Set in the coastal town of Seagrove, Wash., Shaylin Gandhi's When We Had Forever is a sizzling marital drama with breathtaking levels of deception at its heart. Featuring scorching scenes of seduction, Gandhi's (Once Charmed, Twice Cursed) novel moves back and forth in time as it explores the measure of true love and why caring for someone means setting them free.
The story opens as 30-something Mina Drake confronts the devastating death of her husband, Michael, in a car accident six months earlier. Her soulful voice narrates the arc of their love story: he was a Seattle architect and she was a fledgling writer eager to explore the world. Theirs was an emotionally and sexually charged union, and Michael was a thoughtful lover who initially encouraged Mina's wanderlust. Alas, their bliss was short-lived. Michael became controlling and secretive following an upsetting estrangement with his twin brother, Grayson. When Mina finally meets Grayson after Michael's death, she learns that her marriage was built on a fragile, deceitful foundation. In her heartbroken condition, Mina has no business noticing her brother-in-law's striking sex appeal, and as she unravels Michael's web of lies, Grayson's own role in his brother's deception becomes painfully clear.
Mina is an artful narrator, and her story radiates with sensual energy and the fresh-scented, wooded beauty of the Pacific Northwest. As she emerges from Michael's long shadow, Mina must decide whether to trust her feelings for Grayson and, more importantly, reconcile them with a desire to finally spread her mended wings. --Shahina Piyarali