4.5 stars

Book Review – The Education of Caroline (The Education #2) by Jane Harvey-Berrick

February 13, 2013 by Aestas · 135 Comments

“I love you, I have always loved you and… I will always love you. Sempre e per sempre.”

Buy THE SERIES SET: EDUCATION OF SEBASTIAN & CAROLINE (Kindle)

Ohhh I had so much anticipation going into this one!! After the brutal cliffhanger at the end of book one that had my heart in knots and my heart in my throat I just NEEDED more!

I will keep this review as spoiler-free as possible but if you read it, you will see some general details about the story – but no major plot twists or anything.

But, if you haven’t yet read book #1, you can read my review for that HERE.

We know from the blurb that this book takes place 10 years after the events of book #1 so there was the huge worry – what happened to them during those years apart? Why were they kept apart?? Literally just a million questions were pouring through my mind so off I went to find the answers.

Ten years later, Caroline has made it on her own in the world as a military journalist – she has basically made her dream come true. I was very happy for her but my heart was fluttering all over the cuz I neeeeeded to see Seb again! What happened to him? Where was he?? God, I MISSED him!!

We don’t have to wait for too long though because soon into the story, Caroline is sent on assignment to report and in walks Sebastian Hunter, US Marine… *dreamy sigh* my heart pretty much just leapt into my throat when he showed up.

He’d changed, life had hardened him and he was all grown up and badass. But yet at the same time, he was still just Seb and ohhhh my God, I swear I just wanted to hug him!!

I have to say that I really just felt all out bad for him. The poor guy was really just fucked over by life. If you think about it all from his perspective, he really, from the start of his life played all his cards right and yet just got continually screwed over by fate. I can see how that would have changed him. The poor guy. Really made my heart hurt for him.

It also made me happy to learn that he didn’t just spiral downward from the end of the last book – he waited for her but when the twists of fate kept them apart again, only then was it that he began to change.

I was relieved though that neither of them ever was in a committed relationship so, just like in the first book, there was thankfully no love triangle here. No cheating, nothing.

When they meet, he’s got 17 days before he deploys again and she has 2 weeks before her assignment so they decide to take the trip through Europe they always talked about.

I loved watching them reconnect. They were an interesting blend of functional and disfunctional. It was clear that their feeling for each other hadn’t changed but with so much history and missed opportunities, things were just not exactly the same.

“It was as if nothing’s changed, but everything’s changed.”

But despite the years of separation, they were still just Caro and Seb – meant for each other against all the odds of the world.

After all the “trauma” of the last book, I appreciated that the author gave them a fair bit of ‘together’ time to reconnect and just ‘be’ … you know? Without the huge constant angst that the last book had brought on by the intense fear of them being caught. This book definitely took its time to give them the swoony, happy, romantic time together that you just craved for them.

I have to say in many ways it felt like they had never been separated. Do any of you have the kind of best friend where you can not talk for ages but then suddenly send them a text and you’re instantly chatting as though you’d never been apart? Well Seb and Caro felt like that as a couple. They had their ups and downs, anger, hurt, love, loss, everything – but it never changed the way they felt about each other deep down. Not really.

But despite the swoon of first half of the book, things weren’t all rosy and it seemed that, as always, just when they almost had things under control, something worked against them to tear them apart.

“I really fucking hate this, Caro. We’re always running in different directions, we’re always running out of time. I just want to wake up with you in my arms every day.”

In the first book they were separated by age and the rules of society. But now, ten years later, their lives have taken them in dangerous directions that have the potential to tear them apart again. There were scenes where my heart ached – it just absolutely just plain HURT for them.

There is a bit of separation and there are some heart-stoppingly scary things that happen but these are the two main things that personally I need to know to get me “through” a book, so I’ll tell you in case it helps you too:

First and most importantly, there is a HAPPY ENDING to the series – they are happy, together, and free to live out the rest of their lives together. Okay?

Secondly, despite there being some separation in the book, it never lasts more than a few pages so, again, rest easy. And also, there is NO cheating in the entire series! This doesn’t count whatever they both did in their 10 years apart, but even then, if you read the story, it still to me was absolutely not cheating given the information they both had about each other.

There were a few things that bothered me a little but nothing major that stood out. Things like how, in some ways, it felt like Caroline was still treating him like a kid, and for whatever reason, I found myself almost wanting to skim a few of the sex scenes (shocking, right?? I’m still not entirely sure why), and a few other small niggling things, but really, I have very little in the way of complaints.

I actually cried in this book. I found that this book pulled stronger non-angsty emotions out of me than the last book did. There were some very swoony romantic moments, a few worrying ones, and one that just totally made my heart DROP (that’s the one that made me cry) but over all, I had to say I found it to be a calmer book because I wasn’t reading every single page in fear quite like the last one. I guess his age brought with it a certain relief, you could say.

Overall though, I can say that I really enjoyed these two books. There was swoon, angst, romance and heart ache. I connected with the characters, enjoyed the flow of the writing style and loved finally seeing Seb and Caro get the happily-ever-after that they deserved.

“I want to have a life with you, Caro, for the rest of my life… Just as long as we’re together. This time, forever.”

♥

4.5 stars

CLICK TO BUY THE SERIES BUNDLE
includes both The Education of Sebastian + The Education of Caroline

Book Review – The Education of Sebastian (The Education #1) by Jane Harvey-Berrick

February 9, 2013 by Aestas · 253 Comments

“I love you, Caro. I want to make love to you. I want to make love to you forever.”

Buy THE SERIES SET: EDUCATION OF SEBASTIAN & CAROLINE (Kindle)

This book made my heart RACE. It was a captivating story of forbidden love. I’m still recovering from the huge cliffhanger ending and most definitely planning to go straight on to book #2.

I gotta say I was a little hesitant going into this one because of the huge age gap between the hero and heroine. For the record, Sebastian is 17 (4 months shy of 18), and Caroline is 30 and (unhappily) married. I kind of wavered back and forth a fair bit on it before deciding I should really just give it a shot and I pretty much just jumped in with both feet knowing nothing other than the fact that this one ends on a cliffhanger, but the sequel has a happy ending.

I want to say that the age difference was totally ‘fine’ but in truth it was almost fine. There were definitely moments where you really felt Seb’s age shine through but then definitely moments where you felt his maturity. There was no doubt though that they were definitely soul-mates, or “right” for each other. It was just their situation that was unfortunate.

I knew from very early on that Seb and Caro would be one of *those* couples I would just want to pluck out of their setting and put them on some desert island somewhere to live out their happy, peaceful, non-judged lives together. But.. *sigh* … that wasn’t going to happen.

There are a few things that made me more okay with the scenario. First, it is NOT a love triangle book. There is no actual wavering back and forth between two guys ever. Caroline is stuck in a loveless marriage to a military man 11 years her senior who she rashly married when she was 19 years old to escape being under her mother’s stifling thumb at home. There is no doubt from the start to the end of the book – she is NOT in love with both men. She is more just ‘stuck’ with her husband. He wasn’t a cruel man, but he was intolerable and insufferable and while he wasn’t directly abusive, the way he treated her was appalling to me and as such, I didn’t lose a moment’s worry over his feelings in the whole matter.

“He hated the way I dressed, the way I spoke, what I spoke about and the things that interested me to speak about… He wasn’t always an unkind man… we were just fundamentally unsuited to each other.”

The story follows Caroline – married to her husband who’s job as a medical officer in the military moved him around a lot. In the prologue, we see them move to a new base where she is introduced to the horrid wife of his new CO and their adorable eight-year-old son Sebastian. She feels badly for him growing up with such wretched parents and the become friends. Its beautiful and totally not creepy guys!! But when her husband is relocated yet again, she is suddenly forced to move again, leaving behind a distraught Sebastian.

Fast forward 9 years to the present day, Caroline is now 30 and they are moved back to that old base which is where she meets Sebastian Hunter – gorgeous, grown up, and carrying a serious torch for her. He’s truly loved her from since he was a kid and although she resists his advances at first, there is something between them… a spark. A spark she tries to ignore, but ultimately can’t.

“Sebastian, don’t let me keep you from your friends; I’m quite happy to sit here and watch.”
He shook his head and looked at me intently.
“I can surf anytime; I’d rather be here with you.”
I stared down at my notepad, unsure what to say, but absolutely certain that if I looked up I’d be caught in the net of his blue-green gaze. But I also needed to be clear.
“I wish you wouldn’t say things like that, Sebastian. I’m a married woman. It makes me… uncomfortable.”
I still hadn’t been able to look up….
“I really like you, Caroline,” he said softly.
I felt his hand touch my arm; he was trembling.
I had to look up. His face held such an expression of longing, mixed with anxiety…

Doing the math, she calculates that he must be 18 years old and they begin a relationship in secret at first. But only later does she find out that he is almost 18. Almost. Ohhh what a difference that one tiny word can make. Its terrifying and neither of them went into it knowingly but they are already too deep to pull back and so, despite trying to resist, they can’t help but continue to develop their relationship.

“I knew it was wrong: I knew it was right.”

“I had chosen – willingly, knowingly, deliberately. I chose love over law. And I didn’t care.”

Its a situation where Caro genuinely did NOT consider him a love interest at first. But he was into her. Like, seriously! And although she struggled at first with her feelings, the heart wants what the heart wants….

“Please don’t,” I whispered. Bu there was no force behind my words.
He stood, still holding my hand.
“I love you, Caroline.”
He spoke softly, but the words were clear, spoken without expectation and with a little hope.

“I’m married, Sebastian.” …
“You don’t love him, Caro.”
My eyes darted to his. How did he know?
“I love you. I’ll… I’ll do anything, go anywhere … We’ll be happy.”
So, so tempting.

“We can be together,” he whispered. “Forever.”

But every single thing between them is forbidden. Its dangerous and there is this HUGE, intense, never-ending undercurrent of pure angst that over-shadows every single one of their interactions.

“Everything had a price: every glance, every kiss, every stolen touch. It seemed desperately unfair…”

I have to say, I pretty much fell in love with Sebastian from the first time he said hi to her on the beach. He was just SUCH a sweet, kind hearted guy. Just one of those guys that you couldn’t help but crush over – a totally gorgeous character, inside and out. My heart broke for his home life and he did seem a lot more mature than his years at times.

The writing style is captivating and had a beautiful feeling that just wrapped you into the story.

This book definitely had that 5-star spark. You know the one I’m talking about, right? The one that makes your heart flutter and have you completely involved in the story.

The author really made you FEEL all the things they went through – the jealousy and possessiveness, the worries and uncertainty, and their undeniable and passionate feelings for each other.

But there were also a few things that kept me from being able to give it a full 5 star rating. I didn’t like how much Caro let herself be under her husband’s thumb. I mean, it made sense for the story because if her marriage was solid, it would have thrown the story into a whole different ballpark but I just didn’t like how much of a doormat she was with him. Literally, he said jump, she asked how high. Although, in her defense, she did have a moment toward the end when she finally stood up to him that made me happy.

And I’m trying how to decide about the age gap. I have mixed feeling about it. First and most importantly, I acknowledge that they were right for each other. Okay, I said it. It was clear they were in love – you felt it, you knew it, it was undeniable. But…. I will say that there were times, as a reader, where it felt a little awkward – I don’t know, moments where his teenager-ness really came through that made me just squint my eyes a little and feel a little uncomfortable. It wasn’t the fact that he was young I had issue with but something about certain scenes made their age gap feel a lot more pronounced. And, I mean, I guess its an honest reaction because the fact of the matter is that it projects their feelings onto you – I mean, Caro had those feelings and went through a lot of anxiety over whether or not they should be together given their age gap so I guess it was really just drawing you into that feeling.

But yeah, there were definitely moments of “awkward” although kudos to the author for really making you ‘feel’ his age accurately. She didn’t try and dress him up as a man in a kids body. He simple was. a. teenager. A mature one. One who knew, without a doubt what he wanted, who he loved and where he wanted his life to go. This wasn’t one of those “perfect” situations where he’s young but its okay cuz he’s really a man. No. He’s really 17. He had a heart of gold. Was in love for absolute real. But, he was a teen. And she was 30. No sugarcoating it.

A few of you were asking me about this, so this book is definitely ‘adult‘ in terms of steam. There is a lot of sex and its fairly detailed so definitely not ‘glossed’ over.

I have to say though that I READ IN FEAR!!!! Seriously, I was freaked WAY the hell out at EVERY moment that they were going to get caught!! I mean, yes, they were careful (to a certain extent) but at the same time they were also just freaking LUCKY they weren’t caught earlier because they did a LOT of things that could have EASILY drawn attention had the wrong person been there at the right time. They really weren’t careful enough for my liking about hiding it so, as cute as they were, I spent half my time freaking out and it did detract a little from my connection because I was SO worried all the time.

“I want to walk on the beach with you and hold your hand and to not be afraid that someone will see us.”

Seriously, the hiding it, having to pretends in public that they weren’t ‘together’, all the stolen glances and fleeting touches, the HUGE looming threat of what would happen if they got caught – EVERYTHING just seriously had my heart in my throat and kept me on pins and needles for a good part of the book. I even had to put the book down a few times and go begging to people for reassurance, lol (yes, I’m a chicken, don’t judge me!!).

Especially as I got closer to the end and I KNEW there was this giant brutal cliffhanger, I. Couldn’t. Take. It. As it got closer to the end I was freaking out more and more. It was helpless feeling where I knew it was going to end badly and there was absolutely NOTHING I COULD FREAKING DO ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!! I just had to keep reading. And dreading what was to come. And just seriously… F U C K !!!!

I didn’t cry at the end but my heart was in knots!!!

I feel utterly wrapped up in Seb and Caro’s story and good or bad, there is no WAY I’m stopping now! So I am absolutely going straight on to book #2 which I have been assured has a HEA!! Thank GOD!! cuz…

“You are my world, Caro,” he said.
“And you’re mine.”

*heart clench*

Rating: 4 – 4.5 stars. Book 1 in complete book duet.

Read my review of Book #2: The Education of Caroline

Buy THE SERIES SET: EDUCATION OF SEBASTIAN & CAROLINE (Kindle)

Book Review — Truth (Consequences #2) by Aleatha Romig

February 4, 2013 by Aestas · 120 Comments

#1 Buy CONSEQUENCES (Kindle) – on sale for $2.99
#2 Buy TRUTH (Kindle) – on sale for $2.99

“Could it be possible to hate and love someone too?“

In honor of the TRUTH Blog Tour, I’m reposting my original review today 🙂

4.5 stars. Spoiler-free review.

I swear to God, this book should come with a care package – tequila, Valium, a stress ball and a punching bag. Just sayin’ !!

If you haven’t read Book #1, CONSEQUENCES, then you can check out my review HERE.

Ok.. here goes (warning: its a loOoOong review!!)

Honestly, when I was about to start reading this, I was just wondering where on EARTH could the story go from that point?? How could the mindfuck POSSIBLY get any deeper?

The facts were there. Actions had been taken. And I was absolutely positive that I hated Tony Rawlings. Like really, really hated!! I was sure he belonged in a jail cell and no where else. I mean… looooook what he did! Right? Riiiight?? …

WRONG.

Le sigh *deep breath*

Over the course of this book, my emotions were toyed with, and my heart was lead down a path I would have SWORN it would never go down.

I have to say that, having finished the book, I am officially on Team Tony ((I think)).

Whaaaat?? O_O

I’m sure any of you who have only read book #1 think I’m utterly insane now. I’m not. I swear. Just… stuff happened. Big stuff. Changes. Growth. An understanding. And in the end, I have to say that, honestly, I’m not 100% sold on the Team Tony thing, but… I’m about 95% there. Honestly, I don’t think there is ANYTHING in the entire world that will EVER make me able to be 100% in love with him. Why? Because of what he did in Consequences.

Having read Truth, I feel like I’ve come to have a deeper understanding for him. And a respect for the changes he made. BUT. Nothing can ever erase the past. The future can still be determined, but the past is fixed. And because of that, no matter WHAT he does, there will always be a small 5% of me on guard because I *know* that somewhere in that man lies (or, lay) the potential to make the events of Consequences happen. But… so long as those old actions never resurface, I am willing to be open-minded and accept the new Tony for who he is.

So, I’ll revise my statement…. I am officially Team (new) Tony. That is my team.
–> #teamNEWtony

I have to say that Ms Romig is an very talented author not only because the story is good, but in large part its because of the actual writing style – its an extremely well written book.

Did I dread going into this book? Yeah. A little. I wasn’t sure how far the mind fuck would go. Or if I was ready to handle it. But I bravely put my big girl panties on and dove in and seriously, woah!

There’s no ‘easing’ into this book. Nope! The prologue pretty much just slams you into the story and away you go – its a roller coaster ride of questions, more questions, the occasional answer, which in turn leads to more questions… I will say though, that we did make some big ‘discoveries’ in this book. It kept me guessing but I was pleased to see some of my theories work out too.

I was just in this constant state of… Wait, could it be him who did that? But then, why would he have done the other thing?? … Hmmm *wonders* …. Its this complete feeling of not knowing which way is up. Not being able to tell right from wrong.

Do the ends justify the means? I felt myself constantly asking myself that.

After the events of the last book, I’d become jumpy and deeply mistrustful. Of everyone. Now, every single thing was squinted at suspiciously, every possible action was eyed from all angles to try and figure out if it had a double meaning or a hidden purpose.

I have to say that, as a romance reader, I am usually either bored to tears by the ‘mystery’ side of stories but that was NOT the case with this one. I was really riveted to the story. It was so multi layered and multi dimensional with so many possibilities and outcomes that I found myself just needing to know the answers.

That being said, I will say that this book “felt” long. Its not a bad thing, or a complaint, but I found it a longer book to get through than the first one. Kind of like with book #1, I reached a point around 60% in where I was definitely intrigued and invested in the story, but no longer had any idea where it was going. But once again, once I got to the final 20% I just couldn’t look away!!

This story had double layers to everything. The double layers even had layers… it was this spiral downward into more and more questions………

I don’t know how to explain how HARD the little reveals hit me. Every time we actually learned something that was a fact, a definitive piece to the puzzle, I got that same full body CHILLLLLLS feeling. It was pretty cool 😛

I liked that we got bits and pieces from all sorts of perspectives in this book. It was still primarily Claire’s story, but there was a LOT of back story into Tony’s early years that gave us a much better understanding of him and the complexity of where the plot originated (gosh, that’s vague, lol), and there were some side characters that got their perspective told to help round out the story as well.

Tony’s back story was one of my favorite parts because we got to see the life events that made him into the kind of person he was. I found it gave a lot of insight into his character and, although it didn’t excuse any of his actions, it DID help me understand him more.

I liked that in this book we got to see more of Claire’s strength shine though. She’d been through hell and now, despite her traumas was at a place where she was regaining a measure of control over her life. She was brave and smart about many things but there were still some moments of naivety where I wanted to shake her, moments where I couldn’t understand *why* she’d go along with something or make the decisions she made. She frustrated me in places but I got to a place where I felt I understood her a lot more.

And then there was Harry. The anti-Tony. Was I in love with him? Hmmm, a little bit. Ok, fine, a lot. And I think that if Tony hadn’t changed, I would have loved him more. But… gah, I mean, he was kind of perfect. And I totally could see myself falling for him. I was soooooooo tempted by him! So. Freaking. Tempted!! but… the sick twisted part of my mind is grumbling over the fact that he’s just not Tony so… even though, I will admit, there was a chunk of the book where I kind of was rooting for him, my heart ended up choosing Tony.

About Tony though….. *deep breath* I really felt like my emotions went though a long journey with him in this book. In my heart, I wanted to ‘fix’ him. Tried to justify things. But my brain thankfully kept stepping in and reminding me of everything he’d done in book #1 (and even, to an extent, book #2). I mean, where is the line drawn? The line after which the guy is just too fucked up to fix? Had he crossed it? … well, yes. But… could he still change? Well… apparently so!

He toyed with my emotions again in this book though because just when I thought he was turning over a new leaf, he’d AGAIN go overboard and leave me spluttering and wanting to throttle him.

I couldn’t tell if he was still being manipulative or if I should try and forgive him… Was he even WORTHY of forgiveness? His actions in book #1 were unforgivable in my eyes.

What if this was the story of the attempted redemption of an irredeemable man?

I wanted to love him. I loved his spark. I loved his intentions… but actions speak louder than words and a lot of his were just MESSED up. Not. Okay. There are some things you just can’t justify. But… what if its not about justification. What if it was about change? He WAS trying. That was impossible to deny. But… was the change enough?

Love should never be forced. Or bought. Or coerced… but what happens when you’re faced with someone who doesn’t know HOW to love. Who has never known it. Never been shown it. And never experienced it. Who had wrapped himself in a security blanket of control. Given his back story, I could see where his dominance came from – he had such a deep-seeded insecurity and fear stemming form a lack of a love and a fear of the loss of the only shred of love he’s ever know that his actions were, to me, for the first time, understandable as opposed to flat-out crazy (even though I still didn’t agree with them all).

He just didn’t know HOW to love having never really BEEN loved ever.

There was a turning point. A definitive turning point after which the change he made in himself was undeniable. He tempered himself, controlled himself and was put in many situations where he had the opportunity to go all old-Tony-psycho on us but he didn’t. To me, he was showing his self control and how strong his desire to be the kind of person Claire deserved was.

Also, the more he changed, and the more ‘sane’ his actions became, the more I began to see the world through his eyes more. He became a lot easier to relate too and I even found myself supporting many of his decisions that I might, in the past, have frowned upon because I could ‘get’ where he was coming from.

I even got to the point where I was flat-out AWWW-ing and grinning over some of his lines and scenes with Claire. Seriously guys! I even had a heart clench moment for him!! A heart clench!!!! Never thought I’d see that day.

I decided that you can’t fix the past or turn back time. But you CAN decide the future.

I do not take back any of my previous Tony-hating feelings from before. Those ALL remain the same. Yes, I hated him and truly believed he deserved to rot in a jail cell. But… as he changed, so did my feelings.

So yeah… given his changes and proof in certain scenarios which would have sent the old-Tony into a flying rage, but the new-Tony handled with an attitude I could understand and respect…. I have fallen for him.

I’m decidedly on Team (new) Tony. #teamNEWtony

But let me tell you…. if he puts one TOE wrong in CONVICTED…. *shakes fist* . Let’s just say that my new “team” alliance is built on faith and trust and not much else and because of his past, it would be pretty easy to have that come crumbling down so I’m just saying…

About the ending… I know some of you will be wondering if its a cliffhanger so I’ll let you know there is clearly a TON more to the story – lots of secrets still to unravel, a lot more questions to answer, and of course a “conviction” to be made, BUT.. it ended at a point I could live with. I’m okay to wait at this point. The characters are all at a place where, in my mind, I’m okay to leave them until the next book is out.

Speaking of the next book, CONVICTED, it is due out October 8, 2013.

Here’s a break down of some of my reactions while reading… Spoiler-free of course!

27% – Ohhhhh FUCK. Guess that’s a lesson never to underestimate Tony! GURK!!

30% – Hmm there’s that *spark* again with Tony. Dammit. WHY AM I FALLING FOR IT?????? Cuz I so am :/

33% – O_O

39% – DAMMIT!! I swore this wouldn’t happen but yes, Tony is melting my heart just a wee bit.

45% – Grrrrr Tony, dammit, stop making it so hard to love you!!!! *mimes throttling*

58% – *blink* … *blink*

69% – SAY WHAAAAA???? Gahhhhh!!!! Ok This brings a whole extra level of NOT OKAY to the already high levels of NOT OKAY surrounding the dream thing. Just sayin’!

78% – Ok. I’m officially leaning towards Team (reformed) Tony now… Tony, pleasepleaseplease don’t make me hate you again!!! *whispers* #TeamTony

80% – Awwwwwww!!! Seriously, I can’t believe I’m awww-ing but I totally am.

84% – FFUUUUCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!

89% – *grins* seriously, AWWWWWWW

92% – HOLYYY FUCKING HELL!!!! OMG! I so so SO called it!!!!

97% – Pleasedontbeacliffhanger pelasedontbeacliffhanger pleasedontbeacliffhanger pleasepleasepleasepleasepleeeeeease

100% – *deeeeep breath* okay. I’m okay with it ending there. I FREAKING WANT THE NEXT BOOK. but I’m okay to wait…. *whew*

Teehee.

If I had to rate it, I’d give it the same rating as book #1 –> 4.5 stars.

CASTING:

Tony –> CLICK HERE
Claire –> CLICK HERE

READING ORDER

Book #1 — CONSEQUENCES
My review | Kindle | Paperback

Book #2 — TRUTH
My review | Kindle | Paperback

Book #3 — CONVICTED
My Review | Kindle | Paperback

************

SERIES SALE BUNDLE

This bundle includes all 3 books for $9.99 (savings of $3 overall)

Book Review – Butterfly Weeds by Laura Miller

January 16, 2013 by Aestas · 8 Comments

Buy BUTTERFLY WEEDS on Kindle

4 – 4.5 stars.

I need to be clear on the rating first. To me, it was a 4 star book that pulled 5 star emotions out of me. The hero was a 5 star hero. The heroine though made 3 star decisions. Ok, on to the review.

WOW. I don’t even know where to start on this one!

I. SOBBED.

S O B B E D.

Seriously, guys. Ugly tears at the end. That LETTER!!! *wipes tears*

Like I actually spent 10 minutes curled up in my husband’s arms crying.

Ok, first off, don’t be freaked out. Its technically a HEA in that they spend the rest of their lives together, but it was a long and rough journey to get there.

Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Ok.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I loved it in so many ways but I disagreed with a lot of the heroine’s actions. My heart completely and utterly BROKE for the hero over and over again. But at the same time, maybe it felt very … real? *deep breath* Its hard to judge.

Basically, Will and Jules had known each other since they were kids. As teens, they fell in love and were together for several years until college when their long distance relationship made their relationship harder to maintain and Jules decided she wanted a break…. over the next decade, they went their separate ways – occasionally connecting, occasionally intersecting. Will was and always had been madly in love with Jules. She was always his forever girl. The “one” for him. She just couldn’t see it…. it took them a decade of heart ache and missed opportunities but they did eventually find their way back together – to where they were always meant to be.

Its weird but this book felt very… real, in some ways. I feel like the mistakes were ones that have probably happened a lot in the world. But still. I’m sorry to say that I just strongly didn’t agree with the heroine’s decisions and actions. She was not annoying, not a bitch, nothing like that. She was actually very sweet and kind hearted. But she was just SO incredibly indecisive and, honestly, just plain dense for not realizing the beauty and preciousness of what was right in front of her with Will – of what she walked away from. It got to a point where it was really making me mad (and very sweary). Every decision she made was just wrong wrong WRONG!!! One of them in particular even made me have to put the book down for a bit afterwards to calm down before I could continue.

My heart HURT just SO much for Will. Literally, I felt mine being ripped to shreds right along with him. Seriously, the PAIN was almost physical. He was just SO sweet, and kind, and perfect, and just so TOTALLY in love with her!!! God. Just broke. my. heart. seeing what she kept doing to him (however unintentionally).

He’s a singer – not like a rockstar per say, but he ends up getting pretty famous and throughout the years, she hears his songs on the radio. He’s always called her his butterfly. Look, here’s a song snippet *SNIFF*

Now you’ve come back home
Tell me you’ve carried me with you
That you’ve held me close
Tell me you’ve missed me
Or that I’m not crazy for waiting cause
Of all the butterflies that chose to stay
I’m in love with the one that got away

And yet STILL she’s unsure?? :/

This book was really one of those that just reached right in and squeezed my heart. I cried a few times during the book – just a little – but, at the end, I SOBBED so much!!!! Ugly Tears. Like throat hurting, heart aching, out of breath, can’t think ugly tears!!! It was just SO freaking BEAUTIFUL what he did for her!!!! Totally solidifying all my thoughts of how utterly PERFECT Will was. Think The Notebook style ending… not exactly the same but similar. *sob sob sob*

The progression of the book though is very unclear. It starts out present day in the first chapter. Then in the second, without being marked, it skips back to when Jules and Will were teenagers and falling in love. From there the story moves chronologically forward only, catching up to the present day and going beyond. BUT! The time progression is unclear and unmarked. Sometimes there’s less than an hour between chapters, sometimes its a few weeks or months or years. There is no indication and you kind of have to figure it out as you go that I will say that it threw me a little and just you should know so that you go into it expecting it so it hopefully wont throw you too.

Like I said earlier, I had several issues with heroine’s actions and decisions but the hero was darn near perfect (in a good way). My heart just went right out to him in so many ways. And this book absolutely pulled 5 star emotions out of me. There are very few books out there that have made me full-out sob. This is one of them.

If you’re looking for a book that’ll give you a good cry, this is absolutely it.

It was a pretty quick read – I read it a few hours. The writing style is beautiful and really pulls you emotionally into the story.

Rating: 4 – 4.5 stars

Buy BUTTERFLY WEEDS on Kindle

READING ORDER

Butterfly Weeds — Kindle | Paperback
standalone novel

My Butterfly — Kindle
alternate POV – optional to read

Book Review – Fallen Too Far (Rosemary Beach #1) by Abbi Glines

December 29, 2012 by Aestas · 6 Comments

Buy Fallen Too Far on Kindle

4.5 – 5 stars!!

“Blaire, I’m not a romantic guy. I don’t kiss and cuddle. It’s all about the sex for me. You deserve someone who kisses and cuddles. Not me. I just fuck, baby.“

Aaaaaaaahhh amazing book but holy cliffhanger!
I need book #2!
Right. Freaking. N O W !
But O.M.G. I loved it!

This was my first Abbi Glines book. Ever. How I’ve managed to read this long and NOT read one of her book is a still a complete mystery too me. Her books feel almost like some sort of rite of passage as a reader. Everyone is always talking about them and now I know why!! I absolutely loved it, cliffhanger and all! A deliciously angsty bad-boy-meets-innocent-girl forbidden(ish) romance.

It was one of those books that I pretty much inhaled in one sitting and made me get all growly whenever someone tried to interrupt me.

Half a page in and I was grinning from ear to ear and yup, everything I’ve heard about Abbi Glines’ writing is true. Its addictive and catchy making the pages just fly right by. Its funny at times but will also pull the run out from under you in a heart beat with its twist. And its got this really easy-to-read and yet delightfully angsty feel to it!

After Blaire’s twin sister was killed in a car crash her father left their home, not even returning when Blaire’s mother died of cancer. Now, with no money, no home and no where else to turn, Blaire is sent to live with him. And his new wife. And her son. Blaire’s new step-brother….. Rush Finlay.

Rush was just absolutely delicious. With silver eyes, tattoos and a tongue piercing, he pretty much just oozed sex appeal. Add that to his cocky yet charming, hot/cold, mysterious, man-whoring bad-boy attitude, and how protective he got of Blaire the more he fell for her and you’ve really got quite the recipe for yum. I just love that kind of character. Makes my heart flutter every time.

“You don’t want to know me. You may think you do but you dont. I promise.”

But holy introduction! Literally, the first few times we see him, he’s having sex. Each time with a different girl!! He goes through girls like water, but yet he won’t touch Blaire. He wants her with every fiber of his being but doesn’t feel worthy of her. And he’s holding a big secret that could tear them apart if Blaire finds out.

“I can’t touch you. I want to so damn bad it hurts like a motherfucker but I can’t. I won’t mess you up.”

The whole set up just gave the book that wonderful angsty feeling that makes you desperate for answers. Are they? Will they? Wont they? AND WHAT WAS THE BIG SECRET??? ohhhhhhhh I just needed to know!!

Blaire was such a likeable heroine. No matter what life threw at her, she was the type of girl who would find the silver lining and work through it. I loved her can-do attitude to everything. On one hand, she was this sweet yet naive, oh-so innocent country girl and on the other she was this tough-as-nails chick who’d really been put through the ringer by life but didn’t let it get her down. Oh, and she actually pulled a gun on someone. Twice!! Yeah, pretty hard not to like her 😛

I loved watching them fall for each other. It wasn’t smooth – no insta-love here. But the more time they spent around each other, the harder it was to deny the pull they both felt. And when they finally gave in, oooooh I felt it! I loved it! I loved them together. And holyyyy can Ms. Glines ever write a kiss! Yeah… I’m totally addicted!

“Don’t go getting shy on me now. ‘Cause baby, before the night is over you will be naked in my bed.”

I enjoyed this book right from the start – it probably was sitting at a very happy 4 star rating but somewhere around 70% suddenly my heart was just POUNDING and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. Definitely a 5 star feeling if you know what I mean!

I mean… OHHH MYYY GODDD!!!!!

The bedroom!!

The party! Gah! and she wasn’t… but he was… and then… just.. ohhh the angst!

And then the snail tray thing and his reaction!

Ooooo then the “test me” thing… *SHIVERS*

Then “Mine. This is mine.”

The big reveal!! Gah! My heart just broke!!!!

And then the CLIFFHANGER!!!! I kept flipping the last page over and over again as if somehow it would magically make more words appear!

I NEED THE NEXT BOOK! Now now NOWWWWWW! But ooohhh I loved this one! I really did! So much!!

“His eyes never left mine. I held his gaze. I could see the storm in his eyes. I knew he was confused. I could even see the fear. Then there was the love. I saw it. The fierceness in his eyes. I believed it. I could see it clearly. But it was too late now. The love wasn’t enough. Everyone always said that love was enough. It wasn’t. Not when your soul was shattered.”

I really think fans of Beautiful Disaster will love this book.

Abbi Glines, once my heart recovers, you have yourself a new fan!

** SERIES READING ORDER **

#1 FALLEN TOO FAR — RUSH
Kindle | Paperback | My Review

#2 NEVER TOO FAR — RUSH
Kindle | Paperback | My Review

#3 TWISTED PERFECTION — WOODS
Kindle | Paperback | My Review

#4 FOREVER TOO FAR — RUSH
Kindle | Paperback

#5 SIMPLE PERFECTION — WOODS
Kindle | Paperback

#5 TAKE A CHANCE — GRANT
Kindle | Paperback

Book Review – Forever My Girl (Beaumont #1) by Heidi McLaughlin

December 27, 2012 by Aestas · 33 Comments

4 – 4.5 stars.

Forever My Girl is a beautiful YA rockstar romance about the heartbreak of mistakes, the power of forgiveness, and the hope of a second chance at love.

I’ll be perfectly honest, when I first read the blurb for this book, I squeed right out loud. I mean, a second-chance rockstar romance? What’s not to love?

Here’s the blurb, I’ll let you fall in love with it all on your own:

I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after.

I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile.

And now I’m going back.

After ten years.

I hope I can explain that after all this time.

I still want her to be my forever girl.

Seeeee?? *clutches heart* Now you can understand why I just HAD to read it!

“I gave up on their dreams and the life we had all planned out. And now I was heading home to face the music.”

By the time I was 3% into my read, I was already choked up. There was just so much emotion! There is a tragedy that occurs back in Liam’s home town, a death of a close friend, and I just have to give serious props to the author for making me utterly heartbroken over a character I had never even met! I totally felt the hole that his loss had left in his loved ones’ lives. It really helped connect me very early on in the book to the characters and draw me right into the story.

With Liam now being the tattooed, motorcycle riding, bad boy, rockstar that he was, I wanted to know what made him originally decide to leave his forever girl behind and never look back? He was clearly still 100% in love with her after all these years and never forgot her or was able to let go, so what could have pushed him to leave?

Despite the fact that I could fathom why he’d have left in the first place, I really respected that he didn’t just thunder back, demanding to be back in Josie’s life. I loved how understanding he was of her new life despite still being completely in love with her.

With Josie, I wanted to see how she’d react to him. She was put in such a difficult situation of not knowing why the love of her life walked away with no warning and completely cut off ties from her and was then faced with the reality of him not returning and was left to move on without him.

“Hey, Jojo?” he yells.
“Yeah,” I yell back.
“I’m going to marry you someday.”
I thought for sure we’d spend forever together. I thought our love was one of a kind. I would almost be okay if he had met someone else and fallen in love, but he didn’t. He just left.”

I loved seeing the way she dealt with his return. I loved how she didn’t just fall over him the second he walked back into her life – that she made him earn his forgiveness and his place back in her life. I felt like her struggles were real and relatable… and there are other pieces to this story that I don’t want to mention because they are slight spoilers but I really felt for everyone involved and for their struggles at figuring out how how to move forward.

I liked that none of the characters were fully perfect and that given the huge mistakes of the past, I liked that their lives didn’t just magically fall back into place. The rekindling of their relationship was never rushed making the story feel a lot more real.

“Her tear streaked face is beautiful. I want to wipe away her tears. I want to take the last ten years and erase them.”

I enjoyed the writing style. The story was told in alternating POVs with flashbacks here and there. The transition between POVs was smooth and the flashbacks were very well integrated. Seeing both sides of the story helped connect me to both main characters and given the complicated situation they were in, it was really well done. And the story just had these few lines here and there that just hit you right in the feels. Total heart clutch moments! I didn’t ever cry but I got all chocked up more than once!

“I want every part of you in my life, Jojo, when you’re ready.” “I’ll be patient… You will be mine again.”

I read the whole book in one sitting (about 3 hours). I didn’t want to put it down and it was one of those book where the pages just flew by.

The genre kind of rides the line between YA and NA. There is one sex scene towards the end. Its not closed door, but not very graphic either. There are, however, a few beautiful kisses scattered throughout the book and, if you read the story, you’ll see that an earlier bedroom scene wouldn’t have really made sense anyways.

We’re also introduced to a wonderful network of friends, family and band members each with their own heartaches and stories that I’m sure will be featured in the upcoming books.

The story is wrapped up in a happy ending. I did feel it was just a tad rushed, but at the same time, everything that needed to happen for your heart to rest easy happened, so you are left satisfied.

“I love you, Liam.”
“You’re forever my girl.”

This book had so many things I love in it – an emotional second-chance love story, a bad boy rockstar, a smart heroine, a strong ensemble of supporting characters, and a wonderful story.

It was a great debut novel! I’m definitely a new fan of Heidi McLaughlin and am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Casting: Liam and Josie –> Click here and here

** SERIES READING ORDER **

Book #1: FOREVER MY GIRL — Kindle | Paperback – Liam’s story

Novella #1.5: MY EVERYTHING — Kindle | Paperback – Nick’s story

Book #2: MY UNEXPECTED FOREVER — Kindle | Paperback – Harrison’s story

Book #3: FINDING MY FOREVER — Kindle | Paperback — Jimmy’s story

Book #4: FINDING MY WAY — Kindle — prequel (Liam)