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A review by miras_booverse
The Risks We Take Duet by Bella Matthews
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I am convinced once again how much I love the stories Bella Matthews creates, this time with "The Risks We Take Duet".
I love Bella Matthews and her books! Maybe I've said it before, but I'm not going to stop repeating it, so you'll have to hear it a lot more. The vast universe with all the intricacies of the family ties in it and the palette of diverse characters, makes me feel a sense of coziness and calmness that few books manage to do. "The Risks We Take Duet" is no exception.
I thought it would be strange for me to read about the old generation, since I started the author's books with the new generation and I already know some of the characters through their children's stories. Now, however, I can safely say that my fears were not right and my interest was just as great as when reading any of the author's other books. A big plus is that I now feel more familiar with the characters, with all the family relationships, with who and what they are, with whom they are partners in general, everything that builds this universe for a long time. However, I cannot deny that thanks to this duet, I was finally able to remember at least a few couples that appear here, as well as understand how their members are related.
"There will be dosens of people who will take your breath away, but the one who reminds you to breathe is the one you should keep.
I had already met Cooper several times in the author's other books, but a completely different version of him, which has almost nothing to do with the one here. I couldn't wait to find out more about his story and what happened to him and Carys, because even if I had heard of her, I hadn't paid as much attention to her character in the future, so she was almost a complete enigma to me. And I can tell you that their love and the tribulations they go through do not disappoint. Such pure and true love, so genuine and long-hidden feelings that when they allow themselves to give themselves to them, I witnessed an extremely beautiful love story.
This woman is my endgame. And fuck anyone else who tries to tell me I'm wrong.
All the details and storylines that develop in parallel with the biggest plotline, which is the relationship and trials in love between our two main characters, are so interesting to follow, so well and perfectly thought through and placed, that they hold the reader's attention, while at the same time give him the feeling of completeness of the plot, so that it does not seem flat or single-layered.
"But what about the guys? Your team? You love them. Why would you leave?"
"I love you more."
The characters are so well built, created extremely real. Touching, multi-layered characters that you can't help but understand and sympathize with. And here I am not talking only about the main characters, as I managed to get to know a little bit each character who appeared in this book. Even the characters for whom there are already books and their stories have been completed, continue to develop here, and I like this very much. The attention to the details and the complete lack of stagnation in the characters is just one of the things that continue to amaze me in the writing of Bella Matthews.
Of course, I can't deny that there were times when I didn't agree with Carys or Cooper and their actions at all, so I was extremely annoyed with them. But even during those moments, I could see where their logic for doing what they were doing came from, so I completely understood why some things were happening. However, my disagreement with the characters in no way ruined my pleasure from reading the story.
The climax is very good - expected, but that didn’t interfere with it being strong. It doesn't drag on too much and even manages to make you wonder where things will go and how it will end.
The denouement is a little longer than I expected, but it shows the consequences of the climax great, without sparing anything, which I think is extremely important for the story.
The ending is great, especially the bonus chapters that show Carys and Cooper ahead over the years. I liked those chapters very much.
~~~
Rating: 4.5/5
~~~This book was provided to me by Valentine PR for my honest opinion.~~~
I love Bella Matthews and her books! Maybe I've said it before, but I'm not going to stop repeating it, so you'll have to hear it a lot more. The vast universe with all the intricacies of the family ties in it and the palette of diverse characters, makes me feel a sense of coziness and calmness that few books manage to do. "The Risks We Take Duet" is no exception.
I thought it would be strange for me to read about the old generation, since I started the author's books with the new generation and I already know some of the characters through their children's stories. Now, however, I can safely say that my fears were not right and my interest was just as great as when reading any of the author's other books. A big plus is that I now feel more familiar with the characters, with all the family relationships, with who and what they are, with whom they are partners in general, everything that builds this universe for a long time. However, I cannot deny that thanks to this duet, I was finally able to remember at least a few couples that appear here, as well as understand how their members are related.
"There will be dosens of people who will take your breath away, but the one who reminds you to breathe is the one you should keep.
I had already met Cooper several times in the author's other books, but a completely different version of him, which has almost nothing to do with the one here. I couldn't wait to find out more about his story and what happened to him and Carys, because even if I had heard of her, I hadn't paid as much attention to her character in the future, so she was almost a complete enigma to me. And I can tell you that their love and the tribulations they go through do not disappoint. Such pure and true love, so genuine and long-hidden feelings that when they allow themselves to give themselves to them, I witnessed an extremely beautiful love story.
This woman is my endgame. And fuck anyone else who tries to tell me I'm wrong.
All the details and storylines that develop in parallel with the biggest plotline, which is the relationship and trials in love between our two main characters, are so interesting to follow, so well and perfectly thought through and placed, that they hold the reader's attention, while at the same time give him the feeling of completeness of the plot, so that it does not seem flat or single-layered.
"But what about the guys? Your team? You love them. Why would you leave?"
"I love you more."
The characters are so well built, created extremely real. Touching, multi-layered characters that you can't help but understand and sympathize with. And here I am not talking only about the main characters, as I managed to get to know a little bit each character who appeared in this book. Even the characters for whom there are already books and their stories have been completed, continue to develop here, and I like this very much. The attention to the details and the complete lack of stagnation in the characters is just one of the things that continue to amaze me in the writing of Bella Matthews.
Of course, I can't deny that there were times when I didn't agree with Carys or Cooper and their actions at all, so I was extremely annoyed with them. But even during those moments, I could see where their logic for doing what they were doing came from, so I completely understood why some things were happening. However, my disagreement with the characters in no way ruined my pleasure from reading the story.
The climax is very good - expected, but that didn’t interfere with it being strong. It doesn't drag on too much and even manages to make you wonder where things will go and how it will end.
The denouement is a little longer than I expected, but it shows the consequences of the climax great, without sparing anything, which I think is extremely important for the story.
The ending is great, especially the bonus chapters that show Carys and Cooper ahead over the years. I liked those chapters very much.
~~~
Rating: 4.5/5
~~~This book was provided to me by Valentine PR for my honest opinion.~~~