green. She thinks nothing of it because Gerard has
her heart....so she keeps telling herself. In the mean time, after a
few months on the island, Kitty starts to change and not
confide in Anne anymore. Anne notices that Kitty isn't opening up to
her, yet Anne won't push her. But when Kitty finally does, it's a
shock to Anne.
While out with friends one day, Anne stumbles
along this little hidden run-down bungalow along the beach. She opens
the door to find none other than Westry Green inside. They hit it off
immediately
and a beautiful relationship starts to unfold. They both decide the
little bungalow will be their secret and they'll fix it up. It will be
their hideaway when they are in need of quiet time….a break from the war
around them. Inevitably, they both fall wholly and madly in love with
each other. And how beautiful it was!
Unfortunately,
a horrible tragedy strikes the beautiful lush island and must be kept
secret. At the same time, Westry is being shipped off to another war
with no idea when he'll return and Anne is set to go home. Right when
Anne is about to board the ship, she confronts Westry on flowers she saw
Kitty with the day before. Anne is
heart stricken over the fact that Westry gave Kitty the flowers. How could
Westry give Kitty flowers from their bungalow where so many wonderful
memories were shared?
Seventy years later, a journalist is
trying to uncover the tragic murder that happened on the island. I hoped
and prayed their bungalow would still be around. What happens in this
part of the story is so breathtakingly sweet until....well, until the
very end. There
were tears streaming down my cheeks while I was reading it. This is a
spellbinding story of a love so strong you'll be wishing it was you.
This
has to be one of the best romantic novels I have ever read. If you're
looking for actual romance scenes in this book, you won't find them. And
you know what? They're not needed one bit because the author does a
sensational
job with the story. This book had me glued from the first few pages in
and I
loved every single minute of it! The author did a excellent job with
creating and describing the story. I really felt like I was part of it
all, there, seeing it unfold before me. I liked the secretive ways
behind
Kitty, Anne's best friend. I was so curious to know what she was up to.
I didn't trust her one bit and in the end, I despised Kitty for what
she did. There are secrets
and surprises and just when you think you know what will happen, you are forced to think
again.
I'm finding it hard to express
the love I have for this novel. I've never said this before, but I truly
feel this is a masterpiece. I read it in one day, staying up until 3 in
the morning, because I was so captivated by it. You will fall head over
heals in love with the characters and story that take place on this
pacific island. It was a love that was meant to be, but was
sadly cut short for so many years. My heart ached for the love these two
shared but never could continue to have. Just thinking about it brings
tears to my eyes again. They both still went on with their lives but were
never able to forget what they shared. Yes, they loved again, but never gave their hearts
fully to anyone else but each other. It was a
love so profound that it makes it hard for me to write about. It's scary how your life can change in a matter of minutes and it will never ever be the same.
The only thing that really bothered me about this book was that Westry and Anne were separated for so long. Being apart for
seventy years put them both in their nineties when they were reunited. It
just wasn't fair! They should have had more time together! They shared
one year together on the island. How many more will they have now that
it's seventy years later? I seem to forget that this is a work of
fiction. But the author managed to evoked so many emotions out of me
that I wanted it to be real in a way, that they will live on together for a
very long time. Ahh, this is what a great book does to me!
After
reading this book on my kindle, I've decided that I absolutely have to
have it
on my bookshelf. So I will be buying it in paperback soon. This book
is a keeper! Just thinking about it makes me want to pick it up and read it again. You can bet I will be recommending
it to every person I can. This book took up a place in my heart and
rightfully so. I will be
rereading this book for many years to come. I
noticed that the author is still relatively new and has only one other
book out. I can honestly say that
I don't care what it's about, only that I need to get my hands on it
asap.
A favorite line of mine-
*This book was provided to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.*
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