Review & Giveaway! Finding Bliss by Dina Silver
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| AMAZON | KINDLE |
Finding Bliss by Dina Silver
Contemporary
Amazon Publishing (July 16, 2013)
Heroine: Chloe Carlyle – Lawyer, Ambitious, Wants a child
Review:
Finding Bliss is a spin off book from Dina Silver’s, One Pink Line. It can be read as a stand-alone.
Life has been hard for Chloe Carlyle, who grew up without a father and lived with an alcoholic, mentally unstable mother. Growing up like this has shaped her life to be ambitious, successful, and determined to build a better life than what she was given. She wants to be like the Reed’s, who have status and wealth. The Reed’s hired Chloe to be their nanny during the summer, while vacationing at their summer home. Once the summer is over, Chloe will be off to law school. She’s always had a crush on the Reed’s eldest son, Tyler Reed, the star quarterback for Notre Dame. When he shows up that summer, Chloe’s crush grows to a whole new level. Chloe falls hard for Tyler’s charm and good looks.
But this love story is forbidden by his parents. They would never approve of Chloe and Tyler being together. And Tyler lets his parent’s dictate how he lives his life. He must be the best of the best in football. He must marry a girl within their social status. That doesn’t stop Tyler and Chloe from forming a friendship that turns into a summer fling. A fling that ends when summer is over.
Chloe is devastated when they part ways at the end of the summer. She goes to law school and Tyler goes back to Notre Dame. They try to stay in touch but the distance is hard for them. Chloe still thinks about him and has never gotten over him. He is the one boy she wants but can’t have. Lots of time goes by before they see each other again. But then Tyler contacts her one wintery night, pleading to see her again, and everything changes on that one fateful night.
***In order to better review this story, I’ve added some SPOILERS BELOW***
Fate works in interesting ways. After that night, a lot of things change between Chloe and Tyler. They become a couple and eventually get married. They never thought they would be THAT couple who couldn’t get pregnant naturally. I felt poor Chloe’s frustration and heartache as she desperately tries to become pregnant. Infertility is hard on any woman who desperately wants a baby. It’s painful not to be able to have a baby when your friends and family are getting pregnant left and right. I also felt Chloe’s pain when things start to crumble and she thought she failed as a wife. I admire Chloe for everything she endures as she tries to remain strong and determined throughout the story.
The first problem I had with this story is Tyler. I really liked Tyler in the beginning. But, as the story progresses, I just stopped caring about him. Unfortunately, I never fell for Tyler as my hero. He really didn’t have much page presence during the story - which made it impossible for me to feel like I got to know him. This was frustrating for me since I’m a romantic at heart and the hero usually makes or breaks a book for me. Don’t get me wrong, Tyler did NOT ruin the story for me, he just didn’t make me swoon like the heroes I generally read do.
The second problem I had with this story is Tyler and Chloe together. They never really struck me as true love. The chemistry felt off. Neither one of them really fought for one another the way a couple in love should. They both worked too much and spent way too much time apart. The author focuses a lot on Chloe trying to get pregnant and, in the meantime, the stress takes a toll on the marriage. It was very sad and frustrating to read as it happens. But, in reality, this happens in marriages all the time.
If I was to choose the true hero in this story, I would say its Chloe’s best friend, Cam. She met him while in law school. His quirky humor, hot nerdiness, kindness, and loyalty to Chloe made me fall for him. Am I hinting around to a love triangle? No. There is no love triangle. But both Cam and Tyler’s characters play an integral role in this story.
I would like to mention that this book reads more like Chic Lit. There is some romance, but it’s more about Chloe’s journey to figuring out life, falling in love, heartache, disappointment, friendship, marriage, infertility, betrayal, and life-changing decisions. This story portrays just how messy, complicated, and unpredictable life can be. I shed some tears and my heart went out to Chloe. One of the things I like most about Miz Silver’s writing is how I can relate to her characters. She writes them deeply flawed and genuinely real. I definitely connected with Chloe on an emotional level. Now I know I’ve mentioned that I didn’t like Tyler and thought the relationship lacked true love chemistry. I still liked this story. I think the author wrote an honest and touching book about real life challenges.
| About the Author
A graduate of Purdue University, Dina Silver has spent the past fifteen years feeding her red wine habit by working as a copywriter in the advertising industry. In addition to writing ad copy, she formed Dinas Ideas (dinasideas.com), a greeting card company, in 2003. Dina serves as the sole writer and designer for the business and has penned over 300 greeting cards since its inception. |
| Find Dina Online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads |
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