Review of The Lonely By Tara Brown

The Lonely by Tara Brown

Genre: Dark, NA-College, Erotica, BDSM, Romance, Adult Fiction 18+.

Published: February 2013

Length: 356 pages

Book Format:  Amazon Kindle

4.5 out of 5 Stars (I loved everything about this one)

When I bought The Lonely, I thought I was going to read a book about a nice girl, who struggles with her OCD that goes away to college with her best friend.  At college, she was going to meet a hot guy, date him and fall in love with maybe a little bit of drama here and there.   Yeah, maybe it started that way, but it did not continue that way.  About 33%, the book took a 180 degree turn and my brain had to  “adjust” to what was happening.  How did we go from a nice contemporary romance to THIS?

That is what made this book awesome. The author did not wait until the typical 51% to get to the main plot of the story. It happens when you least expect it.

If you want to know what the story is about, here is what I think I can give you.

We meet Emalyn Spicer who lives with “the lonely.”

“It’s what I call the lonely. It creeps up whenever I’m uncomfortable. It freezes me up. I feel it enter new places with me, like it’s in the bag I packed.”

She wants to be “normal” and decides to go away to college with her best friend, Shell, for a New Leaf. Emalyn has a Mr. Uncle Daddy Benefactor that takes care of her. He pays for her school, he hires a driver to take her anywhere and everywhere, he texts and calls her anytime she makes a move without letting him know first. He knows where she is day and night, BUT she has never met him in person.

“Maybe he is Big Brother and I am in 1984.”

While at college, Emalyn meets Sebastian.  Sebastian is kind, loving and everything “normal” she is looking for. However, then all the darkness that she has been hiding inside her brain comes out to the surface and again the unthinkable happens to her.

“All of this has been planned to free you. You were never going to get better.”

FOUR words….this book was AWESOME!!!!!

I didn’t know what was going to happen even though I read several reviews. However, I was captured by Emalyn’s emotions and what she was going through.

“I can’t help but wonder if there was ever love and peace inside of me? Was I always so filled with fear and pain? Was there ever a time when someone held me in their arms and made me feel safe?”

I loved the writing style. I loved that even though it was written in first person, there was NO unnecessary inner dialogue.  There are so many wonderful quotes, I wish I could share more, but it would give away the story and I do not want to do that.

The author took me on an amazing ride.  I laughed, I cried, I held my breath.  Not a dull moment in this book.

To Tara Brown: Thank you for writing this amazing story and I cannot wait for the companion/sequel.

• Did I skim? No.  I took my time reading this book. I did not want to miss one word.
• Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes. Many times, my heart broke into a thousand pieces.
• Will I reread? Yes, probably before the sequel comes out.
• Pace of the story? Perfect.
• Positives: I did not know where the story was going.  With so many twists and turns, I had no idea how it was going to end. I love that in a book.
• Negatives: I didn’t understand why certain things happened the way they did, but I am hoping a lot will be answered in the sequel. I can’t say what they are since I do not want to give anything away. 
• Do I recommend?  Drop what you are reading and start reading this book!

The sequel, The Lost Boy, comes out this Summer 2013.  I. CAN. NOT. WAIT!!!!

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Tara Brown Website: http://tarbrow.wix.com/tara-brown-author

Tara Brown Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TaraBrownAuthor

Tara Brown Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TaraBrown22

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Review of The World of Karov by Elyse Salpeter

The World of Karov by Elyse Salpeter

Genre: NA/ 15+, Dark Fantasy.

Published: December 2012

4 out of 5 STARS (I was surprised as to how much I enjoyed this book)

I love when I find an author that I have never heard of before and come to enjoy their work.

This is story about 2 twins.  One good and one evil.  Adam is kind, loving and caring.  Alec is hurtful, evil and jealous.   Adam will bring home a stray animal and Alec would kill it.  Complete opposites even though both grew up in an abusive home.

Adam works hard to make a better life for himself and even meets a girl, falls in love, proposes to her with the hope to move on from his previous life and start a new one.  Only the day of the wedding, Alec kidnaps Adam’s fiancé.  Adam spends months looking for her in the forest only to be approached by a stranger who brings him to a world of magic.  A place where there is a king and magical things happen. In Karov, Adam begins to rebuild his life and moves on from his tragedy.  He learns he has gifts and even grows a status in his new home. Just when Adam thinks he has moved on, the terror returns.

The World of Karov was so captivating that it was hard for me to put down.  I did not know how this book would be and once I started reading, I had to know what was going to happen.

The writing is really good. I could picture all the people and their surroundings perfectly without the author going on and on.  Sometimes when the author gives too much of description, the writing gets mundane. That did not happen in this book.

I actually do read the Acknowledgements.  It is my favorite thing to read in the book.  I loved how the author wrote about her friend that pushed her into trying something called nanowrimo where you are required to write a specific amount of words per day for thirty days.  The result was this little gem called The World of Karov.

I don’t want to give too much away, but it was awesome.  Too much information in a story can ruin the story.  However, the plot is what got me hooked.

• Did I skim: No
• Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes
• Do I look forward to the sequel? Yes.
• Pace of the story:  Good.
• Positives: Great plot.
• Negatives: I wish the author would have expended a little more on the relationship of Arianna and Adam in the beginning of the story. I know Adam said he loved her but I did not feel Adam’s lose at first when Alec kidnapped her. I wish there was more dialogue between Arianna and Adam.
• Do I recommend: Yes.  AMAZING cliffhanger.  Loved it. 

Format: ARC from author for an honest review

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Elyse Salpeter: http://www.elysesalpeter.com/

Elyse Salpeter Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elysesalpeterauthor?fref=ts

Elyse Salpeter Twitter: https://twitter.com/elysesalpeter

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