Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Archer's Voice - A Review

Wow. This story. I loved it. It was a sweet love story. You couldn't help but want Bree and Archer together, from their initial guarded friendship into their hot, sexual relationship to the love that blossomed and at the same time threatened to destroy their young relationship.

You're my everything, Bree. ~ Archer Hale

The flashbacks were, at times, hard to endure. What poor little Archer had to endure and to turn into the man he did, I was simply awed by the strength and braveness this man had, though he doubted it. Bree understood this and was there to show that to him, to help fix him. He still had his doubts, insecurity. He would - for most of his life, he had no one to tell him what a wonderful person he was.

And eventually, that's going to be the thing that destroys us. I'll start hurting you because you won't be able to fix me-you'll never be able to reassure me enough. You'll just end up resenting me because you'll constantly have to carry the weight for both of us. I can't let that happen. I asked you not to let me destroy what we have together, but I don't think I'm capable of doing anything else. ~ Archer Hale

He needed to fix himself. He alone.

I never, ever want to hurt you, but I'm no good to you. I'm no good to anyone right now, and I need to learn if maybe I can. ~ Archer Hale

Even though he left Bree, I felt so much hope for Archer. I was proud. And then he returns and with his return comes a moment where I was basically done. I threw my iPad down (on my soft bed - don't worry). I almost couldn't go on.

done

But I did and I'm glad I did. What a wonderful story! Will definitely be reading more from Mia!

And I thought to myself, Archer Hale's voice was one of the most beautiful things in the whole wide world. ~ Bree Prescott

Archer's Voice (A Sign of Love)Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Monday, February 17, 2014

Review of Saving Forever



NOTE: I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Saving Forever and was tortured not being able to discuss this with anyone while we waited for the book to be released. Now that I can finally talk, I found myself a little loss for the right words.

NOTE 2: I hope I have made this review as SPOILER-FREE as possible. 

Saving Forever was different from the first two books in the series. Instead of the heart-clenching despair I felt in Forever & Always and After Forever, I started to feel a sense of hope early on in the book. At times I even felt myself smile. It was then that I knew I would get an ending befitting all the characters.

So much happened to Cade, Ever, & Eden in their young lives. It hands over the story at all times, in the choices they make -- the good and the bad ones. For much of their formative years, these characters were pretty much without their parents. The people who are supposed to love and guide them during the hard times in their lives.

They did not have that. What they got was hard time after hard time. Imagine that. Then imagine what you would do in their shoes. You can say you'd make a choice different from Eden's, but how do you really know? You do not. You cannot.

Often in this series, I tried to wrap my head around all these tragic events happening and tried to imagine myself there. What would I do? How would I react? I expected the tears and all the feelings, but that self-reflection, I did not.

I liked the hard choices Jasinda threw at these characters. She pushed them to the tipping point and, in Saving Forever, they dealt with the aftermath of that.

Eden grew into a character I loved. I've not had a life anywhere near Eden's and I seriously have no idea how I would handle what happened to her. Would I run away like she did? I just don't know but what I do know is that choice fit with Eden's character - her love for her sister, the guilt she had over what she did. The choice just made sense.

And her choice introduced us to Carter, the mute-by-choice carpenter/handyman/winery owner. I fell for him hard and fast. I love his family and am very curious to find out more about his band of equally gorgeous brothers. (wink, wink, Jasinda).

Eden's choice also brought us the beautiful scenery of my much beloved home state of Michigan and the lakeshore. I'd read and feel such homesickness. My eyes would flit over her words and I'd see myself back on the beaches of Michigan. I could smell it - you know that smell - that wonderful intoxicating mixture of the lake, the wet sand. I could even hear the sound of the soft waves repeatedly hitting the shores. Jasinda transported me there.

She did the same thing with immersing you into the characters and what they were feeling. The heaviness of Caden's guilt, his hopelessness. Ever's despair at what was (wasn't) going on between her and her husband. Her confusion - even though we as the reader knew what was going on. Eden's loneliness, her self-loathing at her actions with her twin sister's husband. And then we are there as Eden grows...along with hope that things just might get better, that she just might be able to have a future with Carter.

I seriously could go on talking about this book/series for a very long time. I have not read a book, let alone a series, that made me feel such a wide gamut of emotions, that made me ugly-cry to the extent I did, that surprised me, shocked me, as often as it did. It hooked me. It touched me. And a book/series that can do that to the extent that the Ever trilogy did is a very special series indeed.

If you haven't guess, I rate this 5 stars.

Saving Forever (The Ever Trilogy, #3)Saving Forever by Jasinda Wilder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Saturday, February 1, 2014

Review of Jasinda Wilder's Forever


So I finally got around to reading Jasinda Wilder's Forever & Always. 

Oh dear lord. This book. I knew it was going to be an emotional rollercoaster going in. Jasinda warned us. God, I saw all the reviews and statuses from friends about the book. I held off reading this on purpose. I knew I wasn't ready for it.

I still wasn't ready. I was a mess.

my emotions

Me after reading the last chapter.

too much

How? Why? This poor, poor boy. Heartbreaking. I wanted to make it all better for him.

This is the reason I love cliffhanger books - I NEED THE NEXT ONE IMMEDIATELY!

I'm now off to skewer my soul some more. (Translation: off to read After Forever).

buffy



 Forever & Always (The Ever Trilogy, #1)

Forever & Always by Jasinda Wilder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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