⭐⭐
This is a story of a mature pairing. Amber (45) and Martha (54).
Mature couples is the forte that the Bliss is known for. We think this is
wonderful because ever to often mature ladies are overlooked and put on the shelf
when in reality, that is the time when they have gotten rid of most of their
hang-ups and are open to and keen on exploring. This is also the age when they
don’t want to play games and want to really make the most of now. We love
that this novella is about one such couple.
That said, the novella has us kind of sitting on the fence.
While there is nothing that is dramatically wrong with it, it didn’t grip us
and make us flow with the story or get involved with the characters. The
emotions just didn’t flow – within the women, between the women and from the
pages to the reader.
Amber is a yoga teacher. She meets Martha, an academic, as a
person set up for a date with her best friend, Micky. The first sentence had us gripped. It promised
a lot more passion, feeling, struggling with attraction than the novella
eventually delivered.
Amber goes away to India for further yoga training for one
month, which gets extended to two months. This was another point where we hoped
that there would be more of the feelings described. We would’ve loved to know
what Amber and Martha were feeling about each other at this point. Where their
heads and hearts were. Yes, Bliss does touch upon these aspects…but it is only
touching on these subjects. Not enough to make us feel with the characters. It
would’ve been great if she could have built a slow burn here.
Martha borders on likable, but again, the person is not
fully realised by the author. Amber is battling with her past and could have
been developed into a more multi-dimensional person. Overcoming Amber’s past
together leading to a deeper relationship between the two was another
squandered possibility.
While we don’t hate this novel, we don’t love it
either. We wanted to like this novella much more than we actually did.
However, the mature pairing earns it a plus plus.
⭐⭐
