The Procrustean Bed by gemini13me
Review by SammieLynnsMom
Rating: M
Genre: Drama/Romance
Characters: Edward & Bella
Summary: A Procrustean Bed- a standard or set of conditions, determined arbitrarily, to which everyone is forced to conform. But the question is... are there really any rules when it comes to the affairs of the heart?
When I stumbled on The Procrustean Bed the first time, I had to admit I tilted my head to the side just at the title. Not wanting to look up the word to figure out what the heck it meant, I was happy to see a definition given in the summary. From there, my interest was piqued and then I couldn’t put it down.
The story starts off as a mystery; as Bella, a college student who works in a bookstore literally runs into Edward Cullen, a millionaire lawyer, with a steaming cup of coffee at Starbucks. We learn from the beginning that Edward is a widower after losing his wife, Tanya, to cancer. Bella, who lives with her crass best-friend, Angela, is just getting by each day at a time.
When Edward stumbled into the bookstore Bella works in, you’d think sparks would fly like any other romance story, right? No, and it’s also what drug me into this story further, because I had to know how these two worked out. The journey to finding true love and understanding is slow, and involves a meddling little Jessica, Edward’s niece, after he brings her on a trip to the bookstore. From there, Gemini13me takes her readers on a ride that show’s how Edward slowly begins to come to terms with the loss of his wife, as Bella grows into the role of more.
The story is currently a work in progress. After a trip to the Czech Republic, Edward and Bella connect in a way that they know they can no longer deny, but Bella has yet to meet Edward’s family. Unlike most stories; Edward had refused to bend to his family’s will his entire life, and has even hung up on his mother, that everyone will agree is Satan herself.
"I'm ready," I said, trying to sound as confident as I could. "I want to meet your mother."
Although on the outside I was putting up a brave front, on the inside I was scared shitless. The fear of that terrible woman had irrevocably squeezed its way into my heart and an obsessive prayer was repeating into my mind incessantly.
God help me.
We know the next chapter will bring us to the prologue and will be nothing short of a showdown, which has me definitely stalking for an update! So, go read, you won’t regret it!
Thank you for this lovely review :) I really appreciate it.