Book Review: Grave Consequences

About the book:

For Cora Kensington, the journey of a lifetime takes unexpected twists. And her future—her very life—depends on the decisions she’ll make at each crossroad. As her European tour with her newfound family takes her through Austria, France, and Italy, an unseen enemy trails close behind. Meanwhile, a forbidden love continues to claim her heart, putting everyone’s plans in danger.

And as Cora stays one step ahead of it all, what might need the most protection is her own heart, torn between the dramatic pursuit of a dashing Frenchman and a man who has been quietly staking claim to her affections all along. Love has dangers all its own. She must escape the bonds of the past and discover the faith to make the right choices, as each one has grave consequences.

My Review:

Grave Consequences is book two of a three-part fictional series. I was thrilled (even shrieked with delight) when I saw that Lisa T. Bergen had finally released this book. Glamourous Illusions, the first book in the series, was a great read with well-deveoped characters and a romantic, yet mysterious plot. I enjoyed the first book and the last page had a cliff-hanger ending, leaving me craving for the whole story and with the desire to continue on the "Grand Tour" as well. I got that satisfaction with Grave Consequences.

Grave Consequences picked up right where it's prequel left off, so I found it easy to understand the locations, the character's feelings of fear due to unknown kidnappers who are still on the loose, the easing tension between Cora and her half siblings and references to before mentioned events. I think that the plot was very well-written with historical accents, great dialogue and enough twists and turns to leave the reader guessing. I had the feeling, more than once that Pierre was a character I couldn't trust but other times I wished Cora would indeed mary him.

Cora, Will and the diverse cast of characters in this book keep slower parts of the story interesting. I enjoyed understanding Cora's thoughts and getting to know her better. Ornery characters like Hugh and previously problematic ones like Vivian made the read worthwhile and added another layer of dimension to a great book.

Lisa did a phenomenal job with making the historical part of the book come to life. In between lectures and lessons from Uncle Stuart and vivid descriptions of castles and chateaus, it was easy to imagine such opulence of the twentieth century. Her verbal illustrations of so many places easily takes the reader's breath away.

I can only fault this book in one area and that would have to be the beginning. I found it difficult to really dive into this book at the beginning but pressed on because I just had to know what happened with Pierre and Cora. Lisa seemed to drag on in certain areas of the book and I actually found myself skimming a few pages ahead to get to the "good parts". I think that the untimely release of this book affected my experience because I read Glamorous Illusions in June 2012.

I enjoyed Grave Consequences immensely. The ending surprise both in action and in the character of Cora is a perfect transition to the next book! There was a balanced mix of romance, history and thrill all through out this book. I even picked up on fairytale-like occurrences of the book. If you're interested in reading Grave Consequences, be sure to first read Glamourous Illusions. You may feel lost and unfamiliar otherwise:) I rate Grave Consequences 4 stars.

I received this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for my honest review.