Scan barcode
A review by bookandcoffeeaddict
The Lost Year by Libby Drew
5.0
Devon McCade has been able to turn his inability, and unwillingness, to emotionally connect to others into a career as a photojournalist, where he can be safe from emotional attachment, protected as he is by the other side of the photo lens – or so he tells himself. When desperate father Nicholas Hardy sees his runaway son, Robbie, who’s been missing for a year, in one of Devon’s photos, he begs for help in locating him. Devon agrees and the two set out to find the missing boy. Along the way attraction leads to attachment and Devon fears his carefully crafted emotional shield won’t be able to protect him from Nicholas’s certain departure from his life once his help is no longer needed.
I found it quite interesting Devon kept thinking he was so detached and “emotionally handicapped”, when it was obvious how big a heart he truly had. He was not immune from the subjects of his assignments any more than he was immune to the anguish in a father’s eyes. Like his foster mother always knew, he has the heart of an adventuresome knight – wanting to seek out the truth and help others. And I worried for that unknowingly soft heart of his. When Nicholas and Devon first get together it feels more like comfort than any real attachment on Nicholas’s part. Nicholas’s first priority is his son, as it should be, but that means his focus is more on that relationship and not really on the budding romantic one he has with Devon.
This book is told completely through Devon’s perspective and I really felt for him the whole time, becoming emotionally invested in his journey to getting the guy. Audrey, the dearly departed foster mother, was also invested, helping in her own ghostly way – although how much of a nightmare would it be to have your mother, no matter how well-meaning or right she may be, meddling in your love life at any given moment, with no expectation of privacy? The addition of Audrey the helpful ghost mom was interesting and I liked the little paranormal touches to the story.
The Lost Year is the third book in the Secrets of Neverwood series. As with most books in a romance series, the book stands on its own, with couples from other books making appearances – in this instance it’s Devon’s two foster brothers, Calvin and Danny, who found love with their respective partners before him. I love romance series for this reason – so much love going around and being able to revisit characters from previous books and seeing them happily settled into domestic bliss.
After having greatly enjoyed this book and the characters within, I can’t wait to get my hands on the first two books in the series.
*I received an ARC of this book to review. You can find this review and others like it at BookAndCoffeeAddict.com, along with recommendations for a fantastic cup of coffee.
I found it quite interesting Devon kept thinking he was so detached and “emotionally handicapped”, when it was obvious how big a heart he truly had. He was not immune from the subjects of his assignments any more than he was immune to the anguish in a father’s eyes. Like his foster mother always knew, he has the heart of an adventuresome knight – wanting to seek out the truth and help others. And I worried for that unknowingly soft heart of his. When Nicholas and Devon first get together it feels more like comfort than any real attachment on Nicholas’s part. Nicholas’s first priority is his son, as it should be, but that means his focus is more on that relationship and not really on the budding romantic one he has with Devon.
This book is told completely through Devon’s perspective and I really felt for him the whole time, becoming emotionally invested in his journey to getting the guy. Audrey, the dearly departed foster mother, was also invested, helping in her own ghostly way – although how much of a nightmare would it be to have your mother, no matter how well-meaning or right she may be, meddling in your love life at any given moment, with no expectation of privacy? The addition of Audrey the helpful ghost mom was interesting and I liked the little paranormal touches to the story.
The Lost Year is the third book in the Secrets of Neverwood series. As with most books in a romance series, the book stands on its own, with couples from other books making appearances – in this instance it’s Devon’s two foster brothers, Calvin and Danny, who found love with their respective partners before him. I love romance series for this reason – so much love going around and being able to revisit characters from previous books and seeing them happily settled into domestic bliss.
After having greatly enjoyed this book and the characters within, I can’t wait to get my hands on the first two books in the series.
*I received an ARC of this book to review. You can find this review and others like it at BookAndCoffeeAddict.com, along with recommendations for a fantastic cup of coffee.