G951 Book Review of degrees of love by Lisa slabach

Name of Book: Degrees of Love

Author: Lisa Slabach

ISBN: 978-1-54390-721-6

Publisher: Bookbaby

Type of book: affairs, adultery, workplace, soul-mates, mismatched partners, working away, boredom, mundane, real life, modern times, New York, California, crossing boundaries, love, marriage vows, family

Year it was published: 2017

Summary:

In this powerful debut, a successful businesswoman embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will shake her to the core.

Like the shiny new BMW parked in the driveway of the Silicon Valley home she shares with her husband, Matt, and their two boys, Susan Sinclair exudes confidence and style. Newly promoted to a prestigious Senior Vice President position at her firm, Susan is the picture of personal and professional success.

Yet appearances are deceiving. With each advance in Susan’s career, Matt has grown more distant. But he refuses to admit there is a problem, and Susan, determined to give her boys the close-knit family life she never had, forces herself to play along.

Then she meets her new boss, Reese Kirkpatrick. She and Reese become a crackerjack team, but little by little, pleasure mixes with business. For the first time in a long time, Susan feels seen and appreciated for who she is.

In a moment of weakness, friendship becomes something more. Now, unable to stomach the façade her marriage has become yet unwilling to decimate her family by moving forward with Reese, Susan faces a choice that could cost her everything—including her children . . . but possibly bring her more than she can dream.

Characters:

Main characters in the story include Susan Sinclair who has sacrificed her own dreams to work for a corporate world. She is married to Matt who is best described as "stable and safe" and who seems to be clueless about his wife's unhappiness. Susan is best described as a passionate woman who desires more than what Matt can give her. She desires to be an actress and tries her best to be a good mother to her two boys. Matt Sinclair is her husband who seems to be oblivious to his wife's unhappiness and often is patronizing. He seems to be happy with the status quo so to speak and loves his family a great deal. Reese Fitzpatrick is Susan's boss who is charismatic, an English major, a ladies' men and is prone to grandiose gestures as well as being tenacious and a victor in all he does.

Theme:

In real life there are no heroes or villains but only ordinary people

Plot:

The story is written in first person narrative from Susan's point of view and the story doesn't begin in the middle. While most of the stories portray some sort of glamour when it comes to life or a "valid" justification for having an affair in the first place, this book shies away from that. The lives that are presented are ordinary and are relatable. (Who hasn't seen themselves in a mismatched relationship with a spouse where due to life needs are pushed aside? Who hasn't desired to find a soul-mate that shares your interests and hobbies?) Everything from characters to consequences to events are drawn realistically that not once was there disconnect or lack of understanding for the reader but instead the reader understands and sees themselves in Susan's position.

Author Information:
(from IRead Book Tours)


Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~
Chapters-Indigo ~ Powell's
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Meet the Author:

Degrees of Love is Lisa Slabach’s debut novel. She is currently working on her third full-length manuscript and a collection of short stories inspired by her experiences growing up in a small farm community in Washington’s Yakima Valley. In addition to writing, Lisa works for a Fortune 500 Company, leading a sales team in the financial industry. She currently resides in Northern California with her husband and has two daughters, who are both pursuing careers in film. In her free time, she enjoys drinking wine with friends and cooking in her pink kitchen.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Opinion:

Most of the books that portray affairs often has villains and heroes; someone easy to love or to hate. Perhaps the hero is the husband who gets wronged by wife who can't appreciate him, or perhaps the hero is the other man who seems to be too good to be true for reality. In this book, there are no heroes nor villains, but instead real people populate the story adding confusion to what Susan's choice should be. I honestly don't have enough words to describe the sheer brilliance of the novel because its so different than the normal fare on affairs between consenting adults. Here attraction is instantaneous, but it takes them a very long time to get to the actual affair. And even then the reader watches the effect that affair has on everyone from the instigator to their families. The struggles are real as I watch the borders and promises get consistently violated and it becomes very difficult to find a "hero" in the tale to root for. Also as well, the aftereffects of an affair are also revealed, reminding the reader to be cautious when embarking on such an enterprise and that all our choices have consequences.

This is for iRead Book Tours

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:

​Jan 3 - Elizabeth McKenna Romance Author - book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 3 - A Holland Reads - book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 4 - A Soccer Mom's Book Blog - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
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Jan 5 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review / giveaway
Jan 8 - T's Stuff - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
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Jan 11 - Elgee Writes - review
Jan 12 - NorthernMSW - review
Jan 12 - Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews - book spotlight / guest post /giveaway
Jan 15 - Bookish - review
Jan 16 - Writers and Authors - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 17 - Books for Books - review
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Jan 19 - Truly Trendy - review
Jan 22 - StoreyBook Reviews - review
Jan 23 - Rocksprings Crafts - review / giveaway
Jan 24 - Wander Girl Life - review / giveaway
Jan 25 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review
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Jan 29 - The Booksnake Etc. - review
Jan 29 - The Book Enigma - review / author interview / giveaway
Jan 30 - Ginger Mom and the Kindle Quest - review / author interview
Jan 30 - Book Lover in Florida - review / giveaway
Jan 31 - Jessica Cassidy - review / author interview / giveaway
Jan 31 - Amie's Book Reviews - review / giveaway
Jan 31 - One Frugal Girl - review / giveaway
Jan 31 - Novel Escapes - review
Jan 31 - Rainy Day Reviews - review / guest post / giveaway
TBD - Corinne Rodrigues - review / giveaway
5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)