A Veil of Glass and Rain Review

Book Review 

April 19. 2014

A Veil of Glass and Rain

by:Petra F. Bagnardi

Blurb ~ Brina and Eagan meet for the first time when she's nine and he's fourteen. They like each other from the very beginning, although their bond isn't immediate, but it grows over the years. What links them is the fact that their parents are photographers and are extremely devoted to their work and to each other; so much so that both Brina and Eagan have to learn how to take care of themselves from a very young age. Despite their differences, age, gender, nationality, Brina is Italian and Eagan is American, they find comfort in their growing friendship. 

Then Brina becomes a teenager, and her feelings for her friend start changing and deepening. New desires stir within her. As soon as Brina realizes how those feelings complicate her friendship with Eagan, she runs away from him. 

A few years later, Brina is twenty and Eagan is twenty-five, they find one another once again. Brina is studying cinema in Rome and she's also trying to become a musician. Eagan begins to work as an architect in the same city. Eagan wants to be a part of Brina's life anew. Brina, however, is still in love with him; she finds it difficult to act merely as a friend and she keeps pulling away.

Set in the beautiful Rome, this is a sensual and romantic story of friendship and love.

My Review 

3 Destined-To-Be-Stars

Copy provided by Author for Honest Review

3 Stars ★★★

This was an interesting read for me. It was sweet at times, often emotionally charged but mostly a storyboard of Brina and Eagan’s relationship. The beginning was hard to follow since it’s often switching from the past to the present and all points in between. Once you get about 1/3 of the way through the pace works with the storyline and somewhat reflects both Brina and Eagan’s fluctuating relationship. Then again with a 5 year age gap between them, a little confusion and emotional whiplash spices things up.

I don’t really have an opinion of Brina. I found myself wishing the story was mainly in her POV since she had so much to share and as readers I felt we only got snippets of her feelings and emotions. (The first half of the story mainly revolves around Brina and Eagan takes up the second half.) Her parents love for one another was something that played a role in hardening her as a child and also stunting her childhood experiences. Mostly because they cared so much for each other she sort of fell to the wayside. The way both her parents and her and Eagan care about each other is scary. It’s as if they truly are each other’s other halves. Without the other, they are not whole and cannot live a full or happy life. When Eagan is missing from her life, Brina, goes into a living depression. One where eating, sleeping and just living matter little to her.

Eagan’s home life is practically the same as Brina’s. His parents are all about each other but seem to forget how to live without the other. Unlike Eagan Brina is alone. Eagan has grandparents who he visits and showers him with all the family emotions and caring his own parents can’t give. Brina misses out on all of this as the only people she has is her parents. It’s very sad to see how distanced they are and it’s surprising that Brina never got too out of control from anger and resentment. But then Eagan provided a grounding nature that she never stopped falling back on.

As far as Eagan goes he grew on me over time. At first I thought he was kind of a dick but sometimes it’s our reaction to lash out and be mean when you feel backed into a corner. Eventually he grew on me and I found him overly adorable for turning his life into something that would be worthy of Brina.
I think more than anything I found myself jealous of these characters. Much of their time is spent distancing themselves from one another or trying to pry themselves apart. They are in many ways needy and I just wanted them to sit back and smell the roses, so to speak. Sure their parents were often absent but at the end of the day they still had each other, their friendship and travel opportunities most of us could never be so lucky to imagine. The five year age gap between them did make things trickier. Since they’ve been close since they were little kids Eagan had to grow up before Brina and she had to watch it happen.

Aside from my own issues with the writing style (past tense) and time-jumps I wish there was more tension from outside the characters… I know, that sounds crazy but they created so much inner turmoil themselves that it left no room for the outside world. But both Brina and Eagan had an inherent strength that time and distance could not diminish and it resonated through the page. Brina knew her feelings for Eagan, but without anyone acting on them or discussing them all they did was end up further apart. But don’t worry, everyone wizens up in the end and they find their HEA.

Overall I enjoyed this story. While my kindle kept shutting off every other page, I thought I would never finish but alas a lot of power switches later and I was done in no time. This was a very quick read. I was surprised how fast things went but once the story picks up you’re engaged to the end and just hoping everything works out. I loved the use of the title throughout the book, more often than not Brina is looking through a veil of some sort and it added an interesting element to the story and gave the title a much deeper meaning. Though the 2/3 of the book are fairly clean, closer to the end is where all the magic happens, if you know what I mean. Wink**wink**!! When Brina and Eagan finally give into temptation and realize they can’t fight their desire anymore, clothes will fly and gasps will ensue. These two are so hot for each other it’s hard to imagine them denying themselves this long. I would recommend this to older teens and definitely fans of NA, this is right up your alley.

On a side note: I loved how much Eagan feared Brina’s driving. Sure there was a reason for it, but in Rome everyone drives crazy, you’re crazy if you don’t!!

View all my reviews

PEACE LOVE & HAPPY READING!!!