Degrees of Love Book Review

In Degrees of Love, a moment of weakness changes everything.

About Degrees of Love

At thirty-six, Susan Sinclair has it all. She’s just been promoted to Senior Vice President of Mobile Banking at her firm, a prestigious position bringing fresh creative challenges and a hefty salary increase. Like the shiny new BMW in the driveway of the Silicon Valley home she shares with her husband, Matt, and their two beautiful boys, Susan exudes confidence and style.

Yet despite her success in juggling the roles of wife, mother, and businesswoman, Susan struggles with a secret dissatisfaction. Matt’s work in cutting-edge computer research pays less than her job, and with each advance in her career, he has grown more distant. But Matt refuses to admit there is a problem, and Susan forces herself to play along, determined to give her boys the close-knit family life she never had.

Then she meets her new boss, Reese Kirkpatrick. Working and traveling together, she and Reese become a cracker jack team, but little by little, pleasure mixes with business. For the first time in a long time—maybe ever—Susan feels seen and appreciated for who she is. Certain she would never allow their friendship to cross the line, Susan lets herself stray dangerously close to the edge.

A moment of weakness changes everything. Now, unable to stomach the façade her marriage has become yet unwilling to decimate her family by moving forward with Reese, Susan faces a choice that could cost her everything—including her children . . . but possibly bring her more than she can dream.

My Thoughts

Degrees of Love is an excellent novel from start to finish. We have our main character, Susan, who seems to have it all – an amazing job, perfect family, excellent home and financial security. But as we all know too well, sometimes things are deceiving from the outside.

On the inside Susan is craving more. She desires and wants the love that she feels is lacking in her marriage. Matt goes out of her way to ignore her, plans family events that leave her out and seems generally dissatisfied with their marriage and life. Susan has coasted for many years in her marriage, her own childhood influencing this decision to stay with her husband regardless of how unhappy she is. She constantly puts her feelings and emotions last, never asking for more. My heart broke for her so many times!

Her new boss, Reese, unleashes a new lease on life for her. She discovers her own talent, creativity, fun and love of life again. She also discovers that she is hugely attracted to her new boss and him to her. She knows how dangerous this is and struggles so many times throughout the novel with her feelings and relationship. The greatest part being that he made her feel love and treasured, something her husband never made her feel.

Ultimately, Susan is forced to choose – a predictable and safe but lacking love marriage or the unknown but full of affection and love with her boss.

Degrees of Love is an incredible read from start to finish. It is real, raw and full of emotion. You are drawn into Susan’s life from the start and are constantly left guessing as to what she will do. The ending was not what I was expecting but fit the book well. This is a definite must read novel.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Chapters.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Degrees of Love is Lisa Slabach’s debut novel. She is currently working on her third full-length manuscript and a collection of short stories inspired by her experiences growing up in a small farm community in Washington’s Yakima Valley. In addition to writing, Lisa works for a Fortune 500 Company, leading a sales team in the financial industry. She currently resides in Northern California with her husband and has two daughters, who are both pursuing careers in film. In her free time, she enjoys drinking wine with friends and cooking in her pink kitchen.

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.