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.
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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