Name: Undertow
ISBN: 9781490970615

Leigh Talbert Moore

"Three friends. Three dreams. One fatal decision will change their lives forever"--Page 4 of cover.

Undertow

I enjoyed this book so much more than Dragonfly. I think the writing was much better, as were the characters. There was a lot more development and the dialogue, both written and spoken, was much improved. This book had more purpose. Also, there was no Jack. Since he annoyed me so much in the previous book, I'm in full support of his absence in this book.

As I said in my review, the mysterious history of Jack's dad and Julian's mom was one of my favorite parts Dragonfly. The majority of this book dealt with Anna uncovering that history, so I was thrilled. I loved reading their story through the journals of Bill Kyser, Meg Weaver (Kyser) and Alexandra "Lexy" LaSalle.

Lexy was my favorite character. She was a strong woman with terrible taste in men. She was career-focused. And then she found herself falling for the wrong man, a man for whom she never would have imagined herself falling. Her best friend's husband. I felt real sympathy for her as the events unfolded in her journal - from the creepy professor who took advantage of her to the affair with Bill and the untimely death of Meg. I could feel the longing, the regret, the pain.

I didn't like Bill very much in the first book. Of course, I'm not supposed to like him. He's the man with the plan for his son, the plan that's standing in the way of his relationship with Anna. He came off as a despicable ass. But, through his journal, I learned that wasn't the case. He was actually a decent guy. Well, except for the minor issue of having an affair with his wife's best friend. But, in his defense, his wife had been deceiving him from the beginning. He was following his feelings. It wasn't right, but there was real emotion between them. I felt sorry for him. I felt sorry for Lexy. I wanted them together.

Meg annoyed me from the beginning. She was high-maintenance and deceitful. She wanted Bill and she didn't care what lengths she had to go to to get and keep him. I couldn't really feel any sympathy for her. She brought it all on herself. Of course, I'm not completely heartless, so her death was sad. I felt terrible for the kids and the guilt that Bill and Lexy were harboring because of her death.

I liked Anna so much better in this book. I found her more mature and focused (on something other than Jack). Jack's absence left her far less pathetic in this story. I wish Julian had been featured more prominently in this book though. I adore him. I would have enjoyed learning more about Anna and his growing relationship.

After finishing this book, I'm really looking forward to the third book in this series, Watercolor. I already know that there will likely be a whole lot of drama when Julian inevitably finds out that Anna knew who his father is and has been withholding that information from him. Also, Jack is back for the next book, so I'm sure Anna will be a total crazy person over him again. But still, I can't wait to see if Bill and Lexy reunite. I want to see the progression of Anna and Julian's relationship before the inevitable fallout over the identity of his father. I'm pretty well wrapped up in this story now. Good thing the next book comes out soon. Well, October. That's close enough.

I received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This review and more can be found on my blog.

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

I liked Undertow so much more than Dragonfly! I felt like there was a much more solid story in this book than the previous one. All of the characters had more depth, and the plot was just more interesting. Christy Romano once again does an incredible job of narrating, especially since there are multiple POVs in Undertow. It picks up right after Dragonfly, with Anna discovering the history of Jack and Julian’s parents.

After listening to Dragonfly, I grew incredibly curious about Bill Kyser and Alexandra “Lexy” LaSalle. Why did they have an affair while Bill was married? How could Lexy betray her best friend Meg, Bill’s wife? How did Meg die? In Undertow, we finally discover the truth of what happened in their past through the journals Bill Kyser gives Anna to read. Bill, Lexy, and Meg all wrote their own journals, so we have all three of their POVs to explain what happened so many years ago.

I liked the way the author portrayed all three of these characters. On the surface, they seem like shallow people, but their journals give insight to just how human they are. I could feel the regret and pain that Bill, Lexy, and Meg experience – mistakes have been made, but there was never any malice in their intentions. I felt like I understood their motives by the end, and I just felt sad how their lives ended up, because none of them get their happily ever after, especially with Meg’s unfortunate death.

We don’t get much about Anna or Julian in Undertow, but I’m excited to see how their relationship will grow in the sequels. I’m also looking forward to what will happen with Bill and Lexy! The love between them is still very much alive, so I’m hoping they get their long-awaited HEA.

As an audiobook, Undertow was an intense one to listen to. Lies are told, secrets are revealed, and when the truth comes out, no one is left unscathed. Christy Romano narration was fantastic – she had distinct voices for Meg and Lexy, so it was easy to distinguish between the two of them. I do wish there had been a male narrator for Bill’s POV though. But overall, Undertow is definitely an improvement from Dragonfly, and I’m excited to see where the author will take the story.

Audible: http://amzn.to/1knMrbK
Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1Ok0xYS
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/20phwwM

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