Book Lover's Paradise is happy to host a stop on Beth Michele's Lovely blog tour. Keep reading to learn more about Beth, a review of Lovely and an awesome giveaway!
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Meet Beth Michele - Author of Lovely
About the Author
I am a wife, a mom, an author, and a lover of all things chocolate, well, anything sweet really. While stuffing chocolate in my face, I enjoy reading young adult and new adult novels furiously, and spending time with my husband and two adorable children who keep me on my peppermint pink painted toes. Those same children who inspire me to tell silly stories that cause hysterical giggles to tumble from their bellies.
I love to laugh and love to have a good cry, especially after reading a novel that stretches my soul, one that makes me feel, and lingers in the corner of my heart.
I’m a hopeless romantic and a happily ever after fanatic, and I love to write about LOVE.
I began writing when I was in middle school, penning anything from short stories, to poetry, and then later moved on to write children’s books. I have now endeavored into New Adult and Contemporary Romance novels and am loving every minute of it. My first novel, Love Love, was released in May, 2013.
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Ashton Taylor. Six foot one, Dark hair, chiseled jaw, riveting hazel eyes, and a body cut in all the right places. He’s a natural. Things just come easy to him. He’s used to getting everything he wants, excelling at everything he does. The grades, the recognition, the beautiful women.
His path was set. A girl, a full scholarship to UC San Diego, and a bright future. To others, his life seemed perfect. But, things are never what they seem, and life, well, at any moment, something or someone can come along and turn it upside down.
That something…the death of his father.
That someone… Cara Hayward. The girl with the hypnotic eyes, melodic voice, enchanting smile, and lips sent straight from heaven.
The girl who doesn’t want to be seen.
So what happens when a guy who everything comes easy to, meets a girl who doesn’t come easy?
Can he crawl through all the broken glass to find her? Will the girl he discovers deep down be able to see past his perfect exterior?
Together, do they have the power to heal one another? Or, could the very thing that brings them together, be the one thing that tears them apart?
Purchase Links:
Amazon US: http://amzn.com/B00FFE7POKAmazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FFE7POK
Add to Goodreads: http://tiny.cc/l0c63w
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I looked up toward the heavens, recalling the words my father uttered to me over the years. "Son, once your life is touched by something so beautiful, you'll never be the same."
Everyone has moments in their lives that stand out from the rest. Some are small moments and some have the capacity to change the course of your life forever. For many, truly falling in love for the first time is one of them. In Lovely we meet Ash and Cara, two characters who's lives were changed by circumstances beyond their control. When we meet them, they are both just moving through the motions, just trying to keep it all together. Ash uses meaningless flings to cope with his loss, while playing the rock that the rest of his family can depend on. Cara copes by putting up walls and keeping everyone at arms length.
Lovely is a touching story that had me from the very first page. I loved the characters of Ash and Cara. They were down-to-earth and relatable and I felt an instant connection to their story. I loved Ash and admired how he stepped up to be his family's rock, even if it meant saying goodbye to the future he had always envisioned. I fell even more in love with his determination and refusal to give up on his relationship with Cara. Cara is smart and a survivor who has managed to keep hold of a positive outlook, despite the hand she was dealt in life. Plus, she hoards books and spends most of her time in the library. She and I would totally be friends.
I have to be strong. I have to hold it together. I drop my gaze from hers and am about to lay my head on her chest when she slips her finger under my chin and lifts it to meet her eyes. She moves her hand slowly, smoothing the hair from my temple and tracing the line of my jaw, her eyes never leaving mine. "It's okay, Ash," she whispers. "You can fall now...I'll be here to catch you."
The connection between Ash and Cara is real and makes Lovely a worthwhile read.I loved that these two characters found in each other a connection they were both missing and watching how their relationship developed. The heart is an amazing thing when you stop to think about it. Both Ash and Cara had already been through so much, the fact that they were able to love each other the way they did is remarkable and speaks to the real power of love. I was pulling for this couple right out of the gate. It was heartwarming to watch them learn to trust each other, let their walls down, and be vulnerable, especially since they both had expended so much energy trying to keep it together. Nothing has the power to change us so profoundly like love.
Lovely has all the things you want in a NA romance - a hot guy, romance, secrets revealed, anxiety causing blunders, grand gestures, and swoon worthy confessions. My only criticism is that I would have liked a little bit more angst. I love my romances nice and angsty, torturous even. I want to suffer because it makes the happy ending that much sweeter. While Lovely does have angst, I was left a little wanting in that department. There were instances where I think the angst factor could have been dialed up a notch. I also had a slight issue with what happens in the epilogue of the book...I don't want to reveal exactly what that is, but it left a spot on my perfectly happy ending that bothered me a bit, especially since it was resolved so happily earlier in the book. Sorry for the crypticness (I may have just made that word up...) here, but I don't want to give anything away. Nevertheless, Lovely's positive attributes far outweigh it's flaws. It is definitely a book that I recommend. It is a great weekend read for any romantic out there looking for that warm and fuzzy feeling we all adore.
*Note: I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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