Evercrossed by Elizabeth Chandler

It’s been a year since Ivy lost Tristan, and they’ve each moved on in the only way they could. Tristan is finally resting in peace, and Ivy can now focus on her relationship with Will. There’s nothing that Ivy would like better than to put the horrors of the past behind her, but while spending the summer in Cape Cod, Ivy ends up in a deadly car crash. As she separates from her wounded body, Ivy is surprised to see that her beloved Tristan is with her. But even more surprising, after his promise never to leave her, is when she wakes up in the hospital—alive. More than ever, Ivy cannot stop thinking about Tristan. Despite her wonderful relationship with Will and the love and support of all her friends and family, something about having seen Tristan gives Ivy hope that he might not actually be gone forever. That’s not a hope that Ivy’s willing to just give up, especially when she suspects her connection to an amnesiac called Guy feels as natural as being with Tristan. Is it possible that Ivy’s true love is not lost after all?

I was both excited and reluctant to read this continuation of the Kissed by an Angel stories. On one hand, I absolutely fell in love with the drama and intensity of Ivy and Tristan’s love in Kissed by an Angel and couldn’t get enough of it. At the same time, though, the third installment wrapped up pretty neatly, and I wasn’t sure even Chandler would be able to bring the story back in a fresh and interesting way. While I wasn’t drawn to the story in Evercrossed, I did find myself marveling a bit about how much I enjoyed it. Maybe Chandler is capitalizing on the success of the Kissed by an Angel stories, but she’s doing it by writing a good story, so I really can’t complain. It’s just so easy to become immersed in Ivy’s life as she tries to sort out the supernatural and more ordinary problems in her life. I probably should have anticipated the abrupt ending in Evercrossed, and though I’m frustrated that Chandler doesn’t quite get to the really juicy stuff I sensed was coming, at least I know there has to be a continuation of the story, which I greatly look forward to.

Fans of Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler will not want to miss Evercrossed, nor will readers who enjoyed Far From You by Lisa Schroeder, Evermore by Alyson Noël, and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from Simon & Schuster Galley Grab