Tag: sadness

Posted in Abbi Glines, New Adult

Forever Too Far (#3) – Abbi Glines

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

17337562Synopsis

Rush promised her forever… but promises can be broken.

Torn between his love for his family and his love for Blaire, Rush has to find a way to save one without losing the other. In the end one has to be more important. Letting go isn’t easy.

Blaire believed in her fairytale… but no one can live in a fantasy.

Her love for Rush and desire to have a family keep her believing that they can find a way for this to work. Until she has to make the right decision for her and the baby. Even if it breaks her heart.

Can they find the forever that they both want or has it all just gone… too far?

4.5/ 5 stars

Fallen Too Far review HERE
Never Too Far review HERE

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My Review

Okay, so if you have read my reviews on Fallen Too Far and Never Too Far you will see that although I did like them, I didn’t love them. Fallen Too Far was okay, Never Too Far was better apart from the ending that killed me but Forever Too Far!! Yes, this is my favourite book of the series. I absolutely relished it. I couldn’t put it down!

Abbi Glines is an amazing author and she really has done it again. She sucks you in to her books, makes you feel every emotion under the sun. I had tears, anger, laughter, I smiled, I swooned, I fanned myself. It was all there and Abbi conveys everything brilliantly. Kudos to this lovely lady!!

If you have yet to read Fallen Too Far and Never Too Far, then I would definitely recommend reading them, so when you reach Forever Too Far you can see their story and their journey be completed in the best possible way. The way they have gone through so much, alone and together, fought battles alone and together and came out stronger and so in love at the end, a family complete will make your heart ache in such a great way. They both deserved it so much.

I’d also say to read Twisted Perfection before Forever Too Far as a bit of the storyline links in with Forever Too Far so you won’t get confused over what is happening.

Blaire and Rush finally have their happily ever after. They are engaged, have a baby on the way and have the most amazing friends but family drama just can’t stay away from  them no matter how much they want it to.

Of course, it comes in the form of Nan and her estranged father and so Rush and Blaire take a trip so Rush can sort this relationship out. But torn between his love for Blaire and the baby and his family, Rush has to decide which one is more important because he will lose one, whether he wants that or not.

Blaire sticks with Rush throughout everything, they have been each other’s rocks, but can she continue to be there when everything is just a mess. She needs to decide what is right for the baby and her.

It’s now down to Rush to make the decision. Will he make the right one and finally put Blaire first?

Ohhh Rush, my darling Rush. He really goes through the motions in this book. Family or Blaire first? Of course it’s got to be Blaire but yano things with Nan are never ever simple and shes on the war path yet again. Jesus can that girl take a break and not be a complete bitch?! You can see the dilemma he has. He NEEDS and WANTS to put Blaire first. She is the girl he loves, shes carrying his baby but then his sister is troubled and he does love her and she needs his help.

You see him make mistakes in Forever Too Far but you also see him redeem himself, think through everyone and see him journey through, making his own mind up about his life now, having enough of being in the middle of his family disputes, trying to get them all to calm down and talk without storming off or screaming at one another. Yeah this doesn’t happen.

You feel conflicted over some of his decision, but then you think “would I do the same?” Yes, probably but I would always put Blaire first and foremost in every thought. You feel proud of Rush for what he does for Nan and then definitely making sure Blaire is number one, like she really should be after all the shit. She was finally his priority. Her and the baby. Sod everyone else trying to get in their way; it was the two of them against the world. God knows it took them long enough.

My Rush Crush definitely grew with some of the things he would say to Blaire and the way he was so excited about his baby…how protective he was over him even though he wasn’t out in the world yet. You could see the love for mother and baby pour off of him and you really do fall that bit more in love with him over this fact. He’s grown up so much over the three books and you just feel like a proud momma looking at her baby. (Thank god I’m not, because Rush can definitely sex me up).

Blaire is just brilliant. You know how much I adore her and her strength from FTF and NTF and she certainly has grown up so much, much like Rush over the three books. Shes  got herself and her baby to protect and look after throughout the pregnancy and all this family drama *COUGH* NAN just made her stressed because Rush was stressed and always running to save Nan from herself. I loved how Blaire was always worried about Nan, despite the need not to be, as Nan is a complete cow but that is what Blaire is about. She’s caring and sweet and has such a lovely soul, but she also knows how to stick up for herself, as you will definitely see throughout the book. That one scene at the beach, OH HELL YES Blaire, you are a total BAMF! Her love for Rush never falters, it only grows stronger with each thing that Rush does. Although at one point I was proud she had the courage to do that thing (HAHA not saying what) but it changes the dynamic and forces Rush to re-evaluate everything and he made the right choice.

Rush really is one lucky sonofabitch. I wouldn’t have put up with the Nan crap like Blaire did but it proves just how much she loves him and a love like this cannot be broken, no matter how much your family puts you through. Their chemistry and attraction to each other only intensifies throughout the book and the fact that Rush is so in love with Blaire and his baby, his protectiveness for them both had me in tears. He was so excited and scared for the arrival of the baby and when the baba finally graced the world, he just didn’t want anyone to hold him, his protective streak appearing. I loved that about him. Blaire and Rush really were the cutest couple with the cutest baby and amazing parents.

Their sex is still steamy. (Not as hot as Woods though – who has my heart) but it was hot and sexy and ‘give it to me now’ sex. Jumping from reading Twisted Perfection sex to Forever Too Far sex was the greatest thing I could have ever done and can those two be in my bed please? BY GOD, it would be amazing. The things these two can do….

RIGHT! Onto the song. I’m sure you all know by now that there is a song entwined into the storyline that Abbi has put on ITunes for us all to download and enjoy. I’m late to reading FTF so when I read this scene, I YouTube the song, and played it whilst reading the lyrics in the book. I can’t tell you how much I sobbed….ugly cried throughout listening to the song and reading the lyrics and how it integrates throughout the three books. It was perfect and showed all of Rush’s feelings and emotions for Blaire which was the greatest gift she could have ever relieved – next to Rush, her friends and her baby.

Forever Too Far also paves the way for Grant’s book and I totally love Grant. He deserves so much happiness as Nan is a psycho. We see his interest but can he go there? He knows who she is now and it doesn’t bode well for him because of Nan. DO NOT PICK NAN, GRANT! We will have to wait and see for his book which I cannot wait for!!

It was such a lush book for finish off Rush and Blaire’s story. I feel like I’ve journeyed along with them throughout the three books, watched them battle their pasts and their presents, fall in love, make an amazing family dynamic with their close friends and both grow into themselves, finally learning whom is the best important in their lives and who doesn’t deserve a chance.

Definitely give this series a go if you haven’t yet. Then fall in love with Woods and Della and their eagerly anticipated second book and then Grants two books too! You too will have a Rush Crush (Even if Woods is top of the list 😉 )

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 New Adult

On Dublin Street – Samantha Young

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

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My Review

“Gentlemen are gentlemen in bed. They make sure you’re having a good time.”
“I’ll make sure you’re having a good time, and that you’re okay with everything we’re doing. I just won’t be well-mannered about it.”

I had seen everyone raving about this book for a couple of weeks, but due to the up-rise of books like 50 Shades, I was sceptical of reading this, thinking it was the same. But jeeze was I ever wrong in that!! I downloaded this book yesterday afternoon and I had finished it by the evening. I did have a 5 hour break where I had to go to work; otherwise I would have finished it even sooner.  It drew me in from the first page and I just knew that I would fall in love with this book. I wasn’t mistaken at all. It’s nothing like 50 Shades, if you’re looking for something different to that whole BDSM stories that are now around.

Jocelyn Butler has gone through so much in her 22 years. She lost her parents and baby sister when she was 14 and then a year later she lost her best friend. To say she’s emotionally scarred by this is an understatement. She has serious trust issues and doesn’t let anyone close enough in fear that she will lose them too sooner or later. So after coming to university in Edinburgh and studying for four years, she is now looking for a flat as her best friend’s Rhian and James have moved to London. Whilst on the way to view a flat and meet its owner, she shares a taxi with a mysterious man (Who is absolutely oozing sex appeal) and they banter the whole way to her destination.

She then meets Ellie, the flat’s owner and after talking, Ellie decides she wants Jocelyn to move in. What Joss doesn’t know is that The Suit (The guy from the taxi) is Ellie’s brother and living there means she will see more of him. Because of this, she’s in a rut. Ellie is an outgoing, happy and funny girl and then there is Braden – The Suit – who is absolutely gorgeous and he can’t keep his eyes off her every time they are together. The attraction to one another is off the scale and although she tries to fight it at every corner, it’s impossible seeing as Braden wants her and he always gets what he wants.

Jocelyn, or Joss as she demands to be called, is a very complicated young woman. As I’ve mentioned, she’s been through a lot in her short years becoming a wild party animal to forget everything but four years ago she stopped everything and moved to Scotland to go to university. She’s a closed book – not letting anyone in fear of becoming hurt if they leave and not telling anyone about her past because she wants to keep it buried. But when she moves in with Ellie, her walls are slowly starting to crumble down. Her and Ellie become friends fast and Braden keeps pursuing and flirting with her. She doesn’t know what to do and it’s confusing her over how much she’s starting to care for these people when she doesn’t want to feel anything. She does start going to a psychiatrist and she begins to heal…slowly.

Braden stole my heart from the first moment he appeared. He oozes sex appeal and from the first moment he and Joss meet, there is an obvious connection between them. Braden isn’t the type of guy to stay with a girl longer than a few weeks after being burnt by a previous relationship, but there is something about Joss that he can’t get enough of. He seems to understand every little thing and feeling coming from Joss, which in turn frightens her. He’s possessive, bossy but cares for Joss immensely. They both know there is something between them, but because Joss doesn’t do relationships, he decides to take what he can get and proposes a ‘friends with benefits’ deal for three months to her and yes, you guessed it, she accepts. With much persuasive I must add. But this is just the beginning for the both of them and Joss’s feelings are starting to slowly change and its scaring her to let Braden in and he’s getting so close to her so when she keeps trying to break up with him because of her issues and freak-outs, he doesn’t let them issues affect their time together. They are just completely perfect for one another.

I really loved how much Brandan cared for Joss. When her walls did crumble, and they went through a rough patch, he gave her space, but he always wanted her back. He was with her throughout everything and when she told him her past, my heart fluttered. It was great to see him care so much and want to help her through her past and her pain. Going with her back to America to get closure was one of the best things he could have done. And it made me love him even more.

The only and only thing I did despise about Braden was what he said to her on one of the pages. I absolutely screamed at my Kindle and then the next page he said he was lying, just to get a reaction from her. I wanted to kill him for being so utterly horrid but then I suppose he was trying to see if she really did care about him like he did with her. He redeemed himself after that and he stole my heart again and all was forgiven.

Ellie, Braden’s sister is such a gem. She’s outgoing, fun, chatty and such a happy character. It was hard not to fall in love with her right away. She is the perfect flatmate and friend you could have. She does have a big storyline in this book and I was devastated when I found out what was going on, but she’s a tough girl and I knew she would get through it.

I love, love, love this book! It had everything. It’s a book about love, trust and passion. It takes you on a journey; Dealing with your inner demons, building friendships, letting people in and falling in love no matter how hard you try not to. It has something for everyone so what are you waiting for? Go grab your copy now and fall in love with all the characters, especially Braden and Ellie!

Here’s to looking forward to book two!!

Posted in J.A Redmerski, New Adult

The Edge Of Never – J.A. Redmerski

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

16081272Synopsis

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ – Adult Contemporary Women’s – New Adult Fiction

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My Review

“For the first time in my life, I’ve felt whole, alive, free. You were the missing piece of my soul, the breath in my lungs, the blood in my veins. I think that if past lives are real then we have been lovers in every single one of them. I’ve known you for a short time, but I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

Twenty year old Camryn Bennett has always been different to her friends. She’s been one to over think her life and she knew that she wanted more; more than just a repetitive lifestyle. She had her life planned out with her boyfriend Ian, until an accident took him away from her. Since then, she hasn’t been herself and a black cloud has overtaken her.

One day she just decides to pack a few essentials in a bag and get on a bus. She’s fed up of everything happening in her life, from her brother in prison, her parents’ divorce, and her best friend accusing her of being a lying bitch. She decides to start living for her, hence setting out on a road trip to Idaho, even though nothing is really there for her. You’ll see why she picks that place when you read this book.

When she steps upon the bus, little does she know everything is going to change and her life will turn upside down for the better.

Andrew Parrish is 25 and on a trip from Texas to see his dying father in Wyoming. It could have been easier to get on a plane but he decides to get the bus instead. He’s in the same mindset as Camryn where he needs time to think about everything that is happening in his life and what he’s going to do. You will definitely fall in love with Andrew. I want him to take me on this road trip and show me everything that I am missing in my life!

When they both meet, its obvious Camryn doesn’t want to speak to anyone. She’s there for herself, to travel alone and when she gets to her destination, she’ll turn around and go home. She only wanted this trip to discover herself and sort out her thoughts and feelings. Little does she know, but Andrew’s protective instinct takes over when a man is constantly checking out Camryn, not to her knowledge, and he does everything to make sure the man stays away, which leads to small talk and then they slowly build a friendship spending the trip together and even beyond that when they decide to just drive anywhere, to really live on the wild side without any planning or thinking about where they are going.

They were both characters who were amazing together. They both pushed each other to be themselves, especially Andrew, who makes Camryn come out of her depression and her shell and admit things she wouldn’t even dream of to Ian. He makes her push past her past, makes her be fearless and to own her own sexuality. In turn, they fall in love and it was like they were truly meant to be and truly be on the same bus together. The banter and flirting made their friendship all the more important to me, and with the alternative POVs from both characters, you begin to see them falling for each other but because of their own personal trauma’s they just didn’t want to admit it, thinking it was easier to keep at arms lengths. But love concurs all in the end.

This book and their journey really made me think about my life. If I could, I would pack my stuff up in my duffle bag, go to the airport and get the first flight out of Wales and just live my life to the fullest. You see the pain from both of them, but together they manage to make each other come alive and slowly the pain simmers away until love overtakes and they both feel alive being together. Meeting one another on the bus was definitely fate; to bring them back to life with the help of each other.

I have to say, when I finished this book, I was walking around my house like a zombie. I didn’t know what to feel because so many different emotions were pulsing though me. I was happy, sad, and distraught and all these feeling were swished about together that I was going “I don’t know how to feel.”

I had seen so many people raving about this book and I just had to download it right away. Sweet baby Jesus, this book did not disappoint at all. I was captivated by the synopsis, then every single scene that occurred throughout the book. I do have to say; I’ve never cried so hard or so much reading a book as I did with The Edge Of Never.  My mother even asked me who had made me cry and I had to tell her it was this book, which made her laugh. My heart was breaking at what I was reading and I kept throwing my Kindle down and taking deep breathes throughout one particular event because I couldn’t handle it. When books turn me into an emotional wreck, you definitely know it’s a great book to read!

Seriously, you HAVE to give this book a read. I know I say it about many books I read but when you feel so passionate about a book, you really need to make other people read it and see why you love it.

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to backpack across the world? Just you and a backpack with a few necessities. No bills. No getting up at the same time every morning to go to a job you hate. Just you and the world out ahead of you. You never know what the next day is going to bring, who you’ll meet, what you’ll have for lunch or where you might sleep.”