Book Review: Everything Between Us

Media Type: Ebook
Title: Everything Between Us
Author: Mila Ferrera
Publisher: Mila Ferrera Books
Pages: Ebook
Release Date: November 5, 2013
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
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Genre: Contemporary Romance

HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Readers who enjoy stories with vivid, fleshed out characters

Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N

Daniel’s got everything figured out. He makes a good living as an artist … mostly through offering “private shows” to the wives of local wealthy businessmen. He never stops playing the game and never lets anyone touch his heart. But when his current fling offers him a few hundred an hour for art lessons for her reclusive, college-dropout daughter, Daniel finds himself forgetting his own rules. The girl is rude. Insulting. Incredible.

And she sees straight through him.

Stella is hiding from the world, not because she wants to, but because crippling panic attacks await her every time she tries to live a normal life. She’s determined to push everyone–including her handsome new art teacher—away. But Daniel makes it utterly impossible. The guy is irritating. Mocking. Magnetic.

And makes her want things she knows she can never have.

What starts as a battle of wills turns into passion, where giving in means facing the things that scare them most.

Let me be honest, I’m completely on the fence about this one. Everything Between Us turned out to be so much more than I thought it would be. It was more emotionally charged than I expected, and I loved it. There were just a few things that I couldn’t let go of.

Let’s start with what I liked. The characters absolutely make this list. Even if you originally dislike Daniel (and I’ll be honest, I did) it’s hard not to grow to love him over time. Mila Ferrera builds a character that is so deep, so broken, that I couldn’t help but forgive him. Even Stella, despite her crippling phobia, is well rounded and fleshed out. No matter what else happened, I clung to these two characters. They made it all worthwhile.

That’s not to say that the writing isn’t well done. It most definitely is. The story that weaves these two together is just as three-dimensional as the characters themselves. They fight, love, and make bad decisions. I felt like this had all the romance I wanted, without being over the top. Even the steamy scenes were expertly written to enhance, not to overshadow. I ate it up.

The first thing I couldn’t get over, and trust me I tried, was the way the book started. It took me so long to like Daniel because of the way the book opens. No matter how sweet things went from there, it was still always hiding in the back of my mind. The second issue I had wasn’t as big. I just felt that the ending was a bit long. I loved the tension between Stella and Daniel. I loved how hard they worked to be together, but I also felt it was a little drawn out. I wanted to yell, “Cut them a break!”. Maybe I was a little too invested?

The fact remains that, despite any qualms I may have had, this book is very well done. I see a lot of readers falling in love with Everything Between Us. I know that I did. Take a chance why don’t you? It might just be your new favorite book.

 

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.