Book Description:
At thirty-six, Susan Sinclair has it all. She’s just been promoted to Senior Vice President of Mobile Banking at her firm, a prestigious position bringing fresh creative challenges and a hefty salary increase. Like the shiny new BMW in the driveway of the Silicon Valley home she shares with her husband, Matt, and their two beautiful boys, Susan exudes confidence and style.
Yet despite her success in juggling the roles of wife, mother, and businesswoman, Susan struggles with a secret dissatisfaction. Matt’s work in cutting-edge computer research pays less than her job, and with each advance in her career, he has grown more distant. But Matt refuses to admit there is a problem, and Susan forces herself to play along, determined to give her boys the close-knit family life she never had.
Then she meets her new boss, Reese Kirkpatrick. Working and traveling together, she and Reese become a crackerjack team, but little by little, pleasure mixes with business. For the first time in a long time—maybe ever—Susan feels seen and appreciated for who she is. Certain she would never allow their friendship to cross the line, Susan lets herself stray dangerously close to the edge.
A moment of weakness changes everything. Now, unable to stomach the façade her marriage has become yet unwilling to decimate her family by moving forward with Reese, Susan faces a choice that could cost her everything—including her children . . . but possibly bring her more than she can dream.
My Thoughts:
Deep down, at the root of it all, we seek love and acceptance. We each yearn to find someone who understands us, who admires us, and ultimately who yearns to be with us. We want passion and excitement. We want to feel butterflies in our stomach when we think about the one we love and we want them to feel the same desire for us.
So what if you’ve been married for over a decade and don’t feel that burning sensation for your spouse? There can certainly be love without passion. There can also be passion without love. But what happens when you lay next to someone and realize they can’t give you that soul crushing passion you need? What happens when your sex life becomes boring and routine? What happens when you aren’t satisfied in all of the ways you wish to be?
Sometimes a moment in time can change the course of personal history and in this story Susan’s marriage tinkers on the edge as she begins to develop strong feelings for someone who isn’t her husband. Can she reignite the love she used to feel for her husband? Can she resist the temptations of a boss who seems to listen to her every word?
In a relationship between two people it might be easy to leave, but what happens when children are involved? While her heart pulls her toward one man, it will pull her away not only from her husband but also from her two children. Can she follow her desire for someone else, even if that means breaking up her marriage and family?
Once I picked up this book I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen to Susan and who she would choose.
Praise for Degrees of Love:
“Slabach crafts a relatable, heartbreakingly real story that will no doubt resonate with those at a similar station in life: women who love their families yet yearn for just a little more—to feel wanted rather than needed, to feel passion rather than complacency. In engaging prose and through skillful storytelling, Slabach captivates with an all-too-familiar story that raises questions with no easy answers.”
– Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
“This does not read like a debut author’s book. Slabach shows herself to be adept at portraying the complex emotions of the human condition. Her characters live and breathe on the page in a way that every author strives for, but few actually manage. Susan’s struggles ring true, and the way she handles everything makes her a very likable and relatable character.”
– Sarah Perry, San Francisco Book Review, 5 Stars
“Profound, heart wrenching and very emotional, it is hard to believe that Degrees of Love is a debut novel by Lisa Slabach. This is one of the best novels I have read this year.”
– Rabia Tanveer, Readers’ Favorite
To read more reviews, please visit Lisa Slabach’s page on iRead Book Tours.
Degrees of Love is Lisa Slabach’s debut novel. She is currently working on her third full-length manuscript and a collection of short stories inspired by her experiences growing up in a small farm community in Washington’s Yakima Valley. In addition to writing, Lisa works for a Fortune 500 Company, leading a sales team in the financial industry. She currently resides in Northern California with her husband and has two daughters, who are both pursuing careers in film. In her free time, she enjoys drinking wine with friends and cooking in her pink kitchen.
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