Review: Pulled

Pulled 
By Amy Lichtenhan 
Published by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House, 2011
ISBN: 9781612130163
Review copy provided by the publisher
What's it about? Courtesy of Goodreads:

For nine years, they drift through life, unable to forget the one who holds the strings to their hearts. In an attempt to escape the pain of her past, Melanie finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage, while Daniel loses himself in a career that means nothing without Melanie by his side.
Now, when their lives intersect, neither can deny the connection they felt so long ago. 

But will the power that drew them together be enough to heal the wounds from their past, and do they have the courage to overcome the insecurities and fears that threaten to keep them apart? 

Pulled is a story of attraction and separation, of destiny and duty, of a love so strong it refuses to give up even when all others have.

Damn. This book will grab your soul and it won't let go until you've read the very last word. Then, if you are anything like me, you'll fight the urge to immediately read it again. I loved this book.

This is a coming of age romance story of epic proportions. Daniel and Melanie are high school sweethearts. They are that couple, the idyllic couple that has it all with the type of connection that everyone else wishes they could have. They are prepared to make the transition into adulthood together and their decision is solidified when Melanie becomes pregnant her senior year of high school; Daniel is a freshman in college.

Daniel's parents and younger sister are supportive of their union, upcoming nuptials, and the baby. Melanie's parents, on the other hand, are completely in the dark. Her mother lives several states away in Texas and her father is drinking away his relationship problems and can't or won't see Melanie's burgeoning waistline.

Like clockwork, all cannot be perfect for this couple. The weekend Daniel shows Melanie the house he bought for them, they get into a car accident on the way back to Melanie's home she shares with her father. Melanie has an emergency C-section that she doesn't remember and ends up in a coma for days. The baby is born premature and dies a few days later. Melanie never meets her daughter, but her parents finally found out their daughter was having a daughter. Needless to say, it didn't go well. I won't say anymore about this because I don't want to give away too much.

Fast forward nine years. Daniel is a doctor and in practice with his father. Melanie is a housewife to an abusive man who rules her life. Until, fate brings them together at the same table in a restaurant for dinner. What transpires from there is the unraveling of their Romeo and Juliet-esque past that led to the strange places these two find themselves the night of the dinner. It's obvious that there is still a connection between them and what transpires is an at times suspenseful yet poignant story of love, star crossed, in the modern day.

Author Amy Lichtenhan's ability to create a believable, transcending chemistry between Daniel and Melanie is exquisite. I felt them. The hairs on my arms stood up when they touched each other. The electricity between them just jumps off the page.

I cannot say enough about this book. I loved it. It's one of the best books I've read so far this year. On a scale of one (I hated it!) to five (I loved it!), I give this book a five.