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Review of Always by Kindle Alexander

“OMG I have just finished Always! And I’m in bits but that was AMAZING! The ending truly fitted the story and I told you not to worry!!! Don’t ever doubt yourself! I’m just off now to have a full on ugly cry for a bit! Congratulations and thank you for being so amazing!!!”

This was my reaction to Kindle herself just minutes after finishing Always and now several hours after the feeling is still the same. Kindle has done it again by creating an utterly unique and amazing tale of love. I was pulled into the story of Avery and Kane from the fist page and loved the way in which Kindle has recounted their beautiful story.

Without spoiling the experience for anybody reading this for the first time (and it truly is an emotive and stunning experience) I’d like to tell you a little bit of why I was so blown away.

Kindle has created two amazing characters that both engage you from the beginning. Avery, a strong willed and ambitious chap who has is sights firmly set on following his family’s legacy of a political career but will not compromise on his sexuality. Then we have Kane, a restaurant owner and the softer and more sensitive son of a preacher who has been ousted from his real family since the moment he came out. I fell instantly in love with both of them!

The style and time perspective in which their tale is written made this book an utterly outstanding read for me. I loved the time span of the story that deepened the connection I felt I had with both Avery and Kane. I felt totally invested in their story and by the time I got to the end, they were as good as a part of me.

This has been an emotional journey with two genuine characters but also a pretty hot read too. In and amongst the trials and tribulations of the lives Avery and Kane, their physical relationship is nothing other than sizzling! And who doesn’t love a bit of steamy bedroom action too! A lot of books I have read hold too much weight on the physical aspects of the characters relationships but this time it has done nothing more than cement my adoration of this amazing couple.

It has also been a real rollercoaster of emotions for me too in sharing this journey with Avery and Kane. I have laughed, cried, recovered and cried some more. And when I say cry, I’m not talking of a lump in my throat, eyes welling up and the odd tear slipping but for the most part, full on chest heaving sobbing. To illicit that kind of response in me it takes something pretty special and Kindle has knocked this one out of the ballpark for me. And the ending for me was just the perfect ending to the perfect story. I’ve utterly loved this book, almost more than words can say. If I could rate this with a thousand stars I would but it gets a full 5 mind blowing and heart aching stars from me!

Coming down from the emotional rollercoaster that is Killing Sarai I don’t know quite how I feel right now. I have literally just finished the book and my head and my stomach are in knots!

This isn’t a mushy love story but more a journey of discovery for both Sarai and Victor the main two characters in this twisted tale of death and lies. Everything screams to you that you ought to feel sorry for Sarai and not like Victor, merely because of who they are and from where they have both emerged. But I have finished the book actually really in love with Victor and all of his assassin bad ass attitude as well as rooting for Sarai and her search for who she is.

The story begins with Sarai running from her life as a sex slave in Mexico using Victor as her means of escape. He doesn’t plan on helping her and is put in a compromising position when he finds her in his car after leaving her captors compound. From here, the story follows the battle of his conscience versus his loyalty and allegiance to the Order, an assassination organization he was kidnapped into at 9 years of age. He is a sharp shooting assassin and nothing else matters. It’s his life and his only focus.

Sarai has not known much about real life having had a disturbed childhood then been thrust into sex slavery from the age of 14. In many ways she is naïve to real life and certainly to the life that Victor leads. And she is never fully put in the picture either. But as she escapes Victor is all she knows in the outside world and she has to trust that he will finally set her free.

What follows is a twisty path of discovery, contract murder and intrigue. I was gripped from the start. For all concerned you get the feeling that the best option is for Victor to simply execute Sarai and get on with his life. He complicated a simple execution by holding on to her and what follows is his own internal struggle between killing her and helping her. The longer she stays alive the more he is compromising his own life and the Order.

Also add Niklas to the mix (another assassin from the Order and someone close to Victor) and it adds to the intense intrigue of the whole book. He also knows that Sarai should be killed and it’s a matter of if not when as far as he is concerned.

There were moments throughout the book where my heart was in my mouth and to be honest my stomach was churning with every opportunity that was presented to Victor to kill Sarai. Does he succeed in wrestling with his conscience or does his assassin’s common sense prevail? I won’t tell you – read the book to find out!

This is such a brilliant diversion from my norm and has had my attention from the first page. The last chapter and epilogue to the book leaves the story on a tentative knife-edge and I need to finish this review so I can go open my kindle and read on! This proper page-turner gets five fab stars from me!

Here is my review of Saving Amy, a dark read but wonderfully written.  It is also FREE for the next three days on amazon, links below!

www.amazon.com/dp/B00DMSX4B4

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DMSX4B4

Saving Amy is the first book I have read from author Nicola Haken and what a baptism of fire it is!

I am quite a sucker for angst ridden stories that aren’t full of hearts and flowers and sometimes you need a good bit of depressing and a mighty slice of reality to pull you from the dreamy romantic stories I have read recently.  And this is the book that does that perfectly.

Amy (Amelia) has led a difficult life.  Only one person, her friend Julie, has been there for her through the years of neglect, abuse and self-harm.  And even Julie only knows the tip of the iceberg.  I instantly felt sorry and deeply regretful for Amy and although her reaction to her situation is extreme you can fully sympathise with her choices in life even if it is something you cannot yourself identify with.

As her story progresses so does her reaction to her life.  Drugs and random meaningless hook-ups are her only way of escape along with her self-harming.  And yes, she is young, but I dare anyone who may have experienced the similar, not to react in some extreme way or another.

On the evening that she finally breaks, enter Dr Richard, a young doctor who finds her unconscious on the pavement and takes her in to care for her.  He’s a bit older than her but is pretty hot in the doctor stakes and it doesn’t take much for her to become attracted to him. Good looks, caring attitude and a history of his own that immediately makes him compassionate towards her are a recipe for a good romantic thread in the chaotic and depressing story.

Richard is not perfect, but who is? But one thing is for sure he sees something in Amy that goes beyond the broken shell and realises that he can and wants to care for her more than anyone else in her short life.  And that is something that she needs.

The plot is dark and heartfelt and at times very difficult reading.  Amy inevitably fights her feelings and tries to distance herself from Richard but he persists and even though he makes some stinking mistakes himself, you can’t help but root for him.  And above all you really feel like Amy deserves a break and hope that she can be put back together before it really is too late.

I really enjoyed reading this book despite the intense subject matter and to the extent that it was a page turning story with a hefty dose of reality, it was also a very difficult read too.   Tissues are a necessity to accompany this book and it isn’t the sort of book to read if you are expecting a sappy romance.  However, it touches on a lot of sensitive subjects and isn’t afraid to make you think.  I particularly applaud how Amy’s parents especially her father, Mr Hope is portrayed and I felt the quiet creep emerge from the pages every time he appeared.  Her mother has obviously suffered and something also in her past has caused her to be the alcoholic shell of a person she was.  Things are explained as the plot progresses and I also liked the ending and the revelations that come out as quite a twist in the tale at the end.  This was refreshing and did in fact explain quite a bit of the history of all involved.

The epilogue was a nice way to round off the story but I don’t want to give too much away.  The ending before the epilogue did leave it open slightly for perhaps a further book to explore the intervening six years and some of the relationships that were hinted at!  I won’t say much more other than it would have also been nice to have a bit more from Richards family too although this story was mainly about Amy and her journey.  Having said that it was a really eye opening read and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey that it took me on!  It’s definitely one to try!

Five very emotional stars

Having read and loved Kimberly’s B&S Series I was excited for the release of this new book. The synopsis caught my eye immediately and the four new characters and a singles cruise were always going to be a recipe for a good story in my opinion and I wasn’t wrong!

We meet Easton and Avery, the rather delicious sounding owners of Halo, a bar in New York. Both seem to have a reputation with the ladies and to be honest I can see why. Easton is a single father to his ten-year-old daughter Cheyenne and after losing his wife tragically, has shied away from serious relationships. He is by no means celibate but uses, then tosses the women aside. Avery is looking for Mrs Right and suggests the cruise as a way to help him find the love of his life.

Then enters Brooke and her single friend Nicole. Nicole buys the cruise as a present to Brooke for her thirtieth birthday but omits to tell her it is a singles cruise until the last minute. Brooke is stuck in a rut of a relationship with a selfish and unappreciative nerdy gamer dude by the name of Jared.

Inevitably one out of each of the pairs hit it off immediately and the other two are left as bystanders to the emerging romance. I loved the element of knowing that potentially a second romance could blossom on the cruise and the awkwardness of the situation as the cruise comes to an end left me with a sense of anticipation.

The main part of the story actually focuses on life after the cruise and the diagnosis of a serious illness in one of the main characters. The suspense of not knowing what was happening right along with the character added a really refreshing element to the book for me! In fact, it got to the point where I practically pulled an all-nighter to finish the book because I HAD to find out whether things turned out ok in the end!

I really fell for Easton even though he initially came across as a totally selfish womaniser with no feelings for anyone other than himself. His journey through the book was charming to read and the multi perspective of the book made sure that you really got to know him. Without giving too much away, his behavior whilst on the cruise, especially the way in which he just wasn’t interested in any of the no strings attached women on the cruise, really made me believe that he was captivated and willing to change. His relationship with his daughter also melted my heart and any man who devotes himself to his daughter like that wins it for me!

Brooke was also someone that I actually related to especially with her relationship with Jared. I am sure that before we all meet the one there is the one relationship that you stick with out of habit almost. Plus the journey that she has to endure through the book is so bittersweet in places and you can’t help wishing for her to catch a break! After spending the latter part of her childhood raising her much younger sister then to be thrown into the life and relationship we find her in you really want her to come out of the book smelling of roses. Does she? Well I’m not one for offering spoilers in a review so read it and find out!

Finally Avery and Nicole are also a big part of the story but this book in the main focuses on the will they won’t they romance of Easton and Brooke and the mountains they both have to climb to get out of the lives they have lead. Avery and Nicole were a great side story and both great supporting friends. The next book in the series is their book and I seriously cannot wait!

I’ve given this book a five fantastic star rating, mainly because I liked the different approach to romance it offered and also because it was nice for once not to have a book that was too angsty but still had suspense and whole lot of obstacles in the way.  Cannot wait for more!