Friday, August 3, 2018

Book Review: Love, Lies and Wedding Cake

By Sara Steven

**Contains SPOILERS for Love, Lies and Lemon Cake**

Since Faye met her gorgeous Aussie boyfriend Dan, they’ve travelled all over the world to meet in amazing, crazy and romantic locations. They’ve eaten gateaux in a chateau, chocolate torte in a moonlit port, and even had stöllen kisses in a sparkling Christmas market. Neither of them wanted to settle down… until now.

When Dan asks Faye to marry him and to move to Australia it throws a real spanner in the works. Faye’s daughter Emma needs her here, so moving to the other side of the world – even for a hunk like Dan – simply isn’t an option. Is it?

Faye’s been down the marriage road before and it ended up with her having Ryan Gosling fantasies while her ex-husband obsessed about the plumbing. Is that what she has to look forward to? Is she ready to end her adventure? And even if she is, how can she be sure Dan is the right man for her? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

This was the perfect continuation to Faye and Dan’s story. When we last read about the couple in Love, Lies and Lemon Cake (reviewed here)it was a newfound relationship full of budding promises of what’s to come. After a few years, the newness has worn off, and both Faye and Dan have come to appreciate who they are, not only as a couple, but as individuals. There are a lot of outside influences that will sway decisions in one way or another, and what I appreciated so much about these two characters is how nothing is easy.

It can’t be easy trying to accommodate the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, while trying to keep yourself happy, too. While Faye has been down that road, the one where she puts everyone else’s needs before her own, it’s not something Dan has ever had to worry about before. And while he feels the need to start an entirely new and different life thousands of miles away, it’s hard for Faye to even fathom a life unlike the one she’s used to. Not while there are so many who are dependent on her.

I like that Sue Watson hasn’t pulled any punches when it comes to matters of the heart and what realistically could happen between two people who are pulled in different directions. A lot of the obstacles and hurdles that they both have to deal with and jump over, it’s the stuff that happens in real life. The way they respond felt real. You can really see their personalities come out when dealing with adversity, and it’s not always the best or the prettiest, but it makes it honest, and I appreciate honesty.

A friend once told me, the right thing is usually the hardest thing to do. This Watson novel, and all of the others I’ve read fill me with assertion and strength. She has this wonderful ability of creating strong characters who ultimately find the courage to do what they need to do, the right thing that is right for them, something Faye and Dan discover on the journey through their relationship.

Thanks to Bookouture for the book in exchange for an honest review. Love, Lies and Wedding Cake can be purchased here.

More by Sue Watson:

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