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Book Review: Nine Letters by Blake Austin

9 LETTERS LIVE

Meet Luke Crawley in Blake Austin’s debut novel of loss, redemption, and ever-enduring love!

 

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Blurb
Luke Cawley is a broken man. After his wife’s tragic death, he lost everything that mattered in the world. Now, his life is filled with hard days, harder nights, and a steady stream of alcohol and the wrong kind of women. Nothing helps.
Until the letters arrive on Luke’s doorstep.
Nine envelopes. Nine messages. Nine chances to find his way back.
Rae Goode is looking for the real thing. After fighting her way out of a string of bad relationships, she’s ready for something different–something true.
She meets Luke while piecing her life together, and right away she can tell that he’s different. Drawn together by fate and the desire to heal, Rae and Luke discover new ways to mend their broken hearts–one letter at a time.
Discover Blake Austin’s debut novel of loss, redemption, and ever-enduring love.

 

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Book Review

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.

All thoughts and comments are my own.*

So, I’m just going to go ahead and say I generally live by the “don’t judge a book by its cover” rule, but every so often I get lured in by some fantastic cover. Come on, we’re all guilty of doing it at some point. In this case, I saw the cover, drooled a bit, and decided I absolutely needed to read this book before I even read the synopsis….what can I say?…cover dude is hot! I’m not actually sure the cover was a great match for the story, but it’s schmexy as all hell and definitely got my attention, so no complaints here. I wasn’t disappointed with this read, it’s engaging and heartbreaking at times, but there were a few things I felt could’ve been a bit more developed.

 

Luke Cawley has probably been living the worst year of his life. A year after the death of his wife, he’s still trying to cope with the loss. His guilt, shame and anger torment him, but when the letters arrive he starts to feel alive again and he begins to gain a semblance of hope that things will get better. What I loved most about 9 Letters was the rawness, the honesty and the grieving process that brings us on a journey with Luke. Sometimes an ugly, angry journey, sometimes a sad, heartbreaking one, but by the end you see how far this man comes and you will absolutely fall in love. 

 

Upon reading the synopsis I thought this might have been a dual POV read, but it is told solely in Luke’s POV — which I loved. I definitely would’ve like to get a bit more of Rae’s story, but as I continued reading I realized this was more about Luke finding his way and coming out stronger than he was in the first chapters. Rae has an important role in his coping and progress, but it is Luke that needs to find his way. I definitely loved his story and he is an admirable and loyal book boyfriend, not to mention the cover dude makes all thoughts of Luke Cawley schmexier 🙂

 

Seriously though, this book was a pleasant surprise from a new voice and I am excited to see what Blake Austin has in store for us next. 9 Letters gut punches you, but it connects you with Luke almost instantaneously. I read it in one sitting and it is probably the most honest fictional writing about the grieving process that I’ve ever read. You’ll love Luke. His story will leave you optimistic and reflective. As he begins to weave his way into the light you’ll hope that  he will find a way to reconnect with others — especially Rae. 9 Letters has elements of romance, but it also is a powerful story about love and loss and through these letters you see that even in death love is the most powerful voice of all. 

 

~ Happy Reading Lovelies ~ 

 9 LETTERS TEASER


Excerpt

I was about twenty minutes early for my shift, but I got up to the bar, grabbed a rag, started wiping it down, bussing some dishes.
“Damn, Luke,” Jake said, watching me work. “You win the lotto or something? Royals win the pennant last night and I forgot to watch?”
“I’m just in a good mood, that’s all,” I said.
I thought about it a moment longer, decided I should tell him more. Impart some wisdom learned from my not-particularly-advanced years.
“When everything’s dark for so damn long and your eyes get used to it,” I said, “just a little glimmer of sunshine lights up the whole world.”
He nodded, then grabbed a bus bin and headed back into the kitchen.
Warren though, Warren wasn’t impressed. He was sitting by one of the daytime barflies, but he’d stopped talking and was just watching me. I was on thin ice, and I knew it. I couldn’t afford to lose my job. A heartbroken, drunk, angry widower is probably as unemployable as the average ex-con.
I came on at the end of the day shift. Warren liked tending bar during the day, because it meant just shooting the shit with the regulars. That day I had a smile for every customer, sparse words of wisdom like day drunks want to hear. Tending bar wasn’t my dream. But to hell with letting that make me lazy. I kept the place clean, I poured drinks like I cared.
I was getting into the swing of it when happy hour kicked in and a few more people filtered through the door. Couple of middle-aged bikers, a retired couple that parked their RV out front.
The door swung open again, letting in a little bit of that early-evening cold, and I glanced up to see a crowd of three women, with two men. One of the women was a reddish blonde, radiant. Sort of stole the light out of the room. It was Rae. Our eyes met and her smile gave the room back its light.
She’d been in jeans at the shelter, but she was in a blue dress now and she looked damn fine in either. Took my mind right off Maggie, faster than I thought it would be possible. I met her eyes, and she gave out a little gasp and giggle. I was probably smiling in surprise myself.
The crowd came over to the bar. I’d thought the other four were two couples, but I realized pretty quick that the black girl with the afro was dating the quiet white guy in a beard and glasses and tattoos, and that the other guy was trying to impress Rae. He had a John Deere hat, but his clothes were way too clean for me to buy it that he worked on a farm. I hated him, right off. I probably would have hated him if he was the best guy in the world, though. The other girl, she was tall, latina, and for some indiscernible reason was interested in the poser farmer.
Most of the time, I’m awful at reading people. But for some reason, at work I can tell you everything about everyone who walks in the door. About who’s into who, about who had a bad day at work. Who wants to get drunk and miserable, who wants to get drunk and happy, who wants to get drunk and start trouble. Maybe it’s some magic of the job, maybe it’s just how people carry themselves at a bar. Helps with tips, that’s for certain. You wingman right, and the money flows in.
Warren, he likes to upsell them drinks when he’s doing that. Get them excited about the top shelf. Not me.
“Hey, Rae,” I said.
“Luke,” she said.
John Deere looked at me like I was the scum of the earth. And maybe I was, but if I was the scum then he was… I don’t know, something worse than scum. Wannabe scum.
She introduced me to her friends. Nicole had the afro, her boyfriend was Eric. The girl with bad taste was Irina, and John Deere had some name but honestly it went in one ear and out the other. He was John Deere to me. Yeah, maybe I’m an asshole.
“So, how do you know this guy?” Deere asked, tossing me a look that said I clearly wasn’t good enough to be friend with someone like Rae.
“Oh, he came in just the other day. Adopted the sweetest dog, a bloodhound.” She turned to me, flashing that dimple high on her cheek. “How is he? You guys call a truce yet?”
“King’s great,” I said. “I mean, he’s probably at home right now, eating everything I’ve ever owned, but I figure I was due for a purge anyway, right?”
It was a lame attempt at humor, but Rae laughed.
“What can I get you all? Friend of Rae’s is a friend of mine.”

9 LETTERS TEASER BT


blake austin bioAbout the Author
Blake Austin is a guitar playing father of one, who lives in Los Angeles. He’s written music for as long as he can remember and was inspired to add book writing to his repertoire. 9 Letters is his debut novel.
For updates: Follow Blake Austin on Facebook

 

 


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Book Review: That One Night (That One Series, #1) by Josie Wright

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Blurb
All it takes is just one moment to change the course of your life. For me, it was one perfect night.
I have always had a thing for my brother’s best friend, Ben. When I found him on my parents’ couch, drowning his sorrows in a whiskey bottle, my attempts to comfort him quickly turned into a night of raw and intense passion. 
My foolish heart hoped he might feel the same way I do. 
But Ben wasn’t there to stay and I woke up the next morning alone with a broken heart.
I attempted to forget the guy with a smile to die for and a touch that sets me on fire.
I thought I was over him.
I thought he was gone forever.
Until, eighteen months later Ben returns and learns my secret. Now, he is hell-bent on winning me back. 
He plays dirty. 
And he won’t stop until he gets what he wants—me.

But he has secrets of his own. 
Secrets that could destroy everything we might have and everything we are.

Not suitable for under 18’s due to strong language, violence and sexual content
This book is an interconnected standalone and first in the series.
Approx. 86,000 words

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About the Author
Josie Wright has always been a bookworm, spending every free moment with her nose buried in a book. While others were out partying, she spent her evenings with Heathcliff, Sydney Carton or Snape. Romance, fantasy, thrillers – you name it, she read it.
Thanks to the Kindle, she finally arrived in the 21St century and discovered the Indie literature world. Josie has been lost to it ever since. With her love for the written word and her promiscuous feelings for countless book boyfriends, the next logical step was to start writing. The voices in her head and her imaginary friends wanted out to play and so she wrote her debut novel “That One Night”, that’s to be released early summer 2015. And the good news is, there are more voices and imaginary friend where Ben and Frankie came from.
Josie is a financial expert by day and a writing junkie by night. The rest of the time she’s a bit of a hippie, a bit of a goth and many things in between. Josie loves to spend time with her husband when she can tear herself away from her book boyfriends. She loves video games, movies, good food and even better music. She’s addicted to chips, long baths and shoes. Oh, and books of course. Definitely books.
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Book Review

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. 

All thoughts and comments are my own.*

Josie Wright’s debut novel That One Night was a pleasant surprise and I could not put it down. It had me hooked from the very first page and I was dying to know what would happen next. The characters are witty and snarky and I caught myself laughing out loud quite a few times. The story is also emotional at times and makes you feel for both Ben and Frankie. I won’t give away too much of the storyline, but lets just say these two have serious chemistry and the sexual tension I felt while reading this book nearly set my kindle aflame. These two shared a special night that was ruined by Ben’s mysterious disappearance that left Frankie heartbroken and 18 months later still trying to mend the wounds. Ben is set on gaining her trust and hoping she will forgive him, but there are secrets that Ben is hesitant to share with Frankie. Secrets that cause a greater divide between them. As both have been broken down and are trying to find a way to recover, they lean on one another, but Frankie is hesitant to open her heart again and Ben fears his secret will destroy the trust he’s fought so hard to rebuild. 
I found myself deeply invested in this story and wanted to hug both Ben and Frankie for all they’d been through — together and separately. They both struggled with trust issues and restraining their feelings for one another. Frankie for fear of being hurt again and Ben mostly feared judgement. This book makes you feel, it makes you think how second chances may be difficult, but not impossible. You will root for these two and hope they find a way to overcome all that has stood in their way and find their happily ever after. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. I was sad when this ended, but ecstatic with how the story unfolded. The secondary characters also helped make this story even more enjoyable and I hope to see how these characters develop in future stories. This was a solid 4 star read and I recommend it for New Adult, Romance/Contemporary Romance fans. The book is funny, emotional and at times a bit of a tear jerker. I think this is a great feel good summer read. Happy Reading lovelies.
xo 💋

 

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Hold On Tight (Taking Chances, #2) by Nicola Haken

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Synopsis

A figure from Dexter’s past has uprooted all the memories he has tried so desperately to bury… to forget. The terrible events of his past have been blown wide open once again, immersing him a pool of guilt deeper than he’s even experienced before.

Dexter feels powerless. The future he foolishly allowed himself to conceive is falling apart around him and there’s nothing he can do about it. But there’s one thing he can control – one thing he’s an expert at… blocking everything out. Losing all control, Dexter copes the only way he knows how – he dives so far into the well of addiction, the only thing that matters anymore is where his next fix is coming from.

Mission accomplished – there’s no one left. He’s successfully pushed everyone away. Nobody left to care about means no more guilt, right? You can’t hurt people who aren’t there…

But has he really pushed Emily as far away as he thinks he has? She’s given up everything for him – her home, her friends… her whole life. And she doesn’t regret a single thing. But can she save him from drowning, or has he finally sunk too far?

(Not suitable for those under 18 due to language, sexual content and explicit drug use)

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Review

Nicola Haken has undoubtedly taken my breath away with both Take My Hand (Taking Chances, #1) and Hold On Tight (Taking Chances, #2). I have fallen under her spell and am completely committed to finishing this series and any other books she releases!!! These books are raw and gritty. They’re incredibly real and oftentimes ugly. The struggles both Emily and Dexter endure make these books both beautiful and heartbreaking. I went through a roller coaster ride of emotions while facing some ugly truths about addiction and self worth. This book gives you a hard and fast reality check. It goes to show you just how easy someone can go from 0 to 10 and just how far one can be pushed before they wake up and say enough is enough. This is no usual love story though their romance is one you cling onto…tightly while hoping for the best. You won’t be sure of the outcome and I will say Nicola cleverly leaves this book in a similar fashion as Take My Hand…with your mouth open searching for the next page!

So what did I really think?

Let’s start with Emily shall we? She is undoubtedly one of the sweetest, most loving people, but she is also incredibly stubborn. She’s so wrapped up with Dexter and his problems that she fails to see her own shortcomings. She pushes everyone aside to tend to Dexter forgetting they may in fact need her as well. I understood her need to stand by her man and all, but she hid from everyone while trying to be the supportive and loving girlfriend. I didn’t actually feel the problem was that she did these things, in fact, I think it is actually what makes her human. My issue is that a lot of her issues were still unresolved. I know, I know, there will be a third book, but Emily just had a way about her that got to me. I loved how the author exposed Emily’s faults while still remaining committed to Dexter and his troubles. 

Most people become so engulfed with their own lives, they often fail to recognize the problems others are experiencing. I think this is what I like about Nicola Haken’s writing. She’s raw and not afraid to speak truth. She isn’t afraid to push boundaries and is able to create a  passionate and beautiful romance amid turmoil. Her characters are often incredibly flawed with real issues that affect not only them, but everyone in their lives.

Dexter, boy oh boy, did Dexter do a number on my head and my heart. I fell in love with him, but then he went and trampled all over my heart. Somehow he redeemed himself and I managed to  fall in love all over again…FYI – I forgive you for the trampling, but I still worry about you.  Dexter has an incredibly difficult and dark past. His life has been one tragic turn after another and his choices have led him to what can only be viewed as rock bottom. In Take My Hand, you learn a bit about Dexter’s troubled past and his struggles, but in Hold on Tight you actually experience these struggles first hand and let me tell you, it isn’t pretty. Things get ugly and the author does and excellent job bringing the reader into the world of addiction. This plays a heavy role in this book and I am still in awe of how I was able to envision every single detail as described. This makes me love Nicola Haken’s writing all the more. She took a very heavy, very difficult problem and made you walk through it from all sides…as Dexter, as Emily and even all the supporting characters and how they were affected. This is an incredible follow up to Take My Hand and I cannot wait for books three and four — Lean on Me (#3) and Never Let Go (#4). The story ended in a way that is going to drive you nuts and though I had my suspicions, the ending still got to me. 

I highly recommend this book for my new adult/adult fiction/contemporary romance fans. This is an intense book and not recommended for readers under 18 due to language, explicit drug use, and sexual content. 

 

Author BioNicola Haken

Nicola lives in Rochdale, England with her husband and four children (six if you include the dogs!) She is the author of New Adult/Contemporary romance novels Inevitable, Saving Amy and the Take My Hand series. When she is not busy playing with her imaginary book friends (or talking about them with real life friends!) she can usually be found carrying out her ordinary mum/housewife/all round slave duties. Oh, and if the kids ever ask, she moonlights as the Pink Power Ranger while they’re sleeping…

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