Fade In by M. Mabie

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Synopsis:

Tatum Elliot is a successful writer on a hit television show, lives in an Upper East Side apartment and loves her life. She wouldn’t change a thing. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a choice. She’s losing her sight.

Tripping over her tongue and her heels, Tatum all too quickly realizes that the things which appeared so important before are slowly slipping away leaving room for what really matters. With the support of her best friends, family and colleagues, she begins to see that there’s much more to life… and herself.

When Ben Harris enters her life as her new personal assistant, she can’t tell if it’s his good looks and charm that are working on her libido, or his kind and helpful nature working on her heart? Whatever it is, neither one of them can resist it.

As her vision fades out, a world of love and happiness just might…Fade In.

(Fade In is a contemporary-romance novel about laughing through your tears and telling life to, quite frankly, “Suck it.” This novel contains sexual situations that the author may or may not have tried at home… for your safety, of course.  Research is research.)

About the Author:

M. Mabie lives in Illinois, NOT Chicago, with her rock-star husband. (True story.)  She loves writing for Fifty5Cents Book Blog, which she owns and operates- at the moment quite poorly.  She’s a proud member of the Indie Author Romance Author Chicks writing group where she maintains a high standard of professionalism and lady-like maturity- or not. She cares about politics, but won’t discuss them in public. She uses the same fork at every meal, watches Wayne’s World while cleaning, and lets her dog sleep on her head.

M. Mabie has never been accused of being tight lipped or shy. She’s THAT girl. (She doesn’t usually speak in third-person, but surprisingly does when weirded-out about writing her bio.)

Excerpt:

I only met her briefly on one occasion, but she left a pockmark in my mind. She was dynamite and she had an indefinitely long fuse that never stopped burning. Those around her never knew when she would blow up, not looking away because she was a mess who was fun to watch.

I hope she’s still like that when my mind drifts back to her through the years that pass by.

Maybe I should have shared the cab. Got in with her. Stayed with her.

I don’t know.

Who ever really knows that it is the first time, the first time you meet? It’s only the first time after there’s a second time. Up until then, it’s just an only. One moment to the next could alter everything.

Every decision pushes you or pulls you where you’re going in life.

At times, after running into her, when I felt like I was pushing every day to do better, to get further, make a bigger difference, and like I was getting nowhere and I was just spinning my tires, I’d think of her.

She pulls life along. That girl was making life keep up with her.

And that’s too special to forget.

My Review & Rating:

As many of you know, at The Never Ending Book Basket I use my OCD tendencies to list the reasons of why I loved a book I am reviewing. So staying true to form, here is what I truly adored about Fade In:

• Tatum is a spitfire, and girl is she proud of it. Tatum says exactly what she’s thinking all the time. She tells it like it is and doesn’t hold back one bit, which added some pretty darn good humor on just about every other page. Overall though, it just made me heart her something fierce. That girl was not afraid to be her, and her spitfire attitude was electric. It ignites you, energizes you, and engages you with her and the story right away. She’s got some spark that girl, and I dare you to try and resist that spark.

• Ben just kind of makes you swoon on just about every page. Ben’s character was pretty much to die for. Sure he’s good looking, but there’s a lot more to him than that. The things he says and does in will pretty much make you swoon, and he has a serious sweet side to him. He also compliments Tatum in a way that feels truly authentic. They just kind of fit. He has a way to see right through her, right to her core. He just gets her, and what she’s feeling and thinking. Honestly, he’s just a really good guy who you’ll love swooning for.

• An abundance of humor. This book is bursting with humor. If it wasn’t Tatum’s spitfire attitude or Ben’s lovable big mouth, it was the outrageous moments involving everyone else. It’s chalk full of moments that’ll have you in fits of laughter. (One in particular had me almost hyperventilating because it involved a recreation of a certain Lion King scene without the animals…) Bottom line: the humor in this book will make you smile and laugh ridiculously. Enjoy that.

• The hodge podge of charming supporting characters. These characters hit this story out of the park in so many ways. They add some lovable humor, some necessary heavy conversations, some great looks at different relationship dynamics, and some all-around entertaining moments. Winnie, Cooper, the Devons, Neil, Dr. Evil aka Dr. Meade, Ray, and pretty much every other character will definitely win you over by the end. Or by like page 15.

• Get back into the closet! Some pretty big and defining moments happen in none other than Tatum’s closet. These moments are breathtaking with their level of emotion and what takes place. They will pull at your heart with the level of honesty and vulnerability. Almost like a come to Jesus moment, these instants define the story and its characters in the best possible ways.

• The tangible vulnerability. A lot of the characters, especially Tatum, put up some heavy fronts. But the level of vulnerability that comes through from them is almost tangible. In those moments you see them in their most honest form. No fronts, no boundaries, no walls, just them. You truly see what they’re feeling deep down inside, which makes them all the more real and relatable. (I honestly can’t say this enough with Tatum. I could go on for days about those moments of vulnerability she had. Just utterly magnificent.)

• Getting over the hump. When you read, you kind of have to get over a reading hump to really really get into a book, but once you’re past that “hump” you just can’t put the book down. Literally. Well you’ll be happy to know I got over that hump on page 2. So be prepared that you’ll want to devour this book. It’s so gonna suck you in, and you’re just going to love that!

Now here on The Never Ending Book Basket I typically don’t give ratings within my reviews of books. Sure I give books ratings on other sites that I post reviews to, but I’ve never put a rating within one of my posts because it just wasn’t part of my shtick. Not that I don’t love ratings, but those ratings just never made their way here. (Those ratings are typically on a 1 to 5 star scale.) Well that’s about to change. Like right now.

So if you ask me to rate Fade In using that scale I’d have to give it:

5 mind blowing stars

I honestly couldn’t recommend this book more to you. If I could I would give it like 22 stars on that same scale. It was that phenomenal. It is just an honest to god fantastic and extremely engaging story that I promise you will find shear delightment in while reading.

Interview:

So I had the amazing opportunity to ask M. Mabie herself some questions! Check out the interview below to learn more about her and Fade In!

1. What was the thing/moment/event that sparked your idea for Fade In? (Was it something specific that just came to you, or was it something that built over time? Basically what was that “aha moment.”)

I can’t really put my finger on the exact moment. I had this character, Tatum, that kept popping into my head. I thought it would be interesting to read about a girl losing her sight. Ben was different. I didn’t really have his character lined out completely until I really dissected hers. He had to be perfect for her… and he is.

2. What would be the “big thing” you would want a reader to take away from reading your book?

I love when readers message me about laughing and crying. I enjoy books that play roughly with my emotions and I’m proud, that at least for some, Fade In has been able to provoke those kinds of reactions. Also, the premise that even thought everything doesn’t always go the way you want, sometimes it is what you need. Isn’t that a Rolling Stones song? Smart men, those Stones.

3. What did you find the most surprising or interesting in writing Fade In?

Surprising? Was that I became so enveloped. I knew I’d love them, but I didn’t expect to be that obsessed. The most interesting part was in the process was learning, from my editor, that I write like a Brit. There were many notes in the side bar in my manuscript highlighting it. We laughed about it and decided that I ought to try writing a hot British guy sometimes soon. Very soon.

4. Do you have a favorite scene from Fade In? And if so, why is it your favorite?

I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn’t read it, but my favorite scene is “The Closet” scene. It’s been named that by everyone who has mentioned it, for obvious reasons. I love it, because that is when Tatum finally lets some of her guard down and finally shows her true feelings. It was the only scene I wrote out of order and one of the very first scenes I completed for the book. I also love The Epilogue, but who doesn’t love a happy ending?

5. What’s the one thing you cannot live without while writing? ( i.e. coffee, gum, etc.)

Lollipops or life savers. Chocolate if the chapter is emotional. Ha-ha. And talking out scenes with NA Alcorn. I literally couldn’t write without her. Sometimes just saying things out loud to someone else can trigger better things or bring to light when something is missing. True story

Playlist:

https://play.spotify.com/user/12120286539/playlist/6YwvLM9tsgQm6Y81gV4zVF

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