4 stars
“Sorry, do I know you?”
The last thing Olivier Sauveterre remembers, he was a closeted college senior, balancing furtive hookups with writing his thesis. But when a nasty car accident robs him of two years of memories, he finds himself thousands of miles from home, covered in tattoos, living with a man he doesn’t recognize. Gorgeous and enigmatic, Auriel is just Olivier’s type—but it’s clear there’s a big secret his supposed “housemate” isn’t telling him.
“We’re not just roommates; you’re the love of my life.”
Auriel Floros loves everything about his life: his job, his overgrown garden, and most all, his boyfriend Olivier. Quick-witted and fiercely passionate, Olivier is the perfect partner…up until he forgets who Auriel is. Suddenly, their happily ever after shatters before Auriel’s eyes. But medical professionals warn Auriel to keep Olivier’s stress level at a minimum, and Auriel makes the heart-breaking decision to pretend he and Olivier were friends and housemates—nothing more.
“You still know how to love me…I’ll remind you.”
Auriel misses his boyfriend desperately, longing for the easy intimacy and scorching sex they shared before the accident. Olivier can’t help gravitating toward Auriel, charmed by his patience and the elaborate home-cooked meals he prepares for Olivier each night. Over bowls of chili and late night talks, Olivier finds himself unable to resist digging into their shared history and trying to find out what makes Auriel seems so mysterious and sad. It’s hard to keep a secret when you’re living in the same house, and heartbreak seems inevitable as tension builds between them. Ultimately they have to work together to rebuild Olivier’s life, and in the process they find themselves on fragile ground.
The last thing Olivier Sauveterre remembers, he was a closeted college senior, balancing furtive hookups with writing his thesis. But when a nasty car accident robs him of two years of memories, he finds himself thousands of miles from home, covered in tattoos, living with a man he doesn’t recognize. Gorgeous and enigmatic, Auriel is just Olivier’s type—but it’s clear there’s a big secret his supposed “housemate” isn’t telling him.
“We’re not just roommates; you’re the love of my life.”
Auriel Floros loves everything about his life: his job, his overgrown garden, and most all, his boyfriend Olivier. Quick-witted and fiercely passionate, Olivier is the perfect partner…up until he forgets who Auriel is. Suddenly, their happily ever after shatters before Auriel’s eyes. But medical professionals warn Auriel to keep Olivier’s stress level at a minimum, and Auriel makes the heart-breaking decision to pretend he and Olivier were friends and housemates—nothing more.
“You still know how to love me…I’ll remind you.”
Auriel misses his boyfriend desperately, longing for the easy intimacy and scorching sex they shared before the accident. Olivier can’t help gravitating toward Auriel, charmed by his patience and the elaborate home-cooked meals he prepares for Olivier each night. Over bowls of chili and late night talks, Olivier finds himself unable to resist digging into their shared history and trying to find out what makes Auriel seems so mysterious and sad. It’s hard to keep a secret when you’re living in the same house, and heartbreak seems inevitable as tension builds between them. Ultimately they have to work together to rebuild Olivier’s life, and in the process they find themselves on fragile ground.
Fragile Grounds has been in our TBR
list for a while, and we did crack it to read the Prologue. But, it is a heartbreaking premise, losing
your memory and living a life you don’t believe to be yours. But Louisa Keller wades into this story and
instead of suffering we find a sweet second chance at love.
What did we love?
- 2nd chance love:
We really hate 2nd chance romance, so much, we really stay
away from that genre. Fragile Ground is
not a traditional 2nd chance love, rather a twist on the genre. It is about falling in love again with someone
who you are to spend your life with, that no matter the circumstance that you
will find yourself back where you should be.
Admittedly this can become too saccharine but Louisa Keller skits the
line with Olivier who questions the choices the old him made, and if the new
him would make the same.
- Amnesia: We think Louisa Keller treated the idea of Olivier’s
amnesia as almost a 3rd person in their relationship. It was an interesting idea that we really appreciated.
What left us scratching our heads?
- The Truth: Okay we guess
springing on Olivier that he is an open gay man, living with a partner would be
a lot to swallow, but instead of trying to explain his life, his friends and
family left out the truth. It felt a bit
like they were all waiting for some miracle and for his memory to snap back,
but it added a lot of angst to the story that could have worked out another
way. We felt that if we were Auriel we would have fought a hell of a lot harder
to be the one to support Olivier.
- The end: We guess we kind
of saw it coming, but it felt a little expected. Like Olivier went on this huge journey of
finding who he wanted to be, and not trying to be the person he was, and the
ending just didn’t fit. It felt like an
ending for the old Olivier.
Fragile Ground is a fascinating story, a twist on a second chance
romance. We loved the writing style and
the authentic characters. This is Louisa
Keller’s debut novel and we can’t wait to read whatever she writes next!
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