Teaching Aleck by Muriel Garcia
We first meet Aleck and Charlene in book one of the series – Saving Ayden and if you haven’t read it then I would suggest that you give it a go.
Aleck is a complicated character, he has had it tough in the past and carries the scars internally like chains around his soul. He has no time or feelings for events of the heart, to be honest he isn’t completely comfortable with the whole concept of love and relationships. But when he first sets eyes on Charlene, his eyes are well and truly “opened” but her age is one hurdle that he cannot overcome, so romance is thwarted and a beautiful friendship is born!
When she finally finds the opportunity to tell Aleck how she is feeling, it does not go exactly as she had hoped. Aleck is convinced that she is too good for him and he knocks her back. Mistake- I hear you yelling – well hell yes but he had his heart in the right place and he is left knowing that she is gone because of him.
Charlene didn’t take rejection by Aleck well, so she upped sticks and got out of town, refusing to return, unto years later when she is all grown up and certain that she has finally cleansed her mind and soul of all things Aleck- how wrong she is because when she catches him leaving the restroom with a woman on a night out – the pain of what happened all those years ago is back and it feels like it brought its friends along to point their fingers and laugh at her, she is gutted.
Aleck is not as immune to Charlene now she is back as he had hoped but he has no option other than to stand by his original feelings, she is too good for him but heck, doesn’t mean he would have wanted her to see him with someone else like that – using women to forget her.
The two of them lead each other a merry dance but there is one thing for certain that no matter how much they fight it they are only ever destined to be in one place – together!
It may take a while but when they are eventually honest enough to lay the truth on the line it is fabulous to see him open up.
He has so many secrets that unleashing them is like finally shedding the painful layers that have held him so closed off for so long. Charlene proves to him time and time again that there is nothing that she can find out about him that is going to frighten her away, she loves him, warts and all and but Charlene has a secret of her own, one that Aleck may not have become aware of in time?
I have to say that I found this book better than the first, it had an honesty and flow about it that just appealed to me, it was more cohesive and just a little bit more complete that book one – it was a great story about standing by your past and learning to let it go, about finding what it takes to love and to let that love and trust into your life and to show you everything that is beautiful about being loved.