Seized by Love

 I don’t believe I need to state how much I love Melissa Foster’s work.   Anyone who follows my reviews knows of my fascination with her work.  Her stories are compelling, engaging and not at all predictable. Seized by Love is the first book in the book in Love In Bloom: The Ryders series.  Of all the books that I have read by this author, I do believe that this is the raunchiest of them thus far.   There were scenes that would make you blush from your head to your toes.  That being said Seized by Love is suitable for mature readers only. What would you do if the woman of your dreams rejected every effort you have made to secure a date with her?    Would you give up and call it a day or will you persist with the hope that you would one day be able to convince her that you are worthy?  Well, this was the challenge that Blue Ryder was faced with. From the moment, he laid eyes on Lizzie Barber he knew that she was the one for him, if only he could convince her of that. He spent a year trying to convince her of that fact.  Talk about persistence and perseverance! Blue and Lizzie are friends, however, he wanted to move beyond the friend zone.  Lizzie, however, was fearful of going beyond friendship as she was living a double life.  She had secrets that she did not want to be revealed for fear that her friends and family would think less of her. This fear was further enhanced by the fact that she was viewed as a straight - laced person.  Blue, however, was determined to break down her barriers.   Lizzie was not comfortable with her secret, however, she felt compelled to continue with the charade as she believed it was the only way she could help her sister. I admired her convictions. The fact that she was willing to do something that she was uncomfortable with so that she could help her younger sibling was an indication of the selfless, compassionate and caring person that she was.  It was, therefore, understandable why Blue was enamored with her. It was fun seeing Blue and Lizzie together.  They were perfect for each other and it was evident that they were very much in love. What I enjoy about Melissa’s work is her ability to incorporate real life issues into her stories.  This ability enables her readers to be pulled into each aspect of her character’s lives. In this instance, we see that love, no matter how strong will always be tested.  How we respond to the tests will determine the length of our relationships. While reading, I was reminded how easy it is for  persons to pass judgement on individuals based on their actions without understanding what led to them making that decision.  In addition, we see how easy it is to pass judgement when the one making the judgement is not in the position of the person who they are judging.  I thought this was an amazing story. I can’t wait to read the remainder of the series. If you are eager to discover if Blue and Lizzie’s love was able to pass the test, then you need to get yourself a copy of Seized by Love. I recommend it highly.   Miss me?” Blue whispered against her ear. “How could I?” She already felt like part of his family’s inner circle. “I love you so much, even when you’re not here, you’re still with me.”