Two people on a life path heading towards medicine are torn apart by unexpected obligations that leave him bitter and angry, and her on a path to the circus courtesy of a father teeming with secrets, one who's not the man she thought he was. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Sold To The Circus by Lani Lynn Vale, along with my impressions of it, then add this fifth installment in the Welcome to the Circus series to your bookshelf!
AITA: Am I the asshole?
Five years ago when she left, she broke my heart. No warning. No hey, this isn’t working out. No nothing. Just poof. One day she’s there, in my bed, and we’re talking about our futures. The next, she’s gone.
So when she shows up five years later and acts like she didn’t leave me with a broken heart, I get angry. So. Freakin’. Angry.
Of course, this is where I spiral. When we went through medical school together, we were on equal footing. Not anymore. Now I’m her attending, and I’ve made it my personal mission to make her life hell.
She wants to finish up her residency and finally become a doctor? Well, she’ll have to go through every single bad thing I can throw at her, first.
Seeping, maggot-infested, pus-filled bed sore? Yep, that’s hers to take care of. Man shitting every three seconds uncontrollably? That’s also hers. Man and woman having a baby while also in the throes of a divorce? You guessed it. Hers.
If I can make her leave after what she put me through, I’ll feel accomplished.
Only problem is, I forgot how determined Valhalla Singh was. Guess she’ll be reminding me.
Because Valhalla wasn’t named that for nothing.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Ms. Vale's Welcome to the Circus series has been an emotional and exhilarating thrill ride through the first four books and this is yet another satisfying foray into the suspense and romance of circus life. Though you COULD read this book on its own, there's a lot in this couple's past that affects their plans for the future, so reading the previous books gives greater understanding of what drives this couple. Whereas the previous books saw the circus as the main setting, this one is in the outside world in a bit of turning back the clock to where this couple first connected, with hope that they can find their way back to each other.
Val and Felix were once a couple, making their way through the rigors of medical school, all while making plans for their HEA. That's until her father's death turns their world upside down and takes them in opposite directions for the next five years, years full of hurt and misunderstandings for him while for her came the reveal of painful truths and a need to resume HER life. Five years ago they were on the same page, with plans for a future together while being doctors. It's heartbreaking how different these five years have actually been though, with him hating Val for leaving and wanting to hurt her for breaking his heart. With her father's will keeping her tied to the circus, she's just as broken-hearted and it's yet another reason to hate her father. When finally given their chance to reunite it's definitely not a happy reunion or a smooth journey. It's a journey that starts under an umbrella of anger and misunderstandings, hurt feelings and circumstances that have them interacting on different levels than before. With Felix now Val's boss, he has plans for retribution, plans fueled by his friend Tammy, who has her own ideas. Fate has other plans for them though, love and HEA are meant to be, in a journey that's a bit bumpy and frustrating. The moment Felix sees Val is the moment his plans for revenge go up in smoke, the love he had for her is reignited and it warmed my heart. Despite Tammy constantly trying to extinguish the light of their love, Felix and Val were destined to be in this second chance romance fueled by lots of outside forces.
This is another satisfying addition to the series with a likable and cheer-worthy main couple. Setting the story outside the circus gave this one a more unique feeling, but I was very happy that the siblings were still very much present with loving and humorous interactions on display. Tammy was an irritant, a stereotype that I desperately wanted to go away, and she didn't exactly get what she deserved at the end which frustrated me further. She's the reason this book wasn't an A read for me in fact. Despite her intrusion I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this series featuring the delicious and brooding Nash! I'm also looking forward to what the author has planned for a possible future series with the trail of literary bread crumbs Ms. Vale has left throughout the books in this series.
My rating for this is a B+
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.