A friendship between the lost and lonely Caroline, and the unhappy Sebastian, leads to an illicit love that threatens them both.
Caroline Wilson is trapped in a cold and loveless marriage with an older man. When her husband finally wins a long sought-after promotion, Caroline feels she has little choice but to follow him to a new home in San Diego. There she meets Sebastian, a young man of 17.
For an all too brief summer, their happiness blooms.
But external pressures begin to bear down, not least from the overbearing David, and Sebastian’s parents begin to suspect that their son has a secret. Even Caroline’s new friend, Donna, realises that dark passions exist below the serene surface.
Caroline Wilson is trapped in a cold and loveless marriage with an older man. When her husband finally wins a long sought-after promotion, Caroline feels she has little choice but to follow him to a new home in San Diego. There she meets Sebastian, a young man of 17.
For an all too brief summer, their happiness blooms.
But external pressures begin to bear down, not least from the overbearing David, and Sebastian’s parents begin to suspect that their son has a secret. Even Caroline’s new friend, Donna, realises that dark passions exist below the serene surface.
Title: The Education of Sebastian (The Education of... ~ Book 1)
Author: Jane Harvey-Berrick | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Publication Date: November 12 2012
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 443 Pages
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Cover Love: Simple, yet perfect
Point of View: 1st person, following Caroline
My Rating: 5 Stars
*Swoon Alert* Sebastian.... oh how I love Sebastian. You all know how I feel about my book boyfriends, and Sebastian is right up there among the best of them. If there is one thing that gets my heart racing, it would be a forbidden romance. I have had The Education of... series on my TBR list for a while now, I only wish I wouldn't have waited so long to start them.
“I knew it was wrong: I knew it was right.”
“I had chosen – willingly, knowingly, deliberately. I chose love over law. And I didn’t care.”
“I had chosen – willingly, knowingly, deliberately. I chose love over law. And I didn’t care.”
I'm not sure if my heart ever stopped racing, and this is not an exaggeration. From the moment that Caroline goes back to San Diego and bumps into grown-up Sebastian, to the very last words spoken, my heart was a flutter. Not only was it fluttering, but it ached for these two. I was willing them to find a way to be together, I cried when things got tough, I cried when the moments between them were so sweet and perfect... so yeah, a lot of tears were shed. And it was wonderful...
What would I change? Hardly anything. To be honest, I think the only thing that would have made it better is if it was dual point of view. But, I am biased, I love a good male point of view. I understand why it was solely told from Caroline's perspective, but I simply loved Sebastian so much, and would have loved to have been in his head for some of these scenes.
“I love you, Caro. I want to make love to you. I want to make love to you forever.”
Please don't be nervous to read this series. I know that the huge age gap, Caroline being 30 and Sebastian being 17 (a few months away from turning 18), can make some people nervous. But honestly, it is so very clear that there is nobody else for either of these two. Age is truly a number, and you will understand what I mean when you read it. You never feel like Caroline is taking advantage of Sebastian, and you really feel their love for each other. Also, with Caroline being married, you may be afraid of there being a love triangle. I will tell you right now, that is not the case. She is very unhappy, and remains unhappy on that front. You never get the triangle vibe.
“He hated the way I dressed, the way I spoke, what I spoke about and the things that interested me to speak about… He wasn’t always an unkind man… we were just fundamentally unsuited to each other.”
As mentioned before, I simply adore Sebastian. His character felt real. He has had to grow up pretty quickly, due to his parents obvious parental neglect. But there are times when his age is made quite obvious. Never in an annoying or 'oh my goodness, what is she thinking' type of way. Just with a few of his mannerisms and actions. But I never disliked him, if anything this made him even more endearing.
The ending? I am not going to lie, it is a HUGE cliffhanger. As sad as I am that it took me so long to get around to reading this, I am so happy that I did so after The Education of Caroline was released. Because honestly, the ending broke me. Even though I knew I could start book two right away, I was broken. But thankfully, there is no waiting required. Book two is published, so you can get to reading.
“I love you, too," I whispered so softly I didn't know if he'd heard me. "Ti amo tanto, Sebastian, sempre e per sempre.”
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