Kingston Court - Holly Kammier

I had the chance to read Kingston Court, after reading Choosing Hope a month or so ago. Both books are set in a similar place with some of the same background characters. I really enjoyed that book, so was looking forward to giving Kingston Court a go.

Kingston Court

What happens when you take middle-aged, stay-home-moms, and throw them back into the workforce and dating? A modern twist between Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City, Kingston Court follows the love, lies, and friendships of two wealthy Southern California women.
Samantha and Natalie are at a crossroads. Gorgeous, over-the-top Samantha, hangs her status and her happiness on her “perfect” husband. That is until she learns his secret.
But she’s not the only mother on the block struggling. Natalie, nurturing and careful, is thrust back into the workforce after her husband barely survives a horrifying car crash. However, it isn’t just her new job co-hosting a national morning news show that keeps her busy. Alik, the hot young production assistant, does everything in his power to seduce the woman he loves.
Death and misfortune in the span of a single year force these two women to rediscover their inner strength and make life-changing choices. Kingston Court is full of scandal, temptation, and all of life’s juicy little secrets.

My Review

If you're looking for a light and fluffy romance with a neat happily ever after ending, then this isn't the book that you're looking for. No, Kingston Court is so much more than that. Yes, there's romance and sex. But that is only a small element of this book. Firstly, there are two main characters; Natalie and Samantha. They live in the same place and are both suddenly finding that their lives have been turned upside down, but their storylines are two distinct narratives. I loved the way their stories unfolded through the pages of the book, parallel and similar in many ways, but not really linked.

Natalie is faced with returning to work and trying to save her family after a car accident leaves her husband recovering and in many ways completely changed. All that she has known and believed for the last twenty years is thrown into question and she has to ask herself what she really wants for her life and her future. 

Samantha's life is devastated in a completely different way, but the end result is no less traumatic. She too is faced with questioning who she is and all that she really feels and believes. For both women, a new life is on the cards, whether they want it or not.

I think one of the things that I liked most about this book, similar to Choosing Hope, is that it didn't try to suggest that there was an easy answer to anything. Although, in some ways, the ending was quite neat and brought a good end to the story. Life is complex and messy and fragile. I thoroughly enjoyed Kingston Court and would highly recommend it.