Rating: 4/5
You can buy Covet as a paperback or an eBook now.
I was really pleased to receive a review copy of Tracey Garvis Graves latest book Covet. I read and loved her debut novel On The Island when it was first released, and it feels like I've been waiting for the release of this one for a long time! While it was very different to her debut novel, I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely recommend it for summer reading lists!
Claire and Chris have been married for years and have two children together. However, their marriage has been put under severe strain thanks to the recession, Chris losing his job and subsequently getting a new one which takes him away from his family more often than he or Claire would like. So when she meets police officer Daniel Rush by chance, and the pair strike up an unlikely friendship, Claire begins to feel confused about her feelings. She knows that she misses her husband but things haven't been right for a while - and she loves how Daniel makes her feel when they spend time together. Will Claire be able to get her feelings under control and make the right choice for her and her family?
I'll be honest and say I did struggle withthe idea of this book before I had read it. I don't approve of affairs by any stretch of the imagination, so I was curious how I would find a book that explores that part of a relationship - whether or not Claire would take her friendship with Daniel to the next level, and how she would reason with herself over that decision. Garvis Graves doesn't make it an easy choice for Claire, showing her struggling with the very realistic emotional turmoil she is going through, both through her story with Daniel, and flashbacks to the tough times she has already gone through with Chris too.
While I didn't expect to like Claire, I did like her. She's a normal mum, working hard for her family, enjoying time with her friends as well as supporting them through some tough times too. I felt she started off with good intention towards Daniel, but as the pair spent more time together, it inevitably turned into something more. Daniel was a very likeable character, a upstanding policeman in their small town, and someone we know has been hurt before in a relationship. I liked him because although you can see he likes Claire, he too struggles with the fact she is married. Both Daniel and Claire struggle with their feelings, and I did have a small hope that they could make it work together.
As well as the main story of Daniel and Claire, and the subsequent effect that has on Claire's marriage, I really enjoyed tre smaller storylines of the problems that several of Claire's friends are facing. Outwardly they seem to live ideal lives but as usual, things aren't what they seem and there's a lot of heartache behind closed doors. Claire dealt with these really well, the sort of friend that you need in this situation, it allowed us to see a different side of this character and that she wasn't a bad person, despite her actions in parts.
I really enjoyed the book, it was really well written and presented what could be a tricky storyline in a fair way that made you actually question what would be the right decision for Claire. I did feel sorry for Chris in parts, but I did feel he neglected his wife somewhat, although he didn't deserve to lose his marriage over it. Daniel was lovely, and he definitely deserved happiness after what he had been through. The book is quite slow paced, but it needed to be like this for the story to develop well. I definitely recommend this book, it's well written and an enjoyable book.
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