Review: The Cherry House by C.J. Carlyon

★★★★½

Austen Soren is a young girl – a woman, really – returning home to the scenic valley that her and her sister once grew up in together. Now, with her sister Bronte getting married, Austen is made to face the one thing she hasn’t found in her months of travel: love. All around her – friends, family, neighbours – seem to be getting lucky, at least, but not Austen.

But not for long, when the well-off inheritor of the local estate, Cashel Drai, crosses paths with the unassuming Austen, and with a little push, Austen realises what they’ve all been telling her she’s missing out on. But things aren’t perfect, as the closer the two become, the more Cashel’s past troubles come to the forefront of their relationship, with the loss of his parents carving a deep wound into his beautiful heart. Will the two be a modern Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, or something more? Two young hearts are tied together by a brand new passion in The Cherry House by C.J. Carlyon.

This is a powerful and fiery read brought to us by a brand new author who doesn’t hold anything back, either in the two young leads’ relationship or in their passionate love-making as that relationship progresses. Don’t doubt that this book really goes there and doesn’t spare any of the steamy details! One look at the simple but suggestive cover says all you need to know. It’s sensual, it’s juicy, and you’re going to love it.

One chapter begins:

She was the wish of his life. He didn’t know how else to say it. He didn’t even know that he could really explain, just that every time he saw her he felt his bones might break under the weight of his wanting. His longing for her.

Readers will enjoy the natural and real chemistry the two have as lovers and as people. Their friends and relatives are all a joy to read about and they all interact in a charming way. The book’s cast really feels alive.

At times the book focuses on unimportant details like their food or how the characters love a particular car. It’s not enough to interrupt the experience but it puts unneeded space between the punchy parts that make the story pop. Ironically there’s a lot of missing detail, like how it’s not really clear where the story is set, which is similar in that it doesn’t really pull things down but it sticks out. Hopefully the next release by this sizzling new author will keep the pace up and deliver something just as punchy as this one.

The Cherry House contains mature themes.

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