5 stars

Book Review — Making Faces by Amy Harmon

October 21, 2013 by Aestas · 16 Comments

“If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?”

This book blew me away!! It was beautifully written and deeply moving, with a very powerful message about true beauty, silver linings, and second chances. A poignant and unconventional tale about heroism, courage, love, loss, friendship, and self-acceptance. Absolutely breathtaking! 5 stars!!

Every once in a while a book comes a long that, from the moment I first hear about it, takes over my mind and heart and doesn’t let go until I’ve read it, lived it and immersed myself in the story. Making Faces was such a book. I read the blurb and shivers just went right through me and I immediately knew that this book was a must-read.

“Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back… It is the tale of one girl’s love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior’s love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.”

See?? Tell me that doesn’t make you want to drop everything and read this?!

Once I started reading, I could not put this book down and it kept me riveted to the page until I finished at 4AM. It captivated me from start to finish and stayed with my heart long after I had turned the last page.

The heroine, Fern, had been in love with Ambrose from the time they were kids. Problem was, he barely knew she existed – at least, not in the way she wanted. He was the school’s star athlete and she was just a shy, forgettable girl who never imaged that anyone as handsome as him would ever take notice of her.

“If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?”

When Ambrose enlisted following the crushing events of 9/11, he left with four of his best friends but was the only one to come home alive and even so, a part of him wished he’d died with them. Broken, permanently wounded, and guilt-ridden he hid himself from the world. But it was the love of a quiet but fiercely strong girl that helped bring him back to life and learn that there is always a silver lining and that everyone deserved a second chance.

“I used to be afraid of going to hell. But now that I’m here, hell doesn’t seem so bad.”

“Sometimes you can’t take your life back. Sometimes it’s dead and buried and you can only make a new life.”

Part of what struck me about this book was that it felt completely ‘different’ than anything else I’d read. Unique. Fresh. This was not a story I’d already read twenty times and despite the fact that it did carry some well-known themes, it’s delivery was heartfelt and original.

It’s more than just a romance too (in fact, there is no graphic sex in it) and it’s just as much about friendship as it is about love. I don’t want to spoil things for you but the balance between all the different elements of this story were perfect. Many parts were so heart breaking that I just read with tears pouring down my face, while others filled me with such happiness that I’d read pages on end with a huge smile.

“How did you know I needed you?”
“Because I needed you too.”

The book brought out emotion after emotion from me. It’s such a strong, character driven story and it’s the kind where every single section has a little message or life lesson or something that just makes you take a step back and think about it for a minute. It’s not only beautifully written but it’s also very well crafted and even the simplest of phrases carry rich, multi-layered meaning.

Everything about this story is somehow connected. As a result of it taking place over so many years, we got to see how little seemingly insignificant details came into play later on in a powerful, life-changing way.

“We all fit together to create this experience we call life. None of us can see the part we play or the way it all turns out. Maybe the miracles that we see are just the tip of the iceberg. And maybe we just don’t recognize the blessings that come as a result of terrible things.”

It brought up so many questions and things to ponder… Why was someone born a certain way? Why did someone survive? Was there a grand design? Or was it all just random chance handed out by the universe?

There is so much more to the story that I’ve decided not to talk about in my review because I didn’t know any more than I’ve told you at this point when I started reading and I absolutely loved the process of just watching the story unfold and not fully knowing what to expect. Just know that I do not have a single complaint about this book. Not one. Just trust me and read it. I promise you will not be disappointed.

By the end of the book, tears were streaming down my face – a true testament to the overwhelming emotions it pulled out of me. The ending, the last line in particular, was just perfect!!! Like I said…. breathtaking!

This is now one of my favorites of the year!

Everyone should read this book. This is the kind of unforgettable story that sinks into your heart and doesn’t let go. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

5 stars!!

This is a standalone (complete with epilogue).

“If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?
Does he make the legs that cannot walk and eyes that cannot see?
Does he curl the hair upon my head ‘til it rebels in wild defiance?
Does he close the ears of the deaf man to make him more reliant?
Is the way I look coincidence or just a twist of fate?
If he made me this way, is it okay, to blame him for the things I hate?
For the flaws that seem to worsen every time I see a mirror,
For the ugliness I see in me, for the loathing and the fear.
Does he sculpt us for his pleasure, for a reason I can’t see?
If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?”

[rating]

Here’s my casting for Ambrose.

Book Review — Just Remember To Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles

October 14, 2013 by Aestas · 9 Comments

“I never stopped loving you,” he whispered. “Not even for a second.”

I know many of you have already read this book but I finally got around to reading it and just WOW!!! I feel like I owe this book a huge apology because I’d had it on my reading list for ages but just hadn’t gotten around to it yet and now I’m just kicking myself for not reading it sooner!!

Just Remember To Breathe was a heartwarming and emotional second-chance romance standalone. The writing was truly breathtaking!!! Beautifully detailed and kept me right in the story. I loved every word and felt fully connected to the characters. If you haven’t read this book yet, you are missing out!

Prior to starting this, I was in a little bit of a book funk – I’d started a few books but none of them were fully grabbing me but I read the first few pages of this one and just knew it was a winner! It immediately stood out. I was smiling to myself, and my heart just felt happy. You know that feeling you get when you start reading and everything just clicks into place? Yeah, I got that here. This book was a joy to read!

The story deals with some heavier themes — a returned soldier dealing with PTSD — as well as an emotional second chance romance and I really just found myself drawn right into these characters’ lives.

The story follows Dylan and Alex. They’d come from two completely different world but met on a school trip to the Middle East where they connected deeply — each one knowing in their heart how special what they had was. But their lives were just so different and they were separated when they returned home. They continued an on-again-off-again relationship for several years until one day, during a time when he was deployed in Afghanistan, Dylan apparently cut off all communication effectively shutting Alex out of his life. Even though it crushed her, after several months of no contact, her hurt eventually turned to anger and she gave up and moved on with her life — never knowing what it was that made him leave.

But when they end up not only in the same university, but actually as assignment partners, they are forced back into each other’s lives. However, given all the hurt and miscommunications of their past, neither of them is too thrilled about this prospect. But underneath it all, their feelings for each other have never gone away… and even though it’s unexpected, what this gives them is a second chance at their forever.

The story is told in alternating POV’s and mostly takes place in present day although we do get to see some of their memories of when they first met. I loved seeing them ‘before’ — so innocently, happily and adorably falling in love. However, the present day wasn’t quite so easy. Their hurt was strong and even though they tried to ignore everything at first, there was too much between them to be able to shut it away.

“I don’t know if I can do this…”
“Why not?”
“Because… because, well, sometimes it hurts, Alex. A little. A lot. Jesus Christ.”
She looked away…
“If we’re going to get through this year, I think we have to move past that…”
“Yeah.”
“It’ll be like we’re strangers.”
“Okay.” Like that could happen.

Ahhh I can’t even tell you how much certain lines from this book just grabbed at my heart!!

“You still smell like strawberries, and it’s breaking my heart.”

*sniff* ♥

I had this constant smile on my face while they were reconnecting — watching their back-and-forth banter as they tried to keep their feelings for each other under wraps (and failed miserably, much to my extreme delight).

“What are you doing?”
I shook my head, embarrassed. “Sorry,” I said.
“You were looking at me.”
Now I looked up at her eyes, then away. “Well, shoot me, then.”

I loved watching them slowly open up to each other. They always had been drawn to each other but now, they just had a world of issues to work through especially given that the time Dylan had spent in the army had understandably changed him and was a new element for them to have deal with.

“Listen, whatever you do, don’t ever give me pity. I don’t want to see that expression on your face, all right? I walked out of there alive. That makes me a fucking lottery winner, okay?”

I have to say that I fell completely in love with Dylan. This guy was dealing with a broken heart, the aftermaths of war, an injured leg and PTSD but he didn’t let that stop him from living each day. It broke my heart to see him struggling but I admired the way to which he didn’t let anything bring him down. He was a badass guy with a soft, romantic heart of gold and it. just. melted. me!!

“Listen… whatever out history is, doesn’t change the way I feel about you. The way I’ve always felt about you.”

“Dylan… do you ever think…” I couldn’t finish the question.
He kept looking at the table, and then replied, so quietly I almost couldn’t hear him. “Always,” he said.

I’m honestly just smiling from ear to ear as I write this because of how much I just loved everything about these characters and their story. I swear it was like the book was written for me. It just hit all the right check marks for everything that I absolutely love in a book.

I mean, I have to even give this book extra props because due to some things that came up in my personal life, I actually had to put it down for a whole week in the middle of reading (gah! Just the thought of that makes me shudder!) but when I picked it back up again, I just instantly reconnected and slipped right back into the story as though I’d never left. Now that is the sign of some damn good writing!!

My only tiiiiiny complaint was the the ending felt just a wee bit rushed. I found myself glancing at the percentages at the end worried that there wouldn’t be enough time for everything to happen. So, if it’s any reassurance, you can know that yes, everything that needs to happen does happen. This is a standalone and does not leave you hanging and it had one of the most beautiful reunion scenes ever — I will always remember the index cards!!! ♥

If you’re one of those readers who, like me, for whatever reason have still not read this book, do yourself a favor and bump it up your reading list. It’s a beautiful written second-chance romance that kept me connected from start to finish.

Highly recommended!!

4.5 – 5 stars (closer to 5 stars though 😉 )

Casting

Dylan
Alex

❤ THOMPSON SISTERS SERIES ❤

The order listed below is the order the books were released in. However chronologically, Julia comes before Breathe. But, since the books can be each read as standalones, you can start with either one. Personally, I started with Breathe because I chose to read them in the order they were released in.

JUST REMEMBER TO BREATHE
Kindle | Paperback

A SONG FOR JULIA
Kindle | Paperback

THE LAST HOUR
Kindle | Papaerback

** SERIES BOXED SET **
Basically, this is 3 books for the price of 2 🙂

Book Review — Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover

October 2, 2013 by Aestas · 6 Comments

It feels sort of euphoric, like we’re in some sort of fairy tale. Like she’s Tinkerbell and I’m Peter Pan.

No, wait. I don’t want to be Peter Pan.

Maybe she can be like Cinderella and I’ll be her Prince Charming.

I can’t stop smiling!!

Finding Cinderella was a beautifully written, deeply heart warming novella that made me laugh, cry, and fall in love. In less than 100 pages, it made me feel more than I have in many entire books. Daniel and Six captured my heart and I hope that one day we get more of their story because I’m not ready to let go yet!

I was originally going to talk about the plot here but honestly, I think it’ll be more fun to just discover it for yourselves. Suffice it to say that I absolutely adored every word of story – it was fun, quirky and unique.

In case you don’t remember, Daniel and Six were Holder and Sky’s best friends from Hopeless and Losing Hope and while this novella reads as a standalone, it would have greater meaning if you read both those books first. Also, fans of Holder and Sky will be happy to know that they have several scenes in this and it was a real treat to see them from the outside through someone else’s eyes.

The character dynamics are just gold, the writing is witty and, true to Colleen Hoover’s style, you are made to care deeply about every part of these characters’ lives. I have quotes highlighted on each page and while the majority of the story kept me laughing out loud, swooning and chuckling to myself, there were also strong emotional reveals that had me in tears and brought a really wonderful depth to it all.

It was short enough to read in one sitting but long enough to never feel rushed and give you that feeling of reading a ‘complete’ story. I finished it with a huge smile on my face and the happiest feeling in my heart.

Truly, the perfect novella ♥

5 stars!

Pre-order (Kindle)

Quotes in this review are still subject to change before publication. A huge thank you to Colleen Hoover for sending me an early review copy!!

** RELATED BOOKS **
It is suggested to read Hopeless & Losing Hope before Finding Cinderella.

BOOK #1: HOPELESS
Kindle | Paperback | My Review

BOOK #2: LOSING HOPE
Kindle | Paperback | My Review

Novella: FINDING CINDERELLA
Kindle | Paperback | My Review

Book Review — Don’t Make Me Beautiful by Elle Casey

September 16, 2013 by Aestas · 8 Comments

“I’m no superhero.”
“Tell that to the girl you’re rescuing.”

5 stars!!

WOW!! I absolutely loved this book!!!

Don’t Make Me Beautiful is a deeply touching, beautiful and inspiring story with a powerful message about the strength of survival and the healing power of love.

It’s both heart breaking and heart warming with a to-die-for hero, a strong heroine and a story that will stay with you long after you finish reading. It touched my heart deeply and reminded me that there are still superheroes out there everyday who save each other. This is easily one of my favorites of the year!

I first fell in love with Elle Casey’s writing with her witty romantic comedy, Shine Not Burn, and when I learned that she’d released a new, more serious romance, I couldn’t wait to try out another side of her writing and let me tell you — I was blown away!!

The story is that of a brutally abused woman, Nicole, whose face has been horribly disfigured after years of beatings at the hands of a man she once thought she loved. She was conditioned to never escape and her body had been broken and rebroken more times than she could count.

Brian is a single dad whose whole world revolves around his son. Things may not have worked out with his ex-wife but they remained good friends and his focus is on living in the moment and hoping that maybe one day, if it’s mean to be, the right person will come along who can complete his family.

When fate crosses his paths with Nicole’s, he rescues her, takes her to the hospital under a fake name and offers to take her home with him to give her a safe place to heal. He might not know anything about her but he wants to help shelter her and help her give her back the life that was stolen from her.

“I’m no superhero.”
“Tell that to the girl you’re rescuing.”

Ok, first of all, despite the fact that this book might seem dark, it’s really not. The base subject matter is grim but I generally found the story to be very heart warming. Because this is inspired by true events, it restored some of my faith in humanity and reminded me that there are true super heroes out there living among us each day.

I was hooked from the first chapter. I felt Nicole’s pain, isolation and desperation. Seeing how happy she used to be and how broken she was now was gut wrenching and I knew I wanted to see her journey to safety and happiness.

“If only she’d known then what she knows now, she would have picked up the nearest weapon and beat John to death the minute she met him. Instead she dated him, moved in with him, and then became his prisoner.”

The things she suffered at the hands of her boyfriend/abuser were sickening. There were no graphic descriptions but just the thought of any human being going through that made my stomach turn. I think a huge part of what added to how chilling it was though was the fact that this was all happening in a normal house in the middle of a suburban neighbourhood. It wasn’t some creepy shack in the middle of nowhere. This was right in plain sight. And nobody noticed!!

“She gave up somewhere along the way out of a sense of survival.”

Brian, was just absolutely to-die-for amazing!!! He honestly might be one of the most heroic and truly incredible people I’ve ever read about. A true hero in every sense of the word. He was the embodiment of kind, caring and protective. He was a wonderful dad, a supportive ex-husband, and just generally the kind of person who just made you feel safe.

When he found her, I just felt such strong relief. He rescued her, saved her, sheltered her and helped her heal. He went above and beyond because that’s just what was in his nature. The world would be a better place with more Brians in it.

“Why would you do that for me? I’m just a woman with a destroyed face and body and no where to go?” …

“No, you’re not. You’re a girl who fell in love with the wrong guy. Your face doesn’t matter, it’s your heart that’s important. And if you can love a guy like that, then I know it has to be twice the size of a normal one. Beside… you do have somewhere to go. You’re going to my place now… you had a few years of your life taken away from you. Now we’re going to get them back… You’re going to stumble, but that’s what I’m here for. Lean on me. I’ll keep you from falling.”

She was scared, terrified even, that her abuser/boyfriend would find her and her instinct told her to run back and avoid the trauma of him finding her after she’d escaped. But Brian would hear none of it. He could see the strong girl hidden behind the scars and was determined to bring back that side of her.

“I need to go back.”
“Bullshit… You are NOT going back there. I don’t care what you say… I’m not letting you go back.”
“You’re not my keeper.” …
“You are your own keeper, Nicole. I’m just your protector.”

That just made me melt. I love that he saw right past her scars. He saw her – the girl underneath it all and was drawn to her. Remember that this is a romance but, given Nicole’s situation and everything she’d been through, that side of the story understandably was slow building for the first while allowing time for healing first. I really enjoyed the pacing and loved that it was never rushed and that they bonded first as friends before anything.

“Scars are your body’s way of healing, making that damaged part stronger than it ever was before the pain.”

The more he made her feel comfortable, the more the real her emerged. She was such a fun girl! Full of life, a little snark and had the biggest heart. They really were a perfect match and if anyone deserved a knight in shining armour, it truly was her.

But this wasn’t just about healing, this was also about a woman taking charge of her life once again after it had been stolen from her. Owning her life once again. Facing her demons. Seeing the strength that Brian helped her find again and then the rest of the strength that she found on her own was truly inspiring.

This might sound odd to say because it so rarely happens in books but I actually also really loved the relationship that Brian had with his ex-wife. They truly were best friends. They loved each dearly but weren’t in love with each other. It was so nice to see a divorced couple in a book who weren’t at each other’s throats and who genuinely supported each other and wanted each other to be happy.

In fact, every single one of the supporting characters was wonderful — especially Helen (the ex-wife), Agnes (the next-door neighbour) and Liam (Brian’s adorable son). I fell in love with them all in their own way. Except of course John, the abusive monster who, as Helen said, “deserves to be butt raped in jail.”

Another thing that I really loved about this book was that I absolutely respected and understood every decision each character made. Never once did I roll my eyes or want to shake anyone. I’m always very impressed when a book comes a long like this this where I can genuinely respect each one of the characters and where the drama comes from completely external sources. To me that speaks volumes for the strength of the story itself that it’s able to be this captivating without any unnecessary drama.

There was a twist in the last 20% or so that sent full body shivers through me!! I absolutely loved the direction it took the story in and I read the ending with happy tears in my eyes as everything came together. It was truly beautiful and I was left with the most wonderful feeling ever!!!

Don’t Make Me Beautiful is a beautiful, poignant and unforgettable story about survival, healing, and a second chance at life and love. It made me laugh and cry and feel with my whole heart ❤

Seriously, someone needs to make this into a movie!!

Highly recommended!

5 stars!

This is a standalone.

Book Review — Present Perfect by Alison G. Bailey

August 12, 2013 by Aestas · 20 Comments

“I’ve been unsure about many things in my life except for one thing, that I have always loved him. Every single minute of every single day that I have been on this earth, my heart has belonged to him.”

5+ stars!! One of my favorites of the year!!!

Intensely passionate and deeply heart felt, Present Perfect blew me away with the incredible depth of emotion it conveyed. This is a must-read!!

Guys, I really mean it when I say that this book was just phenomenal!! It made me feel with every part of my heart and I really truly mean feel. It was everything. Amazing. Breathtaking. Heartbreaking. Original. Intense. Once you start reading, I promise you will not be able to put it down!

It’s a standalone romance and I read it in one emotionally charged sitting. I knew from the start that this book was going to rip my heart out and boy did it ever! Something about it just grabbed at me. I was so fully connected to every single word.

You know, this is why I love new indie books. Out of nowhere, gems like this just appear. These gorgeous, heartfelt, intensely emotional gems that end up owning my heart. I love it!

The story is brilliantly put together and perfectly paced. It flowed effortlessly. The writing was captivating and utterly absorbing. It’s an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. It’ll make you laugh and cry and feel with your whole heart. It’ll shatter your heart and put it back together. But it’s worth every tear because this is the story of a love that survived everything. I highly recommend it!

If you don’t want to know any more, then you can just grab a copy here and start but if you want more details about the book, read on 🙂

Starting early in her childhood, Amanda spent her whole life striving for perfection. She grew up living under the shadow of her older sister – never quite measuring up in the eyes of her parents, teachers and friends and yet always wishing she could. But the one thing she had was Noah, her best friend, and he truly was her whole world.

“Noah had always been my best friend, my partner in crime, my protector, my soul mate, the love of my life. My everything. I may not have gotten the beauty, intelligence or talent, but I got Noah Stewart, the one “perfect” thing I could claim as mine and I wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world.”

Even when they were children, their connection and bond was so strong.

“Thank you, Noah.” I whispered.
“For what?” He said into my hair.
“For taking care of me.”
Wiping his eyes, he sat back on the bed…
“I promise, I won’t let anything bad happen to you again.”

She’d always felt close to him but one day something changed and she realized that what she felt was love. Real love – not just ‘friend’ love. It was just one of those things in life that just felt “right”. But since she’d never felt like she could be good enough, she didn’t feel perfect enough to be his girl and so she held back and kept their friendship from developing further.

“He was my best friend and I wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize that. I had to keep telling myself that nothing could ever happen between us.”

I’m scared to say more though because I don’t want to give anything away. It started out when Noah and Amanda were kids and then built their story in layers of detail and emotion that showed you the foundation of their relationship.

My heart overflowed with love for Noah. Holy wow was this guy ever amazing! He is now one of my all-time favorite book boyfriends!

The depth to which he cared for Amanda and was protective of her was just heart wrenching and impossible not to feel. I loved how open he was with her and the way he never held back his feelings. He knew she wasn’t ready but he still opened his heart to her over and over again. Constantly offering it to her, always waiting to see if she was ready.

“You’re the first girl I’ve ever noticed and the last girl I’ll ever notice.”

His nose skimmed across my cheek up to my temple as he whispered, “Stop pushing me away.”

My heart broke for Amanda and for how little self worth the people in her life who were supposed to have supported her had instilled. Literally no person ever made her feel like anything more than average at best and since she saw Noah as this shining beacon of perfection, she just never felt like she could measure up. It was utterly heart breaking and the ripple effect throughout their lives was devastating. But at the same time, I understood why she couldn’t give in and let them be more than friends. She hadn’t yet learned to love herself, and because of that, she wasn’t yet able to allow someone else to love her despite the fact that she loved him with all her heart and soul. It was just tragic to see such a wonderful person brought down so low.

“I would never love anyone except Noah. He was the love of my life, my soul mate. No one would ever replace him.”

Scene after scene broke my heart as she kept pushing him away despite the fact that they were both so fucking in love with each other!!! It just killed me. I so was frustrated with Amanda but at the same time, I totally understood where she was coming from. It just hurt. A-fucking-lot.

“Noah, why did you ask me here tonight?” …
His eyes stayed focused on the ground as he whispered, “I miss you.”

“You’ve always been my girl and always will be. No one will ever take me away from you, Tweet. You’re my heart and soul and that’s never going to change, no matter what you say.”

“There hasn’t been a day in my life that I haven’t loved you. I just wish you would let me love you.”

This book put me through the ringer. My heart was in my throat nearly the entire time I read. I couldn’t breath properly. The intensity of what I was feeling consumed me. I’d be smiling one minute and crying the next. I went through every possible emotion. It made me feel everything. All at once.

There were moments that made me want to scream at the characters and then just want to hug them. I was infuriated, heart broken, in love, mad, happy, sad, shocked, angry, relieved… totally connected. I loved these characters SO much and my emotions were just in a constant state of overdrive as I kept hoping, wishing, praying with all my heart that they’d just be all right.

“What are we going to do, Tweet?”
“I need you in my life.”
“I need you in mine, too.”
“Be my friend,” I said.
“Always.”

The author deserves total bonus points for originality because this book has a HUGE twist in it. 72% and just BAM!!! It hit me. I went ice cold. Numb. Beyond emotion. I never saw it coming. Never. Not in a million years. And I can almost certainly guarantee that whatever it is you’re guessing it is, that’s probably not it.

I loved that it wasn’t a fairy tale. Life happened. Life was gritty, real and cruel at times. It was merciless and the one lasting thing throughout it all was love.

This is a story of an everlasting friendship, a love, and an unbreakable bond of emotional attachment that surpassed and survived everything life threw at it.

There is a happy ending, guys. It comes at the end of a long, hard journey but it is worth every bit of heart ache and every tear shed. I promise.

This book leaves you with the message to live in the moment. The present is perfect. Don’t waste a single second because every moment is precious. And don’t be afraid to love. Love is stronger than anything.

I felt a similar kind of intensity while reading as I did from books like Thoughtless, The Opportunist and Sweet Thing. It made me care so deeply and feel so completely. It owned my heart and honestly, still does.

For a long time after I finished it, I just kept running scenes from various parts of the book over and over in my head – rethinking, reliving… I think that’s the sign of a great story: when you’re done the book, but the story keeps on playing in your head.

I’m floored that this is a debut novel. It was everything I could want in a book.

Phenomenal. Breathtaking. Intense.!!

Highly recommended! This one is going on my favorites shelf!

Rating: 5+ stars! Standalone romance.

My casting:

Noah
Amanda

Book Review – Thief (Love Me With Lies #3) by Tarryn Fisher

July 24, 2013 by Aestas · 32 Comments

Buy Book #1 – THE OPPORTUNIST (Kindle) – read my review
Buy Book #2 – DIRTY RED (Kindle) – read my review
Buy Book #3 – THIEF (Kindle)

5 stars!

Note to self:

Love is patient; love is kind.
Love doesn’t boast or brag.
There’s no arrogance in love;
it’s never rude, crude, or indecent – it’s not self absorbed.
Love isn’t easily upset.

Love doesn’t tally wrongs.
Love trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what.
Love will never become obsolete.

I’ll fight for her.

– Thief

Thief is the conclusion to the beautiful, tangled love story that started out in The Opportunist. Please note that this is not a standalone. The three books in this series must be read in order because it’s one continuous story.

Caleb and Olivia have one of the most heart-breakingly dysfunctional and yet achingly beautiful love stories I’ve ever read. They had an irreplaceable love proved unbreakable even by a lifetime of mistakes. They were destructive, made the wrong choices and paid the painful price for their mistakes but you couldn’t help but root for them every step of the way. Their journey was an intense, heartbreaking, non-stop roller coaster filled to the brim with every possible emotion you can imagine.

“She’s mine. She always has been, she always will be. We’ve been running in opposite directions for the last ten years, and we collide at every turn. Sometimes it’s because we’re looking for each other, other times it’s fate.

She has the kind of love that can stain your soul, make you beg not to have one, just to escape the spell she’s put you under. I’ve tried to break myself of her over and over, but it’s pointless. I’ve got more of her in my veins than blood…

We’re not over. We’ll never be over.”

The truth of is that this is a second-chance love story. The difference between this one and the usual ones is that in this story you live through the years of separation and mistakes along with the characters and go through their whole tangled love story with them – start to finish – and because you’ve been through every moment of heartbreak and pain right along side them, when the happiness shines through you value it so much more and can appreciate it with every part of your heart and soul because you *know* the price they paid for it.

My heart was racing with anticipation from the very first line of this book. This was IT. It was really happening. The last hurdle. And what an incredible opening chapter!!! One of the very best!

Because of the way this story had built from the first book, I really felt like I had lived these characters lives with them. Their memories were my memories. Little things like “the pool where I first kissed her” came loaded with a whole slew of heart-pounding emotions.

This book tells Caleb’s POV. Finally we get to see what was going on inside his mind. Why did he fall in love with Olivia? Why did he push so hard? Why did he walk away? Why did he waste those 5 years? What made him hurt? What made him love? What drove his actions? And most importantly we see the true depth of how completely and all-consumingly he loved Olivia.

It’s like he finally got her. Or maybe he did all along and wasn’t ready to admit it. But either way, this was the turning point. He was ready to fight for her.

“I can’t stay away from you. I’ve been trying for ten years.”

But I won’t lie, sometimes it hurt to see the raw honesty of Caleb’s thoughts. They were… naked. Uninhibited. Painfully truthful. He was no Boy Scout, that’s for sure, but it was impossible not to love him. Flaws, mistakes, imperfections and all.

As with the first two books, this one wove both the past and present together – starting from flashbacks of when they first met and going through their lives highlighting milestones and key turnings points that, for better or for worse, changed their lives forever. There was no repetitiveness in the flashbacks but rather they gave new insight into everything and filled in the blanks by giving us answers, clarifications and explanations that slowly brought the last broken threads of this story together.

I absolutely loved that Caleb genuinely loved Olivia for who she was. He wasn’t some starry eyed romantic who saw her in a different light just because he was in love with her. No, he saw right into her and he fell in love with her just. as. she. was.

“I tried to break her before. Now, I just wanted her as she was. I wanted every last beautiful flaw. I wanted the witty one-liners and the coldness that only I knew how to warm. I wanted the fight and the friction and the make-up sex. I wanted her to wake up in my bed every morning. I wanted her shitty cooking and her beautiful, complex mind.”

Overall I found this book more sad than angsty, unlike the first two. I’d reached the point where my heart was almost permanently broken. I just wanted them to be happy so badly. I wanted them to be together in more than just their hearts. The weight of it all was almost too much. Too sad. Too heart breaking.

“Do you remember the orange grove, Olivia?”

And just when I thought things couldn’t get sadder, new bombshells of pain were dropped. There were moments so powerfully emotional that I could do nothing other than just sit there and cry.

“I want your babies, and your anger, and your cold blue eyes…” I choke on my words and I am the one to look away. I bring my gaze back to her face and realize that if I can’t convince her now, I’m never going to be able to. “I want to go on anniversary dinners with you, I want to wrap Christmas presents with you. I want to fight with you about stupid things and then hold you down in my bed and make it up to you. I want to have more cake batter fights and camping trips. I want your future, Olivia. Please come back to me.”

Caleb and Olivia were just such a heart-breakingly dysfunctional mess – desperately in love with each other and yet forever ruining their chances of happiness. I don’t even have words to describe the frustration and pain.

“How many times can a heart be broken before it is beyond mend?”

My heart was yo-yoed with. Toyed with. Trampled. Broken. Shattered. Mended. And broken again.

The book made me angry. Furious. Frustrated. I wanted to punch the wall, scream at the characters and then just sob into my pillow because I loved them so much and their pain became my pain and their precious moments of happiness became seconds I’d desperately cling to.

“I don’t love anything more than I love you.”

I find it interesting that I loved this story as much as I did (5 stars for every book) because even though it was loaded with nearly everything that usually bothers me in books, I still loved and was captivated by every single word of this trilogy. I swear to you, more than half my book is highlighted.

Tarryn Fisher has a way of making you feel every moment of the story with every piece of your heart. The writing is just phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal.

This book is full of these little beautiful things that are just loaded with memories, meaning and emotion. Airport blue. The penny. The tree. Cherry Garcia. The deflated basket ball. The orange grove. Jaxson’s. Duchess. Peter Pan. *sob*

The ending was bittersweet. Perfect in it’s imperfections… just like them.

I didn’t know what to think at first. When I finished (at 3AM, I might add) I actually just sat there on the couch for about an hour staring blankly in front of me processing my various emotions. I needed to come to terms with the story. Then, over an hour later, my heart still heavy and aching, I went back and reread the epilogue and just sobbed. It was like I needed that time to come to terms with it and accept it.

I loved it. I hated it. I loved it. I hated it. I was mad. Mad at them for their decisions in life. If only they’d just made different choices. They came so close so many times to happiness. The pain and devastation that they brought down on themselves and had to go through over the years gutted me. But their love had held strong throughout all of the pain, the mistakes, the wrong turns. It withstood it all and survived. They survived. Together.

We are gonna be okay. That’s what happens when two people are meant to be. You just work it out until you are okay.

If you’re looking for a fairy tale, this isn’t the story for you. Nothing could erase the past. Mistakes were made, wrong turns were taken, and their promise of a better tomorrow would forever be haunted by the ghosts of ‘what if’s’ and laced with regret for the past and for missed opportunities they could never get back. There was hope, happiness and healing but it was won at a heavy price. In the end, I was given the things I needed at the cost of the things I wanted.

I have to say though that it was incredibly well done and I seriously commend Tarryn Fisher’s brilliant storytelling for this because I think that in the end, we were left feeling exactly how Caleb and Olivia felt.

They’d had an unconventional romance and so their ending was no different. They were happy and together at the end and honestly, I couldn’t ask for anything more. But still, the tears wouldn’t stop falling, my heart won’t stop aching, and I can promise you that I will never forget this story.

I’m writing this almost a full 24 hours after finishing the book and I have the book hangover of the century. I can’t stop thinking about this story. Pieces of it just keep playing over and over again in my mind.

Flawed. Dysfunctional. Beautiful.

This is a must-read trilogy!

5 stars!!

Casting – I actually really like the pics used on the covers…

“LOVE ME WITH LIES” SERIES READING ORDER

Book #1 – The Opportunist – Kindle | Paperback | My Review

Book #2 – Dirty Red – Kindle | Paperback | My Review

Book #3 – Thief – Kindle | Paperback | My Review