‘Ember’ by Christi Whitson —BOOK REVIEW

About ‘Ember’ (Constant Flame Duet Book 1) by Christi Whitson::

Genre: Contemporary Romance; Struggle; Mental Health; Drama

She was his only light in a lifetime of darkness…

Haunted by guilt after the death of her mother, Lena Gardner hides behind the persona of the perfect daughter she feels obligated to be. At nineteen, she’s working her way through college and being groomed for her leadership of her father’s empire, but no one can be perfect all the time. She longs to be someone else, even if only for a few hours under the cover of night. Each time she gives in to that longing, she loses herself a little more. Only one man knows the real Lena Gardner, and only he has the power to save her from herself.

Owen Langford has worked hard to overcome a traumatic past, and the glowing memory of a childhood friendship was his true salvation. Now at age nineteen, Owen is determined to graduate college early and start his own business. He’s adamant that nothing is more important than achieving his goals, but fate may have other plans for him. Both he and Lena have their reasons for keeping their relationship casual, but Owen never expected to find his childhood savior sitting next to him in a lecture hall.

And he never expected to fall in love with her.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This duet is a no cheating, no break-up, guaranteed HEA. If you like sexy, protective alphas, strong leading ladies, and a story that will tug at your heartstrings, this duet is for you! Trigger Warning: Ember contains brief but potentially sensitive themes such as child abuse in several forms. Proceed with caution.

Other books by Christi Whitson I have reviewed:
Constant (Constant Flame Duet Book 2)
Chance Encounter (Fates Aligned Book 1)
Fortune’s Angel (Fates Aligned Book 2)

Wow. A lot to say on this one and yet I’m trying to decide what will ruin the story if I share it. Let’s start with the impressive character development and go from there. This story starts off in a nontypical way for romance. The author introduces Lena and Owen, two children from two very different yet equally unfortunate situations.

From there, we watch them form a bond that will hold with them the rest of their lives. Although they are separated and sent to live their child and teen years away from each other, fate eventually brings the two who never stopped thinking about the other back together.

A good portion of this first book details their childhood and teenage years. Both kids have their own unique struggle and I think this is one of the biggest things that drew me into the book. I found similarities in each of their upbringing and way of thinking that reflected my own youthful years. The author did a fantastic job of getting you into the minds and feelings of the main characters.

Now this I can say because it’s in the ‘about’ section already: the nature of Owen’s and Lena’s relationship when they finally meet again is not only endearing, but refreshing. I’m used to stories where there’s a lot of jealousy, suspicion, break ups, and cheating.

These two, however, remain in a committed and steadfast bond. That’s not to say they don’t have problems that come up, it’s just that the author focuses on outer-lying issues rather than those within the relationship itself.

If you’re a fan of romance or personal struggle, do give “Ember: Book One of the Constant Flame Duet” a read. It’ll be worth your while.

Buy the ebook on Amazon!

Buy the paperback on Amazon!
(Also available on Books-A-Million)

Christi Whitson can be found on:
Twitter: @christiwhitson
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Author Website

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~Sahreth ‘Baphy’ Bowden