Fault Lines by Rebecca Shea

​CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
 
Publication date: 10/28/2017
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

Right up until the end, I was loving this one. I mean, the cover’s beautiful, the writing is great, and there’s a nice, steady level of angst that kind of reminded me of a good soap opera. (Don’t judge. Back in the day, I loved a good soap opera. I was a HUGE Guiding Light fan years and years and years ago.) But then there was an ugly shift at the end that really irked the crap out of me and knocked my rating from a 5 down to a 3.

First of all, in the beginning, I loved Cole, the hero. Sure, he did a really, really stupid thing when he was a stupid kid and pushed the love of his life away “for her own good.” I really hate that kind of thing in adult romances, but this was the action of a stupid kid, so I cut him some slack. And he was sweet and groveled nicely, and helped take care of the heroine’s sick mother, so I was really enjoying Cole (in the beginning, that is).

Frankie was a little tougher for me to warm up to, but I didn’t dislike her. She was a stupid kid herself when Cole did the stupid, stupid thing that pushed her away, and she responded like any stupid kid would. (By running away and not demanding any real, grown-up conversation or closure for their relationship). And like I said, in adult romance that kind of stupid misunderstanding is a dealbreaker for me, but in flashbacks to when the characters were kids, I can handle it. I persevered and read on.   

Then there’s the climax of the story and several things soured my reading experience:

1. The heroine’s cheating scumbag of an ex shows up, super conveniently, for apparently no other reason than to reveal something Frankie had kept from Cole when they were stupid kids. Something she should have told him. Something huge. It’s not the secret that bothers me so much, but the fact that the scumbag ex served no purpose in the story other than to show up and spill his guts at the most inopportune moment possible. It seemed like lazy writing, and up until that point, the writing had been flawless, so I was a little bummed.  
2. Cole gets mad at Frankie for keeping a secret from him. Really? Hypocrite much, Cole? Did you all of a sudden forget about the horrible secret you kept from Frankie and only recently got her to forgive you for? I’d say you’re even at that point, pal.
3. Cole pounds the scumbag ex’s face into a bloody pulp. The dude’s a lawyer and he didn’t sue? Seems unlikely.
4. Frankie decides on a huge career change REALLY quickly. And all after Cole said he’d do anything to make a relationship with her work...anything but move away from his small town home, that is. Gee, Cole, I’m thinking that if you REALLY want to make it work with Frankie, you MIGHT consider moving to HER home so that she doesn’t have to totally re-arrange her life for you?      

But, just because the book didn’t stick it’s landing doesn’t mean it’s a bad book. It just has some stuff in it that wasn’t my cuppa. It’s a still a well-written, angsty, emotional book, and I really did feel the love and connection between Frankie and Cole. I’ll definitely read more of the author’s work. I have a feeling that just because this one wasn’t for me, I’d probably really like a story between side characters Faith and Carter.   

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s clean and sober. No rehab needed.

Other reading suggestions
I’ll definitely check out the author’s backlist. And for another great, angsty, emotional second-chance romance, check out From This Moment by Melanie Harlow. ​

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