The Loved and the Lost Blog Tour/Review

The Loved and the Lost (Verona, 3) by Lory S. Kaufman, February 5, 2013. 313 pages. Published by Fiction Studio. Source: Pump Up Your Books.

They are three time travelers desperate to return to 14th-century Verona to reclaim their medieval family s shattered lives. It is a mission fraught with danger and the risk of unexpected consequences for themselves and for their worlds. For all three, it is a matter of the heart. For one, though, it is truly the only thing that matters, as the fate of his eternal love and the life of their unborn child is the prize to be won or lost forever. In this, the final book of THE VERONA TRILOGY, Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln go on the boldest adventure of their lives. They will face hardship, tragedy, and threats from sources they couldn t have imagined all in an effort to wrestle a future from the steely grip of an unforgiving past.

First Sentence:

Hansum had been watching his younger self for about an hour when Arimus said,
                        “See, my boy, it’s not so hard, and after a while it doesn’t seem so odd.”

Even though it has been quite some time since I finished reading the first two books in Lory S. Kaufman’s Verona trilogy, I was extremely excited to be giving the chance to read and review the final installment. Especially since the end of The Bronze and the Brimstone was pretty much one giant cliffhanger.

The Loved and the Lost was both an interesting and frustrating read for me. Even though I enjoyed the world, writing, and the growth that the characters underwent, I felt that the plot was drawn out just a little too long and that it could have been wrapped up in a quicker fashion. What made the plot slow to me in The Loved and the Lost was that Hansum and company were constantly going back and forth as they tried to prevent the death of Guiletta. It just bothered me because it was obvious (to me) when would be the right time to attempt a rescue.

   So, annoyance aside, I really enjoyed the way Mr. Kaufman depicted 14^th century Verona and his descriptions of the changes to society in the different centuries. While some of the future gadgetry was a little odd, I enjoyed all the slight differences from one time to another and how there were things that those of the far off future were not allowed to talk about-i.e whether or not Hansum would be successful.  

It has taken me a couple days to pin down what I liked most about the close of the Verona trilogy and after much thought I have concluded that what I liked most was that you could see-plainly-the growth that Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln underwent from their time in the 14^th century to their return to their own time. It was definitely nice to be able to see how much each of them matured from their first introduction to the end; I also liked seeing how that the changes were not just on the surface, but down to the very fiber.

While the ending of The Loved and the Lost was good, I readily admit that for the majority of the book I was afraid that the author was going to end it like Shakespeare’s R&J which kept me from loving this book as much as I could have. Like I said, the ending was good and definitely left me feeling satisfied with how things played out for everyone, I just think that perhaps the lead up to the grand finale could have been sped along a little more…

Final Verdict: The Loved and the Lost was a satisfying end to an interesting trilogy. 

The Loved and the Lost earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.