ARC Review: Madly, Deeply by Erica Crouch

Title: Madly, Deeply
Author: Erica Crouch
Publication: June 17th 2014 by Patchwork Press
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea...

Annaleigh Wells and William Calloway had a love even the angels envied. It was as if the universe spun them toward one another, like the stars crafted their souls to fit perfectly together.

With a wedding on the horizon, fate had a change of heart. Whispered warnings from phantoms and morbid nightmares darkened every night—but even visions of the future couldn’t save Annaleigh.

Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem Annabel Lee, Crouch’s period romance Madly, Deeply tells the tale of love so great, it cannot be contained in just one life.

-- My Rating --

4/5 Oscars: Really Liked It

-- My Thoughts --

     When I received this book for review, I was really excited. I am a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe and specially his poem, Annabel Lee. And this book is a retelling of the poem, so this was definitely a plus.
     Annaleigh and William had a love that went beyond all reason. It was as if they couldn't be without each other, in life and in death. But fate had different plans for them and it all started on their wedding day.
     This book is an eerie, dark read. I loved the author's writing style. It fit perfectly with the surrounding gloom and tragedy. Beautiful lyrical prose is what describes it. And Crouch's descriptions are a treat to the eyes. You can vividly imagine the beautiful surroundings.
     Then, there are the characters. We don't have that many; there is Annaleigh. Whom is a brave, sweet and lovable girl. And William, who is everything a girl can ask for. Then, there is William's sister and I absolutely loved her. She added a lot to the book considering that she was just a secondary character.
     The romance is the main subject of this book. it is always there, creeping up on you. And I found that I didn't really mind that this book was mainly focused on the romance and not much of the paranormal aspect of the story. I loved that the author used a different approach, when this book starts, Annaleigh and William are already in love and have been together for a long time. That was definitely refreshing to witness.
     The ending was quite a surprise. I definitely didn't expect this book to go down that road. I wanted more of the paranormal aspect explained. But I didn't get that. And that was definitely the reason why I gave this book four stars instead of five.  But all in all, this was a very enjoyable and quite short read that will appeal to fans of doomed romances and star-crossed lovers.