Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Review Rachel Higginson's "The Five Stages of Falling in Love"

Author: Rachel Higginson
Title: The Five Stages of Falling in Love


Blurb:
 
Elizabeth Carlson is living in the pits of hell- also known as grief.

Her husband of eight years, the father of her four children and the love of her life, died from cancer. Grady's prognosis was grim, even from the start, but Liz never gave up hope he would survive. How could she, when he was everything to her?

Six months later, she is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and get the kids to school on time. Both seem impossible. Everything seems impossible these days.

When Ben Tyler moves in next door, she is drowning in sorrow and pain, her children are acting out, and the house is falling apart. She has no time for curious new friends or unwanted help, but Ben gives her both. And he doesn't just want to help her with yard work or cleaning the gutters. Ben wants more from Liz. More than she's capable of ever giving again.

As Liz mourns her dead husband and works her way through the five stages of grief, she finds there's more of her heart to give than she thought possible. And as new love takes hold, she peels away the guilt and heartache, and discovers there's more to life than death.
 
 
 
Review:
 
I was completely blown away not only by this story but by the incredible strength of the main character Liz. She suffers the heartbreaking blow of loosing the love of her life to cancer. Not only does she have to pick up the shattered pieces of her broken life for herself but also for her children.  Liz needs to be strong for them and becomes a powerful example of being able to move on from a devastating tragedy. To be honest, I don't think I could do it.
 
Then, Ben Tyler *sigh* moves in next door.....He doesn't just want to help fix her life, but also her soul. Liz isn't ready to let go of the pain and doesn't think she could ever share her heart with anyone again. But the more Liz gets to know Ben, the more her heart accepts the possibility of loving again.  Will Liz be able to escape her self imposed prison of pain? Or will she open her heart to Ben and the healing power of his love?
 

My Thoughts:
 
 
This book had me gripped ( and crying) from the very first page. The love Liz and her husband share is pure and beautiful and when it's lost, it agony.  Liz falls into a pit of despair and can't find her way out of the darkness. Ben slowly but surly becomes the light and the warmth Liz so desperately craves. Rachel does and amazing job of developing Liz and Ben's relationship and it's neither too long nor does it drag out. You'll walk away from this book understanding the healing power of love and the inspiring truth of letting go of the pain.....
 
 5 out of 5 teacups

 
 
About my girl Rachel:

was born and raised in Nebraska, but spent my college years traveling the world. I fell in love with Eastern Europe, Paris, Indian Food and the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka. But I came back home to marry my high school sweetheart and now I spend my days raising our growing family. In those few spare moments I have, I am either reading or writing Young Adult Fiction, because I am obsessed with it.
Five other things I'm obsessed with right now:
1. My Kuerig Coffee Machine. Genius.
2. 90's music. Oh man, the 90's speak right to my soul.
3. Chocolate smelling body wash. Who doesn't want to walk around smelling like a bakery?
4. Colored Chapstick. And if it's Dr. Pepper Flavored, that's kind of my nirvana.
And.
5. Spotify. It's like the mixed-tape of this generation and I have probably three hundred hours of music on there. Can't get enough
 
Where to Stalk Rachel:

 






 

OTHER WORKS:
 
 
 
Star Crossed Series

Reckless Magic (book 1)

16 year old Eden Matthews has been in and out of private schools for the last two years. Kingsley is her last chance to finish high school and she is determined to simply do that. But when she meets Kiran Kendrick and her world opens to something she thought only existed in fairy tales, she's unsure what her future will hold. Suddenly she is captivated by a boy who seems to be the source of all of her problems and struggling to rescue her best friend from a foreign prison. When attempts are made on Kiran's life, Eden alone must save him. Thrust into a world that is more make-believe than reality, Eden has to find her own destiny without losing those she loves most. Reckless is an intricate story of mystery, adventure, magic and love. Eden Matthews is an unlikely heroine set on a path to save the world and her loved ones before its too late.
 
Hopeless Magic (book 2)

After returning home from Romania, and successfully saving her best friend Lilly, Eden Matthews must now come to terms with her future as an Immortal. She is in love with the Crowned Prince, but he is betrothed to someone else.
Her family desperately wants her to join their rebellion, but that would mean fighting against her one, true love, Kiran Kendrick. She must fight off assassins that want her dead, an Immortal rite of passage that takes her to India and a deadly disease that no one has thus far survived. Danger seems to lurk around every corner as Eden Matthews struggles to keep her true identity a secret and protect those that she loves.
Eden must find a way to be with Kiran, or turn her back on him forever and fight to save her people. Hopeless Magic is the second installment of the Star-Crossed series.
 
Fearless Magic (book 3)

Eden Matthew's world is in shambles. Her grandfather viciously murdered, her twin brother held without magic, and her best friends imprisoned, all at the hands of the one man that was supposed to love her for eternity. She has been betrayed, and now she is being hunted by a king that wants her dead. Eden must pick up the pieces of her life and stand alone against the tyranny that threatens to destroy her world. Alone she must find a way to rebuild the Resistance, locate her missing parents, save her loved ones and take down the monarchy. Everything is against her, including forbidden feelings of a love that she thought was buried. She has declared war and now stands on the precipice of defeat. Losing is not an option however, and Eden must find a way to overcome her emotions, fight through her pain and restore the magic to her kingdom. Fearless Magic is the third installment of The Star-Crossed Series.
 
Endless Magic (book 4)

In the final installment of the Star-Crossed Series, we find Eden Matthews a prisoner in the very household she set out to destroy. She is without magic and engaged to the same boy who betrayed her and everyone she loves. With her wedding looming on the horizon, conditions for her people continue to worsen and her goal of offering her kingdom freedom seems further away than ever. Her brother is free however, and building a Rebellion that hopes to rescue her. Eden's parents are working with the Resistance and inside the Citadel Eden finds more allies than she thought possible. However, there is more at stake for Eden than just an unwanted marriage. Her heart is on the line too, as she fights the pressures of palace life, the prejudice ingrained in her people and a seemingly unbeatable king. Endless Magic is the fourth and final installment of the Star-Crossed Series.
 
Reluctant King (book 5)

Avalon St. Andrews has endured Hell and war in an attempt to secure freedom and immortality for his people. Raised and conditioned to be both warrior and leader, he now sits on a throne with his sister Eden, governing the Kingdom in peace. While his people enjoy the benefits of his struggle and loss, he is restless, bored and alone.
Avalon is summoned to fight to save his people once more as the Kingdom is threatened by a brand new evil. In addition to reigning in a kingship he doesn’t want, he is fighting against the very people he has fought so hard to protect. They are determined to throw away their newfound freedom and their newfound leaders.
In this war and in this kingship he feels alone. And for the first time he feels hollow. That is until Amelia Cartier shows up, invading his every thought and shaking up his carefully controlled world.
 

The Relentless Warrior: (book 6)
 
 Jericho Bentley is disillusioned by life. He feels lost in a world of peace and restless in a time threatened by war. He has given up on love, forgotten how to trust others and decided a lifetime of bachelorhood is all that remains for him.

Olivia Taylor was struggling to find her way in a human world. Now taken from the only life she’s ever known and changed on a molecular level, she is more lost than ever. With her sister struggling to survive the after effects of one of Dmitri Terletov’s experiments, Olivia sets off with Jericho to find a cure for both herself and her sister.

Together, Jericho and Olivia find more than vengeance and answers, they find a deep friendship that might teach them both to trust again. Maybe even to love again. As long as they can both put the hurt of their past behind them for good.
 
 
Love and Decay Season 1 & 2 Episodes 1-12
 
Zombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after.

A vaccination gone oh so wrong and a huge portion of the world’s population was turned into Zombies. Reagan Willow is forced out of her home when her parents become casualties of the horrid Zombie Apocalypse. With the help of her best friend Haley, they’ve become somewhat of experts on surviving the dangers of a world thrust into chaos and decay.

Reagan and Haley are on a vague mission to find somewhere safe to live out the remainders of their terrifying life when they stumble upon the Parkers, a pack of brothers that seem to have the survival thing down in a much more efficient and successful way than Reagan could ever have imagined. They are also protecting their eight year old sister, Page, and will do anything to keep her safe.

The brothers decide that Reagan and Haley need help with being kept safe as well, and as a group they set off to find the Zombie-free utopia Reagan is dreaming of.

Zombies are a daily problem, constantly threatening the lives of their group, but they’re not the only peril on the journey ahead. Militia groups of power hungry men are also a constant concern. And settlements of paranoid, suspicious people turn out to be just as hazardous.

Danger looms over every inch of the way, but Reagan, Haley and the Parkers are determined to get to their goal and remain together. Soon the Parkers become more to Reagan than just traveling companions and more than friendship starts to develop between her and Hendrix, the second oldest brother.

But at the end of the world, nothing can be as simple as life and death. Now, Reagan is going to have to schedule falling in love between hunting and surviving. Hopefully she can last long enough to find out if true love can still exist when everything else has started to fall apart.

Love and Decay, Volume One, is a compilation of the first six episodes in a twelve episode season. It is a Dystopian Romance Novella Series about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with.


This story takes place over multiple episodes, with a release date every two weeks. Each episode is approximately 20,000 words


 
Stella Day must save the world and fight evil. She is a Star, assigned to Earth in order to push back the aggressive Darkness that threatens to destroy the only home she’s ever known. Torn between the Counterpart she is destined to be with and the human boy she’s loved her entire life, she battles Fallen Angels and her heart all at the same time.
 
 
Stella Day will one day be the Protector of Earth, but right now she’s focused on other things. Surviving high school, having a winning soccer season and balancing the two guys in her life all vie for her attention

Unfortunately for Stella, destiny isn’t patient. Stella’s life becomes complicated when the Darkness won’t leave her alone. She’s plagued by Shadows at practice and in school. Seven, Seth’s deranged sister, is stalking her. And Aliah has made it his life’s mission to destroy her before she turns eighteen and comes into the fullness of her powers.

In a risky effort to save her life, Seth makes a deal with the devil that changes everything. Suddenly, it’s no longer her own life that Stella is desperate to save. She must find a way to protect her Counterpart before he becomes the worst threat of all.

As Stella grapples with the intensity of her feelings for both Tristan and Seth, her choice might just be made for her. While the Darkness demands her attention, humanity and the high school life she loves will fade into the background
as she embraces the purpose she was given and the most complicated battle yet.

This time it’s not just her life on the line, but her heart as well. Choosing which boy to love might not mean a happily ever after. Choosing between Seth and Tristan might just lead to a heartbreak she never imagined.
 
 
The countdown to Stella Day’s eighteenth birthday has begun with only a year left to go.

When Stella turns eighteen she will take over as the Earth’s protector. She will come into the fullness of her powers. And her counterpart will be released from his soul-losing contract.

Only three hundred and sixty five days to go. Only fifty-two weeks. Twelve months… But a lot can happen in that length of time.

As Stella trains for that day, the Darkness closes in around her. Seth sold his soul so that she would be safe until her eighteenth birthday but someone is still trying to kill her. And Seven, Seth’s deranged and evil sister, won’t leave her alone. There are more problems with the Council that’s supposed to be protecting her. And when Jupiter suddenly disappears things go from bad to worse.

It might be easier to solve all her problems if Jude Michaels wasn’t bothering her every second of every day. And if she didn’t miss Seth with such a consuming, paralyzing ache.

When her friends are threatened and her Midwest life exposed, she has to fight through every distraction that plagues her and find the real threat in a sea of enemies that want her dead. Aliah has never been more evil. Seven never crazier. Tristan and Piper are constantly threatened and in danger.

But it’s Seth she fights for the hardest. As he teeters on the precipice of Darkness and Light, can she salvage the soul of a boy who has given it up for her?

Heir of Secrets is the third book in the Starbright Series.
 
 
Avalon St. Andrews has endured Hell and war in an attempt to secure freedom and immortality for his people. Raised and conditioned to be both warrior and leader, he now sits on a throne with his sister Eden, governing the Kingdom in peace. While his people enjoy the benefits of his struggle and loss, he is restless, bored and alone.
Avalon is summoned to fight to save his people once more as the Kingdom is threatened by a brand new evil. In addition to reigning in a kingship he doesn’t want, he is fighting against the very people he has fought so hard to protect. They are determined to throw away their newfound freedom and their newfound leaders.
In this war and in this kingship he feels alone. And for the first time he feels hollow. That is until Amelia Cartier shows up, invading his every thought and shaking up his carefully controlled world.


 
A life not her own—A future already decided.

Every facet of Ivy Pierce’s life is meticulously planned out and plotted. Cynical and jaded by sixteen, Ivy’s only hope is to escape the legacy she was born into.

She has a plan, a carefully thought out, feasible plan. She just has to play by the rules until everything falls into place. Unfortunately as predictable as her life can be, she never sees Ryder Sutton coming. He tumbles into her life unimpressed and untouched by her and the life she lives. He’s an enigma to her. A gorgeous, frustrating, sincere mystery and a complete phenomenon in the ugly world she lives in.

What blooms between them is a fiercely intense attraction that cannot be ignored. Even though they would both be better off without each other—Even if both their lives depend on staying apart.

 
In Ivy Pierce’s world, Greek mythology is reality. Sirens, like herself, use men for money, power and status; but she has the greatest gift of all. Stronger than any of the Siren’s before her, Ivy’s attraction alludes to a prophecy that could mean the rebirth of Greek gods and goddesses for our modern time.

The Fates believe she is the symbol of a new era. Her mother believes she is the key to ultimate power in their Greek circle. And Nix, her godfather and god of the sea, believes she belongs to him.

Ivy doesn’t want any part of her world or the people that demand so much of her. With the help of Ryder Sutton, her closest friend, she will fight against fate, against the expectations of her society and against the desires of a monster that will do anything to possess her.

And through it all she will deny her feelings for the one person she loves more than anything in order to protect him.

While her future crumbles around her, Ivy will go to extreme lengths to free herself from her glass prison—or drown trying.
 

COMING SOON!!!!
 
The Star-Crossed Series:
 
The Relentless Warrior, Book 6 - Out Now!!!

 Breathless Magic, Star-Crossed Series Novella -Out Now!!!

 The Redeemable Prince, Book 7 - September, 2014 
 
The Starbright Series

 Super Nova, Book 4 - January, 2015

Star Fight, Book 5 - May, 2015
 
 
The Siren Series:
 
 The Heart, Book 3 - November, 2014
 
 
Bet in the Dark Series:

Beckett's Book still untitled - TBA, 2014 (NA)

Grayson's Book still untitled - March, 2015

Lennox's Book, Still untitled - August, 2015
 
 
Love and Decay, A Novella Series

Releases every other Friday

 


 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 



1 comment: