Calico by Callie HartMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
From the cover, the synopsis and the overall feel of the book, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Calico but what I found was a story of second chances, long lost love, and bone crushing memories.
Right from the start, it’s clear that Callie’s amazing penmanship has lost none of its magic as we meet Coralie and Callan. Both living in different parts of the US, having been childhood sweethearts and neighbours, neither has seen, nor heard, from each other in 12 years; that is until Coralie’s father dies.
Now settled in LA, Coralie is enjoying a peaceful life and she knows that returning home will resurrect horrific memories of her early teenage years living under her father’s roof. Despite never wanting anything from her father again, Coralie is faced with a cruel reminder of his controlling ways as she comes to realise that in order to bury her past once and for all, she must jump to her father’s demands one last time.
After returning home, Coralie is surprised to find that Callan has also made the journey back to his roots. In part to support Coralie, but also to find out why she fled from his arms, Callan knows he will have to force Coralie to face some painful memories in order to secure the truth as to why she left so suddenly all those years before. What Callan doesn’t expect is to be shocked to his core when Coralie tells him the truth behind their fateful past and its buried secrets.
This was a very emotional and heartbreaking story and it is definitely not the type of book that I’d normally pick up. That said, the strength and power in the writing made it a rewarding read, despite the graphic abuse that Coralie suffered throughout her childhood. With a second chance romance at the heart of this book, readers are treated to a tender story of a childhood love which has stood the test of time. Callan is Coralie’s knight in shining armour throughout this story as he innocently protects her during her childhood, and upon their reconnection even more physically so, as he tries to stop Coralie’s father hurting her one last time.
Despite the HEA, and the gamut of emotions portrayed throughout the story, it’s the real meaning behind the book’s title that will haunt me for a very long time.
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