The Five Stages of Falling in Love by Rachel Higginson Published by Self-Published on January 27th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: ebook
Source: Borrowed
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The Five Stages of Falling in Love is a Contemporary Romance.
Elizabeth Carlson is living in the pits of hell- also known as grief.Her husband of eight years, the father of her four children and the love of her life, died from cancer. Grady's prognosis was grim, even from the start, but Liz never gave up hope he would survive. How could she, when he was everything to her?
Six months later, she is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and get the kids to school on time. Both seem impossible. Everything seems impossible these days.
When Ben Tyler moves in next door, she is drowning in sorrow and pain, her children are acting out, and the house is falling apart. She has no time for curious new friends or unwanted help, but Ben gives her both. And he doesn't just want to help her with yard work or cleaning the gutters. Ben wants more from Liz. More than she's capable of ever giving again.
As Liz mourns her dead husband and works her way through the five stages of grief, she finds there's more of her heart to give than she thought possible. And as new love takes hold, she peels away the guilt and heartache, and discovers there's more to life than death.
Liezel’s Thoughts:
“The Five Stages of Falling in Love” is one of those stories that I recommend you take in small doses or read in a couple sittings if you will. To avoid embarrassment, I would also suggest reading it in the confines of your own home because there is no doubt in my mind that you will be a blubbering mess like I was.
“The Five Stages of Falling in Love,time hold” tells a story of an amazing woman – Liz Carlson who becomes a widow at the age of thirty-two. Becoming a widow alone is painful enough but what makes the situation even more dreadful is that she also has four young children to be strong for. She tries her best to mourn her loss and at times hold their life together but no matter what it’s as if her efforts always seem to fall short.
Throughout the book we witness her go through the five stages of grieving. Every stage in its own right is difficult but it’s when their new next door neighbor, Ben Tyler enters her life is when she experiences something beyond grief. As Ben slowly infiltrates her life she can’t help but be happy again but in hindsight she also has this paralyzing guilt. As their relationship develops she feels as if she is betraying the memory of her husband with this amazing man.
“….the more I know you, the deeper I fall. And it isn’t just you I’ve fallen in love with, but your family, your chaotic life. I cannot imagine my life without you and the kids in it. I don’t expect you to feel the same way about me. I know that Grady will always be there with you. But I wanted you to know how I feel. I don’t have anything holding me back, Liz. I fell for you because that was the only way for me to go…”
When I say “amazing man” I am so not exaggerating. Ben Tyler was the total package. He was almost too good to be true. He was attractive, successful and an all around nice guy. I loved how he befriending Liz before even thinking about pursuing her. She had so much baggage but was willing to accept her in all her entirety. He was remarkably compassionate and patient given her situation. It was as if he was a gift from heaven. Ben was exactly what Liz and her children needed in every single way.
What I loved about this story was the emphasis on how important family was. It wasn’t just Liz’s family that was outstanding. Even with her husband Grady gone her relationship with her in-laws continued to flourish. The bond that she developed with her then mother-in-law was particularly exceptional. With every single interaction I could help the waterworks from happening.
Everything about this book was exemplary … but…..there was one thing holding me back from giving it 5 Stars. For some reason I felt that these fantastic characters lacked that perfect chemistry that I’m looking for. I could definitely feel their love but for me they didn’t have enough passion. While this shouldn’t matter given how magnificent the rest of the book was in my opinion it is one important component that every romance should possess.
The Verdict:
Katarzyna
I really really liked Five Stages! Well, it could have been a bit more steamy for my liking ha 😉 but the story itself and the writing were absolutely amazing! The author has planned another contemporary romance soon and I’ll be definitely checking it out!
liezelsb
Thanks for the heads up. Def will check it out too!