Thursday, April 21, 2011

Review: The Swing


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yet another hot little gem from Lissa Matthews.

Caitlyn and Jethro. Caitlyn - she is the widow of Jethro's twin brother, Marcus. Jethro and Marcus served in Afghanistan together, were in an accident - and only Jethro walked away from it. The story takes place 2 years after Marcus' death.

Caitlyn was always in love with both men. Marcus was light hearted, fun, romantic, and sweet.....the complete opposite of his twin. Jethro was dark, brooding, and the bad boy that every good girl wanted. It was no secret that Jethro was as in love with Caitlyn as his brother was. (My only problem with all this is WHY Caitlyn married Marcus over Jethro. It's sort of hinted that she had stronger feelings for Jethro....but being a short story, it isn't fully explained. Anyway.....)

So - two years after the death of Marcus - Caitlyn can't ignore her feelings for Jethro any more. She goes to him and they have some crazy hot sex on his porch swing that he built. (And ps - he has a porch swing business.....) Anyhoo.....

Caitlyn is torn between her desire for Jethro and what she feels is a betrayal to her dead husband. She feels passion for Jethro that she never had for Marcus and a desire that she just can't ignore any more.

And Jethro - gah - he could break your heart. His silent longing for Caitlyn.....agh. It was obvious that this was a man that loved his brother. Loved him to the point that he could watch him marry the woman he was in love with, and still be happy for him. He didn't fight Marcus or try to steal Caitlyn away. He just wanted his brother happy. And his brother knew that Jethro was in love with Caitlyn. We realize this when Jethro reveals his dying brother's final words....something to the effect of....."Take care of Caitlyn; I know you've always loved her." Gasp. Heartbreaking.

This story had all the makings for a really, REALLY cliche romance, but you know what - it wasn't like that at all. I found the story to be completely believable, a little gut-wrenching, and most of all....very, very hot. The only thing I wish was that this had been a full length novel. I think it could have easily gone there. There's enough back story presented in this one short story that it could have easily been expanded on. As I turned each page, I found myself wanting to know more. How the twins met Caitlyn.....why Marcus married instead of Jethro.....the war.......the family issues when Marcus and Jethro enlisted. Soooo many questions.

But overall - I loved this piece. A lot. Maybe one day the author will expand on it and give us the full-novel treatment that these characters are just begging for.

Solid 4 stars.

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