10 March 2014

Book Review: Sunshine: Diary Of An Affair by E.J. Caulder



Sunshine: Diary Of An Affair
Author: E.J. Caulder
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 10, 2013
Review Source: Author

Tina is a beautiful woman who could have had any man she wanted. Her problem is that the man she chose is only concerned about what she can do for him. Thirteen years of marriage has given her two amazing children but left her with virtually no self-esteem or self-worth, because her husband has relentlessly stripped away both with his indifference and belittling comments.

Eric is an athletic, ambitious college instructor who has big plans for his career and his life. As he puts himself through graduate school, he wonders if he will ever find a woman who will truly appreciate him for who he is and love him unconditionally, not for what others want him to be.

A chance meeting at the local gym brings Tina and Eric together. There is an undeniable chemistry between them the first moment their eyes say hello. It’s not long before that chemistry becomes attraction and Tina must make a choice: leave her husband for Eric or stay in a marriage that has emotionally crippled her. For Eric it is a choice of denying the woman he’s been longing for or turn his back on his beliefs on having an affair with a married woman.

As their friendship grows, so does the attraction until their feelings can no longer be denied. It becomes increasingly difficult for Tina and Eric not to give into their passion for one another. But the more time they spend with each other brings them one step closer to giving in to their desires.

In the meantime, Tina's husband becomes suspicious of Tina and Eric’s friendship and that suspicion causes Tina and Eric to take their friendship to the shadows in an effort to keep their budding affair a secret. Eric conspires to win Tina's heart and show her why leaving her husband is exactly the right thing to do. Tina's husband uncovers his wife's feelings for Eric though he can never confirm she is having an affair. Eric and Tina are able to stay one step ahead of her husband...but for how long? And what will her husband do when his suspicions are confirmed?

Based on a true story, author E.J. Caulder puts readers in the middle of the true life account of Eric Simmons’ journal entries of The Sunshine Affair series in this gripping rollercoaster love affair that will have you wondering just how far a person will go to get what they want regardless the cost or the consequences.

I always try to be open minded and objective about any book that I read, no matter the genre. With that being said, this story just was not my cup of tea. Yes, it was very well and professionally written, but I just could not get into the story.

Eric is a professional by day, working tirelessly to get his radio program off the ground. By night, he works at a local health club. Eric is a personal trainer and also does orientations at the health club, where he meets Tina. He discovers that she is married and has children, although he is intrigued and fantasizes about her. He knows that he shouldn't mess around with a married woman, although at the same time, he doesn't care, he wants her. Eric doesn't feel that Tina is being treated properly by her husband. Therefore, it's as though he justifies his feelings for her due to this. Is it right? Does that make it justified?

Eric also has a "foxy" friend named Renae. He worked with her for a bit, at a radio station, until they parted ways.  A couple of years later, they rekindled their friendship. Renae loves his punctuality and his friendship. He wants to confide in Renae about Tina, but at the same time he feels wrong doing so, as her husband left her for another woman. She tells Eric that it's okay to open up to get and he should not hesitate, due to her circumstance. 

Eric finds himself falling for Tina more and more. At the beginning, Tina finds ways to run into him. She even went in search for his house one day while walking her dog, Zeus. This makes it even harder for Eric to stay away from her. Soon things get to the point where they are being discovered, so they have to sneak around. Their affair gets heavier and heavier, and deeper and deeper. What are they going to do now? Can they keep the affair going?

EJ Caulder wrote this book in a type of diary format. This may be another reason as to why it just didn't do it for me. I felt it to be a tad cold as far as formatting goes. Again, the book is well written, therefore I would hope that you can be the judge for yourself. Happy reading!


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About the Author:

E.J. Caulder is a suspense writer who loves intrigue and seeing how people react in uncertain circumstances to see how far they will go to get what they want or what they can't have. E.J. enjoys people watching and often looks at people and wonders to what length would they go? Getting in a person's head and finding out what drives them, what makes them do what they do is tremendously fascinating. The drama we find in art often pales to the drama of real life and E.J. tries to capture real life in his writing.

The Sunshine series underscores how the most innocent of situations can turn into something more, especially where matters of the heart are involved. Poor choices of the past, self-deception, selfishness, and desperation can make people do things they might not otherwise do but now feel they have no other choice BUT to do. Those factors make for great drama but can also lead to tragedy, as happens at moments in The Sunshine Affair series.

The phrase "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" is true in physics but in love the reaction is far more powerful and devastating than the initial action, which the two main characters experience first hand. Their actions have serious consequences.

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