Covet by Tracey Garvis-GravesPublished: September 17, 2013Publisher: Dutton AdultPages: 336Received: from Netgalley for review (I'm playing catchup on my review books)What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?
Chris and Claire Canton’s marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession and out of work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. When he’s offered a position that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire’s concern that time apart could be the one thing their fragile union can’t weather. Their suburban life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.
Local police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop, and they run into each other again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they’re spending hours together.
Claire loves the way Daniel makes her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into the room. Daniel knows that Claire’s marital status means their relationship will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn’t take long before Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line that Claire has sworn she’ll never cross.
Look at the gorgeous cover for this book. It's just stunning in real life too (I picked up a copy when I realized I still hadn't read my review copy via Netgalley).
I loved Tracy Garvis-Graves debut, On The Island, and just knew that I would enjoy reading more from her. She did not disappoint. Her writing is beautiful and poignant.
I've never been in a situation like Claire, but did I ever empathize with her. As her story unfolds, I found myself getting emotionally sucked into the book and both feeling sorry for Claire and being angry with her for letting herself get into this situation. I could see how easy it would be to let the attention and affections of another man make you feel special again if you were feeling ignored or forgotten by your current beau/husband, but I was angry with her for letting herself think that being "just friends" would work with a man she was obviously attracted to. I was both rooting for Claire and yelling at her throughout the story. Ms. Garvis-Graves writes this emotionally charged story in a way that you can't help but feel for Claire and want the best for her whatever the ends up being.
And you also simultaneously root for both Daniel and Chris. Daniel because he seems to be the kinda of man that Claire needs in her life and Chris because he deserves the chance to show her that he's still here and loves her. What a love triangle! The backstories unfold throughout the chapters and you learn more about the three as time goes on. I loved Daniel and Claire together, but they really just seemed to experience the best of each other and not facing any real stressful or challenging times during the story (until near the end of the book). And it felt like all Chris and Claire had at the moment was this big, ugly situation that wasn't getting any better. Both relationships were heartbreaking in their own way. I did not envy Claire and the choice she had to make.
There were also some really interesting supporting characters namely Claire's friends who each had issues of their own going on including alcoholism, gambling and infertility. It touched on many different issues, but left Claire's story of loneliness be the star topic.
I'm looking forward to more by this author and I think she has now become and auto-buy for me.
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