Published February 7th 2013 by Harvey Berrick Publishing
About the book
Ten years after their broken affair, Sebastian and Caroline meet again: this time in very different circumstances, against the background of the war in Afghanistan.
Now a successful journalist, Caroline meets Chief Sebastian Hunter, US Marine. Will this chance encounter rekindle the erotic madness of her passionate affair with a younger man?
My Thoughts
“Be happy, Caro, because that’s what you deserve. I love you, I have always loved you, and where I go after this world, I will always love you. Sempre e per sempre.” ~Sebastian
After finishing book one and having my heart beating bombastically with that tumultuous ending, there was no way I wasn’t going to immediately pick up the second book of Sebastian and Caroline. Their story was nowhere near complete and I simply wanted more. But first off, let me warn you… the events, description and continuation of The Education of Caroline is a spoiler for book one in and of itself. So if you haven’t read or finished The Education of Sebastian, stop here and trust me that this second book is a must read and a true gem. Adore!
Okay, now that I got that out of the way let me share with you… OH.MY.WORD!! WHAT.A.STORY!! This second installment was clearly needed as a continuation and it did not disappoint one bit. I loved every minute of The Education of Caroline which was filled with its own set of struggles wrapped around a very fierce love between these two characters.
In this book, Caroline has moved to the east coast after leaving a wake of destruction back in San Diego. Her marriage has ended and she’s picked up the pieces of her broken life. It’s been ten years since she’s had contact with Sebastian, and she hasn’t been able to completely move on from this love affair. Despite that, Carolina has built a life of her own and achieved successes she never dreamed possible. She’s assigned to write a series of news stories in the Middle East and is flown to Geneva for a mandatory “hostile environment training program for journalists.” There, she slams face first into Sebastian who is a language expert for the program. Their initial interaction is filled with anger, mistrust and tons of hurt to overcome, but as the days go by, their love sparks anew and it only proves to be even more fierce and volatile then their first encounter. During this time, they travel through Italy and re-familiarize themselves with one another. As their job eventually leads them to the warfront, they are once again faced with a multitude of challenges to overcome and hopefully achieve their second chance at love.
If I had to state one obvious fact in this story it’s that… Sebastian grew up… A LOT. However, not all in a good way. He definitely seemed stronger, edgier and most of all passionate. But there was so much volatility to his nature all due to having lost Caroline all those years ago. Gone is the sweet and sensitive seventeen year old boy that was faced with challenge after challenge of being with the one he loves. In this story, he creates his own barriers which he needs to face in order to achieve what he’s longed for most of his life.
“We wasted ten years and you're worried about a few thousand miles? Hell, we've got airplanes, we've got email, they've invented fucking cell phones. Jesus, if it comes down to it, I'll even write you a fucking letter.” ~Sebastian
Caroline did some growing up as well, and I really appreciated the self-confidence she achieved by way of finding a way to stand on her own. There were moments in the story where I sensed she was willing and able to walk away from Sebastian because she didn’t feel it was right for her anymore. Despite how much I wanted them to be together, I truly applauded her self-discovery and strength. It was great to witness the life she built for herself and it spoke volumes to her determination to survive.
“There were so many things Sebastian and I had to work out: we'd both been single for so long that blending our lives together wasn't going to be easy… I'd promised Sebastian we'd find a way. He deserved to be loved for everything he was. And for whatever crazy reason he had, he loved me, too.” ~Caroline
When Sebastian and Caroline collided it was truly explosive and captivating. As always, I loved the banter between these two characters, but most of all I adored their story. The final chapters were heartbreaking but in some sense leveling. When it was all said and done they each had their insecurities, but fought for a way to overcome them in order to be together.
The story of Sebastian and Caroline is a two book series. Both installments offered their own serving of passion, struggle and fulfillment in their own right. I loved the ending to the book and I’m sad to see my journey with these two characters end. But equally, it was such an adventure to witness their magic. Again I say… ADORE!
After finishing book one and having my heart beating bombastically with that tumultuous ending, there was no way I wasn’t going to immediately pick up the second book of Sebastian and Caroline. Their story was nowhere near complete and I simply wanted more. But first off, let me warn you… the events, description and continuation of The Education of Caroline is a spoiler for book one in and of itself. So if you haven’t read or finished The Education of Sebastian, stop here and trust me that this second book is a must read and a true gem. Adore!
Okay, now that I got that out of the way let me share with you… OH.MY.WORD!! WHAT.A.STORY!! This second installment was clearly needed as a continuation and it did not disappoint one bit. I loved every minute of The Education of Caroline which was filled with its own set of struggles wrapped around a very fierce love between these two characters.
In this book, Caroline has moved to the east coast after leaving a wake of destruction back in San Diego. Her marriage has ended and she’s picked up the pieces of her broken life. It’s been ten years since she’s had contact with Sebastian, and she hasn’t been able to completely move on from this love affair. Despite that, Carolina has built a life of her own and achieved successes she never dreamed possible. She’s assigned to write a series of news stories in the Middle East and is flown to Geneva for a mandatory “hostile environment training program for journalists.” There, she slams face first into Sebastian who is a language expert for the program. Their initial interaction is filled with anger, mistrust and tons of hurt to overcome, but as the days go by, their love sparks anew and it only proves to be even more fierce and volatile then their first encounter. During this time, they travel through Italy and re-familiarize themselves with one another. As their job eventually leads them to the warfront, they are once again faced with a multitude of challenges to overcome and hopefully achieve their second chance at love.
If I had to state one obvious fact in this story it’s that… Sebastian grew up… A LOT. However, not all in a good way. He definitely seemed stronger, edgier and most of all passionate. But there was so much volatility to his nature all due to having lost Caroline all those years ago. Gone is the sweet and sensitive seventeen year old boy that was faced with challenge after challenge of being with the one he loves. In this story, he creates his own barriers which he needs to face in order to achieve what he’s longed for most of his life.
“We wasted ten years and you're worried about a few thousand miles? Hell, we've got airplanes, we've got email, they've invented fucking cell phones. Jesus, if it comes down to it, I'll even write you a fucking letter.” ~Sebastian
Caroline did some growing up as well, and I really appreciated the self-confidence she achieved by way of finding a way to stand on her own. There were moments in the story where I sensed she was willing and able to walk away from Sebastian because she didn’t feel it was right for her anymore. Despite how much I wanted them to be together, I truly applauded her self-discovery and strength. It was great to witness the life she built for herself and it spoke volumes to her determination to survive.
“There were so many things Sebastian and I had to work out: we'd both been single for so long that blending our lives together wasn't going to be easy… I'd promised Sebastian we'd find a way. He deserved to be loved for everything he was. And for whatever crazy reason he had, he loved me, too.” ~Caroline
When Sebastian and Caroline collided it was truly explosive and captivating. As always, I loved the banter between these two characters, but most of all I adored their story. The final chapters were heartbreaking but in some sense leveling. When it was all said and done they each had their insecurities, but fought for a way to overcome them in order to be together.
The story of Sebastian and Caroline is a two book series. Both installments offered their own serving of passion, struggle and fulfillment in their own right. I loved the ending to the book and I’m sad to see my journey with these two characters end. But equally, it was such an adventure to witness their magic. Again I say… ADORE!
5 Suns
I just downloaded book one, I can't wait to start reading it. Especially if book two is as good as this review! Thanks for sharing your thoughts
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