53 Letters for my Lover by Leylah Attar - Nemo

Title: 53 Letters for my Love
Author: Leylah Attar
Pages: 351
Publisher: Pitch73 Publishing
Pub Date: June 17th 2014
Source: Netgalley

This is not your typical love story.
It’s not so black and white. Lines are crossed.
Walls are smashed. Good becomes bad.
Bad becomes very, very good.

Shayda Hijazi—the perfect wife, the perfect mother, the perfect daughter. For thirty-three years, she has played by the rules, swallowing secrets, burying dreams and doing whatever it takes to anchor her family. Shayda Hijazi is about to come face to face with the one thing that can rip it all apart, the one thing her heart has always been denied: Love.

Troy Heathgate—untamed, exhilarating, dangerous—a man who does exactly as he pleases. Life bends to his will. Until he comes across the one thing he would give it all up for, but can never have.

Born on the same day in opposite corners of the world, their lives collide. And nothing is ever the same again. Now Shayda is flying free and Troy has found the one thing that centers his soul, but even as they beat the odds, a cancer diagnosis puts Shayda in a painful dilemma. On the one hand is the man who makes her feel gloriously alive and on the other, her children, and a husband ravaged by the past. 

Spanning three decades, 53 Letters for My Lover is a fiercely sensual, emotional ride to the heart of an epic, forbidden love that defies it all—an intimate exploration of love, loyalty, passion, betrayal, and the human journey for hope, happiness and redemption.

“There are two types of women in the world. Those who run far and fast from Troy heathgate, and those who throw themselves at him. Indifference is not an option.”

I am a sucker for books that have strong female protagonist, and that’s exactly what 53 letters for my lover delivered. I’ve read heart wrenching books and I’ve also read books where they stomp on your heart and throw it in the trash. But this one took it all too a new level, it set my heart on fire and then spread the ashes. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or get mad or just laugh, Mostly I just cried.

It follows the story of Shayda, who is able to escape her oppressive life and move to Canada, but of course it’s with a catch. She needs to marry Hafez, another lucky one who was able to escape. She was ready to refuse to marry him but once she met him, she thought he could make her happy and he was sure that he could love her. Of course nothing is ever what it seems and their marriage once full of hope takes an awful twist. Both are more alone they want to admit.

That’s when Troy comes in, he has an easy smile and beautiful eyes, the kind that every woman dreams about and he laid his eyes on Shayda. Now she has a choice, to keep her and Hafez’s unhappy marriage but keep her family united OR trade her family for a hot affair with Troy.

“Troy meet Hafez, Shayda’s husband. Her anchor, her rock, her safe harbor.
Hafez , meet Troy, the current that sweeps her so far ashore, she forgets which way is home.”

Normally in books where there’s cheating and deceit my moral compass takes over the enjoyment of the book. Yet the point of view of Shayda was so well done that I couldn’t help agree with her choices. It was hard, the heat she felt for Troy but the commitment she made with Hafez and the fact that with Hafez she had family and a past.

“We cling to each other, two souls from broken homes, determined to keep it together, to never let the claws of the past rip our family apart.”

There were things I wasn’t a fan of. For example Shayda changed her mind a lot and she wanted the best of both worlds which wasn’t possible. Also there was hardly a mention of children. Whenever she was it Troy it was as if it was Her, Troy and every now and then Hafez. For someone who was all about family she was hardly thought of the effects in her children, especially since her parent’s divorce hurt her so much. That was really the only thing that bothered me, and it wasn’t all that bad.

Now to dissect our leading men, Hafez first since he’s who we see less off. Even though he’s her husband he has many demons and it takes everything he has to keep them at bay, so he decides to use Shayda as a distraction, and he does love her but at the same time he’s dealing with a lot. Troy is less complicated, he has his own problems but he is used to getting what he wants and he wants Shayda. He turns the charm on to 1000% and I couldn’t help but giggle and blush myself while reading.

“When he said he’d whip something up, I didn’t think it would be this hot, frenzied need in me.”

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Overall it was an emotionally taxing book that payed off in the end. It’s an instant favorite and one I’ll never forget. 

~ Thank You Netgalley! ~