Title: Too Much to Hope For
Author: Rachel Debrave
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Source: Rachel’s Random Reviews / Netgalley
Blurb: One love. One home. Two lives merging into one after the happily-ever-after.
But only if they can survive what comes next.
Scarlett Hope thought choosing Edward Cameron-Reid meant everything would finally fall into place – a home at Haddon House, a love she can trust, a future she’s ready to claim. But even in the beauty of the Highlands, she can’t quite silence the feeling that she’s still becoming.
Edward has spent years holding his world together – his estate, his family, the carefully guarded parts of his heart. Loving Scarlett has changed him… but building a life together demands more than desire.
Then Harry arrives.
A famous music producer – and a ghost from Scarlett’s past – he brings the outside world crashing back in, stirring old selves, new fears, and pressures neither of them expected.
And when unexpected news shakes Edward’s family, the life they’ve built begins to strain at the edges.
Their love? Real.
Their future? Tested.
Their second chance? Anything but simple.
Review: This is the second of Debrave’s “duet” that started with A New Hope in the Highlands (review here) and you do need to read that book first as this one follows immediately on.
Whereas A New Hope was about the romance between Scarlett and Edward, Too Much to Hope For delves deeper into their relationship. It’s not all sunshine and roses – because life isn’t – but it’s a very real story about love, compromise, and remaining true to oneself, even in the heady days of love.
I really wanted to like Too Much to Hope For. It’s rare to read a romance about a couple that’s already coupled up. However – and I know this will come as a surprise – I found that there are too many sex scenes. Or rather, the sex scenes don’t serve the story. You can skip them and the story still makes sense… and that shouldn’t be the case.
Yes, I am picky about my smut. A girl has to have standards, right?
But skipping the sex scenes, the rest of the book is a great read. The brother is a piece of work, but the band members are fabulous. And Harry… Even the right thing can sometimes feel wrong.
Too Much to Hope For is a great book, but it didn’t quite work for me. YMMV.
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