The Lives Between Us

WOMEN'S FICTION:  Skye Kendall is a passionate woman with a head of steel. When she finds a cause worth championing she will fight to the death to achieve her goals, especially when a loved one is involved. Mark Dutton, friend of the enemy, stumbles upon the alluring Skye and develops a fondness for her. Can she overcome her hatred of Senator Hastings, and can Mark come to trust Skye, even though she is a reporter? Can love survive the lives and deaths that lie between two people destined to be together? 

A complex, but intelligent introduction to stem cell therapy and its benefits, Ms. Rizzo intertwines a beautiful budding romance with a story of death and renewal. The enormity of the tale being told does take time to adapt to, but the characters keep the reader engaged. The strong emotional tension within drives each character to do what they do, creating a strong timeline of events. The plot is an intricate dance that is astutely orchestrated, start to finish. The story flows gracefully from tragedy to hope, and back to distress, but sometimes you wonder if less might not have been better. The ending was a tad unsettling as it alludes to a sequel starring the senator, but that could be an intriguing tale in itself, if left  in Ms. Rizzo’s skilled hands. There is no turning back from this love affair, Skye and Mark are meant to be. The question is, where does Senator Hastings' plot twist lead to? 

Penelope Anne Bartotto