Review: Miles from Kara (Charleston Haven #2) by Melissa West

Miles from Kara

Author: Melissa West

Series: Charleston Haven #2

Publisher: Penguin/Signet Romance

Release date: 2^nd December 2014

Amazon

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

Kara Marcus is desperate to forget the past and move on. But she can’t escape her choices—especially when she finds herself falling in love… 

Since the first day she stepped into her childhood Southern Baptist church, two truths have been engrained in Kara Marcus’s head: sex before marriage is bad and murder is a sin. And that’s why Kara can never forgive herself for what she did at the age of sixteen.

Now, as second semester of freshman year comes to a close, Kara has stood by her high school boyfriend, Ethan. But as they seem to grow further and further apart every day, Kara realizes that she has feelings for someone else: Ethan’s roommate Colt.

Suddenly, Kara’s clear-cut world shifts out of focus, and she’s torn between what her head tells her is right and what her heart is desperately pushing her to do—even if it means committing another undeniable sin...

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Miles from Kara was a wonderfully pleasant surprise, with an engaging storyline and relatable characters I was mesmerised from the very first page and finished it in one sitting.

Miles from Kara is Kara Marcus's book, a young girl struggling to move on from an incident from her past, she has regrets and she knows pain but she's also the type of person you'd love as a friend with her kindness, humour and compassion. She is also stuck in a relationship that is going nowhere and lusting after her boyfriend’s roommate Colt.

Aussie Colt was the perfect boyfriend material, smexy, understanding and accepting; I adored his kindness and patience and his devotion to Kara, she could be hard work at times but he stood by her side. The chemistry between these characters was off the charts, they couldn't have been more perfect for one another. All of the secondary characters played a pivotal role in this book, their interactions and the banter between them all was done very well.

Kara is a second year freshman and is still undecided about what she wants to do but knows she wants to help others so she accepts a role at Helping Hands as a counsellor which forces her to face her past decisions when she meets a young girl, Maggie who is 16 and pregnant; Melissa West dealt with the sensitive subjects such as teen pregnancy, abortion and adoption in a way that was believable and compassionate; this aspect was done very well. I also loved the role therapist Rose played and the way she assisted Kara as she had Olivia in the first book, she was a fabulous character.

I would honestly read Melissa West's grocery list! Her writing is brilliant and I am always drawn into her storytelling, whether it is YA Sci-Fi or new adult, it is all fantastic with amazing characterisations and attention to detail. Miles from Kara is a lovely addition to the Charleston Haven series.

Cover: I love the beautiful cover, amazing colouring and the girl is the perfect Kara! I'm not usually a fan of faces on a cover because I don't feel they reflect the characters within the book but this one worked well for me.

Thank you to Penguin/Signet Romance for the opportunity to read and review this title.

About the author: Melissa West writes heartfelt Southern romance and YA sci-fi romance,
all with lots of kissing. Because who doesn't like kissing?. She lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two daughters and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction.

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and a M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. 

Connect with Melissa at www.melissawestauthor.com or on Twitter @MB_West.