LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I literally just finished it, You know when you read a book and have to write about it straight away and tell everyone about it Thats how I feel about this book.
I can't believe this is Renee's debut novel! It feels like she has been doing it forever,
With this book you go through so many emotions along with Adriana, the pain,guilt and heartache,
Adriana has spent the past sixteen months numb over the death of her husband Alex, She can't even bear to hear his name being mentioned, she completely shuts downs, She can't even handle being touched by her friends, . . I have to mention her group of friends 'cause they great and always have her back,
In comes Tucker Stavros into her life and bam!!! Things change could to say i LOVE Tucker so much sigh He is getting away from his own mess, his girlfriend ofyears cheating on him but why he is sooo HOT!!!.
Tucker is a well known actor but nothing like you expect, He's hot but so sweet too,
They both help each other heal in a way no one else could,
This book has it all! It's HOT, sweet and pulls on your emotions,
I couldn't put this book down, read it in one sitting,
CAN'T RECOMMEND THIS BOOK ENOUGH!!
MASSIVE
CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK!!! NEED MORE TUCKER!!!! Guilt, sorrow, longing, pain, emptiness these are just a few of the emotions that Adriana Manroe is dealing with after the death of her husband Alex, the love of her life,
"I miss you so much Alex.
I wish I could kiss you one more time, Touch you in any way. I don't know how to do this without you, "
How can she ever bring herself to move on
Tucker Stavros the movie star, the man everyone want to be or be with.
He seems to have it all, But when he is betrayed by his girlfriend of two years, he can't take it anymore and takes off,
Tucker, on his quest to just getting away from it all, finds himself taking the advice of his Grams and ends up on the doorstep of Adriana.
Unbeknownst to him, this angel of beauty is a broken soul,
They end up on a journey of self discovery both broken and not knowing how to move on, they seem to help each other.
They both seem to have a way to break down each others walls in a way no one else has been able to before.
They both find themselves wanting something more but just not knowing how to get there and make it possible,
This a beautiful story, Yes, it has heartache and sorrow, but it also is a story of finding a way to move on in life and allow yourself to feel for another person again.
This story is about love lost and love gained, passion in a way of sorrow and passion in a way of love and lust.
This book will grip you and hold you hostage, daring you to put it down, You will go though a range of emotions, just like the characters in this book,
Oh, but don't get me wrong, this book is also a HOTT read, Yes, this is a very steamy read as well and you wont be disappointed,
"SHHH Tucker. Don't ruin it. I want this. You. Take me to my room please, " Adriana
"I've wanted you, this since you turned around and smiled at me in your driveway, I thought I thought well i thought I was looking at an angel, All the times we've started and stopped, " Tucker
The flow to this story and the connection you have to this book is perfect, You can't help but feel what they feel and want more,
I highly recommend this book and give it a much deservedstar rating, Thank you for such a great story with amazing characters!! This book wasand I need the next one like yesterday! Summer better get here real soon! What a great book with so much emotion!!! SNS Overall Rating:.
Dee's
A pleasant journey of growing into a love relationship with some mighty demons to overcome by Adriana and Tucker.
Even though they are attracted to each other, they each have built walls around their hearts, Enjoyed reading their thoughts as they struggle with conflicting emotions, One wants to nudge them together, encouraging them to take a leap of faith, Tucker only wants to be loved for himself and not for his money or fame or as a substitute for Alex.
Rejection and abandonment are Tucker's issues while guilt and self loathing are Adriana's,
My favorite scene was the afternoon she confronted the Wicked Witch from the North, Hallelujah!! In spite of feistiness, her insecurities are so huge and her mind is so twisted when it comes to Alex.
Learning to accept what is and to let go are two important lessons for her to learn, I'm hooked I must have the next book! I was given this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Five Stars!
Sharlene's
Waking Up is the first installment in the Healing Hearts series, Tucker and Adriana are two tortured souls one more than the other, They are tossed together and try to work out their troubles together,
The characters were all great, I fell in love with each and every one of them, You even see a lot of the secondary characters in this story, The way the author incorporates multiple POV is terrific, I love seeing how each individual reacts and thinks about the situation at hand, You would think this would get confusing but each character/couple is so different that it is easy to tell them all apart.
Even though I love this aspect of the book, the author tends to overdo it in the beginning, Instead of continuing the story with each of the main characters, she reiterates the same scene over and over, So there tends to be a lot of repeating scenes in this installment, I did find myself skimming these sections as it felt redundant to me, I also found myself getting very frustrated with Adriana, She really needs to bury her husband once and for all! Tucker is very sweet and extremely patient, I found myself yelling at him to get over her and move on but he has more patience than I ever could.
The story itself is kind of stereotypical big famous movie star meets little miss small town, But the way they meet and stay interacting was unique enough in itself to keep my interest, Very easy to read. However, it felt a little drawn out to me, I felt the book could have been a little bit shorter,
This is not a standalone but doesn't have a huge cliffhanger just a little one, Here's hoping that Adriana can finally make up her mind in the next installment, Reading a story about a woman who has lost her husband is heart wrenching, Adriana struggles to let her late husband Alex go and her family and friends are worried for her, One day a sexy hot movie star turns up in her driveway, unable to turn the sexy Tucker Stavros away she offers to cook a meal for him.
There is a underlining connection there but Adri refuses to see it or allow herself to feel it,
Tucker has been hurt and cheated on so he travels to clear his head, When he meets the very beautiful Adriana, he also senses the connection but feels she won't let him in, I had high hopes for them, Slowly they connect but not, Adri is still clinging to Alex for dear life even though Tucker wants more from her.
I really wanted to shake Adri and tell her to just let Tucker in, But on the other side I wanted to shake Tucker and tell him she isn't worth it, Talk about push and pull feelings, Her friends accept him and I loved the banter between them and how they accepted Tucker into their little crew.
She hurts him more than she knows but Tucker sticks it out, until he has to go back to work.
Adri takes their newly started relationship and crushes it by leaving him at the airport after a goodbye kiss,
I really hope that Adri lets him in, in thebook, they both deserve to be happy and fingers crossed it's with each other.
Amy
Eye Candy Bookstore Manager
This book is NOTHING like I was expecting it to be.
Not on the first page, notpages in, notpages in, It was constantly surprising me because even when I was sure I knew what was going to happen, oh how off base I was.
I spent the entire time clutching my iPad like a lifeline, I cried, I yelled, I was shocked, and I was in love, I felt every emotion in the book, I will say as a warning to all that there is a sequel coming, so if you were expecting every loose end to be tied up in a pretty bow forget it now.
Tucker is an amazingly deep character even though I think he probably focused on sex too often rather than more emotional connections.
Adri, well I am going to let everyone make their own decisions about Adri, She has had a rough go of it and I understand why she is the way she is but man did I want to smack the crap out of her a billion times.
This is an amazing heartwrenching book and EVERYONE needs to read this, I literally read it ALL in one night, I couldn't stop!! I love Renee's writing and I am dying waiting for the sequel to this book!!!
This was an ARC given to me for an honest review.
.out ofHollywood Heart throb!
Having not not read the synopsis of this book before I began reading and had no idea what I was in for.
It was a pleasant surprise, While the dual POV from the main characters slowed my reading down at the beginning, once additional characters were introduced into the story, the book progressed at a nice pace.
Adri and her friends are very likable characters, They are a tight knit group with a long storied history and are bound by a strong love for one another.
Adri is struggling with a difficult life event and when a handsome stranger/non stranger arrives out of nowhere, Being the trusting individual she is, she invites Tucker, into her home after he helps her with her groceries, She enjoys having someone to cook for and showcase her culinary talents for,
Tucker has hit the road trying to distance himself from a very bad and public breakup, Trying to stay under the radar is wearing on his nerves and he takes the advice of someone he loves and goes off the beaten path.
Renee takes these two very vulnerable individuals, throws them together in what seeks like a completely plausible situation and makes you feel for them, fall in love with them and has you wanting them to fall in love with each other.
The baggage that each carries creates so much conflicted tension that the tears welled up for me time after time.
This is the first book in the series and I look forward to seeing where it takes these characters whom I have grown to love.
This was Renee Dyer's debut novel and holy hell it was HOT!!! She did an outstanding job writing this, She brought in everyone's point of view and made it work amazingly,
Adriana Monroe had everything she could ever want, an amazing job, the best friends anyone could ask for and the love of her life , Alex.
One horrible night her world came crashing down hard, A year later she is still grieving the death of Alex, All she is is an empty shell that can't feel anymore, Her friends try to help her but she wont let anyone in, All she wants to do is drown in her pity,
Tucker " freakin " Stavro's is a hot movie star who has had a horrible childhood, All he wants to do is be normal, Be treated normal. Not have the paparazzi all over him/, When he walks in on his girlfriend of two years cheating on him he knows he needs to get away for a while.
Clear his head. In the craziest way ever he runs into Adriana and for both of them there is an instant attraction, Tucker brings out the Adriana that no one has seen in a year, Friendly, playful Adriana. She makes Tucker feel normal, She treats him like a human being instead of some big shot actor, They both know that being around the other is changing them for the better but also scares the crap out of them.
They never thought they could feel again they only thought that their lives were meant to be miserable, Can they get over their pain and start to let one another in or are they to broken to try
Loved the story.
I cannot wait for the next book, I loved this book! I couldn't put it down, I sat for hours reading it,
The book is packed full of emotions, And trust me you will feel everyone right along with the characters,
The entire book is very personal and heartfelt,
The book is based over a couple week period of time, We come to know Adriana a widow who is living her life as an otherwise empty shell, and Tucker the famous movie star trying to get away from the publicity and cheating girlfriend.
Along with them we have a group of supportive and protecting set of friends to Adriana,
Adriana lost her husband a year ago in a car wreck, She lost more then a husband but no one in her world knows of this until she shares the information with Tucker of all people.
Tucker is a very understanding man, he understands she misses her dead husband but we still see his pain as he suffers through watching her talk to "Alex" and miss him so much.
How will it all play out Will they end up together
I can't wait for book two.
Seriously like I need it right now,
This was a very emotional read, I still am reeling from everything that this book made me feel, The ending was I don't even know how to describe it, . . I loved it and hated it, I just can't wait for Book!! I hope that there is a book! Everyone should go read this book! Thanks Sarah R.
for recommending it to me!! I was gifted a copy for an honest review!
I absolutely LOVE this story and it has so much depth I couldn't put it down.
.
I wasn't a fan of the multiple POV at first but it grew on me and gave the storyline deeper meaning for me.
This story is about loss, love and healing in several levels throughout the book,
Tucker oh man Tucker yum yum!!! I am truly a Tucker slut for life!!! I loved Adri and all of the characters.
There is a realism to the story that had me crying, laughing and yelling at my kindle!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more about all of the
characters Adriana Monroe has been living the last sixteen months of her life in Hell.
If you could even call it living, Her husband and best friend, Alex, was killed in a car accident, They had known each other since they met in Kindergarten, In her attempts to deal with what has happened, Adriana has been pretending to be fine when she is around their closeknit group of friends.
But she is secretly dying inside and is thinking she needs to move away from them and all of her memories of Alex.
Tucker Stavros is a movie star that is haunted by his past and running from his present devastation.
He has no plan and is driving aimlessly to get away from it all, with the only contact he has being his grandmother and best friend, Eddie.
And then he stumbles across Adriana,
Neither one of them are prepared for the reactions they have to one another, Adriana, for the first time since Alex died, feels alive for the first time, Tucker has always felt lost and abandoned, But Adriana makes him feel at home, And he wants to keep that feeling,
My heart breaks for both of them, Adriana has such a hard time dealing with Alex's death that she just can't decide anything, And that both breaks my heart and makes me mad at her! Tucker wants to help and protect her but realizes she hasn't let go of Alex yet.
Tucker struggles with his own demons, and his view of the whole situation breaks my heart, I just want to comfort him all by myself!
The Waking Up's first few chapters are told in dual points of view, however they are merely retellings of the same scenes.
That did bother me at first because it seemed to drag things out too long for my liking, But, as the book progresses the story moves along more quickly,
I can say that I really did like this book a lot, The story intrigued me and made me want more, Especially with the way the book ends! I could not believe I was left hanging like that! You must read this book so you can understand what I am talking about!! After such a great story, I certainly hope there is a resolution in a future book that I don't have to wait for forever!!!
As for whether or not Adriana and Tucker ever admit their feelings to one another.
I'll never tell. .
Avail Yourself Waking Up (Healing Hearts, #1) Constructed By Renee Dyer Provided As Softcover
Renee Dyer