Title: Lemon Drops and Love
Author: Angela Stevens
Genre: Contemporary
Synopsis
For years, Jude loved Maya from afar. When she
falls into his arms at his sister’s wedding, Jude decides he’s waited
long enough. But it’s complicated. Maya’s no longer the carefree, self-assured
woman he once knew. Frightened, vulnerable, her confidence crushed, Maya is
unable to see a way out of an abusive relationship. But Jude Holland is not
going to stand back and watch this happen. After rescuing her from Carl’s
clutches, he plans to stay and pick up the pieces.
But getting
rid of Carl is harder than anyone imagined. Carl’s sociopathic tendencies know
no boundaries. Determined to take back what is his, hatred consumes him. With
all rationality gone, Carl is prepared to go to monstrous lengths to destroy
what he once loved. Driven by envy and hate, he sets out to destroy Maya. If he
can’t have her, then he is damn sure no one else will have her either.
My Review
Lemon drops and Love…let me tell you after the first few
chapters of this book I actually had to put it down and let it sink in with me
what I was reading. The subject of this book is defiantly a hard one to read
about, only in the fact that the author was able to put us in the heads of
everyone involved, from the abuser to the abused and all the bystanders in
between. With this said this was a brilliantly written book and my props to the
author for being able to go into this dark world and give us everyone’s side of
the story.
So our main female lead is Maya, she is in her own personal
hell living with Carl. He has beaten the spirit out of her physically and
emotionally. She is alone in her head and doesn’t know how to get out because
this is all she knows. Carl was her first serious relationship and she fell
hook line and sinker for his game. It was very emotional to watch her inner
struggles to break free of her life and start anew. But when she is at her best
friends, Roxy wedding she runs into Roxy’s younger brother Jude. She had a major
crush on Jude since college. Jude was 3 years younger than her and best fiends
younger brother so she never pressured anything with him. But when she sees him
again the feelings are there once more. Unfortunately the asshat that is Carl
drags her out of the wedding, takes her home and starts the beating and rape
all over again.
This is where I had some problems, it made me sick to my stomach to hear from other characters still at the party that they kind of knew what she was going through with Carl but they all just stood back and let it happen without really questioning it or trying to help out Maya.
Ok with that said Jude does want to help out but is stopped
by others. I got to say Jude sound like one hot ass man. He is a hockey player
and works out all day long. But it is his heart that I love the most about him.
He saves Maya in more ways than one but has to battle himself along the way.
The thing is he also had a crush on Maya that turned into love over the years
but he had the same feelings as her about the age difference and the fact that
his sister is her best friend. But when push comes to shove and his heart is on
the line he man’s up and admits his feelings even if the timing sucks. He takes
charge and protects Maya with everything he has and it is a beautiful thing to
see the way he brings out Maya’s true self while not pushing her to just get
over it.
Ok so all in all this was a beautiful book and a story that
really needs to be told. It gave us insight into the mind set of an abuser and
the way a situation can be twisted into a sick reality of what it really was.
Like I said it was a hard read only because of the story line but I would
defiantly recommend you read it. Jude and Maya’s happily ever after comes with a
beautifully tragic story but is well worth the journey and I will say this all
I want to do is nut shot Carl. So really the fact that I actually have such
strong protective feelings for Maya goes to show the true brilliance of this
story and the of the story teller.
★★☆3.75 Learning to Live Stars ☆★★
Reviewed By Angela Deforge
EXCERPT
Jude couldn’t believe his luck when Maya spun
around and came crashing into him. After spotting her outside, he'd followed
her in; his progress hindered as he tried to navigate across a yard packed with
partygoers. As he fought his way through the kitchen, he thought she was going
to slip away yet again. It seemed all day long he'd been trying to speak to her
but she was a whirling dervish spinning here, there, and everywhere. Organizing
photos, straightening buttonholes, helping elderly aunts into cars and goodness
knows what else.
Every time he came within five feet of her, she
twirled around and headed off in the opposite direction, intent on some errand
or mission of mercy. But now here she was in his arms.
She’s still all hair, he
thought.
He never understood
how anyone so small could have so much of it. It was so damn sexy; it always
made him want to run his fingers through it. Those curls had a mind of their
own. Even now they were escaping here and there from the barrette.
Buy it
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About the Author
Follow the author at these links
Angela Stevens is the author of the contemporary
adult romance novel Lemon Drops and Love. She also writes YA
fantasies and Children's books under the pen name of A.D. Stevens
Angela is British born but moved to Virginia, USA eight
years ago. Always a keen traveler, she has enjoyed spending time living outside
of her native country. She is an ex-teacher and the mother of two
children. When empty nest syndrome threatened, Angela turned to writing novels
to fill her growing free time. As her hobby grew she found storytelling began
to fill her waking hours.
Her recently released novel, Lemon Drops
and Love grew out of her voracious appetite for reading. After one
particularly momentous year, when she consumed over one hundred paper backs,
Angela decided to attempt her own first novel.
Her
debut novel is set in her local town and the setting for her love story was
partly inspired by her passion for ice hockey. She discovered her love of
the sport when she first moved to America. A rabid Washington Capitals fan,
Angela can often be found 'rocking the red' at the Verizon center supporting
her beloved team.
Follow the author at these links
This sounds fantastic, I will be reading this soon Thank you for the awesome giveaway.
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