Saturday, May 25, 2013

LOVE LOVE by BETH MICHELE -- REVIEW







SYNOPSIS:

Gabrielle Willis is smart. She's funny. And oh yes, she's a bit klutzy.

When Gabrielle left sunny California bound for the energy of Manhattan, she was willingly leaving the life she had known for the new life she would create. But was she really leaving something behind or was she running away?

On the outside, Gabrielle Willis has it all under control. A new life in Manhattan, a great roommate, and a good job. But she is haunted. Haunted by a memory she's tried to forget and by a family who's abandoned her. But what happens when what's on the outside is only an illusion and in perfect contradiction to what's buried deep within?

Enter Dane Rhodes. He's gorgeous, smart, and sexy as hell. Just what Gabby wants, or so she thinks. But when she meets Brad Dixon, the sweet guy with the crooked smile, he begins to make her see that the very thing she is trying to run from is the very thing that just may push her to see the light.





REVIEW:

LOVE LOVE is Beth Michele's debut novel and she did an excellent job with it. This is a great story about moving on from your past while accepting what the future holds.  I fell in love with the characters immediately.  The work was well written and flowed great.  At times I was laughing, crying, laughing again, and then there were times I had knots in my stomach.

Gabrielle "Gabby" Willis met the love of her life in high school and they continued to date all through college.  Clark Thompson swept Gabby off her feet and captured her heart. Clark was Gabby's rock. Gabby doesn't have the best relationship with her family.  Gabby feels as though her parents do not accept her for who she is.  Her mother is a total snob and thinks Gabby should live her life the way her mother wants her to live it.  Clark always told Gabby how much he loved her, how truly special she was.  Clark is absolutely swoon worthy.  Clark always knew the right things to say at the appropriate time. 
"Your mom doesn't define you.  You define you, and from where I'm standing, you're doing a damn good job."
Let's see: you're smart
You're funny as hell
You're caring and kind
You're breathtakingly beautiful, so screw your mom.  I'd say you've defined yourself pretty well." ~ Clark
Gabby's life was turned upside down in one night.  Gabby and her best friend, Fran move to New York to start a new jobs.  Gabby was struggling from moving on from Clark.  Gabby shut down and didn't allow herself to feel or to be loved. 
"He was the one who supported me when I fell on my ass and the one whose broad shoulders carried all my tears." ~ Gabby
Fran is the best friend that every girl wants and needs in their lives.  Fran was a "huge" support system for Gabby.  Fran was always there to listen to Gabby when Gabby needed to talk, she was always there to try and pick up the pieces of what once was Gabby's life.  Fran had me cracking up throughout the book. She had such a great personality and it was great getting to see her life unfold before my eyes as well.

One day while on her way to work, Gabby sees a gorgeous man, with green eyes, a muscular body and as she describes.. "he screamed sheet-clawing sex."  Ironic enough Gabby runs into Mr. Green Eyes again and learns his name is Dane Rhodes.  Gabby is immediately attracted to Dane and the feelings are mutual on Dane's part.  Things begin to develop between Gabby and Dane, but was it what she was looking for?  Was Dane what she needed to awaken what was dead inside of her? Gabby is sexually attracted to Dane, but could she want more? Was Gabby only looking for a no strings attached sex relationship from Dane?  

Now let me introduce to you Brad Dixon.  Brad Dixon owns The Brew House, the coffee shop that Gabby frequents.  Gabby and Brad become friends and hit it off immediately.  Brad and Gabby begin to spend a lot of time together, they become really good friends, but Brad knows that Gabby isn't telling him something.  Brad just reminds her that if she ever needs to talk, he'll always be there for her.  Brad is a total sweetheart.  You can feel the connection between Brad and Gabby.  They were drawn to each other and they both begin to develop feelings for each other.  Brad is the first person that Gabby has had feelings for since Clark.  Does Clark still hold Gabby's heart?  Will Gabby allow Brad to hold her heart?  Will Gabby move on from Clark?  Will Gabby realize that life has no guarantees and she needs to make every moment count? 

Like everyone, Brad has a past as well.  Brad has lost people that were very close to him.  Brad was lost, and Gabby awakened his heart.  Gabby allowed Brad to breathe again, to feel again, made him feel alive again. Both Gabby and Brad had tragic events in their past that had defined them for so long.  The only difference between Gabby and Brad was, Brad had let go of his past, Gabby hasn't. The only questions is, can Gabby? 

Beth Michele did an outstanding job with LOVE LOVE. Overall, I recommend this book to others if you are looking for a quick read that will pull on the strings to your heart.

I was given an ARC for an honest review.
This book was reviewed by Heather.


Excerpt:

We were hanging out on the makeshift dance floor.  Clark’s hands were roaming, our hips were swaying, and we were all dancing our free little hearts out.  The fuzzy feeling in my head caused me to react as Clark pressed his firm body against mine.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and plunged my tongue into his mouth, relishing the familiar taste of him. When I pulled back, I could see Fran staring at us, probably because we were practically making out in public.  I didn’t care, Clark turned me on in ways I never imagined, and there wasn’t a moment that went by that I didn’t crave his touch, his lips, his everything.  

He leaned in close to my ear and his warm breath blew a breeze my way, causing me to shiver.  “Angel, let’s get out of here.  I need to be alone with you.”  The look in his eyes told me he wanted me, not to mention the stiffness I felt pressing against my thigh.  I wanted him, too.  “There’s somewhere I want to take you,” his hot breath whispered and his musky scent overtook my senses.  When he looked at me with those persuasive baby blues, it was hard to say no.  


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Beth Michele (pen name for Beth Michele Luciano)

Beth Michele is a wife, a mom, an author and a lover of all things chocolate, well, anything sweet really. While stuffing chocolate in her face, she enjoys reading young adult and new adult novels furiously, and spending time with her husband and two adorable children who keep her on her peppermint pink painted toes. Those same children who inspire her to tell silly stories that cause hysterical giggles to tumble from their bellies.

Beth loves to laugh and loves to have a good cry, especially after reading a novel that stretches her soul, the ones that make her feel, and linger in the corners of her beating heart.

Beth began writing when she was in middle school, penning anything from short stories, to poetry, and then later to write children’s books. Her debut novel, Love Loveis due out May 8, 2013.

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/BethMichele8




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