Review: Anchor, by M. Mabie

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Synopsis

I believe in love at first sight.
Now I know soulmates exist. 

Nothing has ever been easy for us.
Every fight, every struggle, has been worth it. 

I’m stubborn, but what woman isn’t?
She’s hard work and I love the overtime. 

He’s frustrating and unpredictable. I hope he never changes.
I love driving her crazy. That’s half the fun. 

Lou’s sexy curls.
Honeybee’s pink nose. 

He still looks at me like I’m precious and unflawed.
She treats me like I’m the center of her world. 

Our future will be full of happiness.
Despite everything, we’re two of the lucky ones. 

I took the bait.
She was a lucky catch. 

He is the wind in my sail.
She’s the anchor that grounds me. 

The wake our love made is beautiful.
Every day I thank God for her. 

No matter the hurdles, we’ve jumped them side-by-side.
No matter the obstacles, we’ve made it through together. 

For better or for worse, I’d do it again.
I’ll love and protect her all the days of my life. 

We made it.
We always will.

Review

5 out of 5 stars

I couldn't have been more excited for the release of Casey and Blake's HEA!  If there was a couple who ever truly deserved a book dedicated solely to happiness and love it would be the two of them.  Bait, book 1, took us on such a roller coaster that by the end of it, not only was I dying to see where the story would go but I was emotionally exhausted.  I felt strung out, but I LOVED every minute of that book.  Sail, while good, felt really strung out and a little slow to me, but Anchor absolutely blew me away exceeding every single one of my expectations.  I'm not sure a better conclusion to a trilogy has ever been written.  That's not an exaggeration either, this book is simply that good.

Author M. Mabie goes above and beyond in Wake.  She answers every single one of our questions, and leaves us with an epilogue that honestly may be the most perfect thing I have every read.  Wake picks up post Blake's accident, so what is going to happen?  What kind of fall out will this couple have to deal with and how will it affect their relationship?  Will the stars finally align?  Obviously yes they do and the journey taking us there is magnificent.

Off the charts chemistry, playful banter, love, devotion and determination, all are a great way to describe Casey and Blake's relationship.  These two have had one hell of a fight, but love isn't supposed to be easy and the journey itself is oftentimes what cements a strong deep love and connection between two people and M. Mabie has captured this essence brilliantly, she absolutely nailed it!

This series and these characters demand every ounce of you attention and their story will stay with you long after the final pages are turned.  I love how M. Mabie fed us just enough tidbits to pique our interest into hopefully another book for some of the secondary characters in this series.  I for one am truly looking forward to seeing what M. Mabie has up her sleeve.

Review: Forget by N.A. Alcorn

Brooke Sawyer is a successful record producer living in L.A. She has endured a lifetime’s worth of pain, but despite everything she’s been through, she still has the biggest heart. She’d do anything for the ones she loves, even putting their needs above her own. 

When she visits Paris for one month, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with gorgeous musician, Dylan Bissette. But he doesn't know about Brooke's life back home. He doesn't know about Jamie. 

The best way to keep a secret is to pretend there isn't one. 

~ 

Falling in love was not part of the plan. 

He broke down my walls. 

And the moment he whispered, "You've wrecked me, Little Wing," I was done for. 

I didn’t mean to fall in love, but Dylan made it too easy. 

~ 

Meeting her was fate. 

Pursuing her was a choice. 

But falling in love with her was out of my control. 

Brooke ruined me for everyone else. 

~ 

Music connects them, but secrets may keep them apart. 

This is just the beginning. Changing Colors, Part One 

Changing Colors is a two book series. 

At the end of Forget, there is a sneak peek of Blur (Changing Colors, Part Two). 

Review:  4.75 of 5 stars

I first fell in love with N.A. Alcorn when I read Avoiding Amy Jackson.  She had me laughing so much in the book that I knew people thought I was mad while I was reading it.  I wasn't completely sure what to expect when I opened Forget, because I knew it took a more serious tone and I just wasn't sure how I would feel about it since she is so amazing at writing comedy.  However, I knew that it had gotten some really great reviews and I just had to read it.

I opened this book while sitting on the beach and was immediately sucked into the story from page one.  Brooke Sawyer, AKA Little Wing, has one of the most beautifully written stories I have ever read.  It is heartbreaking, of course, but aren't all of our lives full of some sort of drama and heart ache?  The first chapter is a letter that Mille, Brooke's grandmother, wrote her as she is dying of cancer.  Millie knows that Brooke needs to start living for herself and not for others and so she sends her to Paris for a month, the day after her funeral, with a bucket list of items to cross off.

On day one in Paris Brooke attempts to sneak a picture of a hot, french man to send her BFF and to say it was a "flashing" disaster is an understatement.  However, she meets Dylan Bissette in the process and her journey in Paris begins with one of the best "meet-cutes" ever.  I swear, I will never look at sharpies again without thinking of this book.

Brooke and Dylan start an amazing romance in Paris.  They have so much fun together and I am happy to report that I still found myself laughing at their antics in the book, regardless of the more serious undertones.  Lindsey, one of Brooke's best friends is a lot of fun and I love when she makes appearances and forces Brooke outside of her comfort zone.  Jamie, her other best friend, that happens to be a guy is back in LA. You really don't get to know him well as they exchange texts and phone calls, but I gather he is a nice guy too.  I know that Jamie and Brooke have an unbreakable bond with some sort of major history, but I don't know the details yet.  I am sure he has something that is going in the background that I can't see yet that is affecting Brooke and her decisions in this book.

The book is quite a journey and I don't want to give a lot of details away because I love to read them first hand myself.  I will tell you though that the end of the book really leaves you with a cliffhanger. And even though I really want to be pissed off at some of the characters, I am really holding out hope that everything will be explained in the next book and will end with a fantastic HEA.  The storyline and plot in this book is really amazing and you shouldn't miss out just because you don't like a cliffy.  So read it anyway and fall in love with this book and characters like I did.  And then we can count down to the Blur (Changing Colors, Book 2) release together!  Job well done, Ms. Alcorn!