Book two demanded a lot of my attention last week, but today I’m focusing on you, my friends! I have some reminders, news, and a review for you!
The first reminder is for my Goodreads giveaway. Here’s the link for that: The Convergence Goodreads Giveaway Right now, a little over a hundred people have signed up so your odds of getting a free signed copy of The Convergence sent right to your door is absolutely possible and signing up is free!
Reminder two is for reviews. I’ve received some awesome feedback from friends this week. I have extras all ready to post as the reviews come in. So don’t forget to get online and review (either on Amazon or Goodreads)! The first forty reviews will unlock a deleted scene from The Convergence, sixty will unlock chapter one from Blake’s point of view, and eighty reviews will get you the first chapter of book two, The Keep.
The last bit of news is an update. The Keep’s rough (very, very rough) first draft is finished!!! I am about half way through with first round edits (it usually take me twice as long to edit a chapter as it does to write the original). Right now, I’m looking at a fall release for that one. If you’re wondering why so long, I’ll be posting a blog on my writing process—which has changed with this book—very soon.
Now on to the review. I’ve been considering doing a weekly book review blog for a while, but got caught up in book release and promotion stuff. Things are dying down a little, tiny bit so—to keep the craziness alive—I’m going to start this review thing now! I’m calling it Review Tuesday and will be featuring mostly indie authors to start out with. Having just started my own book journey, I see how valuable reviews are and want these really great authors to get some credit. To kick off Review Tuesday I’m reviewing one of my favorites. I’ve read this book multiple times—which does not happen often—and enjoyed it every time. The book is Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen.
I would call this book an easy read. Not because the writing is in any way simple, but because of the flow. The writing flows beautifully and the plot unfolds in such a natural way. I found myself about two-thirds of the way through the book, the characters facing some intense difficulties, and had to mentally back track to figure out how in the heck they so seamlessly fell into their relationship and their trials.
Just Ella is a romance, so probably wouldn’t appeal to many men. However, this romance isn’t clichéd. It’s a real relationship were the characters hurt each other and say things they may not mean, but love deep. The background characters are each very individual and add a nice layer to the writing. The book had action, but the best part here is the conflict. Ella has choices she’s forced to make. The choice to embrace who she wants to be even if it hurts other people.
Written in first person past tense, Just Ella immerses you in Ella’s world. She is royalty. One of seven sisters. Ella is only fifteen at the beginning of the book, but even here her voice seems older. This might bother some people, but I look at her as an ‘old soul’. One who’s trying to find her home. Gavin, the love interest, is done well. Even though we are seeing him through Ella’s eyes and she doesn’t understand him, we still get a lot of insight into him and his changing feelings.
All in all, I call this book my ‘comfort read’, but there are some parts that are defiantly uncomfortable. You hurt with the characters and debate with them, but I love it because it portrays love in a very real, vibrant way. It is a clean romance, one even younger readers would like, but us old people enjoy too! I give this 5 stars. If you haven’t read it and love some romance, you should!
