“Without trust, we have nothing.”
These are the words which have haunted Melanie Erickson for six years. When she walked out of the house Xavier Ross bought as their forever home, she thought she was closing that door permanently, but fate had other plans.
Xavier Ross tried to keep everyone at a distance until Melanie came into his life. The more he tried to fight his feelings for her, the more he fell in love. One rash decision fractured the trust that was essential to their relationship.
Six years later, she is the last person he expects to see walk through his front door. Will Xavier and Mel be able to learn to trust one another again so they can fulfill a dying woman’s wish?
I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant to start this one; I knew it was going to be an emotional read, and I didn’t feel prepared for it. But because I’ve read quite a bit of Sloan Johnson’s stories, I knew that after she emotionally tore me apart, she would work to put my heart back together just like she does with her characters.
If there is one thing I’m sure of when I start a book by Sloan, it’s that I’m going to read a well developed story with complex characters told from multiple perspectives. That is exactly what I got when I sat down to read Fragile Bonds. The dynamics of this story is unlike any I’ve read. Xavier and Melanie were young and in love and then one night everything changed, and they ultimately gave up on one another without much of a fight. Not really wanting to move on but needing to fill the void, Xavier has a string of only sex relationships that end up with him unwillingly becoming a husband and a father when Alyssa turns up at his doorstep pregnant. Alyssa stays with Xavier despite his volatile treatment towards her, and slowly, they become the family she’s always wanted. Unfortunately, that only happens after Alyssa gets sick. As the leukemia consumes Alyssa’s body, an end-of life-companion is hired to sit with her and help her transition – this caregiver just happens to be Melanie – the woman who has consumed Alyssa’s husband’s heart for far too long. Now you would think this is where everything would blow up and there would be no way that this arrangement wouldn’t work…that it would be too hard reliving the past, but it actually does work; in fact, Melanie gives Xavier, Alyssa, and Jacob everything they need to try to get through a very difficult situation, and Sloan presents this interesting dynamic in such a creative and thoughtful way that readers can’t help but want to see how it all plays out.
Can a person be in love with two people at the same time but in different ways? Absolutely. The Xavier who was in love with Melanie when they were younger is not the same man who loves Alyssa. The two relationships are drastically different. There’s no question that Xavier loves Alyssa, but when Melanie comes back into his life, and truths are exposed, his dormant feelings for her spring to life and actually intensify. But, this is not a story about cheating. It’s a story about second chances; it’s a story about redemption; it’s a story about leading with the heart instead of the head and realizing that a once in a lifetime love can never really end.
Each character created in this story is incredibly complex. Xavier has definitely made his share of mistakes, and he regrets not being a more active father and husband, but he truly does love his little family. He is devoted to Alyssa and making her final days as full of love as they can be. The agony that he goes through in losing Alyssa and deciding if he can move on with Melanie is hard to witness. He agonizes over his choices, and he can’t get out of his head, which seems extremely realistic given the circumstances that he is faced with. Melanie is such a genuine person. She’s a superb caregiver who does everything in her power to ensure that everyone is comfortable and taken care of. Being a end-of life-companion is a depressing profession, but she wants those who are dying to not be afraid and to be able to let go when it’s time without worrying about what they are leaving behind. The way she puts Xavier’s family’s needs ahead of her owns is an selfless act that doesn’t go unrecognized by everyone around her. She loves Xavier; she always has, but Alyssa is what’s important right now, and the female bond that they form is remarkable. And then there’s Alyssa – she’s an incredibly strong woman who dies with dignity and grace. What she does for her husband is one of the most selfless acts there can be. Xavier didn’t make her life easy, but he eventually did step up and she knew he loved her, and she can carry that with her into the afterlife, knowing that her little family is well taken care of by the woman they have all grown to love.
Fragile Bonds is a heart wrenching story, but as much as it focuses on Alyssa’s death and her family’s struggle to say goodbye, at the heart of the story is also the idea of living…living after death…living after heartbreak…living the life that was meant to be. Alyssa unknowingly brought back Xavier’s first love, and once she put all the pieces together, she knew that Xavier and their little boy, Jacob, would still have someone who loves them more than life itself.
All I can say is get your Kleenex ready; you can’t help but be consumed by an array of feelings as you read this book; at times, parts may trouble you, annoy you, as well as anger you, but for those very reasons, it’s definitely one that will stay with you for a long time to come.
A complimentary copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 poison apples
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Sloan is a Midwestern mom who began writing nearly seven years ago as a way to make money while staying home with her daughter. Now, with two kids in tow and having written more articles on how to assemble various pieces of furniture than she can count, she is reaching to make her dreams come true.
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