Preston's Honor by Mia Sheridan

SUMMARY

There were two brothers—identical twins—and though I loved them both, my soul belonged to only one.

Annalia Del Valle has loved Preston Sawyer all her life. The daughter of an impoverished migrant farmworker, she grew up as an outcast in what was no more than a tiny, cooped up shack in California’s Central Valley. But her heart found freedom in the land, in the wide-open spaces of Sawyer Farm, and in the boys who were her only friends.

Preston has yearned for Annalia since he was a boy. But a sense of honor kept him from pursuing her until he’s unable to hold back any longer and their worlds—and bodies—collide one hot summer night. A night that sets off a chain of events that will alter their lives forever.

Now Annalia is back in town after disappearing without a trace for six long months. Determined to reclaim her heart, her life, and the baby she left behind—the son who was created in a moment of lust and love and pent-up yearning.

Preston has survived grief, a ravaging drought, and the despair of heartache, but he’s not sure he can survive Annalia again. And he might be unwilling to try. Will pride and bitterness keep him from the one thing he’s always longed for?

How do you heal what is irreparably broken? How do you forgive that which is unforgivable? How do you discover that real honor comes not from circumstance, but from the place deep in our hearts where truth resides? And how do you move beyond the wounds of the past to discover that some loves are as solid as the ground beneath your feet, and as enduring as the earth itself?

MY REVIEW

The beauty of this story is that although it is fairly straightforward –no major twists, no big secrets - , it can keep you interested in it until the last page:
Boy has loved girl since they were children but he never said it, girl loved him back but she never expressed her feelings. His twin brother made the first move.
When they finally talk about how they feel and act on it, the result is messy and creates more problems.

I think I have never felt such intense heartache before, while I was reading a book.

The words are so simple but at the same time so enganging.
The atmosphere is relaxed, but the depth of what is implied is so intense.
Everything seems uncomplicated, but everything is a strangling for the main characters.

There are a number of relationships that are unfolded beautifully by the author. Between:
1. The two brothers. Competitive but balanced.
2. Annalia and Preston. Electric and breathless.
3. Annalia and Cole. Playful and childish.
4. Preston and his father. Educational and appreciative.
5. Preston and his mother. Chocking.
6. Preston’s father and Preston’s mother. Faulty.
7. Annalia and her mother.Pitiful and depressing.
8. Annalia’s mother and Annalia’father. Nightmarish.
9. Annalia and the rest of the town. Unkind and unfair.
10. Annalia and Rosa. Embraced and comforting.

If I could count the mistakes, Preston has definitely made the most. I think actually that the title “Preston’s honor” is well-suited to this book.

A man is only as good as his word.

Preston at some point he will need to realize that sometimes things happen, because they just happen. Either good or bad things just happen. And for no particular reason. And because of nobody’s responsibility.

Annalia’s innocence and honesty stand out thoughout the book. You don’t find easily heroines in books that have such an innocent soul – without being totally victims. Annalia is strong in her fragility. The reader becomes her fellow traveler.
I felt for her. I cried for her. I cheered for her.

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I just needed a feelgood, inspiring book.
And the guy on the cover reminded me of James Dean... 

The Wish Collector by Mia Sheridan

SUMMARY

New Orleans, a city of mystery and magic, of secrets and dreams, and a history drenched in both love and the deepest of heartache.

When ballet dancer Clara Campbell arrives in New Orleans, lonely and homesick, she is immediately captivated by the story of Windisle Plantation and the tragic tale that is said to have transpired beyond its gate. Legend has it that it is abandoned by all living souls, but to Clara’s great surprise, it is not a ghost she hears through the stone wall surrounding the property, but a flesh and blood man. A scarred stranger with a pain deeper and darker than the churning waters of the Mississippi river that flows beside his self-imposed prison.

The ruined man behind the wall hides himself from the world. The last thing he expects is to find a friend in the selfless girl who speaks to him through the cracks in the rock. The girl who keeps returning week after week. The girl who makes him wish for things he has long since given up on. The girl who strikes both fear and hope within his wounded heart. But there can be no future for them, no life beyond Windisle, for no one knows better than him that monsters only live in the dark.

The Wish Collector is the story of shame and triumph, of loneliness and love, and the miracle of two hearts connecting despite the strongest of barriers between them.

MY REVIEW

So, this book is like a riddle and it is intriguingly complicated.

For me, it starts like the “Devil's Advocate” movie. Jonah has to make a decision and deep down he knows it will be the wrong decision, but he is too cocky to refuse it:

You’re choosing a path here, Jonah.
But he’d already chosen it. There was nothing to be done now.

Then, there is a bit of New Orleans’s magic, mystery and legends:

“Do you know why it’s called the weeping wall?”
“It’s said that the wall weeps tears for the heartbreak and tragedy that came to pass behind it, for the spirits still trapped within.”

Then , the story feels a bit like the “Phantom of the Opera". A man hiding his face in the shadows watches the young artist:

Movement in the back of the theatre caught her eye and she stumbled slightly, catching herself and glancing at Madame Fournier who, thank the heavens, was looking in a different direction.
A man—she could only make out his tall outline—stepped around the corner.

Then, there is a bit of the legends of Zorro and Batman. The rich masked hero who saves the weak women, punishes the evil men, offers money here and there when someone needs it. And he always keeps his identity a secret:

Jonah stepped closer, into a patch of low light given off by the glow of the street at the end of the alley and the man’s eyes widened. The woman’s mouth parted in surprise, the fear still present in her eyes. Jonah, in his skeletal mask, obviously looked even more frightening than the filthy meathead attempting to assault her.
“What the fuck are you?”

Then, there is a “Beauty and the Beast" feeling with the garden and the roses and the curse:

“You’re in my lair now, you do realize that, right?”
“Y-yes,” she said as the direction of his voice changed and she turned blindly toward it, unable to see anything, not even his movement.
He chuckled then and it drifted to her, falling over her like magic, causing goosebumps to erupt on her skin.
“You’re playing with me.” It was a statement, but also a question. She should be annoyed, perhaps, but she couldn’t help her excitement.

Then, there is a huge dramatic twist where everything transforms into a conspiracy corrupted game with dark undertones:

He’d been used. Lied to. He’d been a pawn and he’d played straight into their hands. God, he’d thought he was so smart, when all he’d been was an idiotic patsy. Blinded by self-importance and ego.

And the final twist is a paranormal one:

A drop of her blood being brought to the light.

Two love stories:
One love story with a tragic ending from the past , about Angelina Loreaux and John Whitfield
One love story with a tragic start which struggles to have a future, about Clara Campbell and Johan Chamberlain.

Well, it is one of the best books that I have read this year, thus it is highly recommended.

A beautiful melancholic book with the right amount of
Angst,
Romance,
Stalking,
Mystery,
Daydreaming,
Redemption,
True love that can not be seized by lies, time or death.

Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan - September 2020

Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

SUMMARY

When Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy, lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, she hopes against hope that this is the place where she will finally find the peace she so desperately seeks. On her first day there, her life collides with Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds a secret agony of his own. A man no one else sees.

Archer's Voice is the story of a woman chained to the memory of one horrifying night and the man whose love is the key to her freedom. It is the story of a silent man who lives with an excruciating wound and the woman who helps him find his voice. It is the story of suffering, fate, and the transformative power of love.

MY REVIEW

Why haven't I tried this author before? So good!

This is the only book I have read so far in my whole life that it talks so much about love, while it does not sound corny, old-fashioned and cheesy.

This is like a breath of fresh air in the romance books category: Sweet, innocent, full of naked feelings and bursting of unconditional love.

I absolutely loved the two main characters! Especially the girl, Bree Prescott.

Bree is a beyond doubt a nice person. She ran away from her previous life in Cincinnati where something tragic happened to her and she has ended up in the small lakeside town of Pelion, Maine. The last thing she expects to find there is love. But still she does not hesitate to dive in her feelings and embrace love.

As a genuinely good person, she does not lead on without reason, she does not lie and she does not play with the feelings of others:

Travis laughed. "Seeing him? How's that?" He looked truly confused.
I was instantly angry, as I stood up straighter. "How's that? Because he's a good man–he's smart and sweet and… why am I explaining this? Look, Travis, the truth is… I like him, and, I wasn't trying to lead you on by going out with you. But I wasn't really sure at that point what was going on with me and Archer. And now I am. And so I hope you understand when I tell you that I don't want to see anyone else. Just him. Just Archer."

When Bree falls in love, she will dive in enthusiastically. She will not have second thoughts. She will not take into account the fact that the man she loves is mute and the town’s outcast.

She does not hesitate to say “I love you” first:

“And I was going to try to wait until maybe you were ready to say it, too, but… I can't. Because it literally wants to burst out of me all the time. And so it's okay if you don't love me, or if you're not sure if you do. But I'm sure. And I can't stand letting another minute go by where I don't tell you I love you, because I do. I. Love. You. I love you so much.”

Archer is a man that could have thrived in his life.
If his voice wasn’t stolen from him when he was seven years old.
If he didn’t see his mother and father die in front of his eyes.
If he didn’t grow up in the isolated land of a delusional, crazy uncle.
If the people of the small town really cared and embraced this sad, voiceless, lonely child.

Bree will see his potential. She will fall head over heels in love with him. And Archer will be equally in love with her and so confused and scared:

If you hadn't come back, I would have lay here until I died. I would have just willed myself to die.

It is time for Bree to settle down and to find home. It is time for Archer to man up and start trusting.

This is one of these books that can make you smile widely, while at the same time tears will be falling from your puffy eyes.

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Oh.... and also let's not forget..... Happy New Month! September 2020 is Mia Sheridan's month!

Pet (Captive Prince Short Stories, #4) by C.S. Pacat

SUMMARY

Pet follows the rise of Ancel at the poisonous court of Vere. Set during the events of Captive Prince.

MY REVIEW

‘I think,’ said Berenger, ‘that the only person in this place who shows me their real face is you.’

Who cares about Ancel's story? Ancel always has been a manipulative little shit. Not a favourite character.
Apparently and surprisingly I found his story fascinating. Berenger was such an honourable man who made me wish that things between him and Ancel were different from the beginning. Maybe then Ancel would have a chance to be a better man.
And Ancel's story made me wonder: what if Laurent was poor and the only way he could survive was if he was a pet? Would he behave the same?

I strongly believe that you need to read the main series Captive Prince before you read the Captive Prince Short Stories. They are full of spoilers.