Tag Archives: Love Story

You Had Me At The Sarcasm (Picking Up the Pieces)

Posted in Books I love, Review Post by

Welcome back to book addiction central. I hope time has found you well, and has provided plenty of fabulous books for you to sink your teeth into.

Today at The Never Ending Book Basket, we’re gonna focus in on one of the books I have recently devoured. (Can you tell I am writing this blog post right before dinner based on all the eating references?)

I am going to start this post off a little differently than I normally do. You all know the mumbo jumbo by now, and how my posts are typically written. I usually start off with some witty opening introducing the book, and then dive right into what I loved about it.

The not so friendly warning....

The not so friendly warning in Picking Up the Pieces….

Here’s the thing about this book though:

  1. It’s a follow up to another book that you HAVE got to read before this one. (You know that whole don’t put the cart before the horse thing…)
  2. It’s got a beyond huge ending that I can’t even hint at a smidge because it would ruin all of the epic build up in this book and its predecessor.
  3. The authors of this book have promised to hunt down anyone who spoils the way all the shit goes down in the book. (You think I’m joking? I’m not. It’s in the god damned book, and call me crazy, but I kind of really believe them.)

So what does all this mean for my review of this book?

I am going to have to reign it in big time to not reveal anything in any way, or hint at my allegiances to certain characters. (And believe me, I have them!) I am also going to focus more generally on some plot aspects because this is a follow up to another book that I don’t want to ruin for you.

It’ll be a challenge to not word vomit all over this review, but god knows I’m stubborn as hell, so let’s go!

Picking Up the Pieces by Elizabeth Hayley (photo credit: I "borrowed" this from their website elizabethhayley.blogspot.com)

Picking Up the Pieces by Elizabeth Hayley  (photo credit: I “borrowed” this from their website.)

Without further ado, let me introduce you to Picking Up the Pieces by Elizabeth Hayley.

Picking Up the Pieces is a follow up novel to Pieces of Perfect. (I read that book before I created this lovely little blog, so feel free to check out my review of that book on Goodreads.) Let me give you the low down on what’s kind of going on in this book and its predecessor: You see, there’s a love triangle. And not one of those craptastic love triangles that clearly spells out what the ultimate choice will be at the end, when you’re only like 45 pages into it. (Cough, Twilight, cough)

This is an honest to god love triangle with 3 characters who mean business. They’re also full of real world flaws and complications, so you know I absolutely adore them through and through.

In the infamous words of my favorite ridiculously bad game show, it’s time to come on down and meet the triangular counterparts that make up Picking Up the Pieces. (Wahoo!)

  • Lily: Lily is kind of hard to describe because she’s got a lot of levels to her. But that’s why I absolutely loved her, because it wasn’t necessarily all good under the hood, and that girl knew it and owned it. (Even if it took her a bit of time to get there.) Having made some pretty bad decisions lately, Lily is trying to start over. She realizes the mistakes she’s made, and she wants to be better. Lily goes through a shit ton of introspection over both books, but in Picking Up the Pieces she really hits it out of the park, and her character development is out of this world phenomenal. She’s also one lucky S.O.B. because she’s got two wholly different gentleman callers to choose from.
  • Adam: Adam is the good guy you just fall in love with. From the get go he pours everything into his relationship with Lily. He feels it all, and he just really tries. He’s romantic. He says the right things. He does the right things. He’s just right, even when he’s wrong. Adam is also a single father raising his daughter, making him pretty damn compassionate and endearing. Honestly, I dare you to not love his character. Good fucking luck. (He’s got some serious candle house potential.)
  • Max: Max is the ultimate bad boy that’ll make you schvitz in the best possible way. He’s a former professional NHL player who screams bad decisions and sex appeal. He meets Lily in a very memorable way, and their relationship has some serious ups and downs. To put it bluntly Max is an asshole. He’s rude and frank, a little bit damaged, and he does some truly questionable things. Like all the time. But through all the bs, he really tries. He puts what he thinks and feels out there, and you can’t help but love his vulnerability. Even when he’s bad, he’s just oh so good.

So those are the unique and wholly real counterparts to our love triangle. As you can see, Lily faces a choice in this book. It’s basically time to put up or shut up. She has to decide which one of these guys is for her, and who’s going to be the one she seeks the happily ever after with.

Think it’s an easy choice? As if. Like I said before, the buildup in this book is epic, and you will be guessing at who she picks until the very end.

What was truly perfect about this book:

  • The multiple perspectives. It’s told in all 3 characters perspectives, and that just works seriously well for the book. No further explanation is necessary.
  • The triangular counterparts. I seriously adored Lily, Adam, and Max for who they were. They were each different, but oh so easy to just love. All of these characters have their flaws that they are each coming to terms with, and you just can’t help but root for them. They just rock, and that’s even true when they have their heads up their asses.
  • You had me at the sarcasm. This book and its characters ooze a little bit of sarcasm. And when I say a little bit, I mean that it’s leaping off the page in bounds. The banter and one liners in this book (and all of the other books by Elizabeth Hayley) had me cracking up out loud numerous times. I couldn’t stop laughing, and that just made the book all the better.
  • The messy. This book has a love triangle in it, so of course it’s a tad messy when these 3 dynamic characters come together. But that “messy” makes it magnificent. It makes it authentic and chaotic and dysfunctional and ridiculous at times, but it works because that’s just how it is.

    Pieces of Perfect (Where it all begins...)

    Pieces of Perfect (Where it all begins…) photo credit: authorelizabethayley.BlogSpot.com

  • The moments of reason. Putting all the humor aside, this book is full of moments of reason from not only the triangular counterparts, but also from the cast of merry men and women that make up the spectacular supporting characters. These moments of true reason and clarity show a remarkable side to this book, and demonstrates what happens when you look at yourself, and make some pretty hard and defining choices.
  • The ending. I can’t and won’t tell you how it all ends. That shit don’t fly. But just know, the ending was EXACTLY what I hoped for, and it just blew it out of the water. It also makes the gut wrenching build up so much more worth it, because without all that build up, the ending wouldn’t have felt as hard fought and sweet as it was.
  • The hot and spicy. This book has a lot of hot and spicy, hanky panky, the dirty deed, or whatever else you might call it. The hot and spicy was just enough, and added another level of excitement (No pun intended) to the already extremely engaging story.
  • Amanda Bishop. I couldn’t not throw in my favorite Sex Snob into my love of this book. Amanda is her own delicious can of worms, and she’s my favorite supporting act in this book. She’s a hysterical voice of reason. She’s out there, and she knows it, and god do I love it.
  • The level of growth. Each and every character residing in the story grows and changes over the course of the book. Some changes are monumental, others more subtle. In the end though, they all just keep changing and growing. Nothing is stagnate, and that just keeps it all moving in a thoughtful and seriously engaging way.

I could continue this list for pages, but I am going to stop now. I am reigning it in…

Suffice to say Picking Up the Pieces was an extraordinary book to read, and it made for a fabulous reading experience I won’t soon forget. The characters are hilarious, authentic, raw, emotional, frank, wonderful, and they just honestly hit it out of the park. The story itself comes off the page, and you feel it through and through. It’s messy, and complicated, and dysfunctional, but trust me that’s what makes it so incredible.

All the magnificent aspects of this book make for an exceptional read. You’ll be reeling until the very end, but like I said, the buildup, the turmoil, and all the ups and downs make the after so much more worth it.

So do yourself a god damned favor, and check out every single book by Elizabeth Hayley starting with Pieces of Perfect. (Eventually you’ll get to Picking Up the Pieces, and you’ll understand this review a smidge more. I hope.)

This writing duo is also one that’ll charm your ass off in spades, so go find them. Now.

To learn more about Elizabeth Hayley and their books check out the following links:

Fan Facebook              Author Facebook               Website               Twitter                 Goodreads

Picking Up the Pieces (Pieces #2)
Perfectly Ever After (Pieces#3)

Releasing Now: On My Knees

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by

Attention all book addicts! The next book you’ll want to devour and one-click asap is finally here!! Get ready to bow down and fall in love, because Meredith Wild does it again with On My Knees…

On My Knees

On My Knees by Meredith Wild

Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 18, 2014

(Lucky you it already released, so buy it now. NOW!)

 Purchase Links:

Amazon    Barnes & Noble   Google Play

 Add On My Knees on Goodreads

Synopsis:

Haunted by the responsibility of caring for her troubled family, Maya Jacobs gave the only answer she could when Cameron asked her to marry him.  Years later, entrenched in a soulless professional routine, she distracts herself from the lingering regret of her decision with a “work hard, play hard” lifestyle that guarantees no man will ever find his way into her heart again.

Cameron Bridge has spent the past five years married to the military, trying to escape the painful memory of losing Maya. After fighting his own war in the desert, he starts a new life in New York City, with his siblings, Olivia and Darren, by his side.

When fate brings Maya back to him in the heart of a city filled with its own hopes and shadows, can Cameron find the girl he once loved in the woman she’s become?

OMK_500x8001

Get to Know the Author:

USA Today bestselling author, Meredith Wild, picked up her first romance novel at the tender age of twelve, and shortly after put pen to word processor and made her first attempt at writing a love story inspired by those she so enjoyed reading well past her bedtime.

Her dream of writing took a back seat to college, parenthood and eventually entrepreneurship, which led her into the fast-paced and male-dominated high tech industry.  With enough life experience for a few lifetimes, she now devotes her hours to writing contemporary adult romance with a hint of kink.

When she isn’t writing or mothering, Meredith can be found sunbathing with an adult beverage.

Meredith Wild herself.

Social Links for Meredith Wild:

Facebook   Twitter  Goodreads  Instagram Pinterest

Just a Little Tease….

It’s Giveaway Time:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/OTVjYjAyODI4NTVmZTdhMGVlYmMyYWE4N2FhZmZmOjI1 (Be Sure to click to enter!)

What I Thought of This Book:

Since I am sure my opinion matters to you (at least I hope it kind of does…), be sure to check out my review of this book on Goodreads. I’ll warn you now that the review is long in its praises, but this book was so out of this world that my review barely does it any justice.  It’s just that spectacular.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/834624462?book_show_action=false

So what are you waiting for?! Head to one of the above or below purchase links, and start reading this book today. It’ll have you on your knees in love in no time….

Purchase Links:

Amazon    Barnes & Noble   Google Play

Add On My Knees on Goodreads

Releasing Now Book Addicts: Fade In

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by

Okay book addicts, I have a brand new book hot off the presses that I know you’re just going to eat up! Before you fade out from all of your St. Patrick’s day fun, be sure to check out Fade In…

Fade In by M. Mabie

Fade In by M. Mabie

Fade In by M. Mabie

Contemporary Romance

Release Day: March 16, 2014 (That’s today bitches, so buy it now!)

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Barnes & Noble

Add Fade In on Goodreads

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.)

Fade In Teaser!!

Fade In Teaser!! (Doesn’t that just make you melt into a puddle of emotion?)

An Excerpt From the Book:

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.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

M. Mabie lives in Illinois with her husband. She loves reading and writing romance, and an active member of the Indie Author Romance Chicks. She cares about politics, but will not 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. In fact, if you listen very closely you can probably hear her flapping her gums.

You’re encouraged to contact M. Mabie about her future works, as well as this one.

 Website  Facebook  Twitter  Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway  (Click the link to enter now!)

Fade In Book Cover.... Be sure to check this book out asap!

Fade In Book Cover…. Be sure to check this book out asap!

So what are you waiting for?! Head over to one of the above or below purchase links and buy this bad boy now!

It’ll be oh so worth your while!

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Barnes & Noble

Add Fade In on Goodreads

 

Forever Interrupted

Posted in Books I love, Review Post by
Welcome back to book addiction central!

I hope time has found you well, and that you’ve been able to sink yourself into something deliciously enthralling.

Now as most of you know, last week I took a little walk on the dark side by reading Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects. While that little trek was fun and fantastically crazy, I decided that my next book unearthed from The Never Ending Book Basket should be something a tad bit little lighter.

(Or at least something with a little less body dismemberment.)

Despite my quest to find something lighter to read, I found myself in the throes of a story that can be described as anything but light. Sure there weren’t murders and mystery weaving their way through the book, but I surprisingly still found myself reading a story full of anguish and despair.

(Luckily this book wasn’t all doom and gloom because it was full of some seriously sweet moments !)

So while I may have come up a tad short on my desire to find something a little lighter, I did find a lovely little book that is described as being “not your average love story.”

Today at The Never Ending Book Basket I tackle that not so average love story by reviewing Forever Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Forever Interrupted tells the story of Elsie Porter, a young woman who finds herself head over heels in love for Ben Ross. (And we’re talking “Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, cant-live-without-each-other love.” Yay for you if you know where that quote is from!)

Forever Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Forever Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

After a romance that seems as long as a blink of an eye, the two have eloped and find themselves blissfully happy. Then just 9 days after eloping, Ben is killed on impact in a car accident, and Elsie is thrust onto the path of mourning the loss of her husband. She’s also dealing with the fact that she’s just now meeting her mother in law who didn’t even know she existed. (And that is just the first 15 pages.)

Forever Interrupted is told in alternating timelines that start with an ending and a beginning. These timelines trace Elsie and Ben’s, as well as Elsie and Susan’s relationships as they develop over the course of the story.

  • The ending timeline starts from the moment when Ben’s life ends, and follows Elsie as she mourns her late husband, and begins her very complicated and raw relationship with her new mother in law Susan.
  • The beginning timeline begins at the very start of Elsie and Ben’s relationship, and follows them from their very first meeting until the very end of their short, but extremely passionate love affair.

Through these alternating timelines and stories you see how Elsie and Ben came to be, and you fall in love with how they fell in love. (It will seriously make you want to melt into a puddle of emotion.) You also get to see the tumultuous ride that Elsie begins after she has to bury the love she thought would be with her forever. Elsie’s journey throughout this book is truly what moves and makes this book, and the feelings she has rightfully set the pace and tone for this book.

What I simply loved in this book:

  • The alternating timelines. This honestly made the book for me. I loved seeing Elsie and Ben at the beginning and end of their love affair. It made their love story come alive to see these timelines interwoven together so beautifully, and it honestly made me love this story so much more. This set up also created the absolute perfect balance between the happiness and sadness throughout the book.
  • Ben’s death. Clearly since Ben’s fate is determined 10 pages in, I knew what was coming, but it made it all the more real seeing the emotion build to and from this defining event. In the present tense you got to see the aftershocks of such a horrific event. In the past building up to the present you literally get to feel every emotion that made you fall in love with Ben. Having these feelings “backwards” made me feel for Ben and those affected by his death so much more because I already knew the fate that laid ahead.
  • Elsie’s pain and anguish. So I told you this book had a lot of despair and anguish, and I am not exaggerating on that. You are literally thrown head first into Elsie’s pain, and its sink or swim time. (At times I think you can literally touch the pain that Elsie is feeling. It’s just tangible.) The author does a fantastic job of making you absorb this pain and anguish, and as much as you may not like that, it makes the feelings in this book very, very real.
  • Elsie and Susan’s relationship. In addition to Elsie and Ben’s relationship, you also get to see the ebbs and flows of Elsie and her mother in law Susan’s relationship. This one takes a little more time to develop into something substantial, but when you get there, it’s just grand. (And messy, and complicated, and funny, and painful, and just so fucking real. But in the end it’ll just blow your socks off.)
  • The multiple kinds of love. This book is full of different kinds of love and relationships, and I really enjoyed getting to read every single one of them. You get to see the love between couples, parents and their children, friends, and even strangers. Love is in the air in this book, which makes you feel just a tad bit tingly inside.
  • The complicatedness. Life and people are complicated. They are messy, complex, and difficult, but that is just the way it is. Forever Interrupted does a spectacular job of showing this complicatedness in many dynamic ways. It also just adds a grounding aspect to the book that makes you realize that these “complications” are what makes life what it is.

Forever Interrupted is described as being “not your average love story”, and that sentiment rings very true. While it is overflowing with love, (and does have a wonderful love story within its pages) it is a book about beginnings and endings. (I couldn’t help but link to that song there.) It shows a couple at their beginning and their end, and everything in between is full of magic, pain, anguish, laughter, and of course, love.

It was also extremely easy to relate to the characters even though I’ve never been in any of their shoes. I found it really simple to love and accept all the characters for all their quirks and faults, because it made them who they are, and they accepted that. (And in turn I accepted them. How cyclical!)

In the end, Forever Interrupted is still a story about love. Reading this book you get to watch that love as it begins, grows, breathes, ends, continues, and weaves its way through. That love is definitely something you’ll want to see for yourself.

To end this post I leave you with the epitaph for this book. It was originally posted on Craigslist, and it honestly does a phenomenal job of summing up the mountain of feelings in Forever Interrupted:

“Every morning when I wake up I forget for a fraction of a second that you are gone and I reach for you. All I ever find is the cold side of the bed. My eyes settle on the picture of us in Paris, on the bedside table, and I am overjoyed that even though the time was brief I loved you and you loved me.”

(I may or may not have just started crying typing that. You can take a guess on that one…)

To learn more about Taylor Jenkins Reid check out the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/taylorjenkinsreidbooks (Facebook)

https://twitter.com/tjenkinsreid (Twitter)

http://www.taylorjenkinsreid.com/ (Website)

Two For One Special (Love Unrehearsed & Love Unscripted)

Posted in Books I love, Review Post by

Attention book readers, we have a two for one special on our hands at The Never Ending Book Basket!

(In my mind I just imagined that being blasted over a crackling loud speaker in a warehouse filled to the brim with books, also known as my own personal happy place.)

I guess I should let you know that I didn’t actually just read a book named two for one special. The title for this post comes from the fact that today is your lucky day!

Want to know why?!

Today, you get two book reviews for the price of one! Go you!

Told ya, today was your day!

Please try and contain your exuberance out there!

Now that you know where my oh so clever title for this post came from (and I know you just have to be smiling right now!), I can now talk about the amazing two books that I just recently finished and are today’s two for one special.

This week I read Love Unscripted and Love Unrehearsed by Tina Reber.

Love Unscripted and Love Unrehearsed by Tina Reber.

Love Unscripted and Love Unrehearsed by Tina Reber. (For the record I thought it was fantastic to put that dried bouquet on top of the books. Am I the next big photographer? Probably not, but I do sure love this picture!)

So why a two for one special?

These books are basically two parts to a one whole extremely lovable story, (think of them as part one and part two respectively) so I found it only right to review them together.

Let me tell you, I was very eager to read these two books. I came across the second book, Love Unrehearsed while shopping with another book addict, and I was hooked in by the promise of reading a fantastic love story that I wouldn’t forget.

I will just be honest with the fact that I am a HUGE sucker for a love story, and boy was this a love story to die for. I ate up every page, and was completely enamored with the main characters, Taryn and Ryan.

Their love practically pole vaulted off the page.

Since I don’t want to give away too much of the actual plot line of these two books (‘cause we don’t do that shit on here!), let me tell you a little about Taryn and Ryan:

  • Meet Taryn: Taryn is a young, extremely caring, strong willed, and down to Earth woman who is running a small pub in a tiny Rhode Island town. She has a huge heart, and always puts others first. At the beginning she can be found rolling her eyes at the hoopla over the huge movie being filmed in town. She will not play into any of that, until she unexpectedly finds herself helping and falling very hard for Ryan Christensen, the A list actor starring in the film.
  • Meet Ryan: Ryan Christensen is on top of the world. He is the gorgeous guy rising to the top of the acting world, and almost every female is obsessed with him. Ryan just wanted to do what he loved, but he never expected to have his every move scrutinized and followed by throngs of women. Literally. That fanatic obsession is exactly what leads him to meeting Taryn. Ryan is clearly guarded, but is oh so charming and fiercely protective of what he holds dear, but when he meets Taryn all bets are off.

Love Unscripted and Love Unrehearsed follows Taryn and Ryan as they try to give love a chance. Both of these characters have pasts and presents that make them reluctant to take the leap of faith. They are both guarded, and they have their reasons for holding back, but these books explore what happens when they give it all a chance.

When they come together it’s messy, complicated, and scary as hell, but the journey they go on together is one that will just make your heart melt.

These books are filled to the brim with swoon worthy moments, drama ridden crazies, and lines that will have you becoming a puddle of emotions. They also contain some unforgettable supporting characters that are the icing on the cake! (Try not to like them. I dare ya!)

Some of my favorite aspects of the books:

  • It’s a love story, hello?! What can I say, I am a sucker for a love story. I love reading about love, and watching two characters fall for one another. (NEWSFLASH: If you don’t, this book probably isn’t for you.) And boy do they fall in this story. This love story is well described, and provides all the adorable little details that will make you want to put this couple on a Hallmark card ASAP. The love described is well thought out and written, and will have you fighting like hell that everything works out for the two lovebirds.
  • The drama. There’s no such thing as a love story without drama, right? Both Love Unscripted and Love Unrehearsed have some juicy bits of drama that may include, but are not limited to: psychotic fans, crazy exes, ridiculously good looking male characters, paparazzi galore, sneaky bitches, plenty of innuendo, a smidge bit of illegal substances, and more crazy fan mail than you can shake a stick at.
  • The moments radiating love. There are a ton of these moments within both books, and they will really make you see, feel, hear, and even touch all the love pouring out of this book. Feel the love people, feel the love.
  • The length of the books. Now clearly I enjoy reading, so book length isn’t daunting to me whatsoever, so I personally prefer a good book that provides a solid plot line and characters over a longer than average book. I spent almost 1,000 pages combined with Taryn and Ryan. Some may say these books are too long, but the plot line is well developed and the characters keep the story going. (And honestly, by the end, I still wanted to read more!)
  • The A list guy and the girl next door. It’s a story you think you’ve heard before, but this spin is well worth the ride. Ryan Christensen is to die for. He is good looking, charming, and he has a heart of gold. Taryn is the girl you love to love, who is witty, loving, and actually has her shit together. She fights like hell for what she wants, and is as strongly independent as you can get. (Score one for strong female characters!) And who wouldn’t enjoy reading about an A list actor falling for the girl next door?
  • How it all comes together. (The lack of further explanation here is deliberate. No spoilers here. You want to find out what happens to Taryn and Ryan, go read the damn books. Now. Please and thank you.)

Love Unscripted and Love Unrehearsed tells the story of two people who have every reason to not believe in love, yet find themselves putting their faith in one another. This story contains moments that will make you want to laugh out loud, smile, and maybe even cringe. (But in a good way, I promise!)

It may be a sappy love story, oozing with heart rendering moments, but it is story that will have you truly believing and trusting in the power of love.

And who doesn’t want that? (For the record, that question can be considered rhetorical if you do not want to answer yes.)

Hope you enjoyed this two for one special. It was definitely worth the late nights of reading.

Let me know what you think, and I am curious to see what opinions you all have of love stories in general.

Let the reading of love commence!

ps. If you’d like to learn more about Love Unscripted and Love Unrehearsed by Tina Reber, feel free to check out the following links:

http://www.tinareber.com/ (website)

https://www.facebook.com/authortinareber (Facebook)

https://twitter.com/tinareber (Twitter)

Sea Change, By Karen White

Posted in Books I love, Review Post by

The time has finally come for the egg to hatch. It is now time for my first book review on The Never Ending Book Basket. If you’re new to the blog, please feel free to peruse the site to learn more about what is going on up in here. (Insert DMX song lyrics here… Now can’t you here that song in your head, or is that just me?)

But without further ado, let the book talking begin.

Sea Change, By Karen White

Sea Change, By Karen White

I will preface this review by saying that this is not the first book that I have read by this author, Karen White. It is actually the fifth. I stumbled across one of her books in a used book store a few years ago, and fell in love with the fantastic characters she created in her book Falling Home.  Since then I have been hooked, and I have slowly been making my way through the many wonderful books she has written. (Let’s just say I am really happy I stumbled across that first book, because she is by far one of my favorite author’s currently, and pretty much has been since I read that first book)

This time I found myself reading her book Sea Change, which was published in 2011. Sea Change follows two interwoven stories set on St. Simons Island in Georgia. The book presents two love stories two hundred years apart: Pamela and Geoffrey in the early 1800s, and Ava and Matthew in the present day. The way that these characters love stories intertwine together is simply breathtaking, and will have you reeling to figure out how everything and everyone fits together.

One of the most notable characters in the book is the setting of the story itself. Karen White does a simply remarkable job of describing the south, and how life works there. As someone who has lived in the grey area between the north and the south, it was easy as taking in a breath to feel as if you were standing there with the characters in the setting that Karen White describes. (Though I will point out Maryland is below the Mason Dixon line, technically making it apart of the south) The setting of the book is a character unto itself, helping set up many of the story lines that occur, as well as just being so thoughtfully described that it is easy to imagine you can taste the salt of the St. Simon’s air on the tip of your tongue.

Sea Change, like many of Karen White’s books is told in multiple perspectives of women who are interconnected throughout the story. Ava, her mother Gloria, and Pamela’s stories are seamlessly created and connected together over the course of the book. Each of their stories presents an intricate puzzle piece that helps make the big picture clearer by the end. One thing I love about the books I have read by Karen White is that she does a glorious job of meshing a little bit of mystery, and a whole lot of love together to make a story that will hook you in until the very last page.

I won’t get too deep into the actual plot line of the story, to find that out you’ll just have to read the book. Now before you get all pissy, didn’t I tell you I wouldn’t be revealing anything on here, but I will be super sweet and give you a smidge of a tease. 🙂

This story follows Ava as she embarks into a new chapter in her life after marrying Matthew after a rather short, but meaningful courtship. She then finds herself living in a new place, surrounded by people who know more about her husband and his past then she does, while she still finds herself looking for something she doesn’t yet know how to describe. Ava is searching for something, has been all her life, and this story captures that journey at its most mysterious peak.

Along with her story, you will get to see inside the head of Gloria, Ava’s mother, and will begin to understand more about Ava’s past, and how present events came about. And if that isn’t enough to get you hooked, the book then presents Pamela’s story, told 200 years prior to present day. Pamela’s story in itself is enough to make you swoon, and will have you desperately trying to connect all the puzzle pieces you will receive while reading this book.

Let’s just say, the finished puzzle is well worth making your mind go into overdrive to connect it all. Once realized, the connections and stories created throughout the book are simply magical, and will probably make you want to call your mother. (You don’t have to do that, but let’s just say you’ll probably want to.)

I must say that when I often describe Karen White’s books to others, I usually say “Her books are what I imagine a Nicholas Sparks book would be like if I ever actually read a Nicholas Sparks book.”(I only say Nicholas Sparks just so that the people who are more familiar with his books, can begin to have a frame of reference for what I am saying)  I have said this quite often as I adore her books, and while I have actually read one Nicholas Sparks book, I’m not sure my descriptor of this author’s books is doing her enough justice. Every single one of Karen White’s books that I have had the joy to read has been simply unforgettable. In each book she presents a dynamic group of characters all linked in some way, while setting her stories in various mesmerizing locations in the south. If you never considered loving the south, be warned, you will LOVE it after reading any one of her books.

Simply put, Karen White’s books are the go to for brilliant stories filled with vibrant characters set in the charming south.

In closing, Sea Change presents a moving story told by a dynamic group of connected women who will go to extraordinary odds for those they love. That is honestly what I took away most from reading this book. Love. This story demonstrates the power within love, and within those who will do anything in their power to show it, create it, find it, and spread it to those who matter most.

If you would like to learn more about Karen White and her books, the link to her website and Facebook page is below. (And I truly recommend any of her books. This was my fifth time reading a book of hers, and I cannot wait to read the rest. Be assured, this will not be the last time one of her magnificent books is on this page.)

http://www.karen-white.com/

https://www.facebook.com/karenwhiteauthor

Until next time fellow book addicts, may your desire to read far outweigh any errant thought that could drive you to stop.