A year after Estelle's fiancΓ© dies, she sells their house and moves back in with her brother to finally try to move on with her life. She devotes herself to her art, coming to terms with her grief, and her mind continues to linger on the guy she has never forgotten, her brother's best friend, Oliver. Now that she is living with her brother, her and Oliver see each other all the time, and there is no denying their chemistry. But when the history between them is so dark, will they ever find a way to be happy together again?
I have a huge weakness for brother's best friend romances, and KALEIDOSCOPE HEARTS nails that particular relationship's allure and intrigue. Oliver and Estelle basically grew up together, always flirting around each other but never committing or finding a balance together. The sexual tension between the two is intense and teasing, and the flashbacks to their past provide strong ground for understanding the present emotional distance between them. Though a touch cheesy in areas, their banter is witty, hilarious, and sexy.
As much as I love their interactions, the romantic conflict is a bit hard to nail down. The two obviously have several issues to work out during the story, but it gets a little foggy as to what is actually standing in their way of being together, the one thing that could make the biggest difference. It feels like the story bounces around a lot from Estelle's brother, Victor, being the big issue to Oliver's previous lack of commitment to both of their jobs, etc. When one issue would seem to be resolved, the story would become a little slow before moving on or going back to another problem. This is much more present in the second half of the story than the first half, but it did slow down my reading a bit.
Overall, Claire Contreras forms a wonderful story and voice in KALEIDOSCOPE HEARTS. Though I had a few issues in areas, I absolutely enjoyed reading about Estelle and Oliver. I would definitely recommend this to other fans of brother's best friend romances, and readers who enjoy a good, emotional story.
“What do you want, Oliver?” I whisper against his lips. “What do you want from me? You want to kiss me? You want to fuck me? You want to come into my life like the hurricane that you are and tear down everything I’ve rebuilt before you disappear again?” His lips brush lightly against mine—just a breath of a touch—yet he’s crowding me like he’s about to devour me. He won’t though. He never goes in for the kill. He just casts the lure, reels me in and then cuts the line. As expected, his hands drop, and he pulls away from me as quickly as he’d approached. I feel a pang deep inside me that I desperately wish wasn’t there. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly, shaking his head in a movement that makes his hair sway back and forth. His eyes are soft on mine now, and I can almost hear his thoughts: I should never have kissed her. I should never—
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