Taking Back Forever by Karen Amanda Hooper

There were so many things I loved about this book. The strong characters who know who they are and what they want from life. Even the secondary characters served a purpose and had a sense of purpose. You get to choose at the end whether you want to read on for a cliffhanger ending. I chose to go on and read. I couldn't stop myself - boy was that a cliffhanger. Take my advice and stop. Don't read on unless you fully intend to read book three. I don't have book three - don't even know when it is coming out. Sigh.

There is a lot more intimate moments in this book. I felt like a voyeur. It was really uncomfortable for me. I don't typically read books that have a lot of sex or near sex. I found myself skimming over those parts. I will have to say that I did appreciate Nathan's approach to sex. He basically subscribes to the theory that easing into sex makes the experience better. I also really appreciate his self-control and restraint. That is how a man should treat a woman with respect and a little dash of worship.

The balance between Mary and Maryah is portrayed very well. They are the same person, but different somehow. It is almost like watching Maryah become Mary but with a twist. Karen Amanda Hooper does such an excellent job with her character that you keep reading just to see her progress. Maryah is strong and tough just as Mary was. In fact, all of the female characters were assertive and strong minded. I really appreciated that Maryah doesn't act like a scared heroine who cannot help herself. And she isn't commenting on Nathan's physical features every other sentence. (Although it does seem like they are making out every other sentence).

More explanations were forthcoming in this book which I enjoyed. I always am wanting to understand more the worlds that authors create. It was also interesting to see their skills grow and develop.



There was a good amount of making out scenes that were pretty explicit, but there was also frank discussion about why waiting until marriage is good.  Every once and while there would be a curse word, but it was not prevalent.  The violence was really narrowed into one scene and was not graphic in any way.

I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting the third one (and the fourth...). I hope that Karen Amanda Hooper writes quickly!