Book Review – Carpe Diem by Rae Matthews

Carpe Diem by Rae Matthews

Standalone. Woman’s Fiction/Romance

What a unique read! I really enjoyed Rae Matthews’ side splitting novellas, Sasha and Kelly, so as soon as I knew she had a new full length, I jumped on it! Carpe Diem was totally different. Different than Rae’s previous books, and different from any book I have read.

Is it a romance? Not really, but It’s almost a triple romance! A woman’s romance with the love of her life, with life in general, and with her future. It’s about healing. It’s about love. It’s about grabbing all that life has to offer before it’s too late. But is the storyline really a romance? Not really, it’s more about a woman’s adventures.

I was thrilled to see that the heroine of this book is 38 with a grown daughter away at school. It’s so rare to find older heroines in books and I really enjoy when I do, especially relatable ones. Piper has been very happily married to Jack for almost 19 years. With a grown daughter away at school, Piper and her husband were enjoying the empty nest. But when the knock on the door comes, and her husband’s best friend and partner, Flynn, is there with two police officers, everything changes. Jack is gone.

“Stop calling me ma’am. You have the wrong house, my husband is at work…It wasn’t him, I’m telling you, you have the wrong person! You should be ashamed of yourselves for…”

Shit, as I look over the book for quotes (I was too involved and forgot to highlight while I read) I am crying again.

Flynn and Jack were like brothers. Best friends from 10 years old, Flynn even gave up going away to college when Jack had to stay back because he got Piper pregnant. He even started the company with his money and still gave Jack a full partnership. Flynn was with Jack during the accident. He heard his last words. He even had a “just in case” letter that he had to give to Piper upon Jack’s death. (Yes, I cried again).

A year later, on what would have been her 20th anniversary, her adventure begins. Jack had been planning for years for their 20th year of marriage, and though he is gone, most of the plans were already in place. Since Flynn helped with all the planning, he had letters and instructions all ready to go.

“The next paper you open you will find your high school Carpe Diem list. You have been so busy taking care of us that you never had time to cross anything off the list, once upon a time you were hell bent on adding to your list and crossing items off to make sure that you made the most of each day.
So for the next year, we are going to cross some things off your list and have some of the adventures we had to put on hold.”

Carpe Diem is about one couple’s love for each other that transcends death. It’s about living each day to the fullest. It’s about recovery. It’s about moving forward without losing the love you felt. It’s about taking adventures in life. It’s about not waiting until it’s too late. It’s about finding love and happiness after tragedy. But most of all, though it’s not a classic romance, it’s about LOVE.

“What are we doing?” I laugh as the rain kisses my skin.
“We are going to dance in the rain,” he tells me with a large smile on his face.

Likes:

• A completely unique story.
• An older heroine.
• Real, relatable characters.
• Emotionally had me in the first 3 pages.
• Though emotional at first, it was a fun read.
• Loved all the other characters, especially the chef!
• Though I cried right at the beginning, this wasn’t a sad book, it is about healing from that sadness.
• The tattoos–loved seeing them!
• The mug. Great idea!

Dislikes:

• I wouldn’t have minded a little more of the couple together, maybe a little more of the romance, thou it was quietly there throughout the book.
• He was a bit too prepared, over a year in advance with letters and everything.

The Down and Dirty:

Rating: 4.5-4.75 stars, no Heat (I didn’t even realize it! I just went through the book to make sure)

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