This tour is presented by Truly Schmexy Promotions.
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Against #1
Release Date: April 4, 2014
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Source: I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Synopsis
Our lives shattered... Our hearts broken... Our souls torn to pieces...
He was my world, my whole life. My reason for breathing. I had a perfect marriage, a baby on the way, and I felt fulfilled—almost invincible.
Until the day life hit, leaving me broken, vulnerable, and alone.
She was my life. My ray of hope on the cloudiest day. With her, I thought I had the ultimate safety. A love that would never hurt or betray me. I gave her my heart, my body, and my soul.
Until she broke me, destroying every dream and illusion I had about life, love, and marriage.
In our grief, we made a mistake. A mistake I'm not sure we can come back from.
It's going to take awhile for me to fully process this book. It was an emotional roller coaster, for sure. And a great debut.
I can't fathom the toll on a marriage that the loss of a child would incur. I can't imagine how this couple ended up where they are when we meet them. But it was heartening to see them find their way back.
I'm not gonna lie - I had a hard time connecting with Kylie. Not because of what she'd been through with the loss of her baby, but the choices she made afterwards. I know she had her reasons and the she and Cooper had an agreement but I still couldn't get on board with what she was doing. I did eventually warm to her though because I could see that she really loved Cooper. She was remorseful for the decisions she'd made that had hurt him. The hurtful things she did were her way of crying out to Cooper, and trying to put the pieces of herself and them back together.
Cooper was equally as difficult to connect with until the story switched to his POV. I loved getting his side of the story because we all know that perception doesn't always equate to reality. I did want to smack him for only realizing what he wanted, and what it was worth to him, when it looked as though he might lose it. But I got to see how he truly felt about Kylie, his reasoning behind his emotional withdrawal...this man loved his wife. It just took him some time to figure out how to get back to the place he wanted to be with her.
The character I loved was Grayson Walsh. He is the epitome of a loyal friend. And he's been friends with Cooper forever. But he's also been a good friend to Kylie. He's been her rock since things went so horribly wrong with Cooper. He stood by them both for as long as he could stand it. But in the course of being there for Kylie, the dynamics change between the three of them. Grayson got caught in the crossfire.
I was thrilled to see Kylie and Cooper work their way back to one another. I wish we'd been privy to a bit more of that work though - especially after having been witness to all the hurt they'd inflicted on one another. But Ms. McKeon wove in the element of fate - things happening for a reason - and y'all know I love that. I appreciated that Kylie and Cooper get a second chance at love and a chance at redemption.
Ms. McKeon's debut novel shows a lot of promise. She's written an engaging story. Although I initially had trouble connecting with the characters, they were able to evoke emotions and I came to love them. I didn't realize this was going to be series but I was excited to see that Grayson's story is up next. I will certainly be reading that. :)
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A multi-tasker from birth—and now proudly able to add 'writer' to my resume—I'm a mother, wife and blogger. I love to read, write and drink copious amounts of iced coffee.
All three aforementioned addictions are detrimental to my sanity. I have a voracious appetite for dark, painful and twisted reads. I'm enamored with the concept of love and heart break. I believe life is a journey, a tale in its own for each of us. The road to happiness is sometimes paved with stones from hell, or glitters of satisfaction graced from the heavens above.
In my upcoming debut novel, 'Against All Odds,' I strive to make you feel. I believe any emotion—whether painful or happy—is good. To me, the key to living is to go through life feeling it’s ups and downs. Love is dark and it can be painful but, at the end of the day, it can save the most lost of souls and the most broken of hearts.
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