Enjoyed this one a lot. Felt realistic in terms of a failing marriage and all the pain that entails. Different type of story telling for Nicholas SparEnjoyed this one a lot. Felt realistic in terms of a failing marriage and all the pain that entails. Different type of story telling for Nicholas Sparks except for the anticipated tear jerker ending. Excellent secondary characters and a story I was sad to see come to an end. ...more
Super sad read, but well done and I appreciated the uniqueness of this story. I figured out what was going on in this 3-way relationship early on but Super sad read, but well done and I appreciated the uniqueness of this story. I figured out what was going on in this 3-way relationship early on but was still surprised when "that" happened, not how I was expecting things to go down. Lots of clues and flashbacks along the way that finally explain themselves in the end.
Damn little book about a cat made me cry. Yeah this was good, just something about it, something about Dewey. But I also loved reading about the smallDamn little book about a cat made me cry. Yeah this was good, just something about it, something about Dewey. But I also loved reading about the small town in Iowa where he lived and the life of its people especially Vicki, Dewey's Mum. I feel like I know her now. Also enjoyed the pictures scattered throughout. Just a nice read, except for the crying at 3am when I finished part. Damn cat....more
Opening Line: “This is how it starts. It’s the end of a long day, one of those craptastic ones you wish you could fast-forward past the bad parts…”
HolOpening Line: “This is how it starts. It’s the end of a long day, one of those craptastic ones you wish you could fast-forward past the bad parts…”
Holy hell this was good! Not what I was expecting and full of surprises; it's a love story and a tragedy. Its little girl lost and I wish it had been longer. Spun is (unfortunately) only a novella but jeez what a story Catherine Mackenzie weaves in the pages provided.
As a huge fan of Spin I was super excited to read this sequel which focuses on celebrity train wreck Amber Sheppard -who we first met in rehab there. This is her story 2 years later as she tries to put the mess of her life back together and OMG it's good. The tone is different from the original, missing some of the snark and humour that made that book such a fun read, but this is also a very different story.
I don't want to give away any spoilers (and Wow in that respect) but I think New Adult fans will love this. Peppered with social media references Amber reads a bit like Lindsey Lohan; a tough, confused, girl who's made some bad decisions and you can't look away from what she's doing next. Her love affair with Conner is ...epic and the final chapter "three minutes past the hour" just killed me, in an ugly cry sort of way. The chapter by chapter playlist included at the end didn't help either.
Amber Sheppard has been sober for two years. Not that you’d believe it if you read anything on social media or picked up a gossip magazine these days. The Paparazzi still always managed to catch her at her worst, and make a front page story out of it. This former It Girl has been trying to get her life back on track, trying to land a decent role but casting agents won’t touch her anymore and today she’s been coerced into being the face of some crappy new perfume called “Fabulous”. Amber is anything but fabulous these days. But it pays the bills and her career is at a standstill.
So for the past twelve hours she’s been running through an abandoned warehouse trying to look scared or devastated or pretentious or psychotic or whatever the hell vision the director had in mind for the ad campaign. During all those hours she’s been trying not to answer her phone, it’s buzzing with yet another message from him. Of course it’s him. It’s always him.
They haven’t spoken for six months and she’s never returned any of his texts but that doesn’t matter. Today is different, today he’s been using their secret language and all his texts say the same thing “meet me baby.” All twelve of them.
Conner Parks, movie star bad boy and the love of her life. Her first crush, first kiss, her reason to breathe. Her family, her everything. Her toxic ruin, her downfall. How can she resist?
“No one said no to Conner when he asked for something. He was like kryptonite to reason.”
The tabloids will of course call this the reunion of the decade if they see her getting on his private jet or anywhere near the airport.
“You’re here.” He says “I’m here.” “I knew you’d come.” I drop my bag on the floor and follow him. Like I always do. Like I’ve been doing my whole life."
“He takes a step towards me. He smells like chemicals and Crystal and the worst idea I’ve had in a long time.”
Opening Line: “The first time I saw her again, I felt as if I’d been hit.”
I absolutely loved this book, another winner from JoJo Moyes who bases this Opening Line: “The first time I saw her again, I felt as if I’d been hit.”
I absolutely loved this book, another winner from JoJo Moyes who bases this moving story on real events (and her own grandmother) Taking the reader back to 1946 in the aftermath of the Second World War as thousands of young war brides are transported from Australia to England to meet up with their GI husbands who they’d married during the conflict. For many woman it was a time of huge uncertainty, leaving their families and everything they’d ever known behind and preying they didn’t receive the dreaded “Not wanted, don’t come telegram” once aboard.
Ship Of Brides follows four of these woman (out of the 650 on board) all from very different backgrounds and covers their experience from a boarding house in Sydney throughout their 6 week journey at sea aboard an aircraft carrier (which also still carries over a thousand naval officers so rules of honor, duty and separation must be enforced.
The story begins in India in 2002 (which initially threw me a bit) as an elderly grandmother on vacation stumbles across the broken hull of a once great British warship, now in the process of being dismantled for scrap on an oily, debris littered beach. She has come upon a ship graveyard and can just make out the name on one of the rusted hulls “Victoria” and at once is overwhelmed by memories…
I was surprised by how involved I got in this story but Moyes not only takes the reader back to 1946 but manages to keep a huge element of suspense going throughout the journey (Frances, a former nurse is kept frustratingly mysterious until the very last pages – and I kinda loved her.) We also enter the POV of the injured and grieving Captain, a Marine who has received a Dear John letter, a woman widowed before she reaches her destination, another who discovers her husband is already married and follow stowaway dogs, boiler room brawls, disastrous fires, miscarriages, lovely leg contests, ashore days in India and Gibraltar, excitement, fear, heartache and joy.
Because this has been based on an actual sailing taken by the HMS Victorious, Moyes was able to include extracts from journals, newspaper clippings, and diary entries from the actual men and women aboard which added an element of real emotion to the voyage.
The writing is fantastic and by the end I felt like I really knew these women and wondered how their lives had turned out, in fact I didn’t want to let them go.
I’ll be honest (based on the blurb) this wasn’t quite what I was expecting; yes there’s punk rock, herOpening Line: “I am torturing my father, Colin.”
I’ll be honest (based on the blurb) this wasn’t quite what I was expecting; yes there’s punk rock, heroin abuse and dysfunctional parents. But there’s also you Adam Sharp, and your life story is so much more than that.
Daddy Was a Punk Rocker is an inspiring, funny, horrific, surprisingly relatable and often sad memoir that at the core is a story about the child-parent relationship. This is little boy lost while he waits for his parents to get their shit together.
Adam takes us back to the very beginning with a mother who didn’t want him, refused to touch him or show him any form of kindness. His father Colin was a junkie, but more than that he was a disappointment, swearing that he wouldn’t abandon him yet continually doing just that. Subsequently raised by his grandfather and “Andrew” in Manchester England Adam grows up trying to be the bravest, smartest boy in the whole world so that his father will return and his mother Martine will visit more often and maybe not hit him as much. He tries not to cry, to lift the most weight in gym class, to never let a soccer ball into his net. Adam continually tries to prove himself while growing up. Eventually he comes to a sort of placidity about who his parents are and then it becomes all about escaping Manchester and who he is.
“His house smelled of cigarette smoke and violence.”
Throughout this Adam is always trying to escape; geographically from Manchester but mostly from himself. He relocates a lot; in Sydney, Melbourne, The Channel Islands, Spain, he recreates himself becoming funny and charming and successful and confident. It was kind of heartbreaking actually watching Adam try so hard to be someone else because he felt who he was wasn’t good enough.
I liked that this book followed Adam out of his childhood, I liked watching him attend college for a law degree he doesn’t want, meet girls, travel the world, be a stilt walker. I liked seeing him immigrate to Australia and live in a shed with spiders, be a “sexual experimenter” and then meet his wife Lee. I suffered with you while you bartended and served sandwiches in a casino. And attempted suicide. I watched you eventually find a relationship with your father and allow punk rock into your life. And the epilogue… the epilogue had me choking back tears. Oh No!
My only criticism would be that the beginning felt sort of repetitive, by putting us into the story in short form and then starting all over again with more detail. On the flip side there were certain sections of dialogue that were hilarious (like the nonsensical banter between Adam and his mates or when he first meets Lee at the wedding) I can only hope to read something along these lines in the future.
Thank you Adam Sharp for allowing me this intimate look into your life, what a brilliantly entertaining memoir you’ve put out there into the world.~4.5~
** A copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. 366jb45...more
Yup how good was that!? I'm left feeling shattered and a bit raw. Need more time to process before I can write a review that says anything more than wYup how good was that!? I'm left feeling shattered and a bit raw. Need more time to process before I can write a review that says anything more than why god why!
Okay, I caved. Picked this up yesterday and now I'm readying myself for the pain!...more
Opening Line: “Daisy, California Population 2,726.”
As much as I love Amy Lane I have to admit this one was a struggle for me to get through. Don’t getOpening Line: “Daisy, California Population 2,726.”
As much as I love Amy Lane I have to admit this one was a struggle for me to get through. Don’t get me wrong the writing is still fantastic and there are passages that literally take your breath away but the story is so painful, so angry, so freaking desperate and depressing that it almost became more then I could take. I wasn’t even convinced of the love story taking place here, it just seemed a little frantic, a little violent, a little for the moment.
You’d think with a title like “Mourning Heaven” I would have been prepared though, especially after already having my heart shredded (in a good way) by several of Lane’s other books. I was expecting angst and pain here but I was also expecting awesomeness or at least something redeeming or hopeful to cling to throughout this sad story. But with every page angst-riddled and every character broken, tormented and grief stricken this was ultimately just exhausting.
“Oh shit he was disintegrating, dissolving, coming apart again and Peter needed to be there for once, someone needed to be there to catch Bodi as he fell. Peter was up and wrapping his arms around Bodi before one more painful word happened and Bodi was crying like he hadn’t cried when (spoiler) and Peter was crying with him because this was Michael Bodi was crying about and Michael had hurt and Michael had broken and he hadn’t let them fix him and now he would never be fixed and they’d always be a little bit broken in their souls where he’d left a Michael shaped hole.”
Peter moved to the small prejudiced town of Daisy at the age of 12. He’d moved around a lot in his short life and while his mother loved him she was just never able to provide for him eventually depositing him with his Aunt Aileen and her son Michael. It wasn’t all bad though because there was Michael. For Peter his cousin is the sun and the moon, he is everything good and strong and protective and right in the world. Just to hear him breathing through the thin bedroom walls at night makes him feel like everything is going to be okay. And then there’s Michael’s friend Bodi, the boy that Peter loves from the moment he sets eyes on him. Of course it’s not easy being gay in a town like Daisy the church is …well very vocal in its views on that sort of evil behavior and everyone in this backwards town goes to church so it’s not a place you want to be out.
“He’d told his mother that he thought boys were more beautiful than girls, and she’d told him that he would have to be either brave or quiet about that, especially in Daisy.”
The meat of this story however takes place years later; Peter is now 23 and the only one still living in Daisy. Michael his hero, his everything who he hasn’t seen in 6 years is finally coming home and Peter now has the task of finding Bodi and bringing him back too because Michael is coming home in a casket. Slowly we the readers learn what happened 6 years ago that splintered the trio, sending Bodi off in the middle of the night into parts unknown and Michael to the nearest recruiting office where he enlisted in the service.
Together Bodi and Peter have to get through their grief and pay homage to Michael, restoring his motorcycle and giving him a proper send-off while trying to get through the hate, ignorance and prejudice that this town tends to feed on. Bodi is so broken that it will be a miracle if he survives even with Peter’s love and Peter; well he has to learn that even heroes aren’t perfect. 327jb35
SIDECAR was one of those books that I couldn`t stop reading yet wanted to put away and slowly savour because I just dOpening Line: “The Kid was cold.”
SIDECAR was one of those books that I couldn`t stop reading yet wanted to put away and slowly savour because I just didn`t want it to end. I absolutely loved Casey and Joe and I`m fast approaching phonebook status with author Amy Lane, you know if she wrote a phone book I`d read it cover to cover, probably cry at the end then write a gushy fangirl review all about it. Everything she writes just grabs me by the guts, sometimes destroys me, always makes me sigh and smile and generally leaves me a hot tear streaked mess. Sidecar was no exception.
This is amazing and rare story; encompassing twenty-five years of love and well, life. And because of the length of time we get to spend with our characters this also becomes more than just a story, this is a lifetime, this is every little heartache and hope and triumph. This is epic. Thanks for the ride Amy!
Ponytailed, Harley riding, bear of a man Joe Daniels is on his way home from his job as a pediatric nurse when he comes across a visibly distraught teenager on the side of the road. Joe has picked up his share of runaways over the years in this remote area, feeding them and giving them a safe place for a few days until they head out into the world again. He’s assuming this 16 year old will be the same but Casey is about to change everything.
At first Casey is wary of accepting the big hippie bikers offer, knowing some of the shit he`s had to do over the past few months just to get a meal. But he`s also reached the end of his endurance; he’s exhausted, dirty, hungry, lice riddled and reeling from the recent abuse of a trucker. He can either go back to the bridge he almost jumped off or he can go with Joe.
Casey’s story is not a revelation, on the run because his parents couldn’t accept him being gay; now all he needs is a break, just a place to make a start for himself. He`s found it with Joe and so much more. Joe doesn`t want anything from him (definitely not sex even though Casey offers) he just wants Casey to have a chance to grow up without judgement and become a good man. So Casey doesn`t leave, with Joe as his legal guardian he goes back to school, gets a job, helps remodel the house, they get a dog, he dates a few boys and life goes by.
At 27 Joe is pretty settled in his life, he works at the hospital, he likes his seclusion, he loves having Casey around and he dates a few girls and a few boys. Their relationship works, for several years it works but Casey is growing up and he`s never hidden the fact that he wants Joe. So far Joe’s been able to play it off, telling him he`s just a kid and doesn’t know what he wants and that’s where the conflict comes in because suddenly Casey isn`t a kid, suddenly, overnight (well 6 years) Casey is a man and Joe can no longer deny what s been growing between them. How it hurts now to see him with his silly boyfriends.
Gawd the moment Joe realizes that he`s in love with Casey, that he wants him is so perfect and so beautiful and so well written it makes you want to cry. I`ll be honest though I had my doubts as to whether Lane could pull off this transformation taking them from a pseudo father son relationship to lovers but I needn’t have worried and YES, Finally, the payoff for their first time together is so worth the long wait.
”I want you. I want to hold you. I’m suddenly, terrifyingly, overwhelmingly possessed with the idea of what your mouth would taste like under mine, and I don’t know how to say it or even think it.”
And still their story goes on. Joe wants a child, same sex adoption wasn`t really a thing in the nineties so that’s a problem, Joe also wants Casey to travel, to see the world and experience everything before he settles down. Casey just wants Joe and time marches on, in the blink of an eye 25 years has passed and that is life. Cheers.
I want to mention that Amy has also included a song title for each chapter, relevant to when it takes place and what our characters are going through. And because this starts in 1986 –the year I graduated (!) I had an absolute blast with this playlist, bringing back lots of memories for me, when I had super big hair and Corey Hart was the bomb. 319jb5+
Opening Line:"I was thirty years old when the seaplane T.J Callahan and I were travelling on crash-landed in the Indian ocean."
Gawd this left me shattOpening Line:"I was thirty years old when the seaplane T.J Callahan and I were travelling on crash-landed in the Indian ocean."
Gawd this left me shattered, easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s taken me ages to get a review organized because I just couldn’t figure out how to write one that would do this amazing story justice.
There were just so many things I loved about this; a survival story, a forbidden romance, a tropical desert isle location, action, suspense, (freakin sharks) uncertainty, heartbreak. ON THE ISLAND was unputdownable from the very first page, took me on a ride that I didn’t want to end and tugged at my heartstrings every step of the way. Anna and T.J’s story of survival and ultimately love is fascinating, well written and not one that I'll be able to forget.
Thirty year old Anna Emerson has just taken a job tutoring a wealthy family’s 16 year old son for the summer. The job takes her to the Maldives, which is perfect because her current relationship is going nowhere and she wants the time away to sort out her feelings. Anna meets up wither student in the airport where they begin the long multi connection journey together. T.J Callahan is old beyond his 16 years, having just stared cancer in the face but spending his summer vacation with his family and a tutor is the last thing he wants to do even if she is kinda hot.
On the last leg of their journey the pilot of their single engine plane suffers a heart attack and crash lands somewhere in the Indian Ocean. With Anna unconscious T.J manages to get them ashore and then their journey begins. For 3 1/2 years Anna and TJ struggle for survival on the deserted tropical island (think Tom Hanks in Castaway) armed only with only with items that wash up on the beach, a determination that they will be rescued and each other. Together they face insurmountable odds and with each year that passes their bond and dependence on each other only grows.
A lot of other reviewers have mentioned the age factor being an issue but I never had a problem with it. I felt that their relationship took a natural progression due to their circumstances. I mean they relied on each other completely and after a time rescue and the outside world would have seemed a dream. Through uncomplicated writing and an alternating 1st person POV the author really gives us a feel for both characters. This is particularly important in T.J’s case because his POV matures from boy to man, assuring the reader that there isn’t anything wrong or dirty with the romance aspect.
The survival side of their ordeal is also realistically portrayed and this is definitely one of those books that will make you stop and think; what would I have done in their situation? Would I have done anything differently? Would I have survived? Could I have bettered the situation?
Throughout I kept having flashes of The Blue Lagoon (especially during the shark scenes) which was an absolute favourite movie of mine as a teenager (Come on, Christopher Atkins romancing Brooke Shields in a loin cloth) This may have played a part into why I loved this book so much, well that and haven’t we all had the marooned on a desert isle with a hot guy fantasy at one time or another? Other influences here were Lost and as I mentioned Castaway.
This is a beautiful love story that until the very end I was never sure how it was going to play out. *Sigh* the epilogue. I want to thank everyone who recommended it to me and I’ll be doing the same Cheers.
Opening Line:"Socs Javier "Cobra" Corbray sat in the dimly lit belly of the modified C-130J "Super" Hercules, waiting with the other operators of DeltOpening Line:"Socs Javier "Cobra" Corbray sat in the dimly lit belly of the modified C-130J "Super" Hercules, waiting with the other operators of Delta Platoon for the signal to start their oxygen."
So Pamela Clare does it again with another fantastic addition to the I-Team series (#6) If I’m honest it wasn’t my favourite but that’s a bit like saying it’s not your favourite chocolate; you still loved it and want to eat it every day.
I’m so glad I read the extended prequel (First Strike) before starting this. Not only is it a hot little read but it made a huge difference in understanding who this couple was before… well before events changed them.
This is an excellent read but the general tone of the story is slower, without as much of the hard hitting action we’ve grown accustomed to. I think the fact that both characters are damaged and suffering from PTSD had a bearing too. They spend a ton of time recovering and healing each other so the romance is slow burning (yet still super sexy).
If I’m nit-picking (which I only do with books I’m invested in) I also disagreed with a couple of the h’s decisions, not so much the big one -that moved me to tears and I understand the why’s but the whole (view spoiler)[ tubes tied -why did she take away her future by doing that especially in the traumatized state she was in when she made the decision? (hide spoiler)] I also got to the point of eye-rolling with Laura constantly Skyping her G’ma and mother back in Switzerland. However I'd have hated to miss the whole naked, manscaped Javier in the background scene, which was hilarious.
I loved so many things here too; Javier and Laura are awesome characters and I really felt like I knew them by the end. Watching the sweet moments as they fall in love and heal, *big sigh*
Javier… Gah, Clare really knows how to write the perfect heroes. I loved how he sacrificed everything for her and that she trusted him to bring parts of her back to life. I loved that he was her mystery SEAL and she didn’t know and he couldn’t tell her. And yay we get the inclusion of past characters, in particular Marc & Julian and their ongoing bromance and Gabe’s continued affair with adrenaline.
Navy Seal Javier Cobray can’t forget his weekend in Dubai with the “Baghdad Babe” It was only meant to be a no-strings affair, but watching her get kidnapped on live TV eighteen months ago almost broke him and since then he’s thought of little else but revenge on the terrorists that subsequently “killed” her. His latest mission however surprises everyone and finds Laura very much alive, being held at an Al Qaeda compound in Pakistan. He can’t give away his identity but he is taking her home.
Two years later see’s Laura Nilsson now working with the I-Team in Denver. She’s struggling but has come a long way in her recovery and is now about to testify against the extremist leader who kidnapped her.
The romance gods are at work again because it’s during this time that Javier (on medical leave) also finds himself in Denver, staying with his Seal buddy Nate West (Skin Deep) When Laura’s life is threatened and a fatwa is placed on her head Javier makes it his mission to keep her alive.
Opening Line:"He couldn't breathe, couldn't hear, couldn't stand, but his godammed eyes could still see. Everything."
Ladies if you’re looking for a neOpening Line:"He couldn't breathe, couldn't hear, couldn't stand, but his godammed eyes could still see. Everything."
Ladies if you’re looking for a new tortured hero to fall for then I’ve found him. Rocco Silas would have to be one of the most heartbreaking, damaged, seriously shut-off romantic leads I’ve come across since JR Ward’s Zsadist, and that’s not a bad thing. This is the first book from Elaine Levine’s new romantic suspense series Red Team and its a great read; filled with hunky, wisecracking ex-counter terror operatives, smoking hot love scenes, a western vibe and a new addition to my top tortured heroes of all time list.
Rocco is broken; struggling to function as a civilian after spending the past 7 years deep undercover on special assignment in Afghanistan. He’s just been released from a military hospital but his PTSD is far from under control. Suffering from nightmares, hallucinations and a paralyzing fear of being touched (because of what he sees on his skin) he’s also keeping himself just on the edge of starvation so he can feel… something. At this point suicide is becoming a fairly reasonable option.
Enter Mandy Fielding, the half sister of one of his fellow Red Team operatives. Mandy is in the process of opening a therapeutic riding center but due to a string of weird accidents she can’t get any of her ranch hands to stick around long enough to actually get it open. She promised her brother that she’d take Rocco on but honestly she’s not thrilled with the idea of having a dangerous ex soldier on her payroll. One look into Rocco’s haunted eyes though and her compassionate side takes over, she always did have a soft spot for the wounded strays.
The first half of this story focuses almost exclusively on Rocco and Mandy’s blossoming romance, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch unfold. Because Rocco is such a mess (at times he’s almost more animal then man) witnessing him learn to trust, to touch, to feel again is just amazing.
“I’m not afraid of you.” His head lifted, his hard gaze levelling her. “You should be. I’m afraid of me.”
A couple of sigh worthy moments come to mind; There’s a very BDB reminiscent scene in the shower where Rocco is trying to scrub his skin clean and later a flashback that has Mandy finding him in town just staring down main street where he’s been for hours (the reason why is gut wrenching) My favourite scene though would have to be when Mandy finally gets him to eat, feeding him bite after bite from her fork. It is so raw, so sensual and heartbreakingly sexy. Yeah, The Edge of Courage gave me several re-readable moments. Oh the sexy time ain’t too shabby either!
Around the half way mark the rest of the boys from Red Team show up to help take out terrorist Ebsan Asir -He’s set up a faction in the US, seeking retribution for events in Afghanistan. And while I loved the first part of this book its here that the story begins to suffer from first-book-in series-syndrome. With our H/h getting lost between a massive influx of very witty, very sexy secondary characters, fading into the background while we get to know the heroes of future books. Its also when all the action takes place and while its exciting and non stop it also heads into OTT territory, and I had to just shut my brain off and enjoy the ride. We’re left with a couple of loose ends but even without those I would be excited about the next instalment from what promises to be a great series.
I received an e copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I should tell you though that I’ll be buying it in PB as well because this is one for the keeper shelf.
Opening Line:”For Dawson Cole, the hallucinations began after the explosion on the platform, on the day he should have died.”
By now I’ve read enough Opening Line:”For Dawson Cole, the hallucinations began after the explosion on the platform, on the day he should have died.”
By now I’ve read enough Nicholas Sparks to know going in that I’m not always going to be guaranteed a HEA. In fact half of the suspense for me in reading his stuff now is that I’m not sure who he’s going to kill off. Sure it’s also frustrating as hell, because I always forget and then just when I’m all invested in the characters and wrapped up in their budding romance, blam. Tragedy strikes. Yeah, more than once I’ve thrown one of his books across the room in disgust but I still keep coming back for more. Damn you Sparks.
This was another good NS book which (as always) sucked me right in. I’ll be honest though there’s nothing particularly new here and even if Sparks’ name weren’t splashed all over the cover, there’d still be no mistaking who wrote it. The Best Of Me reads like bits and pieces of all his other books with; unrequited love, reunited lovers, Notebook-esque flashbacks with an older couple, moral dilemmas, a bit of spirituality, a tortured hero, unscrupulous bad guys and a predictable yet nail-biting ending while you await the outcome of (in this case) a shooting. Yet somehow all that’s ok because when something works for you and the reader why change it?
Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole were teenage sweethearts in 1984 small town North Carolina; from opposite sides of the tracks, their intense and beautiful romance didn’t really stand a chance. You see the Coles are hard drinking, woman beating, law breaking, drug dealing, bad boys and Amanda’s folks are church going, stand up citizens. Despite the odds, or maybe because of they manage to find each other and fall in love, spending considerable time at old man Tuck’s garage where Dawson works. I really enjoyed their teenage romance which is told here through flashbacks from both sides of the pair who are now in their forties.
Dawson is another quiet, somewhat tortured hero of Sparks’ who you can’t help but fall for. (I’m hoping to see Channing Tatum in the probable movie version) He works on the oil rigs, has spent time in prison and almost his entire life running from his messed up family and their reputation. Oh and he’s also never gotten over his one true love Amanda.
When their old friend and mentor Tuck dies the pair are reunited in their hometown for the funeral. The grumpy yet crafty old man has left explicit instructions as to how his final wishes are to be carried out, including a trip to his cabin and some personal letters. As expected the years apart haven’t diminished what Dawson and Amanda feel for each other despite the fact that Amanda now has a husband and children. Throughout their reunion we have some bad guys gunning for Dawson, a ghostly/angel figure following him and adding intrigue as we don’t learn the whys for a long time, and a bad marriage that may or may not be worth saving.
There are actually are quite a few characters involved here and Sparks has again written this using multiple POV’s which as the suspense factor increases get shorter and shorter, so that towards the end you’re only getting about a paragraph from each character. I found that this increased the tension level while he wove all the storylines together and left this reader on pins guessing the outcome. Damn you Sparks. 358jb4...more
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