I’ve been looking forward to reading Despite Chaos by Stacy Lynn Miller.
She has been on my “Must Read” list since I devoured the first novel in her Manhattan Sloan series. Ms. Miller did an excellent job writing her first series, and I believe she’ll do equally well, if not better with this new one. She has definitely caught my attention with the first book in the “Falling Castles Series”.
You’re going to need to buckle up for this story. It reads almost like one of those prime time soap opera series on television. This is the story of two families, one on the East coast and one located in California. Alexandra (Alex) Castle is the main character and the likely future CEO of the Castle Resort empire in New York. At least she might be if she wins a competition with her twin brother that her father is forcing on the two of them…and if she manages to stay in the closet. That is a must for her controlling and homophobic father. On the West coast we meet Tyler Falling, a wife and mother to two children. On the surface they are a perfect middle class family, but if you look closely, they have their own secrets and problems. In spite of the distance between these two, there is a connection that will draw the two families and these two women together.
The first few chapters in this novel are very busy introducing a fairly large cast of characters and also giving the reader a lot of backstory about Alex and Tyler. This is needed information, and once you have it, the story really takes off. You will be hooked just like I was and won’t want to put the book down.
The author is extremely skilled at unexpected plot twists in her stories. I’m often surprised at the twists and turns of her tales, and what she puts her characters through. There are times when she is not kind to the folks in her books. Of course this only makes her books even more compelling and interesting to read. Her endings leave us all wanting more.
Despite Chaos is a wonderful tale of mystery, intrigue, and romance. After this ending, I’m sitting on the edge of my seat waiting eagerly for the next book in the series.
Trigger Warning: This book contains a scene of sexual assault on a major character, and a character with PTSD.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 