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Contemporary, Romance
Two lives, two losses, and one meeting that changed their lives forever. Learning to move on and to love again isn't always easy. The circle of life. It's something we all know about, but we are never truly prepared for the unexpected. The unexpected that comes out of nowhere. No warning, no heads-up, nothing. Just God giving us pure bliss and happiness and then taking it away in the blink of an eye. For me, losing my husband to a massive heart attack on our one-year wedding anniversary, and at the age of 27, was something I didn't think I could ever heal from. The emptiness, the loneliness, the numbness, and the need just to get through the day were overwhelming. My name is Paisley Logan, and this is my story. Life. Full of surprises, disappointments, and heartache. It's strange how we live life with certainty. We're certain that we'll find the love of our life, get married, have children, and live happily ever after. No one is ever prepared when a life-threatening illness hits. We're so busy living our daily lives that we don't think about such things. I was naïve until my wife was diagnosed with cervical cancer and passed away less than a year later. I was angry. She was the love of my life, and we'd been married only five years. We wanted to start a family, and it was when she had trouble getting pregnant that she was diagnosed. I'd never lost anyone before. I'd never experienced death. I felt like God was playing a cruel joke on me. How could he bring her into my life and then take her away so young? Even the best-laid plans in life get altered. Mine did. Everyone kept telling me that time would heal all wounds, but this was a wound that would never fully be healed. Trying to get back to the normalcy of life was exhausting, so I didn't try anymore. My name is Ben Preston, and this is my story.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Paisley lost her husband on their first wedding anniversary to a massive heart attack. Ben's wife died after a battle with cancer. This is their story. Okay, first up, I usually write a story review and then an audio bit, but for this book, the lines blurred, and I struggled to separate the story from the narration, so, this review runs away with itself, and I apologise if it makes no sense. I couldn't stop, I just needed to get it all out. Had I READ this book, I would have been in tears, almost constantly throughout. LISTENING doesn't have that same effect, but it has a different effect. Its deeply emotional, from both Ben and Paisley's POV, in the first person. They meet when they attend, at great protest, a bereavement group. Erin Mallon tells Paisley's story and Chris Chappell tells Ben's. This is the first audio I've listened to that has dual narration, and I loved it. Loved we get Paisley in a female voice, and Ben in a male. It made a very refreshing change, and not something I would turn down again. Each voice is clear, concise and very easy to listen to. I do, personally, have some issues with female voices, but I had no such problem with Erin's speech. Chris' voice is deep and even and I had no problems with either of them. All emotion, I mean every single one, and there and MANY in this book, come across in all the right places and all the right ways. I have one niggle with the dual narration, and this is way the narration gets 4.5 stars, and not 5. When Paisley is having her say, her chapters, and Ben speaks, its not Chris who does his voice, but Erin, and vice versa for Ben's chapters when Paisley speaks. When I realised it was dual narration, I EXPECTED Erin to do Paisley's voice throughout, and for Chris to do Ben's. I ASSUMED they would. But they don't. And that threw me off. Don't get me wrong, I still loved the narration, its just as I said, I EXPECTED something and it didn't deliver. This is one of those books that you KNOW who to recommend to. I won't recommend this to y sister, she's not ready. If you've lost your soulmate, don't read it. If you are still suffering a bereavement, don't read it. It might not be for you. Everyone else, read it. Read it because it gave me hope, for my sister. It showed me life can get better, you can fall in love again, and you really can have more than one missing piece of your soul. OH!!! And that bit at the end?? When Ben sees Paisley's husband for the first time?? I absolutely, never in a month of Sundays, or in a full blue moon, not ever did I see that coming. Nuh-uh. No ma'am. I'm not elaborating, you gotta read it to get it. I will certainly read other work by Ms Lynn, and listen to other work by Ms Mallon or Mr Chappell, either separately or together. I WON'T read this though. I've discovered I don't like reading a book I listened to first. 5 stars for the story, 4.5 for the narration.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
I'm Sandi Lynn and I'm a full-time writer. Writing has always been a passion of mine and I’ve had many dreams of writing and publishing a book. In just a little under a year, I’ve written and published a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Trilogy. When I’m not writing, I enjoy going out to dinner and to the movies! I have a severe coffee addiction and you can usually find me hanging out at the local Starbucks with my laptop!