Posts

The Anchor Knot (The Knot Series Book 2) by DonnaLee Overly – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

/0 Comments/in /by

The Anchor Knot:securing the knot of truth (Knot, #6The Anchor Knot:securing the knot of truth (Knot, #6 by DonnaLee Overly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Anchor Knot centers around the story of Gabby who is preparing to marry Richard. Richard is campaigning to be the next governor of Texas and Gabby’s dad wants her to be married to Richard and to live in the governor’s mansion. Gabby and Richard have been an on again, off again relationship and she is unsure if she truly loves him. She married another man whom she loved but he died within a short time of them getting married. Gabby had a child while married but her husband was not the father. The biological father of the child is Richard but if this secret gets out his career in politics could be ruined. When Richard’s Campaign Manager Amanda confronts Gabby, she becomes suspicious of Richard and wonders if he has been faithful to her. It is obvious that Amanda wants to become the next First Lady of Texas and will stop at nothing to make Richard hers. Has Richard been cheating on Gabby with Amanda? Does Gabby truly love Richard? As the campaign continues Gabby learns some truths that leave her world a bit shaken up. Will she have the courage to move forward and do what is best for her and her son?

This book was beautifully written and full of raw emotions. The storyline was intriguing, and the characters were engaging. Reading this story made me realize what life must be like in the spotlight for royalty and for politicians. How much pressure there is to be perfect, to act a certain way, and to dress a certain way. The character of Gabby was someone that I enjoyed watching grow as a person. As fiancé to Richard, she was in the spotlight and given certain rules on how to dress, how to act, and even what to say. Her life was scripted for her, and she was barely able to think for herself. She wanted what was best for her son, wanted to please her father, and wanted to be what others wanted her to be. Gabby did selflessly for others with little thought to her own needs. It was truly beautiful, uplifting, and inspiring to see Gabby flourish and become empowered. I highly recommend this book!

View all my reviews@tarab

Regaining Integrity (Code of Honor Book 4) by Brooke May – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

/0 Comments/in /by

Regaining IntegrityRegaining Integrity by Brooke May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Regaining Integrity is Book Four of the Code of Honor Series. It can easily be read as a standalone but after reading this book I know that I will be going back and reading the first books in the series. The story is told from the POV of the two main characters, Angelica, and Chase. The two first met in high school but because Angelica Reece was a math nerd, she went unnoticed by almost everyone, unless she was being targeted by the school bully, Cera. The hottest boy in school was Chase Thorne and everyone knew it, including Chase, who used it to his advantage to sleep with every girl in his high school class. Cera was Chase’s high school girlfriend and she tormented Angelica every chance she could. Angelica had a crush on Chase in high school, but he never paid any attention to her. That is, until one day when he did something so horrible to her that it made Angelica the laughing stock of the school and ruined her senior year in high school. After that she swore that she wanted nothing to do with Chase ever again.

Fast forward several years and Angelica has flourished from a nerdy wallflower into a stunning young woman. She is strong, feisty, courageous, determined, smart, and fiercely independent. Angelica now teaches math at the local school and Chase Thorne’s nephew Ridge is one of her students. When Chase returns to town Ridge tells his uncle that he has a crush on his teacher so of course Chase needs to meet her. At first sight of Angelica, Chase goes ga-ga for her and becomes determined to date her. He does not recall meeting her before, does not remember her from high school, and certainly has no recollection of the horrid way he treated her. Unlike Chase, Angelica has not forgotten what he did to her and refuses to fall for Chase’s charm when he pours it on thick. She also refuses to admit that she is attracted to Chase as much as he is attracted to her.

This was one of the best second-chance romance books that I have read in a long time. The story flowed beautifully, the dialogue was realistic and natural, and the characters were engaging. I loved to watch how Angelica flourished from a geeky math nerd in high school into a strong, independent woman who exuded confidence. Chase was someone I wanted to smack a couple of times for being so dense, but I could also see that deep down he was genuinely a nice guy. I enjoyed watching his growth as a character and the sweet, sincere, kind, caring man that he became. The character of Cera was infuriating and man did I ever want to slap her a few times. She was cruel, bossy, and really needed to be put in her place. She was a bully in every sense of the word, and I was happy to see that both Angelica and Chase stood up to her on separate occasions. This book had drama, suspense, teen angst, bullying, romance, passion, chemistry, and love. I highly recommend this book!

View all my reviews@tarab