Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Cupid's Last Stand



In Cupid's Last Stand (The Cupid Chronicles #4) by Shauna Allen, after getting dumped at the altar by someone he wasn't even sure he should be marrying, Tristan decides to start fresh, his goal living in California running his own business.  Before he goes there though, he ends up in New Destiny, Arizona...drawn there by memories and a need to help after a disastrous earthquake. 

He is not expecting to run into Darby, the woman he knew as a 16 year old one summer.  The woman who lost her heart to him at the age of 16 then was heartbroken when he left and never came back for her.  After the death of her father, Darby's dreams were put aside and she is now running the family business.  She does not expect to ever see Tristan in New Destiny, and now that he's there she wants nothing to do with him.  Tristan can't understand why.  He just know that seeing her again makes him feel things he didn't expect to feel.  Darby will deny feeling the same, she'll deny the attraction and chemistry...but it is unavoidable. 

The pull between Tristan and Darby is magnetic and with a little help from Cupid's angel Michael, can they have another chance at love, this time as grown ups?  Or will it be a temporary fling that will leave Darby broken hearted again when Tristan moves on?

The POV's from both Tristan and Darby really made you more in tune with the characters, finding out what motivated them, and gave you deeper insight into them.  I liked that Darby had some real life, relatable issues.  She was strong and doing her best to do what was right, but I found her hard to relate to because of the bitterness and grudge she still held from her teenage years.  I found Tristan made his way into my heart faster.  I felt I could better understand where he was coming from.  He has issues that stem from childhood that hold him back, make him feel unworthy and insecure.  Both characters really grew and developed throughout Cupid's Last Stand as they opened up more to each other.  But it still might not be enough to have them trusting in a future together.

Michael, the angel, is a strong character also.  I loved him, he brought a lot of humor and light to an emotional story.  Even as an angel in a human body, he was easy to like and Shauna made him real.  There are a lot of great secondary characters in Cupid's Last Stand, and they all add their own special something. 

Shauna really hooked me from the start of Cupid's Last Stand and kept me immersed in the story, right there with the characters right to the last word.  I love the whole concept of The Cupid Chronicles, and how Shauna smoothly brings in a very spiritual concept in such a realistic way, with no preaching or judging, which I felt made every book in this series ones that will touch your heart and have you believing in angels if you don't already.

Well written and easy flowing, Shauna weaves humor with deep emotions to make Cupid's Last Stand a book that shows sometimes it's best to trust in love and your heart.  Cupid's Last Stand will have your heart feeling a bit lighter and hopeful.  Cupid's Last Stand can definitely be read as a stand alone, but you'll want to read the other books in this series also.  I highly recommend Cupid's Last Stand to all romance readers.

5/5 stars!

Purchase at Amazon

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