A Season of Eden by J.M. Warwick (Around The World Tours)

Published: October 20th 2008 by Grove Creek Publishing
Paperback, 248 pages
ISBN: 1933963905
ISBN13: 9781933963907
He's my teacher. I shouldn't be alone with him. But I can't help that he's irresistible. I let the door silently close at my back. He stared at me, and a taut quiet stretched between us. "I like hearing you play," I said, moving toward him. He turned, in sync with my slow approach. He looked up at me but didn't say anything. I rested my clammy hand on the cold, slick body of the baby grand. "May I?" The muscles in his throat shifted, then he swallowed. "Eden." My knees weakened, like a soft tickling kiss had just been blown against the backs of them. "Is it okay?" I asked. His gaze held mine like two hands joined. He understood what I was really asking. "Let me stay," I said. "Please." "You're going to get me in trouble," he said.

Review:

Classic case of popular girl breaking away from the "in" crowd; with a slight twist. You see, when gorgeous, senior girl Eden chooses choir as an easy elective she doesn't expect to find the finest piece of male specimen ever. Through the door he walks, Mr. Christian. (Ah, the irony!) Strutting her pretty self to the front row, all eyes on the her, her eyes on him... It's fate. There's definitely something between them. Eden hopes that her feelings for this musically talented and sexy teach' are reciprocated but dealing with her at-home issues gets the best of her and she ends up doing something she really wishes she didn't. Not to give everything away, but this was definitely a heart-wrenching read with Eden's mother's passing about ten years ago and the barbie that replaced her about a month later; with the shut-out her father became; with the impending relationship with her choir teacher.

Though, some of the turns and high points of the novel were predictable it seemed like I was just itching to see what the characters would do next. I have to say that my favorite character had to be Eden, for the obvious reasons--I got to relate to how she felt throughout the novel--but also because all her feelings about the situations going on around seem perfectly justified. The relationship that builds between Eden and James Christian was artfully crafted into a friendship and soon intimacy you've never seen before. Warwick obviously knew what she was doing, and she did it very tastefully.

Recommended to any teens seeking a quick, heart-pounding read!

Grade: A-

LiLi