LOVE LIES BENEATH
by Ellen Hopkins
Publication Date: July 21, 2015
Published by Atria Books
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase Amazon / B&N / Indiebound
from Goodreads
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Collateral comes a gripping novel about a woman caught in a love affair that could be her salvation...or her undoing.
Tara is gorgeous, affluent, and forty. She lives in an impeccably restored Russian Hill mansion in San Francisco. Once a widow, twice divorced, she’s a woman with a past she prefers keeping to herself.
Enter Cavin Lattimore. He’s handsome, kind, charming, and the surgeon assigned to Tara following a ski accident in Lake Tahoe. In the weeks it takes her to recover, Cavin sweeps her off her feet and their relationship blossoms into something Tara had never imagined possible. But then she begins to notice some strange things: a van parked outside her home at odd times, a break-in, threatening text messages and emails. She also starts to notice cracks in Cavin’s seemingly perfect personality, like the suppressed rage his conniving teenage son brings out in him, and the discovery that Cavin hired a detective to investigate her immediately after they met.
Now on crutches and housebound, Tara finds herself dependent on the new man in her life—perhaps too much so. She’s handling rocky relationships with her sister and best friend, who are envious of her glamour and freedom; her prickly brother-in-law, who is intimidated by her wealth and power; and her estranged mother. However perfect Tara’s life appears, things are beginning to get messy.
Writing in beautiful prose, Ellen Hopkins unveils a new style while evoking her signature poetic form that readers fell in love with in Collateral and Triangles.
Tara is gorgeous, affluent, and forty. She lives in an impeccably restored Russian Hill mansion in San Francisco. Once a widow, twice divorced, she’s a woman with a past she prefers keeping to herself.
Enter Cavin Lattimore. He’s handsome, kind, charming, and the surgeon assigned to Tara following a ski accident in Lake Tahoe. In the weeks it takes her to recover, Cavin sweeps her off her feet and their relationship blossoms into something Tara had never imagined possible. But then she begins to notice some strange things: a van parked outside her home at odd times, a break-in, threatening text messages and emails. She also starts to notice cracks in Cavin’s seemingly perfect personality, like the suppressed rage his conniving teenage son brings out in him, and the discovery that Cavin hired a detective to investigate her immediately after they met.
Now on crutches and housebound, Tara finds herself dependent on the new man in her life—perhaps too much so. She’s handling rocky relationships with her sister and best friend, who are envious of her glamour and freedom; her prickly brother-in-law, who is intimidated by her wealth and power; and her estranged mother. However perfect Tara’s life appears, things are beginning to get messy.
Writing in beautiful prose, Ellen Hopkins unveils a new style while evoking her signature poetic form that readers fell in love with in Collateral and Triangles.
My Thoughts
As a long time fan of Ellen Hopkins and her books, I always experience great excitement when I know she has a new book coming out. I love her writing style and the depth that she goes to reveal the lives of her characters. I went in blindly reading Love Lives Beneath knowing that it was an adult novel, but not much else since I hadn't read the synopsis or book description. When I began reading the novel, I was surprised to discover that it wasn't written in verse like her other novels. As I read, I would catch myself thinking how different this book felt from the others because it was written in prose, but at the same time recognizing the nuances of an Ellen Hopkins book. I think readers will enjoy this writing style just as much as her verse novels. I know I did.
Love Lies Beneath is full of tension and suspense. And romance. It was easy to get swept up in the love affair between Tara and Cavin. He was charming and attentive and just the kind of man you would want to spend your days and your nights with. Yet, sometimes he seemed a little too good to be true. He had some secrets that he was keeping which became even more evident when his son was around.
Something that I always find interesting about Hopkins's books are the dynamics of relationships. There is so much more going on that what the characters reveal on the surface. She is careful in how she presents the characters and EVERYTHING MEANS SOMETHING. Nothing exists just as filler. In Love Lies Beneath, the relationships, both romantic and familial, are complicated. There are power struggles throughout and they are intense. These are some of my favorite parts of the story.
I mentioned before that I went in blindly reading this novel, but about halfway through, I unintentionally read a small snip-it of the synopsis and discovered a major spoiler that had not yet been revealed in the book. Of course I was disappointed and surprised that this information was in the synopsis, but it didn't ruin the book for me. It did change the way I viewed the characters and how I read their story.
Love Lies Beneath provides many elements of intrigue that make for a perfect book club selection and would make for a great discussion. I would put this book in the hands of readers who have missed out on Hopkins's books because they "don't like verse novels" (what is wrong with people). I think they would like Hopkins's storytelling so much that they would rush to read her other books. I like the new style and hope she continues to write more novels like Love Lies Beneath. I will definitely read them!
Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Atria Books via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any way other than the e-ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tour Wide Giveaway
Complete Tour Schedule
July 31st - Heather Ann Book Reviews - Review
Hosted by:
Awesome review. Thank you so much for posting! You rock. xx
ReplyDeleteAmy
I feel as if this review explains exactly how I felt when reading this book.. I went in blind and did not expect the turn that was being made. I'm very impressed with this seemingly evolutionary style that Ellen Hopkins has developed and I love the intriguing curiosity I'm left with at the end. Brilliant read. Always an avid fan, Heidi.
ReplyDelete