Erin Eldridge has penned a lovely romance. This is a journey of soul mates and the friends and family that surround them, filled with happiness, humor, tragedy, and above all, love.
When John Ryan spots Maria Carmody in a restaurant, it’s love at first sight. So begins a whirlwind romance, and the young detective and beautiful journalist fall quickly, deeply, and irrevocably in love. Despite fairytale beginnings, however, John and Maria are destined to face many difficulties in their young lives. John, who comes from a lower social class than Maria, will have to fight to prove himself to the wealthy Carmody family. Meanwhile, Maria must come to terms with John’s career as a cop and all of the dangers that come with it.
The story is not simply a romance but a family saga as well, and a well-developed secondary cast of characters, including family and friends, enhances the story. Families and couples face difficult times and even tragedy, and the author uses other couples in the story to illustrate the joy and strength that soul mates provide, even in life’s darkest moments.
The book struggles in only a couple of elements. First of all, the story is set in Seattle, but the author is from New Zealand, and her own dialect tends to creep in, causing some of the dialogue to stray from an American vernacular. It would be rare in the U.S. to hear words such as “bin” for trashcan and phrases such as “I don’t fancy you” and “old chap.” Also, the characters read slightly older than their ages of 20 and 24.
Despite its few flaws, Immortal Longings is a multi-faceted romance and family saga with warmth and humor balanced by darkness and turmoil — a satisfying story for fans of sweet and emotional contemporary romance.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
