Author: Chelsea (Page 80 of 111)

BOOK REVIEW – Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

August 20, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
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Nicholas Sparks, no matter how sad the novels can or may be, no matter the outcomes, whether or not they are labeled one of his best, is an author you can count on for his descriptive imagery and beautiful writing.

I had just read a sad novel and decided I needed a change of pace. Now, I realize some of Sparks’s novels are marked for their tragic finales, but I had a hunch this one might end a little better. While still overshadowed with the abuse she endures from her husband in flashbacks, it still had an overwhelming hopefulness and happiness that inhabited the main characters throughout the story. It was just what I needed after reading such a sad book before, which is so ironic because one would think that’s what happens after a Sparks novel.

Near the end there is a twist I truly did not see coming, and sometimes Sparks makes the endings easy to anticipate, but not this time. There are mixed reviews from those who have read this novel that either did not like the ending nor the twist or they really liked it. I found I am in the latter category: I didn’t mind the twist at the end. While it startled me and halted my reading for a few moments, seeing as how I had to re read those few sentences a couple times, I still felt at peace with the twist. I discovered that it actually added some mystery or intrigue to the story and added incite to the decisions Katie made.

Some people also disliked the climax of the story, and I felt myself building towards the end with that in mind….but I really liked what happened. I thought there was just enough buildup and finally, FINALLY, the story and the characters came to a crossroad and the final scenes are worth the wait. Maybe I liked it so much because I expected something boring because of what people were saying, but I just did not feel bored at the end, I wanted to keep reading and see these characters finish everything they started.

So I do believe Safe Haven deserves more praise, it builds up into a wonderful story and I STILL, damnit, misted up at the ending. How he does it I will never know, but I truly found this story to be a great read and would recommend it to my friends.

BOOK REVIEW – The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred

August 20, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred
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Oh my gosh. What an adorable, yet heartbreaking, story. I went through every emotion available without even realizing it, and in the end I was mad at myself for thinking poorly on some characters, while others I realized I still felt the same about..no matter their past situation.

This is a story of horrible circumstances overshadowed with hope and longing. Oh little Nick, my heart goes out to you. Nick, son of Frank Anderson-the town drunk, is outcast because of his father. In walks Alix, the daughter of a well-respected family, to his rescue. When Alix sees Nick and what he has endured at the hands of his father, she knows she needs to save him…without him actually knowing she is trying to save him.

She reaches out to him when no one else ever has, and starts a life long friendship that is so strong, nothing anyone says can separate them. With years of heartwarming encounters and defending against bullies, their bond grows stronger.

When friendship turns into something stronger, more binding, curious flirting and exploration of their feelings arise. Their relationship takes the next step, with definite complications, and I couldn’t help but to be so angry with every obstacle that comes about (or maybe the person who seemed to be the biggest obstacle is what made me so angry..yup…that’s about it). I know-it’s written in the synopsis, but after EVERYTHING they went through, it’s STILL a punch in the gut. My heart tore in half for poor Alix, losing her innocence with every unfortunate event that arose; her inner monologue brought me to tears multiple times, even after I thought the worst thing that could happen happened.

Betrayal, heartbreak, true love, trust, loss, faith, and determination are the trials Alix and Nick must face in this well executed and beautifully written novel, and I felt every single one of these experiences to my core. I have to say it-THE PENDANT..oooohh the pendant-by far my most favorite scene in the book includes this pendant. Absolutely frikkin’ adorable. My heart, no my soul, warmed so immensely I had to stop and ponder what was happening for a second; it was just so unexpected.

So if you are looking for a well-written and heartwarming story to read, you will love this. It takes you to the brink with your emotions, yes you have to go through some tough situations to get to the “core of the sweet gum tree”, but it is worth it and you will feel better for being a part of this lovely journey.

BOOK REVIEW – Vain (The Seven Deadly #1) by Fisher Amelie

August 20, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Vain (The Seven Deadly #1)
by Fisher Amelie
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Wow. Just wow. A story about a girl who has an infinite amount of money at her disposal, a band of loyal worshippers, and any guy she wants; even those that are already taken.

I must admit, I had high hopes when I started this novel, and I kind of hated the beginning. Maybe we are supposed to-I don’t know. What I do know is that at a certain point in Vain, you realize you just can’t put it down.

I grew to love Sophie and those around her, especially Ian. He is everything a hero figure should be-loving, kind, caring, sweet, protective, and even funny. He has all these characteristics, yet Fisher Amelie manages to keep the story from becoming mushy. Actually, the story is anything but mushy. Overshadowed with poverty, fear, action, destruction, and tragedy, Vain manages to take romance and mix in all the right elements to make this a page turner.

After reading Vain, I felt giddy and also had a twinge of sadness because the story was over-I wish there could have been a little more to the ending of the story, but overall it was a very fulfilling read of growth and finding your passion in life. I would recommend this to any of my friends or family members, even those who aren’t 100% sold on the genre of romance.

BOOK REVIEW – Fallen Too Far (Rosemary Beach #1) by Abbi Glines

August 20, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Fallen Too Far (Rosemary Beach #1)
by Abbi Glines
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Damn it, just..(sighs)..damn it. Apparently I love torturing myself with tremulous endings and cliffhangers becuase I have been reading book after book where they end with a bang…a massive unfinished bang. I read the reviews and I still couldn’t wait another week to read it so I could just smoothly transition to the next in the series instead of setting myself up for a tortuous week of waiting. This is clearly my fault..I was warned.

Let me start off by saying I absolutely love Rush. He is the oh so perfect badboy we all adore. For one, when Blaire is mislead to believe she has a place to stay at his house by her never present father, whom Rush hates by the way, he doesn’t make her leave. Well..at the last second he lets her stay-but that’s just a technicality we can overlook. After that, Blaire wants to make it clear she isn’t a mooch so she does everything a good houseguest should, all the while Rush is observing and absorbing more than she knows. I think we all know where the story mostly leads, as the formula for this type of story has a template that is rarely wandered from.

I did like this book, I did. I just wish Blaire had a LITTLE more conviction, in the sense of not being so sure that she likes Rush despite his bad boy behavior right away: i.e. girls and parties all the time. Just a little resistance to the whole scenario would have been nice. But overall, Blaire and Rush are great characters, especially after the halfway point. This is when I couldn’t put the book down. Things were finally starting to happen…the formula, you see? ha.

The beginning is why this is only a four star read for me; I wasn’t truly drawn in until the 1/2 way point, and from there the book was ingrained in my mind until I could finish it. Bad boy tears are a big weakness for me, and when they were shed, a part of my heart went into this story, making the second installment a necessity-and soon. I can’t wait to read Never too far, and to find out if Rush and Blaire’s story ends as a happy one. I don’t know what I’d do otherwise.

BOOK REVIEW – The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #1) by Jessica Sorenson

August 20, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #1)
by Jessica Sorensen
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Wow, an absolute page turner…I only started this novel because I was bored and then I just couldn’t put it down-Isn’t that always how it happens? I finished it in less than a day.

A story that can be explained as both tragic and happy, where two people truly “meet” under the worst of cirumstances. They are forever imprinted into each other’s lives, never to forget not only that one circumstance that fatefully pulls them together, but all the events that lead up to it. They both have dark secrets and scars (both physical and mental) to show for those secrets, and no one who has truly cared to know what’s beneath Kayden’s scars or Callie’s sudden baggy clothing meant to shield herself from the rest of the world.

They both have crutches that help them to get through their dark times, and it truly horrified me that they felt they needed to do these things to feel alive again. It saddens me to think of all the people in plain sight that feel they have no one to turn to for emotional support or help, that they feel they need to do these things..it’s heartbreaking. And that’s the way I felt the whole novel, just when one of them would experience something happy, they would go to a dark place, much like how their lives were at certain points of time.

The whole novel keeps leading up to a dramatic ending we know is coming, but it doesn’t effect the shock factor of what comes to be, despite us knowing that we are being lead somewhere we don’t want to go. The final words give me the chills, finalizing what happens with a bang.

So until the release of the second novel, I’ll be waiting and hoping for the best in the second book, because I don’t think I could survive another brutal cliffhanger like this one.

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