Reviewed by Tania Staley for Readers' Favorite:

Kristy Pantin’s "Soulmates: An Affair to Remember" reveals the heartache and confusion that occurs in forbidden romance. This collection of poems chronicles the rise and fall of romance in an illicit affair. The speaker meets her soulmate one evening, only to find that he is already in a relationship. She tries to stay away, but finds herself inexplicably drawn to him, even though she knows it is wrong. She tries to fight her feelings, but it is hard to fight when your heart isn’t fully committed. "Soulmates" takes a unique view, and allows the “other woman” to speak. With lines inspired by actual events, these poems give you a chance to peek into the private lives of these star-crossed lovers, and you may be surprised by whose side you are on. When it comes to love and romance, there are no easily defined rights and wrongs. Love may always prevail, but who will love choose?

Pantin’s vulnerability is to be admired. Her poems delve into the raw emotion of unrequited and impermissible love. From flirting to the bedroom, Pantin dismisses judgment and is not afraid to let her poems speak truthfully; she is not worried to show the darker side of attraction. Her speaker aches with emotion, and readers will ache with her. "Soulmates" is not a book just for poets, but rather a book for anyone who is in love, been bruised by love’s scorn, or longs to be in love’s embrace. It is a page-turner, each poem demanding the next to be read. And even long after reading the final poem, Pantin’s words will continue to linger, just like the feel of a soulmate’s touch.