Tag: accident

Posted in Abbi Glines, Family, New Adult, Romance

Never Too Far (Too Far #2) – Abbi Glines

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

17029526Synopsis

He had held a secret that destroyed her world.

Everything she had known was no longer true.

Blaire couldn’t stop loving him but she knew she could never forgive him.
Now, she was back home and learning to live again. Moving on with life… until something happened to send her world spinning once again.
What do you do when the one person you can never trust again is the one that you need to trust so desperately?

You lie, hide, avoid, and pray that your sins never find you out.

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My Review

If you have yet to read Fallen Too Far, check out my review of it here, before you read Never Too Far.

Never Too Far starts off from where Fallen Too Far ends.

Its three weeks later and Blaire is in Sumit, living with Cain’s grandmother. She knows she can’t stay there forever; she’s just biding her time to leave and uproot somewhere else. Where, she doesn’t yet know but its not only her she has to think about now.

Rush is still in Rosemary. He’s a complete wreck and he’s missing Blaire more than he’s ever missed anyone before. He’s become a recluse, staying in and not hosting parties anymore. All he thinks about is Blaire and how he can get her to forgive him. He needs her like he needs air to breath. He just can’t live without her but he understands how hurt she is.

When Blaire moves back to Rosemary, Rush takes it as his chance to try and win her back. He’ll do whatever he can to make her stay in Rosemary and be with him again; to forgive him for everything that has happened in the past few weeks. Can Blaire truly forgive Rush, like he so desperately needs her to do?

With Rush heartbroken over Blaire, he feels that he will never see her again. Feels that she will never love him again and never forgive him. He loves her too much to let that happen.

So when Bethy brings Blaire back to Rosemary, Blaire insists it’s only for a few months, to save up some money and then move on to another city. Somewhere where she can leave Rosemary and all the memories behind. But now that Rush knows Blaire is back, he’s going to do whatever he can to win her back.

Blaire is determined not to let Rush back in. Not to let him hurt her all over again when he decides to leave her. There has been too much between them for her to trust him again, but it’s not that easy for Rush. He’s determined to prove that he’d do anything for Blaire, anything to get her back and anything to be near her. Even shutting out his family for her. Shutting out Nan.

Blaire is torn between wanting Rush and needing to stay away from him, but she still loves him and doesn’t know what to do. Does she want him back? Can she trust him again? And add in the hormones and she’s screwed. Literally screwed. Rush is crumbling her wall bit by bit, pulling himself back into her life and she just can’t let him go. Not again.

But then add in a whole lot of drama in their lives. Misunderstandings – mainly on Blaire’s part as Rush seems to be the one who cocks up all the time, and you have Never Too Far.

These misunderstandings could have easily been sorted out if they both talked to one another when they happened instead of being angry before listening to what actually happened. I suppose with so much history between them, it’s hard to fully forget what has happened and to fully trust again. I think this is why Blaire kept jumping to conclusion about Rush. They were all straightened out in the end, and they do get a HEA. They are perfect for one another.

You find out the truth about Blaire’s father, Rush’s mother and the whole story about the betrayal that broke up Blaire and Rush. By Gosh, I was not expecting that all at. I was hooked on how and what was going to happen after that. That truth has well and truly rocked the boat.

Although my love for Rush reached top level, there were some points in the book where I just got so annoyed at him. He kept messing up time and time again. Not on purpose, but it’s who he is. But the one part I got so angry at was at 80% when he screamed at Blaire. Sorry, I know what happened was truly horrible, but she was only trying to be supportive and if I was her, I would have moved back in with Bethy and told him to get lost. Because she didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that and left alone at night.

And then not to speak to her for 7 days, get Grant to tell you how she is and find out that Woods is helping her out. Sorry mate, you should have called her. She’s your girlfriend.

He always redeems himself, but I don’t know why Blaire stayed. I certainly wouldn’t have.

Still hate Nan. What an evil character. She’s a cold, hearted bitch. When that whole thing (At 80%) happened, I literally couldn’t have given a bigger shit about it. I had no feelings about her at all. Maybe I’m the cold hearted bitch, but I really didn’t care about her at all. I also hated that she wanted to know if she would be in the baby’s life. Why should she be allowed when she had been the ultimate bitch throughout her life and to Blaire? I would have told her to Fuxk off.

But Blaire is too nice. She’s too good. She puts people before herself. She cares so much and even though Nan was the problem, she still wanted to know how she was. It proves how great a character Blaire truly is.

Grant. I loved him in Fallen Too Far. But in Never Too Far, hm, I’m not sure now. Yes, he gave some good advice and was there for Rush no matter what but he seems kind of sneaky now. That he’s hiding something from Rush. I can’t wait to find out in his book what that something is. I do have my suspicions over what it could be. I’ll just have to wait and see if they are true.

Now Woods. Oh how I loved him! He’s brilliant. Such a kind, understanding and pleasant friend to Blaire throughout everything that is happening in her life. His book is going to be amazing! I can’t wait to find out more about him and his life beyond the club. Such a great friend and I hope his book makes me fall in love with him a little bit more. He deserves all the love that comes his way.

Bethy. I loved her character. In Fallen Too Far, Blaire guided her and took her under her wings and you can see how grown up she is now. How much stronger she is and how she takes no bullshit from anyone. She can stand her ground even against Rush. I loved her protectiveness with Blaire, taking care of her and making sure she was okay throughout the book. You could really see how great a friend Blaire had in Bethy and I know that she will be there for her no matter what. They are definitely BFF’s.

There was a lot of sex in this book. Got to love the sexy times. And it was even steamier than in Fallen Too Far. Of course, it was down to hormones but hells yes, give me a Rush fix any time of the day. He’d never leave my bed if that’s how he performs during sex.

I did enjoy the alternating POVS. Loved how we got to see Rush’s pov throughout the book. How miserable is was, how much he needed Blaire back, his feelings and emotions pouring through the book but also how much of an utter idiot he was at times. But he redeemed himself and I knew that no matter what, he would always be there for Blaire. Even when it seemed other things were more important, they all added up to spending the rest of his life with Blaire.

I have to say, the ending was a bit abrupt. I felt there could have been so much more to the story and I did get a bit frustrated when it said “The End”. BUT good news, Abbi Glines WILL be writing a third instalment of Rush and Blaire’s story, albeit it won’t be out until late summer, she said, but we will get to see beyond how it ended. Thank the lord! I need more Rush in my life!

There is going to sound so random, but after I finished the book, I led in bed thinking about their family dynamic.  Like Nan and Rush are half-siblings. Nan and Blaire are half sibling (;)). Nan, Rush and Grant are step-siblings. Rush (maybe Grant, kind of) and Blaire are step-siblings. Holy Moly. Their family is super confusing and there are a lot of questions that I have that I still want answered. Hopefully with Grants book and the third book, Abbi will cover them so I’m not going to worry about them right now.

Never Too Far is about a journey. A journey into trust, love, friendship and family. It’s about standing up for yourself and doing what you think is best for you. It’s about forgiving too. I did really enjoy reading Never Too Far and going through Rush and Blaire’s journey together once again. I couldn’t put the book down at all.

I recommend this book to everyone who wants a Rush crush!!

 

 

 

Posted in New Adult, Romance

Blackbird – Nicole Salmond

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

17211048Synopsis

A serious car accident leaves bad boy Nate Williams seriously injured and lucky to be alive. Upon his journey to learn to walk again he meets Claire, a physiotherapist in the last year of University. He’s instantly attracted to her, but Claire is no ordinary girl. She’s resistant to his charms and good looks which only intrigues him more.

Claire is reluctant, to say the least, when Nate comes back into her life again as one of her patients for her clinical placement. A self-absorbed, tattooed, womaniser, he is the last person on earth she wanted, or expected to see again. Nate may not remember her, or the kiss they once shared, but she certainly does. The next five weeks was going to be anything but easy.

Blackbird is a story of self-discovery and the formation of an unexpected friendship between two people who learn that life and love is anything but planned.

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My Review

After being involved in a serious car accident which leaves Nate Williams badly injured and lucky to be alive, he meets Claire, a physiotherapist in her last few weeks on university who will be with him through his journey to walk again. He’s attracted to her but she resists him charms. It only makes him more interested in her.

Nate has been in Claire’s life before but it’s obvious he can’t remember. She’s reluctant to be his physiotherapist but in the end agrees to be professional about it. The next 5 weeks aren’t going to be easy for her. But when a budding friendship develops between them both, it’s getting easier to decide what she wants out of life, even if she finds it hard to begin with.

Blackbird is a story about self-discovery, as the synopsis entitles. It’s about finding yourself in the world and being the person who YOU want to be, not what people want you to be or do. When I read the synopsis the other day, I instantly knew I had to download this book and read it immediately. I was not disappointed at all and Nicole Salmond takes you through a journey about yourself too and what you want in life, as well as going through Nate and Claire’s journey with them. I found this book to be refreshing and it really did have me indulged for the few hours I was reading it, finding it hard to put down even for a split second. I just had to finish it and see what happened!

Oh Nate Williams! He had gone through some tough times in his life. With his father’s death being the main reason he’s gone off the rails a bit. He blames himself for it and that’s why his life doesn’t seem important to him. He puts on a cocky, sexualised front, as to hide his true colours and he never stays with one girl, always jumping from one, one night stand, to the next. But when we see him with Claire at first, he’s, as I said, cocky and flirty and playful with her, trying to wind her up, but the more time they spend together, and become friends, the more Nate changes – for the best. His attitude changes. He’s never really had a girlfriend, let alone been interested enough to have one, but when he’s around Claire, and even when he’s not, shes all he thinks about and all he wants. But with her having a boyfriend, he’s going to have to stay being her friend. But he’s also determined to show her that they should be more. I liked that he didn’t give up on her.

Nate was Claire’s last patient before graduating and when she sees him, she’s angry. They have history but he doesn’t seem to remember. She pushes that aside and is determined to help him walk again. She is a strong character, shes a determined character but she’s also frustrating to read. She had a boyfriend of 6 months (Who was a total douchebag to her) but she has feelings for Nate. When she and Nate become friends, she began to annoy me over her thought process with Dave (her boyfriend) and Nate. It was blatantly obvious that Dave was not the guy for her, as he was still living in the ice ages and that Nate – who gave her time and space to sort her feelings out, hence being friends, was totally the guy for her. He was always there for her, he didn’t push her, he treated her as an equal, but I’m just glad she realized what she had to do to be happy in the end.

I did love their friendship. They had the perfect chemistry and although it was obvious to the reader that they both had feelings for each other, I respected Nate’s decision to not do anything, as she had a boyfriend and to just be her friend and be there for her through the tough times with Dave. They respected each other, had fun, flirted and seemed to spend so much time together, getting to know one another. They really did bring out the best in each other and I loved how they changed one another – to the person they were truly meant to be. They both taught one another how to be free.

The scene that got my gears turning was the dancing in the nightclub. Holy Hell was that steamy! The dirty dancing and the rhythm they both have together and the sexual chemistry just literally poured from the kindle. I want my own Nate to dirty dance with!

I love the book cover. It symbolises the point of this book. To be free to be yourself and to do whatever you want in life, not to be caged up and forced to live your life by what others want of you. You will see why this is, when you read Blackbird. The cover will make sense to you then.

There are a few grammatical issues and at one point Nicole write ‘Nick’ instead of Nate, but other than that, it didn’t particularly bother me. I’m not one to moan about these kinds of issues as the book really caught my attention and had me hooked from the start to finish.

I loved the message this book portrayed and I loved the friendship/relationship Nate and Claire developed and had. It was great to see these two characters change throughout the book with the help and influence they both had on each other. They both eventually learnt that taking a chance will be worth the risk, especially with love and life. If you want to read a quick story about freeing yourself, finding love and discovering yourself, then Blackbird is definitely the book for you. It’s a great read and will leave you thinking about your own life and how you fit in after you finish it!

 

Posted in Chelsea M. Cameron, New Adult

Deeper We Fall (Book #1) – Chelsea M. Cameron

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

16157294Synopsis

Two years after her best friend was involved in a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, Lottie Anders is ready to start her freshman year of college. Ready to move on. Ready to start forgetting the night that ripped her life apart.

Her plans come to a screeching halt when not one, but both brothers responsible for the accident end up back in her life again.

Zack is cruel, selfish and constantly rubbing what happened to her friend in Lottie’s face.

Zan is different. He listens to her awkward ramblings. He loves “To Kill a Mockingbird” as much as she does, and his dark eyes are irresistible. His words are few and far between, but when he does speak, she can’t help but listen.

The trouble is, Zan was the driver in the accident, and now Lottie’s discovered he lied to her about what happened that night. Now she must decide if trusting him again will lead to real forgiveness, or deeper heartache.

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My Review

A night out two years changed everything in Lottie’s life. Her best friend Lexie sustained a brain injury and she’s never been the same. The driver Zan, although not drunk wasn’t old enough to drive, caused the injury when he swerved to avoid a deer and his brother Zack was also to blame when he practically forced Lexie to go with him. Lottie has so much hatred for the guys, but more so Zack than Zen.

Today, she and her twin brother Will are now beginning college but the thing is, Zack and Zen are at the same college and Lottie’s roommate Katie is dating Zack. This is definitely something she doesn’t need in her life. Zack is still the same arsehole he was two years ago but Zan is different. He’s nothing like Lottie pictured he would be in her mind and hating him is now proving more difficult the more time they spend together. She doesn’t want to feel anything for him but love concurs all.

Zan has been holding onto the guilt and grief of what happened for more than two years. He’s learnt the hard way for the past few years but he’s powered through it and with the help of his social worker Miss Carole, he’s now trying to at least get his life back on track. Before the accident, he was trying to build up the courage to talk to Lottie but that all went to pot. Now hearing she is at the same college, it’s kind of fucked him over. He knows she hates him, but he has liked her for so long and really wants the chance to say sorry and make it up to her somehow.

Everything he does is for her. He’s the silent type, one who thinks over what he is going to say first. Music is his escape along with running, reading and poetry and you really do go on a journey with him. He’s holding on to a big secret about that night and it’s tearing him up inside that when it finally comes out – to Lottie – he feels free for the first time in his life.

Lottie has also been holding onto the guilt of that fatal night, blaming herself for not dragging Lexie away from Zack. She’s hated the two brothers since that night and now knowing they both attend the same college, no less rooming in the same building, she just can’t catch a break. She will always hate Zack and she says she will always hate Zan, but the more they bump into each other and the more time they kind of spend time together, you can see she is falling for him, although she would much rather not.

She is such a caring best friend to Lexie, a great twin sister to Will and a great friend to every secondary character in the story. She’s a strong and resilient character but she feels weak when her feelings for Zan change from hate to love. She just couldn’t stop it, no matter how hard she wanted to, but really, giving in was the best thing she could have done because they were both so great together. They were there for each other through thick and thin.

The chemistry between Zan and Lottie always seems to pull them back together, no matter how many times Lottie tells him to stay away from her. But more time down the line, they become friends, although it’s obvious to both of them there is more between them. It did take Lottie a long time to admit that she wanted Zan, and then hid their relationship from everyone, even though everyone knew.

I loved it when they actually went public with it, because it proved that Lottie had forgiven Zan and her guilt for liking him was finally vanishing. I understood why she didn’t want to go public after telling everyone she hated him, but even her brother knew she was starting to like him and really, he was nothing like she pictured in her mind. He was kind, caring and loved her deeply that when there was a pivotal point in the book for the two of them, I cried, simply because Leona Lewis – I Got You came on and made it more intense to read!

Deeper We Fall really gets into you. It did for me. It got me thinking about if this happened to my best friend and I was the one in Lottie’s shoes. Would I react the same way she did every time she saw and bumped into Zan? Would I start to like him even if I didn’t want to? Would I forgive him for shattering my best friend’s life? It’s definitely hard to comprehend when it hasn’t happened to you, but it did go through my mind that I most probably would react the way Lottie had.

As I’ve said, it’s hard to completely know what you would do in this situation, and that’s exactly what Simon – Lottie and Will’s friend – asks her one night. Would she feel the same if it was Will who drove the truck and caused the accident? I ask you, those who have read this book, what would you do if you were in Lottie’s position? Especially when you would get to know Zan as more than the boy who caused your best friend’s life to change forever and more the boy who you were falling for.

I loved all the secondary characters, of course apart from Zack, but that was because he was an utter douchebag and really hadn’t seemed to change or actually give a shit about the fatal night. They all had their own personalities that shone in the book and I instantly took a liking to Trish, Will and Simon. They had me in giggles over what they would say. I loved the close-knit family they all had together especially in one part of the book when something terrible happens and they all get together to be there for that character and for each other.

Deeper We Fall truly is about forgiveness, second chances, letting go of your guilt, finding love and building a family of friends. It was a great read from Chelsea and completely different to My Favorite Mistake. She made each character distinguished from each other and the ending was just fun for both Lottie and Zan. It was how their relationship properly started and it was great that they could just be free of all the guilt that had eaten them up about the accident and about being together (more on Lottie’s part was the latter). They really were a perfect match for one another.

I shall definitely be recommending this book and I cannot wait for the second book, Faster We Burn, which is about Katie – Lottie’s roommate and Stryker- Zan’s college friend, which are characters in Deeper We Fall. Here’s to more Lottie and Zan in that book too!!

Posted in Romance

ARC: A Passionate Love Affair with a Total Stranger – Lucy Robinson

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

16148167Synopsis

A Passionate Love Affair with a Total Stranger by Lucy Robinson, author of The Greatest Love Story of All Time, is a hilariously funny and gorgeously romantic story about falling in love when you least expect it. Charley Lambert has put considerable effort into achieving a perfect life. She has The Job. The Wardrobe. And The Flat. Her womanising, junk food-loving housemate Sam lowers the tone a bit but that aside, things are peachy. Then she breaks her leg in three places, watches her unrequited love propose to someone else and – worst of all – is forced to hand over her job to her nasty deputy while she recovers. Workaholic Charley fears that she will soon go mad. Desperate for something to do, she discovers her talent for helping the lovelorn online. And then William arrives in her inbox. Within hours of his first email, her world starts to change. Helpless, she watches herself fall in love with this man and begins to realise that she’s not who she thought she was. But will she be brave enough to turn her back on her old life – all for a total stranger?

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My Review
To sum up Charley Lambert in one word, it would be ‘Workaholic.’ Whether it’s her job, or her extra-curricular activities, she never stops and hardly ever sleeps, that’s how busy her life is. You can see how much she wants her life to be perfect for her and she seems okay with being so busy she never really has time for anything else. Her diary is completely filled up.

But when she ends up breaking her leg in three places after an accident and has to give up her job for a few months while she heals, added in the fact that the guy she’s had a major crush on for seven years – Her boss John – has just got engaged, she feels her life is crashing down before her and she will go mad having to ‘relax’ and not keep busy.

After matchmaking many of her friends up and reading an article her best friend Hailey gave her about Ghost-writers on dating sites in America, she decides to start her own site up in the UK. Little does she know how much it was going to change her own life.

Oh GOD! I’m so glad I received an ARC copy of this book because sweet Jesus, when it’s out at the end of this month, you all need to go and buy yourself a copy! This is the first book I have read by Lucy Robinson (and her second book) and I LOVED her writing style. It sucked me in and this book is so SO funny, the swearing adds to the magic of the story and the twists and shocks throughout had be turning the pages at high speed making the plot exciting for the reader. I loved that it’s a story about internet dating because I know people who have set up a profile and I know it must be a bit difficult to convey yourself in messages to the person you’re speaking to. Ghost-writing must be such a fun job to do!

As I’ve said, Charley is a workaholic. She never stops but once she’s had her accident, it’s like her whole world has fallen apart. But starting up the dating website, it seems that she has a knack for helping people find their ‘soul mate.’ I don’t want to give away spoilers, but throughout her emails, they seem to make her think about her own life and whether she is satisfied with the way her life is going. She’s work-focused but now she’s completely frazzled over what to do, whether her work is important to her now and her relationship. It is a journey for Charley and one that ends fantastically for her.

I absolutely loved the secondary characters. Sam, Hailey and Granny Helen especially. They all stole my heart and had me laughing at their actions and comments throughout the book. I felt more drawn towards Hailey, but that’s maybe because I see a bit of myself in her, so I definitely liked reading about her and all her swearing! I could picture me and my best friend being exactly like her and Charley. She tells its straight when Charley because a bit obsessed with her dating site and I think everyone has been there, both in Charley and Hailey’s shoes, which made me relate to her. I especially loved all the swearing! Oh gosh, such a potty mouth.

Sam I adored with all my heart! Although a womanizer in some ways, he was especially caring and sweet to Charley when she broke her leg and after, when they began First Date Aid and became business partners. I loved that they had known each other since university and lived together but recently they have things come out, for both of them which neither knew about one another. I loved that! They seemed to bring out something in each other and make them think about their own life. I was completely rooting for them to get together because they actually seemed so right together. It was a journey for these two as well, but one that was well deserved in the end!

Seriously, pre-order this book right now! It will have you laughing, gushing, gasping and shouting at your book over several of the scenes – in a good way, especially near the end. It’s a great chick-lit and I’m so glad I got to read an ARC copy of it! I finished it curled up in bed, watching the snow fall down today and it made me heart go all gooey when it came to the end. I will definitely be reading more books by Lucy Robinson, starting with her first book “The Greatest Love Story of All Time”

Posted in Family, Suspense

The Seeds of a Daisy – Alison Caiola

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

17194127Synopsis

From the outside looking in, Lily Lockwood, popular star of the hit TV show St. Joe’s, has it all. Recently nominated for an Emmy, her star is definitely on the rise. She shares her gorgeous Malibu beachfront home with her even more gorgeous actor boyfriend. Perfect, right? Not so much! Within a matter of just a few days, it all falls apart. The wind is knocked out of her when she finds out that her boyfriend, on location shooting a western, is riding horses all day and his curvy co-star all night. Before Lily can catch her breath, she gets word that her mother, best-selling author Daisy Lockwood, is in intensive care after a near-fatal accident. Lily flies across the country to be by her side. The girl, who has a hard time deciding if her Chai Latte should be Grande or Venti, is now faced with making crucial life and death decisions. While rifling through Daisy’s papers, she comes across shocking information about her mother that threatens to shake her very foundation. Lily embarks on a journey of self-discovery and closure as she seeks to unlock the mysteries of her mother’s past.

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My Review

Lily Lockwood seems to have it all. She’s a famous actress on a TV show called St. Joes, she’s got the perfect boyfriend, her mother is her best friend and she’s just become nominated for an Emmy. All seems completely perfect to her. BUT within a few days everything turns upside down. Her boyfriend is cheating on her with his busty co-star and her mother, best-selling author Daisy Lockwood has been in a fatal car accident and is in a coma. Everything has fallen apart and now Lily has the crucial decision over what to do. While trying to sort out Daisy’s papers for the hospital, she discovers things about her mother’s past that she never knew of and it takes her on a journey of self-discovery and closure as she starts to unlock the secrets of her mother’s past.

The story starts off with Lily at her mother’s hospital bed, sobbing and asking her to wake up. As she waits for the doctors to tell her the news of her mother’s condition, Lily begins to reflect on her life and relationship with her mother, who brought her up single-handedly and supported and helped her into the Hollywood world – always being there for Lily throughout everything in her life. As the days pass by, and with tests and operations being done on her mother, Daisy’s close friends come to be with her and Lily to await the news of Daisy’s condition and to support Lily.

I really felt for Lily, because Daisy, although her mother is her best friend and the only person that she can lean on, and for her to be in a coma – it was so sad to read as she just wanted her to be okay and wake up. My mum is one of my best friends too and I would be completely lost without her if anything happened to her, which I’m sure everyone can relate to as well, so yes, I definitely felt for Lily having to go through this. As much as she’s a famous TV star, she’s still a scared, vulnerable little girl inside; scared about what is happening to her mum.

Although this book is focused on Lily and her self-discovery, it’s all centered on Daisy, You never get to read Daisy speaking in the present, but you do in the flashbacks and stories that Lily thinks about throughout the book. You do get a feel that you know Daisy as her voice is pretty strong and even if she is in a coma, I did fell like I knew her, regardless of her not speaking. You also get to know more about Daisy in her diary entries, which Lily finds and reads. They give Lily and the reader an insight into Daisy’s childhood – one that she has never told Lily. You find out many a secret about Daisy and there’s a huge shock of a secret which I was not expecting at all!

It was great to see the supporting characters coming to the hospital to visit Daisy and support Lily throughout the ordeal of the accident. The friends were completely special to read about and definitely felt like a small family to Lily and Daisy to me. Her Auntie D, who is childhood friends with Daisy, was such an amazing character to read. She was there for Lily when she was younger and is still there for Lily years later. Her and Daisy have been through a lot in their past and they are still best friends to this day. It was brilliant to see so much support and love coming from Donna, even when she was hurting because her best friend was in a coma. You can see that Donna will always be there for lily, no matter what happens.

Alison’s writing style comes to life. You can see she has really researched all the hospital scenes and the jargon used in this book. She writes about a colourful and lovely mother-daughter relationship that you just want for yourself and it’s the bond of the two that really gels this book together. It’s the heart of the book. It seems exceptionally realistic, especially the hospital scenes as you could really feel yourself acting the way Lily was with the Doctors (Who was a bit of an arsehole) and just wanting to know what was happening with her mother. I felt every single emotion she conveyed and this book actually got me thinking about if I was in Lily’s position. The story really did make Lily stronger, in a way, and really make her see life as being precious. It’s a great book to read and I would definitely recommend it as it was difficult to put down once I started it!

Posted in Romance

Love Unfinished – Darian Wilk

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

Soul mates from the past leave their love unfinished when a tragic accident ends their lives on their wedding day. Yet they are destined to meet again to fulfill that love in new incarnations, leading vastly different lives.

Emma thought she chose the right path in life, but too late does she realize her mistake when her husband reveals the monster behind the smile. Their happily ever after – is a lie. Trapped in a broken marriage to a powerful, abusive man, Emma knows this is not the life she was meant to live. As her hope for real love withers, she meets James, her love from a lifetime ago.

Emma cannot deny the connection pulling them together, but her courage to abandon her marriage wavers, and unknowingly puts her life on the line. Are Emma and James fated to fulfill their love, or will they once again, leave love unfinished?

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My Review

“Everyone should be so lucky to marry their soul mate”

Love Unfinished starts with Carol and Ted, who later become Emma and James. It starts with the year 1946, when the two had just met, and then skips to 1954, 8 years later to their wedding, which is where everything goes wrong and they are fatally killed on the way to their wedding reception.

Carol and Ted are both sent to different ‘waiting rooms’, separated, awaiting to fulfill their soul’s destiny, where is how they both end up as Emma and James, put back on earth to find each other and finish their lives together.

Fast forward to 1992, and Emma has been married for 8 years to a guy called Craig. You can tell she’s not happy – her marriage is more like a business partnership and Emma just wants marriage filled of love, not one where they act like strangers. Craig is a manipulative, emotionally and physically abusive bully and I actually really disliked him from the start. All he’s worried about is his reputation, and uses Emma to get him where he wants to be making her a puppet of everything she doesn’t want to be.

The first time Emma meets James, she feels this attraction to him and its like she’s met him before then the second time they meet, they dance and it’s like love at first sight but when she mentions who she is, he walk away and she hasn’t seen him since – she feels her marriage is a burden because she feels something with James and she has just lost him before getting to know him.

I loved the friendship with her rich friend Olivia. Olivia looked out for Emma, wanting and waiting patiently for ‘spunky’ Emma to return and leave Craig. She hates him and does everything she can to damage his reputation. It was brilliant to read her plans regarding Craig.

Prudence, the maid, was amazing to Emma. Helping her out when Craig went mental, helping her with her plan and just generally being there for her. She loves Emma telling her about her visits to James and she’s basically a best friend for Emma. She says about James: “You think this guy was something special right? If life gives you a chance at something, you just gotta take it you know.”

James. What can I say about James? Well, he’s swoon worthy, totally in love with Emma, even though they don’t know each other and it just feels natural to be together, but he has no idea why. His and Emma’s relationship pulled at my heart strings. You really saw the love he had for Emma, although they hardly knew each other and you just wanted Emma to leave her husband and be with him, where she would be loved and safe and that’s exactly what she is when she’s with him.

So much happens during this book and you really feel for Emma. She wants to leave her abusive husband to go to James, but it takes some doing and help from Olivia and Edward (the butler) who have sabotaged Craig’s life and reputation, which was so great to finally read as he had it coming all throughout the book.

I have to admit, I cried reading the part in the waiting room at the start of the book. Carol was so frantic and when told by her Grandma she had to find Ted again, it broke my heart because she just wanted to be with him now and was so afraid that he wouldn’t remember her and I also cried at the end too, especially at the kids names and the waiting room area again.

The only problem I would say is that at the end, I was confused over the time span, as it kept jumping but other than that, I freaking loved this book. Seriously, if books make me cry, they are good in my eyes and I would love for it to be made into a movie or something. I would definitely go see it numerous times!

Posted in Romance, YA

Such A Rush – Jennifer Echols

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

When I was fourteen, I made a decision. If I was doomed to live in a trailer park next to an airport, I could complain about the smell of the jet fuel like my mom, I could drink myself to death over the noise like everybody else, or I could learn to fly.

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true . . . but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying.

Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly.

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My Review

Leah Jones has moved from town to town, trailer to trailer all her life due to her mother always moving them when her boyfriends tell her there is a job for her and now she is finally living in Heaven Beach, in a trailer park next to a small commercial airport.

Leah, at 14, gets picked on at school and her only escape is her job at the airstrip, working for Mr. Hall at his banner advertising business. She can only do office work but it’s her dream to fly an airplane, so when she has saved enough money from her wages, she forges her mums signature and hands it over to Mr Hall, in exchange for a flying lesson. And so it starts.

Fast forward three years and Leah is now flying planes for Mr Hall and she loves it. There’s nothing better than being free in the air, controlling her own destiny and not having to worry about life when shes in the air.

Mr Hall has three sons, Grayson and Alec, who are twins and Jake, who is older than the twins. Although Leah doesn’t know them, she sees them when they visit their father but they don’t associate with her as they think they are ‘above’ her and that shes having an affair with their dad – they cant be further than the truth as Leah thinks of Mr Hall as a surrogate dad.

When Mr Hall dies, from the stress of Jake dying in the war, Leah has no idea what she is going to do as she assumes the business will shut down and she will be out of a job. But instead, Grayson and Alec decide they are to keep the business and keep Leah as a pilot – although Grayson has other ideas and blackmails her in return for keeping her job.

This is where all the major drama appears. Being blackmailed into dating Alec, even though she has no idea why she has to date him as Grayson won’t tell her, you can see the torment in Leah as she needs to keep her job but then she doesn’t like Alec that way – its always been Grayson she has liked, but she really needs the job and so she agrees, reluctantly.

During the course of the book, you see the emotions of all the characters, especially Leah and Grayson. As much as he wants to stay away, he looks out for Leah when her mum isn’t there – which is most of the time – so when a storm is brewing, he takes her to safety, away from her metal trailer to the basement in the airstrip and that is when you know, that he is totally in to Leah, even though he doesn’t want to admit it. But throughout the book, parts where she has to pretend to like Alec, you can figure out his jealousy over the two of them, even though Leah only thinks of Alec as a brother.

Over due course, it was obvious that Grayson had feelings for Leah, and he knew she liked him but he wouldn’t do anything about it. It was about keeping Alec at the airstrip and putting him first before himself, which is actually really nice of him to do, but it hurt Leah to be blackmailed when all she wanted was for Grayson to see her. When he finally got his act together, i was smiling so badly! My poor, flawed, jealous Grayson, you finally got what you have wanted all along.

There is so much more that I would love to talk about, but I don’t want to write a massive spoiler before you are all read it. Let’s just say, there’s an accident which makes characters shift their butts into gear and i was so glad of the ending. It was super cute that all the characters got a happy ending and ended up with the person they wanted to be with.

This is the first book i have read from Jennifer Echols but it certainly wont be the last. I absolutely loved this book and it had me hooked. I read this when I had free time during my holiday to Paris and this story was all i could think about all day until we would come back to the holiday to relax before going back out. When a book gets to me like this, you know its a great read!

Read this book, if it’s the only one you do.