Thursday, September 11, 2014

Review & Giveaway of AWAKENING by Olivia Hayes





SYNOPSIS:

After suffering a terrible loss Caroline closed herself off to any more heartache. Haunted by the memory of love lost, she wonders if her heart can ever heal or if she will be alone forever. When her grandmother passes away Caroline reluctantly travels to a nearby town to help her family settle the estate and encounters a charming and irresistibly sexy man from her past.

Following his brother's untimely death Luke has made it a point to live in the here and now. But he's never been able to forget the beautiful blonde he met years ago. When she reappears unexpectedly he makes it his mission to win her over. Convincing her she belongs with him won't be an easy task, especially when she tries to deny their connection.

When their lives intersect in a wave of attraction, denial, and desperation, will the desire for love be enough to awaken their broken hearts, or will the guilt and grief of the past stand in the way of their budding future together? 


PURCHASE LINKS:



Paperback: http://amzn.to/1CmKdi0

REVIEW:

Oh goodness,  where do I even start?  This book has a little of everything: heartbreak, loss, excitement, second chance love, hot steamy sex, suspense, humor, oh and did I mention HOT, HOT sex?  I'll admit I was hesitant to read this book as I was not "ready" for a sad story; however, I am so glad I read it.  While there is sadness and grief, there is also so much more.  

Caroline lost the man she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with and had not lived in two years.  When her mother asked for her help in cleaning out her grandmothers house, she did not expect her life to change.  And she certainly didn't expect to run into her first love.

Luke has loved Caroline since the day they met, but was too stubborn to tell her and lost her to his brother.  While he has never quit loving her, he never thought he would get the chance to make her his.  When she unexpectedly runs across his path, he knows he has to have her.

This was a great story about Caroline and Luke finding their HEA.  Caroline has such a hard time letting herself live again and feels guilty that she has feelings for Luke.  Luke is determined to make Caroline see that she belongs to him and he will do anything it takes to make her happy. I love how Luke shows her how to live again and knows just what she needs in order to be the person she used to be.  

I truly enjoyed this book and will happily admit that I didn't want it to end.  I fell in love with Caroline and Luke and couldn't get enough of them.  I loved the ending and felt it fit them perfectly.  I can't wait for the next book in the series about Caroline's brother Carson.  Hopefully it will be out soon and I won't have to suffer too long!  Make sure to get your copy of Awakening today and fall in love with Luke and Caroline just like I did!  




EXCERPT:

"That's my driveway you're standing in," said a deep southern drawl. I stepped back to see a man in a big black four door truck.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry," I said, taking a more few steps back so he could turn in.

I was waiting for him to head further down the road when he stopped the truck in my path and got out. He was tall, well over six feet. His eyes were hidden by a pair of sun glasses, but I recognized him instantly. 

"I'm just going to check the mail," he said. "What're you doing out here anyway?" As he opened the mailbox and reached in to retrieve his mail, I noticed the way the muscles in his arms flexed.

"I was just out for a run," I said waiting for him to recognize me.

He looked over at me and stopped abruptly, as if seeing me for the first time. He lifted the sunglasses off his face and stared at me wordlessly. His dark green eyes held me motionless. He walked a couple of steps towards me raising his hand to touch my cheek. 

Sparks flew, and I inhaled sharply.

"Caroline," he said hesitantly, and then dropped his hand, searching my eyes.

My skin was burning where he touched it, but I managed to nod slowly.
"Hi Luke."

He didn't say anything for a moment, almost as if he wasn't sure what to do next.

"I heard about your grandmother. My condolences for your loss."

"Thank you," I said, looking down.

I felt a bead of sweat run between my breasts and suddenly realized how I must look.

"You are so damn beautiful." He smiled brilliantly, and my God his lips looked kissable. I tried not to think about how they would feel on me, and realized I was staring at them. God, my hormones were raging! I quickly cleared my throat, and tried to steer the conversation in another direction.

"Since when do you have anything nice to say to me?"

"Caroline, come on. We were such good friends once. I know I didn't treat you well for a long time, but I never stopped caring about you."

"I don't want to rehash the past Luke."

"Caroline, I lost you and Mark in the same day, and it broke my heart. I wondered how you were, how you were coping. I thought about calling you a million times, but I never knew what to say. Since then, I've been trying to get my life back on track, live in the moment and not dwell on the things I can't change, but you being here...... it's like a second chance."

I shook my head at him.

"I haven't moved on Luke. I still miss Mark every day, and I haven't forgotten how you treated me all those years."

He looked at me sympathetically. "I apologized for all that already. And I miss him too, you know."

"You used to stare at me like you couldn't stop looking, and then you would barely speak more than a word to me when I tried to talk to you. You accosted me in hallways, kissed me, screamed at me, disappeared. That's not something I can just forget, apology or not."

His green eyes simmered as his eyes narrowed.

"How was I supposed to act when the one thing I wanted most wasn't mine to have?"





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