Soft Wild Ache by Vivian Lux

These characters hit me harder than a lot do, and they're now permanently part of my heart. Rachel's character is refreshingly unique for a romance heroine, having been raised in a sheltered environment bordering on cultish, and it resonated with me. I was pretty sheltered, growing up in an ultra-conservative home, where ladies were to act as ladies, men were the final authority, and great emphasis was placed on eternal destiny. I saw Rachel's family as mine on steroids and then magnified one hundred percent. Watching her find her way in the "secular" world brought to mind many enlightenments I experienced once I left home, so I had no trouble empathizing with her character and feeling my way through her experiences.

Vivian Lux has quickly impressed me with her talent and skill, and is on my list of top ten authors, but she outdid herself with this book. The give and take between Beau and Rachel, and the way Beau was so tender, caring and patient made for a sweet, beautiful, endearing reading experience.  Here is my five-star review.

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Rachel led an extremely sheltered life at the religious compound where she was raised but has slowly become integrated into the “secular" world with the help of her friend and new roommate, Everly. When Everly travels abroad with her boyfriend, Gabe King, Gabe's brother, Beau, takes it on himself to watch out for Rachel. To say Rachel is naïve is an understatement, and the first big lesson we see the secular world teach her is that there's much more to Long Island Iced Tea than iced tea. It’s no hardship foe Beau to keep an eye on Rachel, but he knows he needs to rein in his attraction to her and take things slowly.

Vivian Lux is a “stop everything and read now" author for me, so I was on pins and needles waiting to get an early copy of this book. I had read the other books in this series and was eagerly awaiting Beau and Rachel's story, and while I knew it would be great, it exceeded my expectations. This author's style and storylines are so flawlessly done that the books practically read themselves. I suspected Rachel's character would be somewhat of a challenge, but after reading this book, I’m even more in awe of Ms. Lux's talent.

Rachel wasn’t just sheltered. Everything about her upbringing and the compound where she was raised screams “cult," and I can’t imagine how the author was able to do adequate research and gain knowledge enough to do Rachel's character justice. It was so insightful and precisely crafted that Rachel was incredibly authentic and realistic to the point it felt like I was a part of her experiences. And there couldn’t have been a more perfect hero for her than Beau. He was careful, kind, tender and patient with Rachel, while still being supportive and encouraging her growth. Together, they were amazing – neither one perfect, but perfect for each other. And their reunion in Time Square? Amazing. Beautiful. Epic. Fated.  Classic.  Perfect. Their love story had a little bit of angst, a little bit of humor, and a huge heap of emotion that took me on a terrific reading journey and left my heart happy, but still holding on tight to these characters. I recommend this book, with complete confidence, and can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

You can grab your copy of Soft Wild Ache here, and then have a look at other works from Vivian Lux here. I promise, once you read her work, you'll definitely want more! Until next time, dear readers

Much love between the covers,

BookAddict