We fell in love in a lightning strike, a sudden anomaly in a sea of lost people.
He knew right away, yet I was hesitant. I could have never prepared myself for a love like ours.
No one could.
As a child, I had conjured an amazing story in my mind. It was a story I could retell about a man that would move me like no other; a story about the way we met and how he had swept me off my feet. But, the ending to that fairytale was so far from the reality.
No one will want to hear that story now, but for Grant, I will always tell it.
***Explicit Sex and Language. Not for those who are not fans of spontaneous love affairs.
Yeah, right.
School came first, love would have to wait, and my father agreed wholeheartedly. My mother, on the other hand, had told me “The whole world would not make a damn bit of sense until I fell in love.” I’d already tried that and had barely made it out alive. My parents were a pair of romantics. While I did subscribe to their brand of thought, right now was not the time.
Curiosity got the best of me and I turned to my left, although I had sworn to myself I wouldn’t, and felt the prick of a tingle start from my scalp then down my back as I found his eyes on me.
Turning my attention back to the lecture, I cursed my stupid curiosity. Why was he still looking at me?
When we were dismissed, I stood up to make my way to my apartment to read what I could to prep for my next lab, but was stopped short at the door by the same man that had already taken up too much of my imagination. I pushed past him for the second time but was stopped in the corridor when he addressed me.
“You.” It was a statement from him, not a question. I turned to look at him, utterly confused.
“Me?” I noticed his girlfriend eyeing our exchange as she continued to talk to her friends.
“What’s your name?”
“Rose.”
“Rose,” he mimicked, his eyes still intent on mine. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he continued to stare. I finally broke our gaze. He smiled at the ground for a moment then looked at me again. “Okay.” His smile was breathtaking. It was boyishly handsome on a face that screamed all man. I was supposed to be doing something. What was I doing? He had my full attention. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. He was quite a bit taller than I was and had a broad chest that was torturing his pale blue t-shirt. He didn’t belong in my class. He didn’t belong in this school, and it was too easy to tell. He had a deep tan and looked to be a bit of a roughneck. We stared at each other for a full minute as I tried desperately to take all of him in, but he had too much body for me to compartmentalize. Between the bulges in his arms, his broad chest, and an ass I was straining to get a glimpse of, I concluded he looked like Tarzan in modern day clothing. If I kept my appraisal of him going on any longer, I felt I would start spouting off things like: “You Tarzan, me Jane, and me want to swing.”
“Okay, Rose,” he said, interrupting my inner dialogue and daydream. Damn him! We were almost happy living in the trees. It was obvious he had something on his mind.
“Is there a conversation I’m having with you that I don’t know about?” I asked in a hushed tone.
“Yes, Rose, there is.” I was graced with another smile— oh, God, a dimple— then, “I’ll see you around.”
“Well... who are you?” He looked back at me with a confidence I’d only seen a few men carry, namely my father.
“I’m the man that’s going to marry you.” I snorted, quite unattractively, as my reply. Then he caught my gaze again, imploring me to believe him. “I’m the man that you are going to marry.”
My Review
The Mind was a story that I knew the ending before I ever started the beginning since I read The Fall. And yet my heart was ripped open and stuffed full in the most perfectly painful yet beautiful way. This was an absolutely stunning story of two people who completely embody the idea of soul mates and meant to be's.
Grant is longing for something more. Ever since childhood, he's been searching for something. When he spots Rose on campus sitting under a tree oblivious to the world around her, he feels it. The spark. The electricity. The connection. Grants sets about relentlessly pursing Rose until she admits she feels it too. And from the start she does. Of course she's not completely certain about a guy she's never seen before professing that he is going to marry her, but eventually she can not longer deny that love at first sight is real and true and happening to her.
As the novella progresses Rose and Grant get to know each other and fall further in love with each passing minute. Even with hurtful pasts, Rose and Grant conquer and overcome everything in their way so that they can make their happily ever after happen. But life isn't linear and either is the future that Rose and Grant dreamed.
Once again Kate Stewart absolutely slayed me. Her writing is poignant and passionate. She has the ability to pull me into her stories so that I can't feel time passing nor can I separate myself from the characters. That's why I am always affected. Her beautiful story telling allows me to live inside her words.
The Mind is an emotional journey I expected but could never really anticipate. For such a short read, I experienced a full range of emotions. I laughed out loud throughout the first half of this book. I loved Grant and his crazy ways of getting Rose to fall for him. And I loved Rose and her ability to stick up for herself but to be able to be open to Grant in exactly the way he needed. Of course eventually my stomach started to churn because I knew, I knew, what was coming and my emotions were all over the place. When the ugly cries hit, they hit hard and fast. Then just when I thought I was done crying, an unexpected moment came up and I was hit with a punch to my heart once again. As Grant and Rose's story wrapped up, it was a timeless tale of love and longing. Just writing this review I'm getting emotional all over again. I literally have to keep blinking so tears don't fall.
This is a story in which Rose says, "No one will want to hear that story now, but for Grant, I will always tell it." It's a story that deserves to be told. And it's a story that needs to be read. Grant and Rose will forever have a special spot in my heart but I cannot wait for The Heart.
I would very much recommend reading The Fall before diving into this story. While I primary focus of The Fall is on Rose's sister, Dallas, Rose and Grant's story starts here and follows in The Mind.
Reviewed by Paige
★★☆ 5 "Do You Feel That?" Stars ☆★★
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Kate Stewart, a native of Dallas, now resides in Charleston, S.C. She moved to the city three weeks after her first visit, dropping her career of 8 years, declaring the city her creative muse. Since her move in 2010, she has published two novels, the third coming July 2015. She lives with her husband of 8 years, Nick who is featured on the cover of the novel, TITAN.
Her other novels include Room 212, Never Me, and Loving the White Liar which are all available now.
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