[ARC Review] Light Among the Shadows by Jennifer Leigh Pezzano
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In this beautiful, and sometimes devastatingly heartbreaking, story, Jennifer Leigh Pezzano entwines two broken souls and heals them through their ability to love and let go.
When thinking about this review, I knew I had plenty of good things to say about this story, these characters, and their journey. I, however, can’t seem to come up with any critiques or areas where I thought Pezzano should have done something different. Both Lara and Peter were wonderfully flawed, but never relied on pity and were exactly the people they needed to be - for themselves and for each other. I loved Lara’s character arc, from the person she started out as on page one, through her trials and personal grievances, all the way to the beautiful person she let herself be by the end. Peter, still coming to terms with a years-old accident, bloomed under Lara’s sunshine and attention. I thought Pezzano perfectly handled both Peter and Lara’s devastating blows, but more than that, I thought she did a fantastic job at bringing them together and having them play off of each other. Neither character had light loads to carry, and they could have quickly started to one-up each other, especially when their heads and hearts weren’t in the right place. However, both of these souls recognized the others’ pain and their love never became a competition. That, to me, was probably the most beautiful part of this book. While Lara and Peter’s relationship wasn’t without its ups and downs, this story is perfect for anyone looking for a sweet and steamy romance without the drama of shouting matches and door slamming.
Pezzano, I felt, handled Lara and Peter’s past issues superbly. Disabilities and traumas are delicate subjects that are never easy to write on the page, but Pezzano created characters that simultaneously recognized the weight of their past while offering nothing but comfort to a kindred flawed soul. The way Peter and Lara were there for each other was simply beautiful. In other plots, I would say their love was too easy, but in this story it was just perfect.
Pezzano created beautiful characters, created an amazing plot, and set in a gorgeous landscape. This book was well written, bringing wonderfully flawed characters and their love and heartbreak to a story that was a joy to read.
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