Author: Karen Ferry
Publication Date: 6 July 2015
Publisher: Self Published
Series: Believe, book 1
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary RomanceAge Recommendation: 18 and up
Rating: 4 Stars
~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~
Book Description:
Sometimes, a chance meeting is just the push you need in order to break free from the darkness within…
My name is Emma, I’m 23, and I’ve never been kissed. I’m no virgin…But kissing is too intimate, too intense, and I don’t want that – not ever. I like sex, though, and most of my hook-ups don’t seem to mind the no-kissing part.
But then I meet Daniel, who’s such a geek, and definitely not the kind of guy I’d normally take an interest to. He’s the shy, quiet type, but with such a charming smile, and he makes my heart race – something I’ve never experienced before.
Daniel has his own issues to work through, and I know my hardened heart shouldn’t melt when he looks at me. I really shouldn’t be falling for him, either, but somehow, he manages to tear down my walls, and I’m scared…because once he learns my secrets, he’ll want nothing to do with me.
All I know is that Daniel makes me feel things that I have never felt before – but do I dare let down my walls and confide in him?
Will I let him be my first kiss?
This is my story, and I’ll reveal everything in my own sweet time…
Just don’t expect all the hearts-and-flowers stuff.
Life is messy, and mine is no different… INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS ***Due to possible ‘triggers’ and adult situations (yes, there is lots of sex in this book) it is not recommended to persons under the age of 18.***
My Review:
This is the kind of story that will have you feeling all the emotions: love, happiness, disbelief, sadness, you will cry, you will laugh, you will get frustrated, even taken aback at times. I at least through all those emotions never felt the need to chuck my Kindle, haha.
The story starts out with Emma caught up in a terrifying nightmare which sets the stage for a at times difficult read due to the story behind her dreams. Emma is a strong willed, independent, and quietly broken heroine who is a true force of nature. She lives her life by her own rules, society be damned and I love how Karen Ferry uses her heroine to point out the disparity between what is acceptable for females and what is acceptable for males.
"It seems cold, doesn't it? It doesn't have to be, you know. So many men do this - why is it such a taboo if you are a woman looking for the same thing." -Emma
This is an issue we are seeing brought to light more and more in books and I love that. I love that women authors are saying 'Stop the biased judgement'! Why do women have to be held to a different standard than men? Why is it that what makes a woman a 'slut' is just men being men in societies views? This double standard is beyond frustrating and I am proud that this book hits right at the heart of it.
On that note, I have to say that for a good portion of this book I had trouble liking Emma. Not because of the way she choose to live her life (Carpe Diem and all that) but because I found her to be crass and cruel at times. I know that she is self professed to have no filter, but when you set out to embarrass someone I struggle with that. Luckily for her the object of her humiliation has a bigger tolerance for that then I ever would have. Now, along with that I will say that as the story progresses I realized that behavior was simply her way of hiding herself. It became a mask for her, a way to run people off and aren't we glad that Daniel isn't me and stuck with her through it all.
Speaking of Daniel. He is an amazing character. I loved his charm and nerdiness (I'm seeing a surge in geeky guys and I have to say I LOVE it. Clearly having my own geek has nothing to do with that, haha *wink*), his vulnerability and his dominant side. The mix of all these traits just makes him stand out in this book and makes a hero that you can not help but love!
It was very interesting to me reading this book and realizing that while I am reading English the characters a good portion of the time are actually speaking to each other in Danish. It was quiet funny to me how my brain seemed to jump around trying to process that fact. I almost wanted them to actually speak in Dutch on the pages of the book even though I know I'd never be able to read it, lol. I also loved how the author put in so many factual locations, foods, etc for Denmark. Sometimes it felt like I was getting a tour of Copenhagen and I know I am going to be doing a lot of Googling and adding to my 'Someday List' soon.
I enjoyed how easy it was to fall into this story. It definitely keeps you interested and glued to the pages. The story moves along smoothly and while the story is an insta-love story you never feel like it shouldn't have happened so quickly or that it doesn't make sense when they don't truly know each other, it simply just is and it works. I will say that my one regret about the story is that it doesn't feel like it delves deep enough into the issues that the book is working through. I wonder if that is because the book is based on a true story for the author. She has opened herself up on the pages of this book and perhaps going too deep would have been too emotional for her. The story is still wonderful even with out her turning this into an emotional tear-jerker but I feel like it could have been amazing if she'd just lead us a bit deeper into both Emma's and Daniel's back stories.
All in all this is a wonderful debut novel for author Karen Ferry and I am truly looking forward to book two in this series. I think she has great things coming our way and I am ready to take the ride with her.
This is a great read for New Adult, Contemporary Romance fans who are looking for a book that will suck them in, make them think, make them feel, and make them swoon. Grab your favorite beverage, a few tissues for those teary moments, and snuggle into your favorite reading spot while you get lost in a beautiful story about overcoming your past, letting yourself go, letting yourself trust, letting your self love!
~HAPPY READING~
About Karen Ferry
Karen Ferry is a thirty-something writer, wife to a quiet, laidback man, and mother to a gorgeous, stubborn, redheaded girl who keeps her parents on their toes.
Karen tends to have a short fuse if she does not get a proper caffeine fix first thing in the mornings, but she is, in fact, a gentle person deep down.
Karen loves Italian food and wine, travelling, and spending time with her family. When she is not writing, she reads – her favourite genres are New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Erotica and Romantic Suspense. She can never get enough of romance. Or of too many book boyfriends, either.
Even though Karen is Danish, she has always felt more at ease writing stories in English, and she has not read a book in her native tongue in over ten years.
She can be very outspoken and a complete fan girl of other authors online but will, in fact, be very shy once she meets you in person.
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