Sunday, May 25, 2014

5 Star Review & Giveaway: Finding Serenity by Eden Butler


Mollie Malone's mom skipped out on her. Her biker dad, always loose and easy with the law, still was able to make her feel loved, and to keep her safe. But thirteen years ago, when his luck finally ran out and he landed in prison, Mollie found herself a new family - a group of friends in the sleepy little college town of Cavanagh, Tennessee, where now they all attend the local university. These girls know about the rotten roots of her family tree but accept her anyway, and the bond between them is so strong and supportive that Mollie is finally able to see past graduation to a future that is bright and secure.

But sometimes the past doesn't stay buried.

Suddenly, inexplicably, there's a shadow behind every step Mollie takes. Someone is lurking in that shadow, threatening not only Mollie, but also the new family she has claimed for herself.

And it isn’t just the past that has Mollie’s life in upheaval. Hunky former Marine Vaughn Winchester - who Mollie really would like to get to know much better - thinks Mollie is just a kid; he's made it clear she wouldn't ever be able to understand the demons haunting him. But if that's what he believes, then why does he keep sticking his nose in her business? And if he thinks she’s such a kid, why does he keep trying to kiss her?

Vaughn’s mind games are frustrating, especially since Mollie knows enough about secrets to be convinced that there's something he isn’t telling her, something he's so far been able to keep hidden. But when that secret is revealed, Mollie is forced into a situation that tests her loyalty and threatens even her closest friendships - just when the shadow of her past returns, and she's going to need them the most.

'Finding Serenity' is book two in the Seeking Serenity series.


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What I thought about Finding Serenity 

Mollie comes home one night to find her apartment ripped off, all of her deejay equipment gone, essentially killing her livelihood. Her friends come to the rescue, and it's great to become reaquainted with Layla, Sayo, Autumn, Declan, and Joe from the first book in the series, even under some difficult circumstances.

It isn’t long before it’s clear that it wasn’t just some random act. It also doesn’t help that Vaughn, a guy that Mollie lusted after and was rejected by suddenly seems to be everywhere in her business.

Vaughn, a former Marine, jumps right into the situation, one minute flirting with her, the next pushing her away. When the truth is revealed, Mollie and Vaughn are forced together and also forced to face the growing feelings between them. There’s a lot of heat and a lot of frustration in this back-and-forth relationship. At times I wanted to scream at them to just get together, but there is so much going on around them, it’s easy to see how everything in their lives is topsy-turvy.  Not to mention that Vaughn has some seriously disturbing history himself.
 

There’s an incredibly suspenseful plot to Finding Serenity that just brings this series up a notch in my opinion. I liked the first book in this series-- and I loved this one. There are plenty of good reveals throughout this story, so I don’t really want to spoil the plot and take that suspense and action element away, because it really is done very well especially the drama involving Mojo, Mollie’s biker dad, who as a secondary character lights up the scenes he has in the book. And then there’s always the question of whether Vaughn and Mollie will be able to come to terms and understanding of their own growing relationship.

Eden Butler does a great job with Mollie and Vaughn, taking two slightly prickly characters and making them very sympathetic. Both have dealt with some serious hardships, so it wasn’t hard to cut them some breaks. They aren’t perfect either, and I think that was part of their charm.

There’s a great level of emotion in this too along with the suspense, and I found myself needing a tissue toward the end after an incredibly emotional scene with Mojo and Mollie that knocked my socks off and had me crying in the “good-book” way. Just so many good things to say about this one.

Finding Eden was chock-full of romance, suspense and has an action-packed storyline. I devoured this book in a few hours because I just couldn’t put it down. I’m hooked on this series.

Recommended.

PS. There’s a healthy dose of Declan, too! *swoon*
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Eden Butler Bio:

Eden Butler is an editor and writer of New Adult Romance and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary (no cliffie) Romance, “Chasing Serenity” will launch October 2013.

When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football.




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Finding Serenity


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