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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Breaking Sandcastles" by Kirk Burris.]

Breaking Sandcastles is a romance novel by Kirk Burris. Set in the 1960’s, it follows two main characters, Marion and Jonathan.

As Marion, a new art teacher, starts her first term at Westport High school, one of her students, Jonathan, catches her eye. Not only is he an exceptionally talented artist, he seems to have developed an infatuation with her. Marion is careful to keep their relationship purely professional but even she begins to struggle against the attraction.

At the start of a new year, their lives are suddenly drawn apart. Fate, however, will throw them together again in the most unlikely of places and at the most unexpected of times. Can they overcome the significant age gap between them and find happiness together or will society push them apart?

The story travels from Kansas to France and the beauty and romance of Paris, to Saint Tropez and the bright lights of Monte Carlo. As Marion and Jonathan move on with their lives, someone from their past turns up unexpectedly and threatens to tear everything apart. It’s not just a simple romance, it’s a well-rounded novel which includes murder, mystery, heartache and disaster.

The characters are wonderfully three-dimensional, as their insecurities as well as their good and kind souls are brought to life. In a time when a relationship with an older woman is uncommon, it’s heart-warming to see how they face society’s scrutiny. The secondary characters provide a good balance and history to Marion and Jonathan, offering support and advice as well as voicing their own concerns about the relationship.

Written in third person, the book is divided into chapters from Jonathan’s perspective as well as Marion’s, which helps to develop the characters even more. It starts off in the present day, but jumps back in time to the 60’s for the majority of the story, as the characters reminisce about their past and the stories and actions which brought them to where they are today.

I liked how the imagery of the title, Breaking Sandcastles, reinforces the insecurity and unpredictability of life. How each day nothing can be taken for granted because at any time things can change,either for better or worse. Everything in life is as fragile as a sandcastle on the beach.

The writing is well done with a good pace, which makes it incredibly easy to read. In fact I found this book very difficult to put down once I started reading it, especially as there were some significant plot twists along the way. Although there were one or two spelling mistakes, they were insignificant and did not impact on the story at all.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars as it was an utter pleasure to read with a great story line as well as a good writing style. I smiled, laughed, cheered and cried as the story unfolded. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good romance and who likes to read about love overcoming odds. I look forward to reading more by this author.

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Breaking Sandcastles
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Like micoleon13's review? Post a comment saying so!

It sounds very interesting. The age difference is something you have to be careful with if he's still a minor. Sounds like a great story with good characters though.

Cases of attraction between educationists and their students have been in the news often these days. I hope this book offers lessons on the matter for the guidance of both parties. The review seems to do justice to the book.

Thanks Chrys!

The topic of a relationship between those with significant age gaps seems like an interesting topic to read about. However, I usually don't read romance novels so I think I'll pass on this book. Great job on the review!

I'm glad the author went about this topic in a careful manner; when I first read this book blurb, I was a little worried the book might be uncomfortable to read. I'm interested in the author's writing style. It sounds like she really captured your attention! Great review!

Thanks, I also was a bit wary of the way it would be handled, but it never felt weird or icky to read

I like that the romance novel is in the point of view of both the male and female lead. It makes for a more interesting story when there are multiple povs.

Great Review! ?

I would like to point out that there was never any relationship when the main character was a minor. There was some mutual attraction but that was all. It developed in to a relationship years later, not while at school. I hope that no one was put off by any misunderstanding regarding this, thinking that it promoted underage relationships or relationships between student and teacher, when it does not.

-- 08 Jun 2017, 12:43 --

The setting was also in Kansas city, Missouri, not Kansas.

Good review! This was the best book I read in 2016. The older I get, the more I like romances as long as they're kept real and not all "gooey". This one delivered. I laughed and cried my butt off! And you're right about those plot twists being "significant"! Your take on the title was spot on. "Everything in life is as fragile as a sandcastle on the beach."

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I really love this book. I'm almost done, but I keep trying to stall so that I don't have to finish it.

I loved this book. It made me cry. I like the way the story unfolds. I rated it 3.5 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to everyone

Sounds good, thanks for sharing

Good review! I also did a more recent review on this same book.