After a car crash, Liv wakes up in the body of her best friend Morgan. She has no idea what had happened to Morgan, and learns that her own body as Liv didn’t survive the crash. Unable to prove her true identity, she begins to live out Morgan’s life, and learns that before she died, Morgan had been involved in a risky scheme that (without giving too much away) involves an illicit affair and a possible murder. She also finds herself unable to forget her feelings for Liv’s boyfriend Nathan, even as she finds herself developing new and deeply complex feelings for Clay, Morgan’s boyfriend and Nathan’s brother.

Like Never and Always has an incredibly compelling premise that hooked me immediately. Who is the girl in Morgan’s body? Is it Morgan dealing with survivor’s guilt by believing she’s Liv, or is she Liv whose spirit somehow ended up surviving after her body dies? The girl has feelings and memories that seem to suggest she’s right in believing she’s Liv, but as the story progresses, she also gets flashes of memory that only Morgan could have known.

I’ll warn you right off the bat that Aguirre does come up with an explanation that ultimately satisfies her protagonist, but doesn’t quite resolve the mystery as definitively as I’d hoped. The answer isn’t quite developed enough to make this a psychological thriller or science fiction (which is what I’d expected, for some reason), nor is it definitive enough to make this effective as supernatural/horror. Rather, Aguirre is much more interested in the emotional implications on her protagonist, and despite the potentially supernatural or psychological elements, this book feels more like contemporary YA thriller than anything else.

I highly recommend suspending your disbelief, as I did, and simply letting the non-supernatural elements of the story take over, because the payoff is well worth it. I love Liv’s journey into finding her place within this new life, and I love how her new perspective in Morgan’s body made her realize some things she’d never considered as Liv. Most notable, of course, was how awesome a guy Clay really is, but I also appreciated the little touches, such as Liv realizing that she could’ve gotten away with something as Liv, but now as Morgan, she must get used to being the centre of attention and needing to be more circumspect with her appearance and behaviour. I also loved how she wanted to find a balance between fitting in as Morgan was, but also not giving up who she had been as Liv, and I thought Aguirre did a great job of depicting that part of her life.

The thriller-ish elements were a bit underdeveloped. There was the investigation into a potential killer, and the disturbing revelation of what Morgan had put herself through to get at the truth. And there is certainly some practical and emotional payoffs to how Liv handled it when she took over. But overall, I thought the threads of this subplot were resolved too simplistically, and part of me wonders how the story would have been without this subplot, and with its focus firmly on Liv getting used to her new life and the implications of taking over Morgan’s future.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I wish some of the genre elements had been better developed and the mythology around the body swap more deeply explored, but as a whole, I thought the story worked. I was drawn to the character and her story, and I loved the emotional complexity of the new reality she has to deal with.

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Thank you to Raincoast Books for an advance reading copy of this book in exchangefor an honest review.

Chloe Marston works at a luxury concierge company in New York. A hit and run lands her co-worker in the hospital, and gives Chloe the unenviable role of being the lifestyle manager for the company’s Top 5 VIP clients. She arranges everything from a last minute invitation for an opera singer to attend the Brazilian president’s state dinner to finding a secluded house for her hot new client Joe on a remote Greek island.

The Greek Escape is a fun, breezy and entertaining read. I enjoyed the parts about Chloe’s clients and the various luxuries in their lives. It’s a glimpse into the lifestyles of the super rich, and I can only imagine what it must be like to be able to order a private jet on a whim. I certainly don’t envy Chloe her job, but her world seems like an exciting one to inhabit.

I was expecting this to be escapist women’s fiction, so I was surprised to find it darker and creepier than I expected. First, evidence surfaces that the co-worker’s accident may not have been accidental at all, and that the crime may be connected to her work, which raises the question of Chloe’s own safety as she takes on the job. Then the wife of one of her clients goes missing, and Chloe begins to wonder who she can trust. And finally, Chloe finds herself falling for Joe, but after a quick trip house hunting in the Greek islands, she comes to discover that he isn’t quite as he seems.

All these mystery and thriller elements added excitement to the story and were much more compelling to me than the subplot about Chloe’s ex being in town and wanting to rekindle their relationship. But they were all wrapped up so quickly and neatly that the ending was a bit of a letdown.

Still, it was a fun read overall, and I enjoyed the glamorous lifestyle it depicted.

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Thank you to Publisher’s Group Canada for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m happy to present a stop on the blog tour for Greek Millionaire, Unruly Wife by Sun Chara. See information about the book and author below, and enter an international giveaway for a Greek bracelet!

About the Book

A tempestuous fling…a marriage…a betrayal?

When Michalis Leonadis’ bride jumps ship at the first sign of rough waters, he’s annoyed. When she costs him a marriage and a billion-dollar deal, he’s furious; but when he discovers she ditched him whilst harboring a secret…he’s out for revenge.

Ex-model, Julia Armstrong gave up everything for Michalis but when she catches him with another woman, crushed, she jets out of his life. The proud Greek blasts back into her world seeking retribution—in exchange for a divorce, he demands she relinquish the one thing she cannot. Her daughter. Only one other bargaining chip remains…Julia herself.

Purchase the book online.

About the Author

Sun Chara, an Amazon top 100 bestseller, writes sexy, hip ‘n fun contemporary romance for HarperImpulse. JABBIC winner, Manhattan Millionaire’s Cinderella launched her writing career, spinning the ‘global millionaires’ series’. She makes her home in southern California, and has appeared on stage/film to rave reviews in How the Other Half Loves, General Hospital, and McGee and Me. With a Masters Degree in Education, and membership in SAG/AFTRA and Romance Writers of America, she enjoys sipping Frappuccinos topped with whipped cream/sprinkles, and dancing on the beach…making everyday a celebration!

Follow her on Facebook (Sun Chara Author Page) or Twitter (@sunchara3).

Giveaway

Win an e-copy of Greek Millionaire, Unruly Wife and a Greek style bracelet (Open Internationally)

The design of bracelet will vary depending on where in the world you live.

This giveaway is run by Rachel’s Random Resources.

Enter here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494100/?

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter link above.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.