Late in the Day

Reviewed for Will Reads: http://willreads.com/wordpress/mary-calmes-late-in-the-day-comes-at-just-the-right-time/

Tapestry: Something resembling tapestry (as in complexity or richness of design)

Oh my god… I’m not even sure how I can begin this review other than by using the definition above. See, Mary Calmes has a rich history in her books. Characters we meet and instantly fall in love with. What may surprise you is how these characters are connected. You may not even realize it until you read this book, but so many of her stories have threads that she weaves together in complex, intricate ways. This book is an example of her gathering these threads together, pulling them taut, and with that, delivering a punch you didn’t expect to see coming.

Before I delve into this book, I need to let you know one thing. If you’re looking for a sweet, schmoopy romance, this book won’t be for you. Yes, there are romantic elements, and there is a love story here, but it’s secondary to the characters, who they were, who they are, and who they are becoming. Mary uses humor like a scalpel, slicing into the tension and making you laugh, even when you didn’t want to. For example:

“Just think, you go everywhere on me, you get to network, you get to kill people on occasion, and you know secrets that no one else will.”

He took a sip of whatever white wine he was drinking with his shrimp. It smelled good, fruity.

“And best of all, I could die, and you’d get to tell everyone. Doesn’t that sound great?”

“You dying sounds marvelous, but why in the world would you pick me?”

And now, for the characters…

Call him whatever you want, Terrence Moss, Conrad Harris, Gold Team Leader, or Darius Hawthorne. No matter which name you use, he’s still going to be a solid, dependable man who has had his whole world torn away from him. The scene that starts it is violent, dark, and necessary to set him on his path. However, the cost may be too high, even for him. But then again, can you put a price on a heart?

Efrem Lahm. Oh, Ef. What you do to me. You love with your whole heart, and that’s obvious. What happened to you wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right, but it had to happen. And now, you’ve got the chance to find out why. I hope you’re going to be able to handle the truth when it comes out.

And then we have the secondary characters, one of which is my favorite in all of Mary’s books. I had NO idea that all these amazing characters were part of…well, the tapestry that she’s weaving.

I encourage you to grab this book (and series). It’s quite a bit darker than most of her stuff, so you need to be prepared for that. But don’t let it stop you from checking it out, because when you read this one, you’ll be amazed to find out that there aren’t many degrees of separation in their lives.