Book Review: Spiral of Bliss by Nina Lane

Spiral of Bliss
Spiral of Bliss #3
Author: Nina Lane
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Romance
Released: January 7th 2014
Review Source: Purchased

“I love that you love me, professor.”

“I love loving you, beauty.”

Since their intense, passionate beginning, Professor Dean West and his wife Olivia have fought dark secrets and betrayal in order to save their marriage. Now reeling in the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Liv and Dean are driven further apart by a vindictive threat to Dean’s career.

Struggling to stand on her own for the first time in years, Liv is determined to defend her husband and prove herself. Then an unexpected letter dredges up old insecurities and endangers Liv’s newfound independence. As Dean fights for his professional life, he is forced to confront his worst fear when he discovers that he can’t protect his beloved wife from her own painful past.

This is a 3-in-1 review of the Spiral of Bliss series including stories Arouse, Allure and Awaken.

I inhaled all three books. All three were read in under two days and yeah, I lost some sleep (reading until 4/6am,) because I didn’t have the will power put the books down and sleep. Finishing this series became more important than my refreshed face the next day. To say I loved this series is a serious understatement. What’s even more surprising is that 95% of my reading preference is paranormal, yet this series has stormed the charts and is currently sitting at the #1 position.

The best thing about this series? It was real. The situations, the characters, the plot, everything mashed together and created fantastic plot which wasn’t only addictive to read but was relatable and realistic. Sometimes I struggle with imagining what I’m reading, but the imagery in my head was all there and crystal clear.

The story is of Dean and Liv, an already married couple of three years who are still stewing on cloud 9 in their marriage. He’s a professor and she’s undecided with her life choice. Only their marriage faces a crisis when Liv decides she might want something she’s never considered before- a baby. To say that rocks their relationship is the understatement of the century because Dean doesn’t want a kid, but he won’t tell Olivia why. What so god awful happened to him that he doesn’t want the woman he loves to bare his child? Heartbreaking things, that’s what.

What’s worst is it doesn’t just fade away, no, it festers between them. The wall between them gets a whole lot thicker and their marriage is at breaking point. And just when they try and build bridges and fix what was nearly broken, family problems arise. Dean’s family don’t like Olivia and they’re soon finding out how damaging certain situations can be. One thing after another, they can’t catch a break.

BUT, they still remain unbroken. Despite tragic personal issues, the one person who threatens Dean’s job as a professor, Liv’s painful past and their newly rekindled marriage, they aren’t letting anyone break them. They reach to get the happy ending they deserve. What I adore about this series: it starts after the “happily-ever-after”, whereas most romances end there. Here, we see after the marriage and honeymoon phase. We see the real stuff. Holy crap was it real.