Sweet, Light Tale

Loving Liberty by Belinda Boring is the story of Liberty (the character's actual name), a girl who has been bullied by basically everyone her entire life. Her parents tell her who to see, what to do, and how to do it; her older sister is cruel and threatening; the man her parents have chosen as a future mate is sick and sadistic. And what does Liberty do about all this? What she's always done: nothing. She seethes on the inside but her fear of failure and disappointment doesn't allow her to fight back in any form, even when she's facing a lifetime at the hands of the disgusting Andrew. Until, that is, she meets Oliver, who is everything she could have ever hoped for. Little by little, Liberty begins to gain a sense of herself and her own desires, even if she must sneak around to achieve them.

This is a sweet little story with a powerful message about standing up to the bullies in your life, even if you happen to be related to them. Liberty is at times quite frustrating; I wanted her to stand up for herself much earlier in the story, but naturally that would not have advanced the plot well. For this rather independent, headstrong reader, it was hard for me to believe anyone would react as Liberty does when her family dictates her every move, but I do believe there are people out there who suffer as silent victims beneath the auspices of those who should love them. Oliver was almost too perfect at times; I wanted to see him have at least one flaw so that he would seem more human.

The best part about Loving Liberty comes toward the end, of course; Boring has given us an exciting, action-packed climax that pays off in the best way possible. My problem is that I now want to know more; I am left hanging to see what Liberty accomplishes next. There's no explicit sex at all; in fact, this is a rather chaste story that focuses more on character development than on passionate love. This is definitely an engaging story in the New Adult category that I truly enjoyed.

~taminator40


From:  My virtual stack; Purchased by reviewer