“You can’t sort of do this, Fish. Draw a line and get on one side or the other...” Love is never so sweet as when it receives a second chance. In the sequel to her award-winning novel The Man I Love, Suanne Laqueur continues the story of Erik Fiskare’s romance with Daisy Bianco. Though separated for twelve years, the extraordinary bond forged in their youth has endured. But when your soulmate has caused you indescribable pain, how easy is it to forgive? How much trust is needed to place your heart back into the hands that once broke it? How much faith does it take to ask the question, "Do you still want me?" and believe in the reply: “I still want us.” Erik and Daisy commit to creating a new life together. They are separated by geography, loyal to career commitments and burdened with lingering pain from a decade spent apart. Yet despite the challenges, Erik knows Daisy is the best thing to happen to him twice. Slowly Erik earns back Daisy’s love as well as the trust of his incomparable friend, Will Kaeger. Both relationships grow deeper and more complex, as do Erik’s ties to the past. Unexpected contact with distant cousins offers new insight to the cruel childhood desertion that shaped so much of Erik’s adult life. With Daisy at his side, he travels back to his hometown to meet his people, explore his family’s history and learn about the men who wore his heirloom necklace before him. The cathedral once burned down is rebuilt. But a love affair is never a finished thing. Life is never without its tragedies. Daisy and Erik soon face a threat more harrowing than gunfire, more sorrowful than the lost years. With Will at his back and family close by, Erik must fight for the things he once walked away from and prove his love is here to stay.
Melissa's Review: 4 Stars
Suanne Laqueur has wowed me again with her sequel to one of my favorite reads of 2015. Here to Stay follows Erik and Daisy as they navigate their way through their shared feelings of anger, hurt and betrayal. What comes of it is the beautiful and true beginning of their forever love story. Just as The Man I Love, Here to Stay is beautifully penned. Suanne’s signature prose seemingly flows naturally and unapologetically, yet never feels overpowering or cumbersome. I found myself easily falling back into Daisy and Erik’s world each time I returned to their story after having to put it down. Both Erik and Daisy have come a long way in twelve years. After so much time apart they have reunited and find themselves in a delicate and exciting position as they progress their relationship. In a combination of life experience and maturity, both Erik and Daisy confront both the past and present matters with minds and hearts that are open and accepting. They have a true and honest partnership that is equal parts believable and relatable. I remember thinking to myself “God, do they deserve this? Will they ever get there happy?” I felt frustrated and heartbroken for them so many times; Suanne is not afraid to make them hurt. But the outcome is so magical and sweet and wondrous that all those little heartbreaks make the balm upon them that much more healing. I easily recommend this to anyone who loves brilliant writing and epic and heartfelt romances. I cannot wait to see what else Suanne brings to readers in the future.
ABOUT SUANNE
Suanne Laqueur's debut novel The Man I Love won a gold medal in the 2015 Readers' Favorite Book Awards and was a finalist in the 2015 Kindle Book Awards. Laqueur graduated from Alfred University with a double major in dance and theater. She taught at the Carol Bierman School of Ballet Arts in Croton-on-Hudson for ten years. An avid reader, cook and gardener, she started her blog EatsReadsThinks in 2010. She lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband and two children. With The Man I Love and its companion novel, Give Me Your Answer True, Laqueur has gone from choreographing dancers to choreographing words. Her goal is to create a new kind of emotionally-intelligent romance that appeals to the emotions of all readers, crossing gender, age and genre. Visit her at www.suannelaqueur.com
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