Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Finding Solace Tour Blog






Title: Finding Solace
Author: Barbara Speak
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: November 24th, 2013




Sadie Warren is a walking contradiction. The confidence she wears on the outside is only to cover the scars that are imbedded on her soul. Coming out of an abusive relationship where she was stripped of her security and confidence, she chooses to bury it under every man she gives her body to.
After one intoxicated night that she will never remember in its entirety, everything begins to change. Being seen more for her positive attributes and less for her faults, Sadie arises from the dark and into a place she feels safe. But with that comes a chain of events that blur the lines of everything she thought she needed and everything she's beginning to want.
Will fear keep her from the one thing she believes she desires most or will fate take a turn unexpectedly and change everything?


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Review:

Wow…. I know, kinda clichéd, but oh WOW!  I’m gonna tell ya, up until the midway point of “Finding Solace” I was gonna rate this at around 2.5 or 3 stars… not horrible, not great…just somewhere in the middle of “meh land”.  We’re introduced to the main female character, Sadie at that transitional age and life-point where she’s on the cusp of real adulthood… several years outta high school, a few months out from her 21st birthday and just living and enjoying the hell outta life.  What’s really interesting is the author, Barbara Speak, wrote this book not just from Sadie’s POV, but almost as if Sadie is narrating her own story to you.  I don’t believe I’ve ever come across this in a book before…I liked it.

Ok, so let me tell ya a little about Sadie…because this is really her journey and she had the most impact on me.  Sadie is the reason why I was initially thinking of a lower rating for this book, she’s also the reason why I ended up rating it higher!  Sadie has some lingering emotional baggage from an abusive relationship she suffered in high school, which affects her present lifestyle and relationships.  Now, I can obviously sympathize with Sadie for the abuse she was subjected to and admire the strength she found to break free from that.  What I absolutely hated about Sadie was that she just came off as a shallow, vapid “party-girl” alcoholic.  Sadie just seemed so lacking in anything and everything of any real worth and substance.  I was pretty disappointed because I had an almost immediate connection to every other character in Sadie’s story, they all seemed so well developed and worked well with the flow of the story as individuals but also with this amazing dynamic they had as a group.  So, why did Sadie’s character seem so lacking in personality and depth?  Then I got it…and I realized the brilliance of Barbara’s talent as an author… we had to see Sadie as she was in the beginning, to truly appreciate her personal growth to an amazing woman that not only we could love as the reader, but Sadie could love as well. 

Now for the love/lust interests… did ya notice the (s) on the end of interests?  Yeah, there is a love/lust triangle… and I usually hate those types of things…but again we get the benefit of Barbara’s talent in that, even though it’s not an ideal situation that anyone would like to be in, it’s part of Sadie’s discovery of what she truly wants and what she needs.  Let’s talk about these two men, Colt and Ash…and how completely different the both are. 

Colt… I really wanted to hate him… yeah, he’s totally hot and sexy and sensual and… and… did I say hot, sexy?  I hated the fact that Colt knew Sadie was falling for him and couldn’t give her what she wanted… I hated that he couldn’t commit to Sadie and only Sadie, and I hated that he just kept making such stupid choices… but, I just couldn’t hate Colt… he did give everything he could to Sadie when he was with her, he did protect her and was an integral part of Sadie’s growth and better understanding of herself.  But the main reason why I couldn’t hate Colt… he was up front and honest with Sadie about what he was and was NOT looking for in not just his relationship with her, but in all his current relationships.  Colt actually told Sadie many times that he was NOT looking for a wife or girlfriend… really any kind of committed relationship with her or anyone else at this time in his life.  Yeah, I hated a lot of the things Colt did, but he never led Sadie on with mixed signals or false emotions, and I can at least respect that.  If anything, I was pissed at Sadie for allowing herself to feel as if she didn’t deserve more and kept putting up with Colt’s lifestyle.

Ok, now on to Ash…I couldn’t find anything NOT to LOVE about Ash…totally hot, sexy, and confident and so got his shyte together.  I love a man that knows what he wants and will not accept anything less, will not compromise their integrity or character… oh, and having charm and an 8-pack abs certainly doesn’t hurt!  Ash is just sooo lickable…*cough* I mean uh.. likable!  And the best thing about Ash is that he’s not afraid to let Sadie know his feelings for her and the happiness that he knows Sadie deserves, he is only more than willing to give her, if she will just let him.  And… as corny as it sounds, I loved that Ash wanted to develop a friendship with Sadie and was not willing to jump right to sex with her is she couldn’t give him some kind of commitment towards a relationship with him… because Ash doesn’t share! 

“Finding Solace” is an amazing story and Barbara Speak is such a talented author…I’m really looking forward to her next book “Affliction”…Colt’s story and POV!
4.5 Stars  ~Kathy



 










I am a hard working wife and mother of two of the best kids ever. I spend my days sneaking in any reading that I can. When the idea of Finding Solace came to me, I had no choice but to get it out of my head and put it into yours.


























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