From goodreads: Ten years after their broken affair, Sebastian and Caroline meet again: this time in very different circumstances, against the background of the war in Afghanistan.
Now a successful journalist, Caroline meets Chief Sebastian Hunter, US Marine. Will this chance encounter rekindle the erotic madness of her passionate affair with a younger man?
After reading the first book in the series, I was beyond excited to know I could read The Education of Caroline immediately. I devoured this book and it’s equally as good as the first book. It picks-up ten years later and what a journey! So many questions are answered but I was on a constant emotional rollercoaster ride and I was exhausted by the time I finished this series.
“Why didn’t you come back?” he sobbed.
“I waited and waited for you, like I said I would, but you never came back! Why? Why didn’t you come back? I love you I love you I love you.”
I didn’t think it was possible to love Caroline any more than I already do but I think she’s a fantastic heroine who is feisty, vulnerable and perfect in that imperfect kind of way. What she endured after her separation from Sebastian was absolutely heartbreaking but it couldn’t have been avoided, how could it not? Eventually she becomes an independent and strong woman when she came from nothing, walking away from everything.
“Caro… I don’t understand – why do you love me?”
“Just because…because the sky is blue and the sea is green.”
When Sebastian is re-introduced, he was so painfully changed that I got choked-up over that realization. He became an innocent bystander of life and sometimes you can never recover from those situations. As he and Caroline rekindle what they started ten years ago, there are moments when the “old” Sebastian re-emerges and Caroline remembers why she loved him so much. But she also realizes there is more to him than what he once was and he’s now a grown man with emotional battle scars that are as big as hers. Their love is intense, passionate and knows no limits…it’s breathtaking because they pick up where they left off!
“There were so many things Sebastian and I had to work out: we’d both been single for so long that blending our lives together wasn’t going to be easy. I’d promised Sebastian we’d find a way. He deserved to be loved for everything he was. And for whatever crazy reason he had, he loved me, too.”
As if all the angst that was working against Caroline and Sebastian, Jane Harvey-Berrick decides to throw a curve-ball that I did not see coming and it broke my heart! I wasn’t sure if they’d work out or not but it was incredibly believable and I felt every raw emotion between them. I’m being vague on purpose as to not ruin the book!
“Be happy, Caro, because that’s what you deserve. I love you, I have always loved you, and where I go after this world, I will always love you. Sempre e per sempre.”
This is an incredibly well written story that’s set in a background that will move you to pieces. A beautiful sequel that will command your attention and make you think about the fragility of life.
Erica says
I’ve been debating reading this one! Good to see you liked it! I’m a little concerned about the age deal and the time lapse!
cristinasbookreviews says
Don’t let the age difference be a concern. You almost forget that one exists. Let me know when you are done with this series!