So Much More by Kim Holden

Rating: Three stars
Date published: March 29, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Love is strange. It comes out of nowhere. There’s no logic to it. It’s not methodical. It’s not scientific. It’s pure emotion and passion. And emotion and passion can be dangerous because they fuel love…and hate.
I’m now a reluctant connoisseur of both—an expert through immersion. I know them intimately.
When I fell in love with Miranda, it was swift and blind. She was the person I’d elevated to mythical status in my head, in my dreams.
Here’s the thing about dreams, they’re smoke.
They’re spun as thoughts until they become something we think we want. Something we think we need.
That was Miranda. She was smoke.
I thought I wanted her. I thought I needed her.
Over time reality crept in and slowly dissected and disemboweled my dreams like a predator, leaving behind a rotting carcass.
Reality can be a fierce bitch.
So can Miranda.
And I can be a fool...
who believes in dreams.
And people.
And love.

So Much More is one of the books I've constantly seen floating around the past few months. I was absolutely thrilled to get it in my Romance Reveal box. This was my first Kim Holden book, but I've heard great things about her books, especially Bright Side and Gus. I went into So Much More with no expectations and I loved it. It drew me in from the very start by starting with a blurb from Miranda, Seamus, and Faith about what love is to them. I was intrigued from that moment on.

I think my favorite character was Miranda. She's the type of character you love to hate. She a manipulator with little feelings, who will always get what she wants. Miranda in the beginning kind of reminded me of a character in a Tarryn Fisher novel and I was all for that.

The novel really begins when Miranda leaves Seamus for another man. Seamus has to move their three children to be closer to his job, while Miranda cares very little and disappears until she decides she needs her kids to complete her image of a family with her new husband. She takes the children away and Seamus has very little hope of getting them back, because Miranda is much higher than him image-wise.

Seamus was a little bit hard to like for me because he did things like befriend a stripper and associate with pot smokers. Of course Miranda was going to use that against him. But anyway, I liked his relationship with Faith. She was a lot better for him than Miranda ever was. I also liked the symbolism of the W..E welcome mat for them. It was adorable.

So Much More is a tale of second chances. Miranda wasn't right for Seamus, but Faith is. They have a connection that's much stronger and Faith is a good person. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.