Preston's Honor by Mia Sheridan BOOK REVIEW

Rating: 4 Stars

Title: Preston's Honor

Author: Mia Sheridan

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance

Pages: 304 Pages

SUMMARY: 

There were two brothers—identical twins—and though I loved them both, my soul belonged to only one. Annalia Del Valle has loved Preston Sawyer all her life. The daughter of an impoverished migrant farmworker, she grew up as an outcast in what was no more than a tiny, cooped up shack in California’s Central Valley. But her heart found freedom in the land, in the wide-open spaces of Sawyer Farm, and in the boys who were her only friends. Preston has yearned for Annalia since he was a boy. But a sense of honor kept him from pursuing her until he’s unable to hold back any longer and their worlds—and bodies—collide one hot summer night. A night that sets off a chain of events that will alter their lives forever. Now Annalia is back in town after disappearing without a trace for six long months. Determined to reclaim her heart, her life, and the baby she left behind—the son who was created in a moment of lust and love and pent-up yearning. Preston has survived grief, a ravaging drought, and the despair of heartache, but he’s not sure he can survive Annalia again. And he might be unwilling to try. Will pride and bitterness keep him from the one thing he’s always longed for? How do you heal what is irreparably broken? How do you forgive that which is unforgivable? How do you discover that real honor comes not from circumstance, but from the place deep in our hearts where truth resides? And how do you move beyond the wounds of the past to discover that some loves are as solid as the ground beneath your feet, and as enduring as the earth itself? 

THIS IS A STAND-ALONE SIGN OF LOVE NOVEL, INSPIRED BY GEMINI. 

New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

REVIEW: 

I've been a fan of Mia Sheridan's for a long time. There's always been something that I've felt was missing in the descriptions of her books and I've never been able to put my finger on it. I finally figured it out! Her books are more than just "romance". Oh, for sure there is romance! But there is more. I feel like her books should get the "women's fiction" tag too. Her books are usually a little slower paced than the usual traditional "romance" novels that I tend to read. There's not cover-to-cover action going on. They also tend to focus more on the self-discovery of the two lead characters...or at least one of them. There's more introspection, more self-analysis, and growing up in her books. It seems like they focus just a little more on individual growth than the romance. Not that the romance isn't front and center! It's always a focus. What I've finally realized that I take away from many of her books is that you have to know and love yourself before you can do or be that for another. 

I know! I can't believe it took me that long either. 

Mia Sheridan tackled some big issues with this book: depression,  isolation, racism and illegal immigration just to name a few. As always, she does so with grace. It's all very well done and thought provoking.  By the end, she makes you want to do something to help. 

I loved these characters and their stories. Especially Annalia or "Lia" (love her name too). She had a lot of depth and her story just made me want to hug her. All of them, Preston, Cole and Lia made me just want to shake some sense in to them at various times though. Then there is Preston and Cole's mother, along with a girl that the guys go to school with, make you just want to smack them - the mother and girl, not the guys. Oh and Lia's mom! I waffled between feeling horrible for her and just wanting to give her a good smack on the back of the head.

I swear, I'm not a violent person normally. 

Despite the violence they seemed to incite in me here and there,  I really did adore these characters and the relationship between all of them. I especially liked the dynamics between them as a group when they were all younger. The  way Preston and Cole seemed to be the  opposites in terms of strengths and weaknesses led to some interesting scenes. One thing was always clear though: their love for Lia. 

I also loved the crew from Lia's job at Abuelo's. They were all great characters and even though, from an overall perspective,  they didn't have much face time in the book, they had a lot of heart to them and really came to life. I love the tamale scene. 

Lia being Mexican was such a huge part of this book, even with a non English speaking mother, I would have liked to see just a little bit more of the Hispanic culture making an appearance.  That's something that I usually enjoy in books  - the opportunity to learn new things, but that's just a personal preference. We did get more of it in the last quarter or so of the book though. 

There is a lot of miscommunication or little to no communication. Those kinds of books can be frustrating for me, when the main conflict is mostly due misunderstanding but it's all done realistically and I could understand why things happened the way they did.

The epilogue was the perfect wrap up to the story and I loved it! I'm kind of hoping that the little tease at the end is a lead-in to the next novel. This author doesn't typically do that but you never know! 

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