This review is done in conjunction with a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Nikki will be awarding an eCopy of My Winter to a randomly drawn commenter at each stop during the tour, and a signed paperback of My Winter will be awarded to TWO randomly drawn commenters during the tour. (International giveaway) Click on the tour banner to see the other stops in the tour.
At age ten, Leah Anderson was taught a hard lesson about life after the death of her father. Love, happiness and perfection only last so long, so why bother seeking them out.
Jaded by his death and the trauma it caused her family, Leah finds herself detached and indifferent about her life and about falling in love. In a safe and unfulfilling engagement to her demanding, perfectionist fiancé, Ellis, it all begins to wear thin. That's when a handsome stranger comes into her life causing her to second guess everything she's known and believed in.
Abruptly ending her engagement and accepting a date with the stranger, Leah finds herself in a very uncomfortable reality. Knowing that every choice has its consequence, Leah runs from her past and lies to her present to keep herself from falling in too deep.
But in the end, can she live with the choices she makes because they may ruin it all.
My Review:
Leah has a history of self-destructive behavior and bad choices when it comes to men. As she approaches 30, she finds someone "safe"--but the cost is changing who she actually is. It's one thing to give up on self-destructive behaviors because you see what it's doing to to you; it's another to do it because it's what someone else wants you to do. That's what happens with her fiance, Ellis. She tries so hard to please him that she finally breaks out of the mold he's placed her in--and meets a stranger with whom she feels an instant connection that same night.
Adam is everything Ellis isn't--he genuinely likes her for who she is. There's an instant physical attraction and chemistry between the two. However, for some reason, Leah doesn't tell him she's just broken up with Ellis. And, as with all secrets, the longer it goes the harder it is for her to tell him.
I adore Adam. He's a fun, sensitive guy. Leah, I wanted to shake sometimes because I could see the train wreck coming. But, the secret was just another part of her self-destructive impulses--she has a deep need to sabotage relationships before they can go bad and hurt her. Thankfully she has friends like Cori and Jimmy to ground her.
It's a fast moving book and is well-written. There are some beautiful passages--especially when she and Adam are talking about winter and how she reacts to it.
4 stars--and I would be interested in reading more of this author's work. Enjoy an excerpt:
“I definitely need a break,” I mumble to myself as I make my way to the bedroom. I have no idea how I’m going to explain this to him. It all seems so selfish, but in actuality is it? Is it selfish of me to want some time away before I make a life changing decision and marry Ellis? My life has changed so dramatically since I met him and there are times I miss the old me. The one who laughed like crazy, had fun with Cari whether we were drunk or sober, the one who didn’t care what people thought of her. Now I’m constantly wondering if I’m going to set Ellis off with my behavior, the kind of behavior that I now realize will always remain in me somewhere just waiting to come out. I want him to accept me the way I am, not for the way he thinks I should be. I’m a giggler, a laugher, a lover and good time girl, but Ellis doesn’t see those as redeeming qualities and it crushes my spirit. I need to find myself again.
About the Author: Nikki Young was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago where she still currently lives with her husband and two boys. She is a third grade teacher and spends her days forcing her love of reading and writing onto a group of poor unsuspecting eight year olds. She's a lover of books, Irish candy and ridiculously hot weather. And for some strange reason, she has a sick obsession with the Fast and the Furious series of movies. Late at night, when all is quiet, she can be found sitting at her computer writing...or facebooking.
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/authornikkiyoung
Goodreads Link: http://tinyurl.com/n85a3du
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Nice review about the characters
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