Blinded By Love Series
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Author:
Emma Grayson
Genre:
Contemporary
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By: Francessca’s Romance Reviews
Take It All (Blinded By
Love #1)
Synopsis
Judy Garland said it best, For it was not into my ear
you whispered but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed but my soul.
If you asked her why she loved him, she would tell you it was because he was who he was and, well, she was who she was.
Plain and simple.
All her life Lennox Ward felt incomplete. Her heart was always searching for that one special thing; that special someone she had yet to find.
Then Caleb Kingston came strolling back into her life unexpectedly, and little did she know her world was about to come crashing down around her, forever shattering it.
If you asked her why she loved him, she would tell you it was because he was who he was and, well, she was who she was.
Plain and simple.
All her life Lennox Ward felt incomplete. Her heart was always searching for that one special thing; that special someone she had yet to find.
Then Caleb Kingston came strolling back into her life unexpectedly, and little did she know her world was about to come crashing down around her, forever shattering it.
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Teasers
Review: Take It All
5 Stars!
Step One of NA (Narcotics Anonymous): The 1st Step on Narcotics Anonymous requires us to admit our powerlessness over our addiction because our lives have become unmanageable.
Step One of FA (Families Anonymous): We admitted we were powerless over drugs and other people’s lives—that our lives had become unmanageable.
I absolutely loved this story for so many reasons. I work, daily, with both addicts/alcoholics and their families, so reading through this was honestly like watching a train wreck about to happen - which is a lot like what I feel like on a daily basis. As I read through it, I couldn't help but feel suspicious of Caleb, based on what I see every day. Once his activities were confirmed, however, I knew that things were not going to end well for Caleb and Lennox, at least not in this book. I could just tell, and it made my heart hurt all the more for Lennox.
Caleb and Lennox have known each other since they were kids, but Caleb's family moved away when they were still pretty young, and the two of them lost touch. It was pretty sad, too, because they seemed to have a great connection, even as kids, and to be each other's best friend. Lennox has never really gotten over Caleb's absence from her life, either. She is the type of girl that holds her emotions in and only lets a few people get to know her, and even then, it almost seems like she never really lets someone in 100%. Not until Caleb, anyways. Well, Caleb and Raine, whom I just loved. Raine is that guy that I wish Lennox could love, but he seems destined to be more of a brother and a voice of reason or calm when she needs it.
Caleb blows by into Lennox's life, and she is never really the same after that. Due to Caleb's direction in life, Lennox just wasn't really prepared for him. Her heart was already set to belong to him, so she didn't think to safeguard herself against him, which then caused her to cave in to everything that she never thought she would cave on. So many of her rules for dating were completely disregarded when it came to Caleb, and, while it is very frustrating to read, especially knowing it was based on real events and emotions, this is so much a part of how the disease of addiction works. The addiction not only sucks the addict in, it also sucks the family members and loved ones in, and this definitely happened to Lennox. She wanted to be the one to save Caleb because she couldn't consider a world where he self-destructed or wasn't in it.
The sad truth, however, is that you can't save someone. That is why I included the first step for Families Anonymous. Drug addicts are powerless over their addiction, but the families of addicts are powerless, not only over the drugs that their loved ones are using, but they are powerless over the addicts themselves. Caleb has to get to a point where he wants to stop for himself. Poor Lennox goes down with him, however, and she even knows that she is going down while she does it. It was so frustrating to watch how isolated she became from those that could help her, too. And then...huge cliffhanger ending. I can't wait to read the second book to see what happens and how, or if, Lennox comes back from this. This book really does a great job of showing the actual disease of addiction, and yes, it is a disease of the brain and of the behaviors. It is not pretty, and I really wish that Lennox had gotten to counseling and learned about things like setting boundaries and taking care of herself, but, everyone's journey is different.
Purchase Links
Amazon UK - http://amzn.to/1BaTN4a
Amazon USA - http://amzn.to/Zes0nR
Barnes
& Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/take-it-all-emma-grayson/1116398580?ean=2940045208161
Promise It All (Blinded by Love #2)
Synopsis
Caleb Kingston’s addiction got the best of him
and he left everything important behind; including the one person he loved more
than anything.
Lennox is left to fight through her heartache and pain as well as the crushing confusion she feels in the aftermath of Caleb’s departure. She finds it difficult to move forward because he didn’t just leave her behind, he also left their son, AJ.
Realizing Caleb will never leave the life of addiction behind and return to her and AJ, Lennox makes the painful choice to finally put Caleb and their love behind her. But when Caleb returns in a shocking and unexpected way, he changes her game plan and makes her question what she truly wants.
Lennox is left to fight through her heartache and pain as well as the crushing confusion she feels in the aftermath of Caleb’s departure. She finds it difficult to move forward because he didn’t just leave her behind, he also left their son, AJ.
Realizing Caleb will never leave the life of addiction behind and return to her and AJ, Lennox makes the painful choice to finally put Caleb and their love behind her. But when Caleb returns in a shocking and unexpected way, he changes her game plan and makes her question what she truly wants.
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Review: Promise It All
4 Stars!
Proceed at your own risk with this review, as I provide some slight spoilers. This book picks up several years after the previous one ended, but, no worries, as Lennox goes back several times and re-lives the past to catch us all up. This is done by her going to a therapist and re-telling the therapist about her relationship with Caleb. In many ways, this was a reassuring step, for me, for Lennox, as I had felt very strongly at the end of the first book, that she needed therapy and needed some type of support.
Basically, Lennox and Caleb have just lived through Hell, together, and that Hell is called Addiction. Caleb is addicted to drugs and Lennox is addicted to Caleb. This is, unfortunately, not far from the reality of what addiction can do to relationships and families. In the present, Lennox has currently not seen Caleb in over two years, nor has he had anything to do with their son. Things fell apart for the two of them when Caleb had about three years of sobriety, and he fell apart after that.
Not to worry, fans of Caleb, as he comes back into the story, and, in many ways, I was not surprised at how he came back into the picture. It may surprise some people, however, so I don't want to give that away. Caleb has definitely lived through some rough times in the years that he was absent from Lennox and their son's life. He has seen and done things that he will not talk to Lennox about when they do finally talk again. He seems hardened, bitter and just...used up. He is not the same Caleb that Lennox knew, but she still tries to see the Caleb that he knew in him. From there, the rest of the book was very much a let down for me. I tried not to begin this book with any expectations for how their relationship would go because I knew, based on the synopsis, that he had relapsed. And, in many ways, some of what happens with the two of them is realistic. I guess what I have trouble with is Lennox. Her reaction to Caleb, her acceptance of what he has done, and her telling him that she would do anything and go anywhere to be with him, even as he tells her that he's not in love with her anymore...it just fell flat to me. The author tried to make this big distinction between loving and being in love, but Caleb told Lennox he wasn't in love with her - and in fact, he was with someone else when they first talked after the few years, so...I just couldn't get behind her anymore, as a character. I know that this is based on true events, so I'm not trying to judge the events, themselves, but my review is based on the character of Lennox. I also have a hard time separating myself from seeing how codependent she is - even to the detriment of herself and her son.
So, while the writing was definitely still good, and the story was still intense, I just didn't love this as much as the first book. I guess I still had some hope for Caleb after the first book, but I don't have much hope for him after the second one. Also...the therapist was a joke, as he sees the two of them for one session and says "you've got it - just come back to see me for any follow up that comes up". That's not what a real therapist would do. A couple getting back together, especially with Lennox and Caleb's story? They are only at the beginning of the therapy that they need.
Purchase Links
Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/1qy07fD
Amazon USA – http://amzn.to/1uJhf62
Kobo – http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/promise-it-all
Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/promise-it-all-emma-grayson/1120385694?ean=2940046187007
About The Author
Emma
Grayson is a Canadian author who resides outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
with her family and seven year old son. She is Amazon’s Bestselling author of
Unbeautifully Loved, the first book of the Breathe Again series, as well as
it’s follow up, Unbearable Guilt. She is also the author of Take it All and
Promise it All, a series inspired by real events of her life.
Emma is currently working on a new novel, Erase my Scars, the first of a new trilogy.
When Emma’s not writing she enjoys time with her son, coming up with new book plots, going to the movies, reading, enjoying time with family and friends, and watching rerun episodes of Criminal Minds and Sons of Anarchy. She loves to watch the food network, music of all kinds, coffee, all things purple, Oilers hockey, and doesn’t leave the house without her cell phone, Kobo, flip flops and a pack of gum.
Emma is currently working on a new novel, Erase my Scars, the first of a new trilogy.
When Emma’s not writing she enjoys time with her son, coming up with new book plots, going to the movies, reading, enjoying time with family and friends, and watching rerun episodes of Criminal Minds and Sons of Anarchy. She loves to watch the food network, music of all kinds, coffee, all things purple, Oilers hockey, and doesn’t leave the house without her cell phone, Kobo, flip flops and a pack of gum.
Stalk Links
Facebook
– https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emma-Grayson-Author/275585212564824?sk=timeline
Twitter
– https://twitter.com/EGrayson_Author
Goodreads
- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6870069.Emma_Grayson
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