In this novel, Liz Fielding shares the story of Belle Davenport. She is a successful TV personality, married to a wealthy businessman and has a secret in her past. The story opens with her trip to the Himilayas for a charity event supporting homeless children. In the course of her mountain bike ride, she meets two other women, Claire and Simone, who are also hiding secrets. The three women bond and, in true sisterhood fashion, share their secrets with each other. They decide to support one another in the search for what is missing in their lives and Belle finds the strength to make changes in her life. For despite having everything, she is miserable. She returns home, leaves her husband, quits her job, seeks out her lost sister and cuts her hair.
As you can probably guess from the title, this story is about reuniting. The story centers around Ivo Grenville and Belle Davenport, two people who agreed to a loveless marriage based on monetary security and sex. Throughout the novel, Liz Fielding returns to the concept of communication in a marriage and its vital importance. From the first page, we realize that Ivo and Belle do not talk to each other and really don’t know the person to whom they are married. We begin to root for their relationship and to take stock in our own relationships from the very first page. Do we communicate with our loved ones? Do we really know the people in our own lives? Liz Fielding has created characters that inspire our love and compassion. We want to know if Ivo and Belle are going to work things out. Are they going to be able to change a loveless marriage into a love filled one? Will he accept her when he learns her secret? Who will be reunited?
Another important element of this story is family. The sacrifices we make for family and how family can impact our daily lives. Belle is caught in the search for a sister whom she feels she abandoned after the death of their mother. The guilt she feels for not only not protecting her sister, but also for feeling jealous of her sister’s fortunate adoption continue to haunt her and to color her relationship with Ivo. Ivo also has a sister, Miranda, who lives in his home with him. She is catty, disrespectful and hurtful. Miranda does not get along with Belle and since they share a home, it makes the marriage even more difficult and stressful. There are also the sacrifices which both Belle and Ivo have made not only for their sisters, but also out of love for each other. Sacrifices which don’t always have the results they envisioned.
I know that a lot of individuals feel Romance novels are “fluff”, but stories like this one remind us of why we read them. These types of novels speak to all of us and to our experiences as people. We have all had moments of self doubt where we question who we are and where we are going both personally and professionally. We struggle to find our own identities and to not be defined by the roles other people have given us. Liz Fielding gives us a story in which we can experience someone else’s angst and in which we can relate to her experiences. Her vivid descriptions make us feel as though we are part of the story. I have never been wealthy nor had to leave a husband to find myself, but I can understand and empathize with the feelings Belle has as she tries to find herself.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The book was a quick read and kept my attention for the whole novel. The sex scene took awhile to happen, but it made sense in the context of the story. The story flows nicely with great characters.
