Sarah Latchaw

The much anticipated second book in the HYDRAULIC series, SKYGODS is here! Just like in HYDRAULIC LEVEL FIVE where whitewater rafting terms are used, skydiving metaphors are used when discussing Kaye and Samuel's life. Each chapter begins with a skydiving term and then moves into the story within a story. Samuel a best-selling author is trying to write the real story of Samuel and Kaye's relationship. The reader learns the history of Samuel and Kaye's relationship while experiencing the highs and lows of their current life.

SKYGODS is the second book in the HYDRAULIC series. Even though this book can obviously stand on its own, I do believe the reader will understand the history and dynamics of Kaye and Samuel's relationship much better if HYDRAULIC LEVEL FIVE is read first.

We pick up right where we left hanging in HYDRAULIC LEVEL FIVE with Samuel and Kaye finding their way back to each other after seven years of being divorced. Each one is treading lightly and realizing they have much to learn about each other's past and present. Samuel is currently on tour for his first movie premiere based on his best-selling book that will likely lead to many more movies. Kaye is noticing the building pressure of Samuel's multiple appearances and interviews and wonders how much more he can handle before he hits the breaking point.

Kaye is busy with her own clients as part of her PR firm in Colorado. Part of her stress-relieving measures include skydiving. When one of her dives goes wrong, she realizes that her behavior really affects those she loves. But is she willing to give up the thrill of adventure for Samuel?

As Samuel ends up depending on Kaye more and more, Kaye realizes there is something more going on with Samuel than just the stress of a celebrity lifestyle. When she learns deep hidden secrets from his past, she wonders if she can really love him enough to overcome it.

I am not someone who typically reads romance novels, but SKYGODS is much more than romance. There are multiple layers to Kaye and Samuel's relationship and a history that keeps their story interesting and provocative. This is no fluffy romance but one with tension, love, fear, drama, laughter, and passion. The celebrity angle also keeps the reader fascinated by the many people it takes to make and keep someone a "star" and in the spotlight.

Fans of Latchaw's writing will also find her beautifully detailed settings in Colorado mixed in with the harsh contrast of New York and Boston city life. The friends and family prominent in HYDRAULIC LEVEL FIVE return again in SKYGODS offering strong characteristics and opinions while bringing more depth to Kaye and Samuel's story.

Latchaw is a gifted storyteller, giving the reader a perfect description of a situation, a person or a place. She places you in the moment right along with the characters either with her descriptive words or by using metaphors to explain the feelings in the moment.

"I felt my body settle into wet, slimy grass.
Several shadows hulked over me mercifully
blocking the heavy gray sky from my light-sensitive eyes." Page 33

"My bones had been broken not seven years, but twenty-seven.
Mom left me for her gardens and squished heart.
Dad left me for his new young thing.
Samuel left me for his demons...
But I'd been so busy hunkering down against the next break,
I never let those bones heal.
Like a little girl, I was so wrapped up in my fears,
I'd forgotten the fears of others...namely, Samuel's." Page 176-177

The dark and difficult moments of mental illness are brought to a glaring reality. Latchaw paints an brutally honest portrayal of both the one suffering and the loved ones who try to help. Readers will find themselves wanting to tell Kaye to run away and yet understand why she can't possibly give up.

The end of SKYGODS leaves the reader expecting more to come in Kaye and Samuel's story. The reader can be hopeful for an ending full of happiness, trust, and love.… (plus d'informations)

Hydraulic Level Five is a term used in whitewater rafting. In the book, HYDRAULIC LEVEL FIVE, symbolism is used to show the dangers of whitewater rafting and the pitfalls of relationships. Latchaw merges the two together to create a story of love, heartbreak, and forgiveness.

Kaye and Samuel have been childhood friends, lovers, a married couple and are now divorced. Samuel is now a published author and even has one of his books being made into a movie. Now living the celebrity life with book tours and red carpet events, Kaye seems so disconnected from his life. Their divorce has been final for seven years and Kaye is a wreck because Samuel is coming back to Colorado for his sister and Kaye's best friend, Danita's wedding. What is breaking Kaye's heart is that he is bringing Caroline, his gorgeous editor, as his date.

HYDRAULIC LEVEL FIVE is set in Lyons, Colorado, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Kaye runs a successful PR firm and gets a rush on the weekends with her friends by participating in various extreme sports including, whitewater rafting, mountain climbing and skydiving. Each chapter begins with a different whitewater rafting term that symbolizes what is going on with the characters in that chapter.

Throughout the book, the reader is also treated to snippets of Samuel's novels, as well as the memoir he is writing about his childhood with Kaye. In these, we are given pieces of Samuel's and Kaye's life that we might not initially see. With the story in a story, we are exposed to Latchaw's wide range of talents in her writing.

Besides Kaye and Samuel, the loving, close-knit Mexican-American family, the Cabral family, are a big part of the story line. Reading about the culture and traditions of this Hispanic family was a nice addition and gave the characters a firm foundation because every one of them were connected to the Cabrals in some way. Kaye's love and devotion to this family is challenged by Caroline. But, Kaye is determined to find out what made Samuel choose to give up on their marriage and not look back. An incident at one of Samuel's book signings, some pranks, and a shocking revelation about Samuel, culminate in a life-changing revelation for both Kaye and Samuel and the future of their relationship.

With Kaye and Samuel's relationship there were numerous highs and lows. The reader is one minute frustrated with their immaturity and the next fighting tears over their strong emotions. In the following snippets from the story, you can see the depth of their love for each other even among their failures.

"But...what if getting unstuck meant letting go of Samuel? Not just physically separating myself from him - I'd tried that already, and it hadn't worked. What if it meant letting go of the love I still harbored for him, buried amidst bitterness, anger, regret? Was that what Jaime meant when she said I wanted to be stuck? If so, I didn't know if I was strong enough to let go." Page 85

"Being his friend would also mean playing witness to his romances and eventual marriage, whether the woman was Caroline or someone entirely different. It would mean being there for his wedding, the birth of his children, and any other happiness that came calling. Was I strong enough for that? Was I masochistic enough for that? But if I got my answers from him and moved past his...stuckness, I might have those things, too. Marriage. Children. Companionship. Love? And as my friend, he'd also play witness to my happiness. It came down to this: was sharing each other's lives, and taking the joys that came with it, worth the heartache?" Page 165-166

For someone who doesn't typically read contemporary romance novels, I enjoyed the depth of characters, the detailed setting, the story within a story, and the passionate way the characters cared about their friends and family. The book doesn't just gloss over romance but hits at the hard realities of life including drug abuse, mental illness, and the pain of divorcing the person you thought you would be with forever. Latchaw is a strong novelist and one I hope has many stories to tell.… (plus d'informations)