Review: Keeping 13 by Chloe Walsh

Picking up where Binding 13 left off, the second novel in the Boys of Tommen series starts on a dramatic note, with Shannon copping a near fatal beating from her abusive, alcoholic father. From there, the reader witnesses a rollercoaster ride of events, melodrama and even forbidden romance as Shannon's long-lost brother Darren swoops in to care for his injured sister and vows to do everything to keep Shannon and her boyfriend Johnny apart. Johnny has his own problems due to his rugby injuries and fears that his career may be in jeopardy. Meanwhile, no one knows where Shannon's dad is, but, of course, he will be back one last time to cause utter chaos and devastation ...

This was a very dramatic read. The author clearly intended it to be a page turner, and to be fair, it really is in place. However, at 800 pages, it often felt overlong and many parts of the story, such as the number of times Shannon snuck off to see Johnny and the pair didn't really get up to all that much, felt superfluous. (On that note, I feel like both characters were a little inconsiderate of others at times.) The ending was dramatic, but fitting, and showcases the sad reality experienced by people who have violent partners. The writing isn't the best, but some of the descriptions were entertaining enough. One thing that I did appreciate about this one is that the sexual awakening of the main female character was treated with care and respect. 

Recommended to fans of Binding 13. 

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