Swelter ~ Nina G. Jones

I married the right brother.

At least that's what I tell myself at night, when I stare at the ceiling and listen to the rhythm of the grandfather clock down the hall. It never feels like the mere passage of time, but a countdown towards something inevitable.

Bobby Lightly is selfish, irresponsible, and careless. I haven't seen him since the day I married his brother. He slipped out during the wedding reception without a word.

A year later, I heard Bobby was drafted to Korea. He never said goodbye. Never sent a letter. We had all come to terms with the fact that he was probably dead somewhere, either a victim of the war or its aftermath.

That is, until in the midst of an unrelenting heatwave, he showed up at the doorstep of the house I lived in with his brother. 

Everyone thinks I'm cruel. Everyone thinks I should be easy on him. They think I don't understand him. They all think I hate him. 

But what no one understands is that it was Bobby who broke my heart.

And I think he’s back to do it again.

I just need to rip the band aid off as they say since 

I just cannot seem to compose myself long enough to put my feelings and thoughts into words.. 

Long enough to express how this book took me on a ride that utterly wrecked me.. 

It let me see first hand how unfair and cruel the world is even when you think you made life altering decisions and sacrificed your own happiness for reasons you wholeheartedly believed were right!!!

Melancholy 

would be the word that describes this feeling I can't seem to shake.

There were so many whys while reading that I was left with that fluttering feeling of despair in my stomach
and even when answered were unjustifiable to me and just made me wish we could some how, some way Turn Back Time so they could've made all the wrong decisions and to hell with it all!!

The story was based in the mid 50's, and through out we get these enchanting flash back moments

 of  lazy summer days spent by a lake house, late night skinning dipping, basically kids having fun

 while turning into teens developing crushes and then the reality of young adulthood..

while reading I got to envision the fashion, 

imagine hearing the music, feel the heat of those Sweltering Summer months 

that changed so many lives and will stay with me for a very long time.

In my opinion it WAS a dark read.. not in a sadistic twisted way.. 

more like in a real every day way where you feel no matter what decisions are 

made someone will get hurt, someone will get the short end of the stick. 

Life isn't always about HEA's it's real and raw.. 

And we got our fair share of it.

I highlighted so many lines while reading,
but most I can't share without giving away so many pertinent pieces to Bobby & Lilly's story,
so many stolen moments that had me in knots, fanning myself cause they were so steamy or in hysterical fits..

So all I can say is go stock up on some Kleenex and READ IT!!!

AMAZON