The Grand Tour Continues

The Grand Tour Continues

• Jul 25, 2013

Grave Consequences by Lisa T. Bergren

Release Date: March 1, 2013
Publisher: David C. Cook
Pages: 448 pages
Source & Format: NetGalley; e-ARC
Series: The Grand Tour #2
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

For Cora Kensington, the journey of a lifetime take unexpected twists. And her future - her very life - depends on the decisions she'll make at each crossroad. As her European tour with her newfound family takes her through Austria, France, and Italy, an unseen enemy trails close behind. Meanwhile, a forbidden love continues to claim her heart, putting everyone's plans in danger.

And as Cora stays one step ahead of it all, what might need the most protection is her own heart, torn between the dramatic pursuit of a dashing Frenchman and a man who has been quietly staking claim to her affections all along. Love has dangers all its own. She must escape the bonds of the past and discover the faith to make the right choices, as each one has grave consequences.

Thoughts on Grave Consequences

Okay, so I immediately started Grave Consequences (book two in the Grand Tour series) after finishing Glamorous Illusions. The book picks up right where the previous one left off, which might be a little disconcerting for anyone who has let some time pass in between reading the two books. While I don't like too much recap at the beginning of a new book in a series, I do think it's sometimes necessary to transition into everything with a refresher on what happened previously.

As with Glamorous Illusions, I found Grave Consequences to be an entertaining read. There was a little more action in this book, which certainly improved some of the pacing issues I'd noted in the previous book. There were times were the action felt a little melodramatic - like I was reading a soap opera where things working out a little too perfectly or drama got a little too over-the-top.  But I didn't dislike the book because of it. I just think it's important to know that the book seems to lack a little depth overall.

One aspect that did become more central to the plot than the previous book is the love triangle. I think it serves the purpose of externalizing the internal conflict Cora keeps facing - who will she be in the future? One man is rich and the other poor. It's Cora's present and her past... but which one represents what she wants for her future? It was frustrating that this seemed to be the novel's driving conflict, but I can see how it represents the larger theme introduced in the first book.

However, I became frustrated by Cora's indecisiveness and the way she seemed to just string both guys along. While I don't think she was intentionally trying to hurt them, it often seemed like she was completely unaware of the effect of her actions. I also think she felt a little too modern at times - like her thought process didn't entirely make sense in the context of the time period in which she lives.

I liked many of the same things from the previous book - the theme, the characters and the setting - and also felt that the pacing was improved in this one. So that was really nice! I still struggled with the repetitive nature of certain thought processes, but I don't think it was as frustrating in this one as it was in the one before.

Reading this book was a little like watching reality TV for me. I really enjoy it and can spend hours doing so once I'm sucked into it. But at the same time, I don't really take anything away from it when I'm done. I liked this book and thought it was a fun summer read, but there wasn't a lot of depth or memorableness to it.

I'm still looking forward to finishing this trilogy and seeing how the conflicts are resolved. Grave Consequences was a quick read (despite being pretty long) and I liked it, even if I was a little disappointed by certain aspects. Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens next!

So Quotable

"Sometimes fear is something we must battle through. Other times it's something the Lord gives us to warn us to take heed."

*I received a copy of this book from David C. Cook in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for this review.