Review: Awful Beautiful Life by Becky Powell

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For many people in similar socioeconomic backgrounds like the Powell family, it's easy to judge or make assumptions on the why or how when you have everything to live for with no worries. People make choices in life that lead them to a crossroads that become hard to bare and as a result decide out of despair. Suicide is such a sensitive subject that doesn’t discriminate. For those out there feeling as her husband did and make that decision, it can be hard not only for themselves but also for their family. Awful Beautiful Life, takes us to the heart of a family’s pain through this tragedy and the power of strength and trust in their faith to guide and see them through this chapter of their lives.

This was a tough but inspiring read. Here is a woman who had her life crumble under her feet after the death of her husband. Despite the actions that lead to his decision, this was someone’s husband, father, and son. Her perspective sharing her experience was honest and left me speechless because she could’ve chosen a different path and would’ve had every right to feel otherwise. Her dedication as a mother and the strength of her faith drove her to make this wrong a right which touched me as I read the book.

Overall, I thought her story was one that deserved to be heard. No matter who you are or where you come from, there is a lesson that we can take away from someone’s experience. For those of you out there who have been in a situation where tragedy has occurred and it puts your belief of faith at a crossroads hopefully, her story will inspire you to not give up hope even when there seems like none.

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Review: Wrapped Up in You by Jill Shalvis

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Wrapped Up Into You, is the eight book in the Heartbreaker Bay series by Jill Shalvis. Never a disappointment when I jump right into her books. This was no different, giving the perfect escape making you laugh and smile. What can I say, another good one in the series.

Wrapped Up Into You featured Kel and Ivy. Two broken and guarded people not wanting to get to close or let anyone in. Ivy, hard-working and determined, had a hard upbringing. She has fought hard to bury and forget about her past. Finally landing herself in a place where she can set some roots, has made friends and has found some peace in her life. Working hard starting a business, she is finally on the road to something great. The only thing that is missing from her life, Mr. Right. Enters Kel.

Kel, a cop who was hurt on the job, is dealing with his trust that has made him on guard. In town, awaiting word from his situation, he is visiting some family who on a trip and one day head over to Ivy’s food truck. Food not being the only thing that catches his attention, he gets drawn into something about her that he hasn’t been able to find before. As they get to know each other, his instincts are screaming at him that Ivy isn’t telling the truth. When someone from Ivy’s past threatens to tear apart everything she has worked so hard for and puts into question her loyalty, Kel is put in a situation that tests his trust.

Overall, this was sweet and fun and I enjoyed these two together. I love it when you have characters that have hardships and insecurities find a way towards each other. It makes you want to root for them more. Another fun one in the series. Looking forward to the next. If you’ve followed the series, make sure you read this one too!

Review: Maybe This Time by Kasie West

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Maybe This Time was a sweet young adult romance that doesn’t deal with anything heavy or alarming. It’s refreshing and quite adorable.

The book centers on Sophia Evans. She has big plans for leaving her small Alabama town and becoming a fashion designer in New York. Unfortunately, she has to make do with what she has and ends up working for the local florist. Enter Andrew Hart. His father is a famous chef who has embarked on a new career of helping small-town businesses make it big. His father begins to work with Sophia's best friend’s father’s catering business and plans to make is successful in a year. This means that Andrew is going to be a constant attendee to all the major events in town like Sophia. It wouldn’t be too big of a problem for Sophia if he wasn’t so arrogant.

Maybe This Time is structured interestingly, which I think works to its advantage. The book takes place in over a year; however, it is sort of told in flashes of life. What I mean is that everything happens at nine events (including a wedding, funeral, fundraiser, etc…). Everything outside of the major events is mentioned but never shown. 

I found this to be an interesting concept. And it worked very well. As mentioned previously, Sophia worked for a florist and it was her job to be at these events. And since Andrew's dad was mentoring Micah's (Sophia’s best friend) and he was catering, it made sense for him to attend those events too. Even those Andrew and Sophia only met at a handful of different events and never when she wasn’t working, there was still so much between them. There was banter and playfulness about their relationship. And the growth was intriguing to watch. Sophia disliked him for the beginning but as time went by and they kept running into each other, something new developed between them. 

I do have a small complaint about the book. I felt that it ended sooner than it should have. The main characters get together at the very end of the book and unfortunately, us readers don’t get to experience them in an actual relationship. They both are so young and I can’t help but wonder how they are going to make the relationship work especially since they won’t be in the same town. Or anywhere remotely near each other for a while. I wish the author would have done a “One Year Later” jump just to wrap up loose ends and provide clarity to where these characters end up. And that final chapter could still keep in theme by being centered on an event like a wedding, funeral etc..

Final Analysis 

Maybe This Time was a cute story who two characters who don’t quite get along in the beginning but grow to like each other after constantly running into each other. 

Review: Hating You by J.L. Beck & C. Hallman

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It is hard sometimes to not fall victim to peer pressure. And unfortunately, no matter how much we try to, we just can’t fight it off. I’ve been hearing rave reviews about this book and waited to check it out. In the beginning, I knew that I wasn’t a fan of bullying romances but I still wanted to give it a fair shot. I should have listened to my gut. 

Hating You made me uncomfortable, angry, confused and quite frankly offended. 

Hating You revolves around Parker and Willow. The two knew each other years prior but after Willow and her older sister accuse Parker’s older brother of a crime, the families become enemies. Now both in college, Parker decides to get his revenge. 

While reading, I couldn’t help but be angry with the treatment of Willow and her sister, Ashton. Ashton accused Parker’s brother of raping her, and Willow was the witness court. Parker believes that both sisters are lying and wants his brother to be freed. He’s acting on emotion and has not logically proved that his brother is innocent. Nor did he take a moment to even think that he could be guilty of this hideous crime. 

Where is the notion that we should believe women? Not found in this book. In addition to the rape ordeal, there are other instances of violence against women that are alarming. There is not one woman in this book that is safe, and honestly, that’s heartbreaking. Especially, how Ashton's storyline wraps up. Where is her justice? 

Parker needed psychological help, and there is not one redeeming quality about him. He’s hypercritical and there are no real consequences for his actions. Absolutely none. Also, I want to take a moment to mention the fact that he thought that Ashton was living this happy, lavish life. That was so far from the truth, and he’s inconsiderate. 

Besides the hugely flawed and terrible characterization of Parker, that isn’t the only issue with the romance between Parker and Willow. There’s no buildup. It develops at hyper speed. Also, there are so many unanswered questions regarding their past. 

Final Analysis 

Hating You is an uncomfortable story that doesn't handle sensitive subjects in an acceptable way. 

Review: Between Now & Forever by Dylan Allen

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This was a difficult book to power through. It's angst-ridden and the pace is extremely off. Everything happens at sonic speed and at times it can be jarring. 

The plot of the book is that Elisabeth (aka Beth, Clover, Liz) meets Carter after a night of unfortunate events. She attends this party and quite honestly due to the rude of other people she runs into Carter. They spend one night together & fall head over heels in love with each other. 

Like mentioned earlier, this pacing is extremely fast. So it was very hard to buy into this idea that Carter & Beth were so attached after one night. 

Another problem I had with the book was the treatment of Beth. Everyone besides her brother and Carter, treated her poorly and like a child. There were several occasions where her family members would comment on her appearances. It was heartbreaking. 

I had conflicting thoughts about the majority of the characters. This is especially true for Beth. I swear for the majority of the book I had to keep reminding myself that this was a 20 something-year-old woman because at times she didn’t seem like it. There was something off with her characterization. I had a similar problem with Carter. I wouldn’t quite understand him. 

Final Analysis 

Between Now & Forever was an oddly paced book that was overloaded with angst and drama. 

Review: Devious Lies by Parker S. Huntington

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It’s been a while since I’ve immediately wanted to reread a book seconds after finishing it. That was until Devious Lies. Devious Lies is 600+ pages of quality, engaging, emotional storytelling. It’s captivating and fresh. It never felt overly long or repetitive. I am privileged to have read it.

The story centers on Emery Winthrop and Nash Prescott. Emery comes from a wealthy family. Nash’s family works and lives on the Winthrop property, and Emery’s best friend is his younger brother, Reed. One night, Emery decides that she wants to act on her feelings for Reed. Unfortunately, for her, she ambushes Reed’s older brother, Nash, who is much grumpier and very rude. It’s an awkward encounter that leaves her rushing out of the house, but it never seems to leave her mind.

Flash-forward years later- Emery is twenty-two. Nash is thirty-two. After her father loses his company due to insider trading and goes into hiding, Emery is let poor and in debt. Nash, on the other hand, is extremely wealthy now and has a strong hatred for the Winthrop family. It’s an interesting turn of events that leads Emery hunting for an employment opportunity at Nash’s company, and Nash determined to make sure that it’s the worst experience of her life.

This book was everything I needed. It was extremely well written and engaging. Honestly, I can’t stop thinking about it. I fell in love with everything and am heartbroken that this was standalone because quite honestly I would give anything to read more about Nash and Emery. They have this intense enemies-to-lovers energy and chemistry. And although the journey was long and angst-filled it was worth it to see these two characters get their happy ending. Also, it was amazing to see them grow.

Like mentioned earlier, Nash hated the Winthrop family. He blamed them for the death of his father. It was interesting to see this character begin to realize that he may have gotten somethings wrong and that he may have feelings for Emery. And then we have Emery. She had this huge guilt over what happened. After her father’s company collapsed, several people lost their job and although she wasn’t responsible for it, she had this guilt. Also, she went from having everything handed to her, to having nothing. She lived in a literal closest trying to make ends meet. But she never lost her spark.

All the characters were these complex beings with feelings and emotions.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. I’m happy to have found it and read it. Before this book, I wasn’t aware of Parker S. Huntington. But now, I’m a fan. She has this beautiful way of writing and her characters are hands down some of the best that I have encountered. 2020 has just started, but this is my favorite book of the year. I loved this book, and I can’t wait to convince everyone around me to read it.

Final Analysis

Devious Lies was amazing. Breathtaking. Wonderful. Never done before.