REVIEW *** SAFE WITH YOU by Sophie Lira

O​livia Simon is starting over in the Big Easy. Her new job as a yoga instructor means she gets to pursue her passion, while giving her the motivation she needs to get back on track. But she’s scared. Really scared. Scared her abusive ex-boyfriend will find her. Scared of all things that go bump in the night… and day. She knows her ex will have a claim on her future happiness unless she can find her own peace. Which starts with Kyle.

Kyle Avery, a former college baseball player on the brink of going pro, is also starting over. His dream since Little League was shattered when a jealous rival went too far in a pre-season game. After a few surgeries, all Kyle is left with are a few rods in his leg, a rebuilt knee, and no idea who he is without baseball. But when he trades center field for a yoga mat, he finds solace in a way he never imagined. Kyle knows there’s something about Olivia. Something he needs to move forward.

But Olivia loves to run, and it’s too soon for her to be playing house. Olivia and Kyle want to invest in each other, but the secrets they’ve kept take a dangerous turn when Olivia’s past returns with a vengeance. Devastated and helpless, Olivia wonders who she can really trust, and Kyle questions if he was ever able to keep her safe 

 

Safe With You is the debut novel by Sophia Lira and she does a good job.  First let me say I love New Orleans.  Every time I visit I have a good time and I love stories that take place in this city.  It is a very interesting place and a fascinating backdrop for a romance. 

Safe With You is the story of a young woman, Olivia Simon, on the run and hiding from an abusive ex.  The experience makes her cautious of people, especially men.  She decides to start over in New Orleans working as a yoga instructor, she is rebuilding her life and finding her place.

Kyle Avery has a past himself.  His life before “the injury” is working toward a career in major league baseball. He was good and the potential for a career in the big leagues.  His challenge is trying to live with the knowledge that his injury didn’t come from playing the game but an attack by a jealous rival.  He can’t get past this loss.  He doesn’t have a reason to move on until he meets Oliva.  She sparks a flame in his heart.

There are some positives and negatives that I need mentioning.

On the plus side, I love Kyle Avery.  He is a good, strong hero.  I like his loving, loyal, and tenacious personality.  He inspires loyalty in his friends too.  Kyle works to get Olivia to trust him and wears her down bit by bit.  He is learning how to move on with his life and finds a new focus that isn’t baseball. 

Olivia is a good character too but I find it difficult to connect with her compared to Kyle.  That is strange because the first several chapters I really like her.  Reviewing the story, I believe part of the problem is so much of Olivia’s past is implied but not really given the attention it needs for the reader to feel what she feels. 

The support characters are attention-grabbing and add a lot to the story.  I really like characters who are good friends.  Cam takes on a great deal for Kyle and sometimes feels his pain as much as Kyle does himself.  Helena is a good boss and friend to Olivia.  I like the strength of this character.  I like that the friends aren’t perfect and their human flaws come through too making them complex and interesting.

My only criticism is the huge gaps in understanding some events, especially Olivia, because of unanswered questions.  Like I said there are a lot of implied answers, I understand that Olivia is afraid of her ex but what really happened?  Why is she so certain that he is going to track her down and ruin her life?  I can imagine a scenario but I need to hear, and feel, these events from the characters’ perspective.  Since this is told in alternating points of view these holes should be filled.  If answered I could feel her fear and experience the novel more completely

What is the deal with Olivia’s brother, Braden? I don’t get his purpose.  Does he really care about his sister or is he hiding from her to take his friend’s side in their arguments?  By the end I feel like what did I glean from Braden?  He didn’t really advance the story and sometimes I feel like he was thrown in for some more angst and then forgotten. 

There are some other holes too, like Kyle’s rival.  It is never explained why he is so jealous and why he took that jealousy to such an extreme.  An experienced beta reader would have a timeline and holes in the plot noted. 

Sophia Lira is a good writer with a lot of potential.  The criticism is one that I expect from a new author who is getting her team together.  As time goes on she will have a group who will keep track of timelines, loss threads, etc.  I am looking forward to seeing more from Ms. Lira in the future. 

3.5 STARS

 Sophie hails from the east coast with the accent to prove it. When she's not writing, she works in a small brewery or going to Crossfit. Her favorite things include Football, the Olympics, Siberian Huskies, and traveling.

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