Edge of the Past by Jennifer Comeaux (Tour Review + Giveaway)

Release Date: November 27, 2012
Publisher: Astraea Press
Pages: 269
Series: Edge #2
Review Source: For review from publisher

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Emily's skating career and personal life have never been more golden. She and her partner Chris have won every competition they've entered this season, and she's found the man of her dreams in her coach Sergei. But when one of the biggest competitions of the year takes Emily and Sergei to Russia, Sergei's past explodes into the present and makes Emily doubt everything in their future.

My Thoughts:
I loved the first book of this series, Life on the Edge, so I was really looking forward to picking this one up. In the first book, beyond the skating aspect, it’s about Emily and Sergei falling in love. There are rough patches over whether their relationship can work, but overall it’s romantic and sweet. In this second book things are a lot darker and more emotional. It deals with parts of Sergei’s past that we learn about in the first book, and it’s all about trying to work that past into Em & Sergei’s future. I felt like I was drowning in emotion the whole time I was reading ‘Edge of the Past’. It was actually painful to read about in some parts, because you know that Sergei and Emily are this epic couple, and all you want for them is a Happily Ever After.

One of the most emotional aspects of this book comes in with the character of Elena. I absolutely hated her and felt so many things toward her, and I think this shows just how strong the writing is. The thing is, as an objective observer you might understand where Elena’s coming from, and by the end of the book I think you get a bit of an understanding of her as a character. However as a reader seeing Emily’s POV I really can’t forgive Elena’s behaviour, and even now long after I read the book I get knots in my stomach thinking of that character and some of the scenes she’s involved in.

I did miss the skating aspect in this book. It wasn’t in the forefront here, and therefore there were less scenes with some of the side characters from the skating rink. I definitely wanted more Chris, especially, but also more Aubrey and Marley. Still, I can understand that this book was more about the emotional journey and less about the skating goals than the first book was. The first book was a sweet new adult romance with that big sports aspect while this second book is far more character driven, with emotional upheaval. ‘Edge of the Past’ is all about dealing with the situations that life hands out, and trying to survive when the life you thought you would have gets turned upside-down.

‘Edge of the Past’ features very powerful writing, even stronger than in the first book. It’s a heavy and emotional story, but also an amazing one with a satisfying ending. I did feel like the ending came about a bit quickly after all the turmoil throughout the book; with the amount of pages left at one point I couldn’t see how the ending could possibly be hopeful or happy. Thankfully there was a change and I was left satisfied with the ending overall. Despite some minor issues I can’t help but give this book five stars for the emotions it filled me with. I ended up staying up until 3:30 in the morning finishing it because I just had to know what would happen and how Sergei and Emily could possibly attain their happily ever after. I fell even more in love with these characters and their story while reading 'Edge of the Past'. If you haven’t checked out this series yet I highly recommend that you do so.

The Cover:
Very pretty.

Rating:
[5/5]

Find Edge of the Past by Jennifer Comeaux on Goodreads. See Jennifer's site for purchase links.

GIVEAWAY

See the tour schedule for full giveaway details.

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Be sure to check out the TOUR SCHEDULE for more reviews, excerpts, and interviews with Jennifer.