Curl Around My Heart - Londra Laine (ENG)

Title: Curl Around My Heart
Author: Londra Laine
Series: -
Volume: 1/1
Publisher: -
Pages: 210
Read in: English
Review copy format: epub

Rate:

Tate Robinson is a young, confident and ambitious owner of a successful salon offering hairdressing and cosmetic beauty treatments. Mostly satisfied with his life, surrounded by people who accept his unusual sense of style and love for makeup and not thinking much about all the unpleasant family issues, he's looking boldly to the future and enjoying what he managed to achieve on his own. When, after working hours, Reece Evans, a busy, single father, arrives in Pearl's Hair and Nails with his disheveled eight-year-old daughter, on the walls surrounding these two men appears a first crack. The next ones are only a matter of time, because fate apparently makes every effort to make Tate's and Reece's paths intertwined like a braid. The men need only to open themselves to the world around them and to each other. But are they ready for this and will they find enough courage to face adversity and fight for their tomorrow?

Anyone interested in "Curl Around My Heart" knows in advance that it's a story about love and in many cases that is probably the main reason why people want to read this book. However, what they do not realize is the fact that this novel does not focus only on romantic affection but also branches out into other types of love. So we can also find here the topics of: parental love for a young and grown-up child; young and grown-up child's love for his/her parents; self-love. I would compare it to a tree with a general concept of love as a trunk and all the varieties of love presented in the novel as the branches. At the same time, our "tree" is covered with "leaves" of acceptance. For "Curl Around My Heart" also deals with this topic. In this story the author found some place for the problem of being accepted by people closest to us – family and significant other – as well as of accepting ourselves with all our pros and cons. All of this is a proof of the true charm and value of this intelligent story, which, unlike so many others, has a real depth.

Tate, who, I admit, very quickly became my favorite, is also the great advantage of this novel. First of all, he's a very strong and independent character who doesn't give up easily and tries to achieve his goals placing his faith in his own skills. He can be a support to those who need it, although he can't count on his closest family who, though accepting his sexuality, seems to reject everything else that makes Tate who he is. Nevertheless, the man fully accepts himself and every day he holds his head up. At the same time, he’s a man who has a huge, loving heart and who's a real ray of positive energy which he shares with others. I really admire him. It's worth adding that his penchant for makeup, high heels and women's clothes also makes him someone exceptional and unique. In literature people like him are still in the minority, which I regret very much. At this point, I also have to fully agree with Reece because I think that Tate with all these "beautifications" is really hot and sexy. No wonder that he's my undisputed number one in the novel.

It doesn't mean, however, that other characters created by Londra Laine don't catch our heart. All of them, without exception, have something special in them and they are something more than just some roles to play. In other words, they are neither an element of decoration nor empty vessels that are to fulfill their task and may disappear from this story. These characters have a certain depth, also the psychological one, and in one way or another they affect the main characters, when we get to know them, but also influenced them in the past and to some extent shaped them. So these are: the parents with the ways they treat their sons, other family members and the daily ups and downs associated with them, people who are friends of our leads. Let me also add that each of Londra Laine's characters is very believable and real, so we can successfully see our friends, family members and ourselves in them.

I would also like to write a few words about the erotic aspects of the book. We already know that this novel is one hundred percent romance. But as it happens, all romances are different because some focus mainly on feelings, others are full of bed scenes and yet there are some that offer us both in different proportions. I would say that "Curl Around My Heart" belongs to this last, most balanced group that has its good and bad sides. The fact that the author doesn't focus on the detailed description of sex for the entire book undoubtedly makes us read this novel with greater seriousness and that's certainly what the problems presented here deserve. We also see this book more as a good and ambitious one than a funny story to satisfy the needs of our perverted hearts. On the other hand, Londra Laine in the first bed scene shows us that she can describe sex in a really hot way. That's how she awakens our appetite for more and then makes us suffer because of our unsatisfied needs. In short, the brevity of erotic descriptions is good for this novels but not for the readers who want "more, harder, in detail".

What undoubtedly lacked in "Curl Around My Heart" was a supplementation or an exchange of "the passage of time references" for additional chapters in the second half of the book. Mainly I'm talking about the parts in which appear the phrases like: "Five months later" (chapter 9) – here I am definitely missing a chapter describing Reece and Tate's relationship at the time and illustrating their deepening feelings; "One month later" (chapter 13) – I really suffer from the lack of a chapter, even a small one, showing the life of the characters after the events from the previous installment; "Two months later" (Chapter 15) – those very important in Reece's and Tate's life months are really begging for their development and a closer presentation of their impact on life, feelings and psyche of the two lead characters. Mostly in these parts, the novel seemed noticeably poorer to me and aroused the feeling of unmet need to read something more, to deepen the knowledge of what was happening in that "time shift".

Taking it into consideration, "Curl Around My Heart" is a really good, intelligent and valuable novel, describing difficult and real life topics that affect our everyday routine. This story is not only an entertainment but also something like a guidepost that shows us that we should believe in ourselves, accept ourselves and be ourselves, even if sometimes it's not easy. This is definitely one of the best books I've read and I recommend it to everyone who's looking for a more ambitious and richer content, feelings and emotions.

Review in Polish: Curl Around My Heart (PL)