REVIEW: COMING HOME by PRISCILLA GLENN

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self-Pub
Publication Date: 1/21/14
Format: eARC
Source: Author
Rating:  4 stars

Leah Marino hasn’t been on a date in two years. After discovering the man she loved had manipulated and deceived her, she refuses to even entertain the idea of a relationship. Instead, she focuses her attention on taking care of her family, a role she’s assumed since the death of her mother and the one place she knows her kindness won't be taken advantage of again.

When a nostalgic trip back to her childhood home results in a chance encounter with Danny DeLuca, a smart-mouthed mechanic who’s as attractive as he is mysterious, Leah's carefully cultivated walls begin to crumble. She finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Danny, despite his unreliable behavior and mixed signals.

But Danny has a secret...

One that could shake Leah's already precarious foundation and bring her world crashing down around her. Suddenly, she's faced with an incredibly difficult decision--is she willing to risk everything for the chance at finding the love she's always wanted? Or are some obstacles just too big for the heart to overcome?

First Impression... What a nice cover. I've loved both of Glenn's books, and hope the streak continues with Coming Home.

The Story... When Leah Marino revisits her childhood home, the kind owner befriends her, and introduces her to her grandson Danny DeLuca. Danny and Leah part ways, but don't want to let the connection go. A friendship forms, but Leah soon wants more. Danny runs hot and cold, and seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Danny promises to tell Leah his secret, but knows he'll lose her.

The Characters... Coming Home is very much a character-driven story. Because of that, the story does have a slow pace. The downside to that is I was slow to get into Coming Home. The upside is, I did have a strong sense for the characters, their feelings and motivations.

Danny and Leah were both strong, likable characters. Looking back, it seems neither had an apparent flaw. It's nice to not feel annoyed by the MCs, for sure. Of course, this means that I didn't find either particularly dynamic, but I liked them both. Their story is more about making choices against outside circumstances.

Leah did have a bit of a sad background, losing her mother young and becoming the caretaker of the family. There was also a backstory with a jerk ex-boyfriend.

As for Danny, the big question with Danny is: What's his secret? What's the big deal? I'm not going to even hint at the secret, but I will say that I was surprised, and that I felt it was handled very well by the author. Very realistic, without taking the easy way out.

The Writing... Priscilla Glenn is a very talented author. As I've stated, I really enjoyed her previous books. Coming Home was an interesting story, and well-written. The style is very subdued, and I always find the powerful moments sneaking up on me. I never feel like Glenn is going for a shock-and-awe type of story, but more like quiet and profound.

The Heat...Perfectly complemented the story. Danny and Leah had a great, slow-building chemistry, one that held strong throughout the story.

In the End...  Coming Home is a slow burn type of story.  If you're looking for a well-written, introspective, and quietly powerful story, give it a try.



Favorite Quote:

  He stared up at her, and the vice-like pain in his chest began to soften for the first time since he had entered her apartment. There was nothing she could have said in that moment more perfect than the words she'd just spoken.
  Because no matter what she decided after this, even if she chose to walk away and never look back, in a way, she had just absolved him.
  She had looked straight through all the horror and the ugliness, and she still saw him.
  And when she laid her head back down on his chest, he rested his cheek against her hair and closed his eyes, wondering if there would ever be a man on this planet who was worthy of her.

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About the author

Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three children. She has been teaching English Language Arts for the past twelve years while moonlighting as a writer, mom, coach, student, and professional laundry-doer.
If you catch her when she's feeling sophisticated, she'll tell you her favorite things are great books and good wine. In the moments in between, she'll admit her love for anything Ben and Jerry's, UFC fights, and Robert Pattinson.
Glenn is the author of the contemporary romance novels Back to You, Emancipating Andie, and Coming Home.
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