What's In EthiopianSiren's Closet

An “RT Top Pick”, I couldn’t resist this when I found it at last year’s summer library sale for $1.00. But the cover was such a turn off, and I knew it wouldn’t be nearly hot enough for me. But a few GR reviews later, and I finally started the book…in audio! I thought it would be mildly entertaining, something I could just read while driving or cooking dinner. But, boy was I wrong! I completed abandoned the romantica paperback I was reading and became completely submerged in Liberty’s world. It’s been awhile since I pulled an all nighter, but this was so enjoyable that I couldn’t stop :)

In the beginning, author Lisa Kleyplas perfect captured those early teen years of a young girl’s life. The new sexual awareness. The falling for the older, more experienced sexy charmer Hardy. How seeing him with another woman nearly tore her apart. Falling apart when Hardy left town. Liberty trying to move on, but comparing all successors to Hardy. The emotions and feelings were just dead on.

Then there was Liberty herself – extremely giving, stepping in at only 18 years old, with just a high school education and no familial support, to raise her sweet baby sister after tragedy hits her small family. Also enjoyed the comical descriptions of Texas life, in general, and specifically, the life in the trailer parks.

Then Gage, the son of the billionaire tycoon who has befriended Liberty, enters the story. And like many other reviewers here, I completely fell for him! Which was such a surprise considering the way I fell hard for Hardy *g* in the beginning of the book. I was so torn! Is Hardy “the one” – and should she leave Gage? Or is Hardy her past? The intensity of the early Hardy/Liberty scenes were still burned into my memory…but I was also upset he never reached out to her when tragedy hit her family. Well, one man eventually won me over, and thankfully, I was no longer torn by the book’s conclusion. I’ve never read Kleypas’ work, but I’m compelled to finish this series. I hope #2 & #3 live up to my now very high expectations :)