Friday Reads: Nothing Stays in Vegas by Elena Aitken

I stumbled upon Elena Aitken last year on Twitter when we had a little conversation with another lady we were both following.  When I saw that she was in Okotoks, was a runner, writer AND had twins...I knew she would be a great gal to follow...and I was right.   I've never met her in person (yet) but it's only a matter of time.  I already think of her as being a similar soul to me and I was very excited when she decided to self publish her first novel (since that is probably the avenue I will take with The Loracian Stone when it is ready).  This one was definitely on my must-read list for this summer.  In fact - it's only a few bucks for the ebook so I recommend you guys pick it up and give it a read as well!   Let's build her a fan base :) (the link, below, is for the Kindle edition...you can get other versions on Smashwords)

Nothing Stays in Vegas is a wonderful love story and shows how a single night can change your life forever.   Five years ago, Lexi spent a weekend in Vegas to celebrate her best friend's birthday.  She had been separated from her husband for a few months, but really had no intention of finding a little action of her own.  Until she met Leo.

Leo was the handsome guy on the hotel staff who was instantly drawn to her.   With little more than an introduction, he made sure that Lexi and her friend had a memorable birthday celebration.   Part way through the night, he popped by to see how everything was going and the sparks began to fly.   It was love at first sight, though both denied it to themselves at the time.   The night passed and an unexpected and important career development prevented Leo from meeting up with Lexi the next day.  She returned to Canada feeling rejected and used and, when her estranged husband met her at the airport and professed his love and his sudden willingness to have children with her (the main reason for the downfall of their marriage in the first place), Lexi welcomed him back into her life and they went on to quickly become pregnant.

But when the baby was born - he didn't look like Andrew...bet you can guess who he DID look like, though.

Fast forward 5 years and Lexi's best friend is now getting married and has decided that she wants to do it quickly and...in Vegas!  Lexi is nervous about returning.  What if she sees Leo?  She's never quite forgotten him, after all.   How could she?

Even though they were staying in a different hotel than last time, who turns out to be put in charge of the wedding preparations but Leo, himself.   And he hasn't forgotten Lexi at all.

The sparks are still there and Lexi's husband isn't blind. I don't want to go too in-depth as to what happens next, you should really just buy the book and find out.  It's amazing!

This book kept me captivated for several evenings of reading.   Aitken has created agonizingly real characters who you can't help cheering for.  I was pleasantly surprised when the narrative first switched to Leo's point of view.  It was nice to see both sides of the story play out and gave it much more depth than it might have otherwise had (kind of like how Midnight Sun gave incredible depth to Twilight by giving Edward's point of view).  

The book is a fairly quick read and will make you smile as the pieces start to come together - though you always feel the cost each decision has on the characters.   I really liked it and I do recommend it.   For $3, you really can't go wrong.