Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Review and Giveaway: Promise Me This

Promise Me This (Between Breaths - Book 4) by Christina Lee

Publication Date: 10/07/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Intermix
Genre: New Adult
Pages: 246 (Print Length)
ASIN: BOOKOU6MGQ

(Received for an honest review from Intermix)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Christina Lee on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series

Between Breaths

1. All Of You
2. Before You Break
3. Whisper To Me
4. Promise Me This

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.




Excerpt from, Promise Me This, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

A new love will test the boundaries of passion between a privileged boy next door and the tattooed, blue-haired girl who helps him embrace his wild side...

Nate has developed quite a playboy reputation around campus. It's not that he doesn't respect or trust women; he doesn't trust himself. The men in Nate’s family are prone to abusive behavior—a dirty secret that Nate’s been running from his entire life—so Nate doesn't do relationships. But he can’t help himself around one girl…

Jessie is strong, independent, and works at a tattoo parlor. Nate can’t resist getting close to her, even if it’s strictly a friendship. But it doesn't take long for Nate to admit that what he wants with Jessie is more than just friendly.

With Jessie, he can be himself and explore what he’s always felt was a terrifying darkness inside him. Even when Nate begins to crave her in a way that both shocks and horrifies him, Jessie still wants to know every part of him. Testing their boundaries together will take a trust that could render them inseparable… or tear them apart.


Thoughts:

Christina Lee returns with the fourth novel in her Between Breaths series, Promise Me This. Readers looking for a romance that isn't afraid to brooch some hard-hitting topics will find this one right in their wheelhouse. Lee has a knack for writing with emotion, clarity and a sense of urgency that gives all of her stories a depth that is not always present in the burgeoning New Adult genre. This book is a lesson in contrasts and comparisons that readers won't forget any time soon!

What I liked:

Christina Lee is one of those writers who knows how to pack an emotional punch.  Some New Adult stories and novels shy away from too much drama, or too much emotional baggage, but not Lee's books. She has developed a strong sense of how much is too much and how much is just enough. She gives readers what they need, that strong connection to the characters, that sense of necessity to read, to delve deeper into them, but she doesn't go too far. Promise Me This has that great balance that makes the experience of reading it flow off the page. Very well done!

Jessie and Nate are very different. Jessie is a girl who knows who she is and she doesn't care whether you like it or not. She has this innate ability to believe she can do anything, change the world, or her hair color on any given day. I liked her a lot. She was sassy and spunky, but she was also deep and wise in her own way. Nate was the opposite. He was really afraid to figure out who he was, because he wasn't sure he would like that person. He was complex and driven to not let history repeat itself. Though they couldn't have been more different, these characters got each other. It's one of those romances where you know the characters were meant for each other, but it's all about the journey, their experiences together, their growth. Lee does a fantastic job of letting the reader 'get' the characters too. A couple I won't soon forget!

Domestic violence is a horrible thing. It is serious and it can be very dark. Lee was able to show Nate's very complicated and tragic history without overwhelming the reader with the gravity of it. Yes, it was emotional, and understandable and heartbreaking, but all of those emotions don't coalesce to make this a downer book. Instead Lee makes it uplifting. She shows the reader that their is hope after tragedy. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Nate's struggle was poignant and fulfilling and readers won't be able to get away from it until the last page, maybe not even then.

There is some serious chemistry between these two friends turned lovers. There was a time when Nate pined away after Jessie, but all Jessie saw was a 'square'. That moment when she sees him as more than just a friend was remarkable. When she realizes that, wow, he is really hot... LOL! And Lee doesn't stop there. Nate is scared of how he could possibly treat Jessie, and it's not just another break up he's worried about. It gives their first sexual encounter a very urgent appeal. There is angst and emotional turmoil and everything just works so well. I loved it!

Bottom Line:

This is a book with a deep soul. Yes, that's what I said, this book has a soul. That thing that you feel down deep that makes you who you are... it has it. It's a new adult love story, but's something more. It's hope between two pages! Enough said!

Promise Me This is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag! 




About the Author:


Christina Lee lives in the Midwest with her husband and son. She is the author of The Between Breaths Series, including All of You and Before You Break. She also owns her own jewelry business, called Tags-n-Stones, where she hand-stamps meaningful words or letters onto silver for her customers. 


Giveaway Details:

This is a tour wide giveaway hosted by Rafflecopter.




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