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Post Written By Doll Mona Leigh

Seraphina, a twenty four year old poet from California, has never doubted that she loves her Dutch husband, or that she will spend the rest of her life with him. But when his job brings them to the Netherlands, a chance meeting with her husband’s childhood friend (Jakob, a charming violinist) forces her to ask herself if the life she has is truly the one she wants. Spanning nearly a decade, delves into the aftermath of her decision, and paints a carefully constructed portrait of a young woman attempting to bloom amidst the raw and foreign landscape of Holland.

This has to be one of the most difficult reviews I’ll ever write simply because of the overwhelming emotions the story evoked.

In an intensely personal, yet fictional story that reads like a memoir, Seraphina reveals her life in painful detail. She shares the hurtful remarks about her weight during her childhood, yet she doesn’t exhibit any self-pity. She accepts life as it is and moves on.

She’s somewhat surprised that a man as beautiful as Christiaan would be interested in her, much less marry her, and their life is idyllic and happy. She moves to Holland with him and is a bit overwhelmed when he works long hours leaving her to cope on her own. But it seems Christiaan is keeping some secrets.

Enter Jakob, Christiaan’s best friend and concert violinist. The attraction between Seraphina and Jakob is immediate and forbidden. Should Seraphina give in to temptation? Does she know everything she should about Jakob or is he keeping a secret of his own? Is what she feels enough for her to leave Christiaan?

Enter Charlie, Jakob’s friend from Spain. He and Seraphina are immediately at odds with one another for good reason. He returns later, however, and becomes her crutch, her savior of sorts.

Seraphina’s choices drive this story. The minute brushes of intimacy are far more revealing than anything I’ve read before. The story was so private, so personal, I felt as if I were snooping in someone’s diary, reading things I had no business knowing. Rhiannon van der Munnik bared her soul in these pages and there’s no way I could not be affected by it. I cried for days afterward at the injustices of life and I still can’t think of the characters without crying.

As a self-published book, there are a few editorial glitches, but they don’t detract from the story. Somewhere, somehow, a major publishing house completely missed the boat on this one. should be on the NYT bestseller list and I’m willing to bet it will make it there.

 Find Rhiannon van der Munnik:
Website |

Book provided by author.

Mona's first grade teacher, Mrs. Stanford, gifted her with the love of reading. For that, she'll always live in her heart. But reading took over Mona's life, eclipsing everything but playing sports, and has continued to be a huge part of her life. Although she has always written poetry and stories for her self, last year she decided to try her hand at writing fiction. She is currently editing her first urban fantasy and hopes to have it ready for the agent by summer's end. Besides reading, Mona loves speed in the form of fast cars. The faster, the better! In her next life, she plans to drive race cars (or whatever happens to be their replacement in the future) all while reading and writing. She has also taken up rune reading, and find it to be disturbingly accurate and exciting.

Doll Mona Leigh

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