If I Let You Go: Review

Today, I have the honour of reviewing Kyra Lennon's contemporary romance novella, If I Let You Go. 
 

Madison Connor is about to lose it. Her job, that is. For three years, she’s taken care of Dominic Hartley’s five year old daughter, Tilly, but her world is flipped on its head when Dominic tells her his latest promotion is taking him to New York. With Tilly having a meltdown over the move, Madison and Dominic get into a fight that changes the entire nature of their relationship, causing Madison to ask herself a big question. Can she let him go?

If I Let You Go - Amazon UK | If I Let You Go - Amazon.com 







Kyra Lennon once again does what she does best - creates real, believable characters you can relate to, that step off the page and into your circle of friends.

From the get-go you can relate to Madison, as she brings Tilly home from school (with brilliant lines like "Anyone would think she’d just done a twelve hour shift at McDonald’s, not a day at school. Five years old, going on thirty."), tries to get ready for her boss Dominic's return, and then deals with the fallout from his bombshell that he and Tilly are moving to New York.

Once again Lennon delivers a strong voice. Madison is an independent woman, with her own clear personality. Though that doesn't mean love interest Dominic is lost in the shuffle, he is equally as feisty, and the two go head-to-head.

Where Lennon's writing really shines is through the relationship between Madison and Tilly. Tilly is your typical five-year-old; cheeky, cute and charming. Where some child characters can come across as annoying, Lennon never crosses that line, and Tilly is a constant joy to read about. Her bond with Madison is mother-daughter-like, and utterly unbreakable. The love the two share is both heart-warming and very real to anyone who has a similar relationship with a child (be it as a parent, aunt or uncle, or something else.)

Dominic is the perfect love interest. And by that I don't mean he is gorgeous without flaws. In fact, Dominic is very human. He cannot see how his choices are negatively affecting his daughter, and why the move to New York might not be good for her. As an obvious workaholic, he's also, at times, out of his depth with Tilly when she has a tantrum. But all these flaws only serve to make Dominic that much more likeable. When you couple that with the fact that he's intelligent, ambitious, caring and good looking, it's a hard combination to resist. 

As with her début release, Game On, Lennon peppers the story with wonderfully three-dimensional background characters, like Madison's tragically terminally single best friend Erica, to Dominic's warm and loving family. 

Another aspect Lennon does expertly is the romance. Never once do any of the intimate scenes between Dominic and Madison feel gratuitous. In fact, Lennon gets through a whole sensual scene without using words more explicit than breasts, yet you still know exactly what's going on, and it leaves your pulse racing. 

The plot is neither contrived nor drawn out. You're given enough that you know exactly what the characters' motivations are, even if you don't agree with them (Dominic I'm looking at you), without so much backstory that it bogs down the plot. 

The ending is satisfying without being predictable or cliché, and I finished with a warm and fuzzy feeling of well-being. 

If you're looking for a quick and easy read that still has depth, and relatable, realistic characters, If I Let You Go is the book for you. It's a contemporary romance that does everything right, and offers fantastic writing throughout.

Kyra Lennon has proven once again why she's one to watch in the genre, and why her Game On sequel, Blindsided†, is so hotly anticipated.

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Kyra Lennon was born on the South coast of England, and to this day, still lives by the sea. Fiction writing has always been her passion, but she also has numerous articles on a variety of topics published on prolific websites. She can be found in the following places:
Blog | Twitter | Facebook| Goodreads

†Blindsided, Kyra Lennon's second full-length novel and sequel to Game On, is scheduled for release November 19th 2012. For more details, please visit her books page.