I'm reading...Julie Cohen

THE SUMMER OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY

There was no way I was waiting long before diving into The Summer of Living Dangerously.  I love, love, loved Julie's last book, GETTING AWAY WITH IT.  I devoured the earlier book in two days.  My family barely saw me ;).

THE SUMMER OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY is just as good. 

The blurb:

An ordinary woman. An extraordinary adventure.

Alice Woodstock has been running away.  Well, not literally. She spends most of her time glued to her desk, writing about grommets and model aeroplanes. No, Alice is avoiding the real world because there’s something—someone—in her past that she’s desperate to forget. So when she’s commissioned to write about life in stately home Eversley Hall, she jumps at the chance to escape into Regency England, even if it does mean swapping her comfy T-shirt for an itchy corset. Perhaps she’ll meet her own Mr Darcy…  But when her past resurfaces in the shape of Leo Allingham, Alice is brought down to earth with a bump. Reckless, unpredictable Leo reminds Alice of the painful price of following her heart. And the new Alice doesn’t live dangerously.  Or does she?

I was honestly torn between Alice's two possible loves.  The lovely, wealthy, handsome Darcy-esque squire, or the lean, mean, reckless, wholly screwed-up ex who hurt her sooo bad.  The fact that Julie manages to keep the reader on such tenterhooks throughout, hurting when Alice hurts, not wanting to forgive when Alice refuses to forgive, hoping for the rosier version of a future, even while making her story with Leo so real, is a testament to her talent.

I laughed.  The daily rainbow is hilarious!   And I bawled.  Til I could scarce breathe. 

So grab yourself a couch, a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, a spare day, and a box of tissues and dive into THE SUMMER OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY .  You'll thank me.

More about the author here.  Buy the book here.

Next I’m reading... Simply Irresistible by Rachel Gibson.

What are you reading?  Which book MUST I read this year?    Find the other books I've enjoyed in my "I'm reading..." series this year here!  Or join me at Goodreads.