Review: The Memory Thief

Rating: ★★★★★

Author: Emily Colin

Genre: Adult Fiction; Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publication Date: August 21, 2012

Pages: 333

Format: E-book; Trade Fiction Paperback

Content Rating: R

"I kept my promise," he says then, his eyes on mine. "I told her I would come back, and I did. Even if it wasn't quite the way I planned." ~ Emily Colin, The Memory Thief

Overview

One man’s vow to his wife sparks a remarkable journey that tests the pull of memory and reaffirms the bonds of love.

Before Madeleine Kimble’s mountaineer husband, Aidan, climbs Mount McKinley’s south face, he makes her a solemn vow: I will come back to you. But late one night, Maddie gets the devastating news that Aidan has died in an avalanche, leaving her to care for their son—a small boy with a very big secret. The call comes from J.C., Aidan’s best friend and fellow climber, whose grief is seasoned with survivor’s guilt . . . and something more. J.C. has loved Maddie for years, but he never wanted his chance with her to come at so terrible a cost.

Across the country, Nicholas Sullivan wakes from a motorcycle crash with his memory wiped clean. Yet his dreams are haunted by visions of a mysterious woman and a young boy, neither of whom he has ever met. Convinced that these strangers hold the answers he seeks, Nicholas leaves everything behind to find them. What he discovers will require a leap of faith that will change all of their lives forever. (Ballantine)

Review

After reading the overview for The Memory Thief, I knew right off the bat I was in for an emotion-filled read.  I expected the sadness, grief, sympathy and pain that would accompany any book about losing a soul mate, but I didn't expect all the other emotions this book brought to light.  Hope, confusion, anger, love and yearning all war within as you follow Aidan's journey back to his family so he can fulfill his promise.

I spotted Emily Colin's debut novel on the shelf at Target in the emerging author section right next to another author I recently found and loved, Catherine McKenzie (see my review of Arranged), so I decided to give the book a try and wow did this book completely blow me away!  So much so, that I finished it in a day and a half.

The Memory Thief struck a chord with me.  I related with all the main characters on so many different levels it was a little rattling.  So I will be up front and say that my ability to relate in such real terms caught me by surprise and turned this book into a rather personal reading experience but regardless I will do my best to review it objectively.

The fact that this is Colin's first novel is astonishing.  She effortlessly wove together such an intricate and beautiful story.  Her characters were completely fleshed-out and her writing strikes the perfect balance between ease and complex.  There is constantly a question or a mystery beckoning you to keep reading, to move forward even in the midst of the heartbreaking moments.

Colin's heroine, Madeline Kimble, is one of my all-time favorite heroines in that she is flawed, vulnerable, forgiving and real.  She makes unconventional choices that she isn't always happy with but she doesn't discount them.  She wars within herself and hurts and finds peace.  It is as consuming as Aidan's journey back to her. 

Aidan's progression throughout the story was inspiring and sad all at once.  He never loses his dare devil spirit and the stigma of selfishness that accompanies it continues to have repercussions but I absolutely loved him by the end. I could easily see why Maddie took the risk and loved him as she did. 

There were actually three completely worthy heroes in this book.  Who wouldn't love that! In addition to Aidan, you also have the wonderfully steady J.C. and the confused complexity of Nicholas who has lost his own identity.

Some reviewers/ readers have been taken by surprise with the sexual intimacy that takes place throughout this book since it is marketed more as adult fiction rather than romance but personally I felt the sexual context was essential.  It conveyed the depth of emotion, the soul deep connections and the warring of feelings that takes this book to another level.  So be warned that there are scenes of sexual nature throughout this book and decide for yourself. 

I loved every word.

Have You Seen These Former Indies?

In honor of the mass market release today of two of my all-time favorite self-published romances (see Easy and Thoughtless/ Effortless below), I thought I would try something different and play a quick round of indie to mass market trivia.

Did you know that a growing number of the books making their way up the bestsellers list and gracing the bookshelves of stores worldwide were once self-published? With E-Readers and self-publishing tools, authors can start their own career with an idea, a computer and some ingenuity. 

I'm proud to say I read all the books listed below when they were fledgling indies (and if you are a Nook reader I have most of them to loan in their original indie splendor, just send me your info.) If not, you can find them all on store shelves everywhere in their mass market polished form!

Fifty Shades of Grey / Fifty Shades Darker / Fifty Shades Freed

Vintage Books (an imprint of Random House) didn't change one aspect of the covers of E.L. James bestsellers when they acquired publishing rights for this pop culture phenom earlier this year.  They didn't have to, because these covers do exactly what they should. They get your attention and draw you in.  Here is a side of trivia for you Fifty fans.  Did you know the Fifty Shades trilogy was originally called Master of the Universe and was published online as Twilight fan fiction? Yep, Fifty is a grown up version of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight saga, only with riding crops and a damaged Dom instead of vampires and werewolves.


Gabriel's Inferno / Gabriel's Rapture

Like Fifty Shades of Grey, the Gabriel's Inferno series originally began as serialized fan fiction of....... Twilight.  After it's fan fiction days, Gabriel's Inferno was formatted in novel form and sold through Omnific, a small publishing house until Penguin paid seven figures for both of Sylvain Reynard's break-out novels this summer.  Reynard is currently working on the third installment in this series.

On The Island

On The Island was my very first self-publish purchase and thank God for that! I was a little hesitant buying it and the original cover didn't really help to ease my apprehension. What I found on the inside, however, blew me away and took away my fear of the self-published in the process. To date, Garvis Graves has sold over half a million copies of On The Island, signed a deal with MGM for the movie option of her debut novel and spent over ten weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Love Unscripted / Love Unrehearsed

Tina Reber's indie debut, Love Unscripted, is an indie that I would rather read in its mass market form because it desperately needed grammar and content editing in indie form.  But what it did have, was an excellent story!  I really look forward to re-reading this now that Simon & Schuster/Artia editors have gotten a hold of it.  It's sequel, Love Unrehearsed, was released last month.





Slammed / Point of Retreat 

What have I not said about these two indie gems?  I love them! I am waiting anxiously for book three.  I am over the moon that the rights for these books have been optioned for movies by Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers, Salt).  My first review on this blog was of Slammed.  I have a review of Point of Retreat in progress.  Colleen Hoover writes with a depth of personality that is too often lacking in novels.  Her books  always have a deeper meaning, something beyond the beautiful love story.  Hurry, go check them out!

Beautiful Disaster

Okay, I am admittedly on the bench where Jamie McGuire's bestselling indie, Beautiful Disaster, is concerned.  But you cannot deny that Beautiful Disaster has struck a chord with a growing mass of romance readers. So much so, that two of Hollywood's biggest studios went into a major bidding war to obtain the movie rights!  McGuire has wrapped up the sequel, Walking Disaster, which is a retelling from the hero's (Travis) point of view.  It is expected to be released in early 2013.



Bared To You

I call the cover makeover Penguin commissioned of Bared to You 'The Fifty Treatment.'  They had the gumption to jump on the fifty bandwagon and it worked.  Loads of fifty readers finish off Fifty Shades of Grey and pick up right away with Bared to You's Eva and Gideon.  Day's books are now gracing the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list right alongside and often ahead of E.L. James' Fifty Shades Trilogy.  Day released book two in the Crossfire trilogy, Reflected in You, last month and will release the final installment Entwined with You in 2013.

The Vincent Boys / The Vincent Brothers

The Vincent Boys was my first Abbi Glines book and it has so far been my least favorite.  The last two she put out, While it Lasts and Just For Now,  have been my favorites.  It seems she is progressing very nicely as a story teller and I find myself wanting to pick up her books more and more.  A good majority of her books (including those listed above) have been included in her contract with publishing giant Simon & Schuster. So keep an eye out!



If I Were You

If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones is described as "Fifty Shades of Grey meets Basic Instinct." Wow, that is a leathal combo!  Simon and Schuster snatched up If I Were You and took over publication in August 2012. They will publish the remaining two novels in this trilogy, Being Me and Revealing Us, in 2013.

Released This Week

Easy

When Tammara Webber announced that she had signed with Penguin to publish her break-out novel Easy, I was not surprised one single bit.  If I was surprised about anything, it was that it took so long.  For me, Webber's self-published books have been produced on par with anything a major publisher puts out.  They have been formatted perfectly, edited professionally and written with the prose of a seasoned writer.  If any self-published author deserves to be elevated to the ranks of mass market, it is most certainly Tammara Webber.


Thoughtless / Effortless

This indie series is so consuming that I will not flinch one bit when I have to pay full industry price for the third and final book in this series, Reckless, when it comes out in early 2013.  In fact, I am now asking myself "why have I not written a review of this one?!!!"  I love the two books that make-up Stephen's Thoughtless series in a serious way.  Mostly because of the tortured rock star awesomeness that is Kellan Kyle.  Move over Cristian Grey because Kellan is hands down my favorite romance hero.

Upcoming Indies Being Published

On Dublin Street

On Dublin Street was originally released as an indie just two month ago (September 2012), within a month of it's release it was snatched up by Penguin's NAL imprint.  It also made it's way to the New York Times Bestsellers list in the first two weeks of release.  For a self-published e-book, this is almost unheard of!  Today, On Dublin Street has a near perfect star rating on Goodreads.com with 4.43 out of 5 stars and over 13,500 raters.  Pretty darn impressive.



Crash

As an indie novel, Crash had lots of potential but the writing needed serious editing. Unfortunately, the run on sentences and poor execution of commas and punctuation really brought it down for me. I am anxious to see what the editors at Harper Collins can do with this one.  I actually like the original cover (the ballerina) better than the new published version.  The original stands out among the throngs of YA fiction novels and tells you a story in just a glance.

On The Horizon

Here are a few indies I think stand a good a chance in joining the ranks of those above.

Sea of Tranquility

By Katja Millay

The Opportunist

By Tarryn Fisher

Losing It 
By Cora Carmack

The Secret of Ella and Micha
By Jessica Sorenson

Down To You
By M. Leighton

Review: The Sea of Tranquility

Rating: ★★★★☆(4.5)

Author: Katja Millay

Genre: New Adult Fiction; Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Anitsocialite Press LLC

Publication Date:  September 5, 2012

Pages: 380

Format: E-book

Content Rating: PG-13

“I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.” ~ Katja Millay, The Sea of Tranquility

Overview

Full of rage and without a purpose, former pianist Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone discovering her past and to make the boy who took everything from her pay.

All 17 year-old Josh Bennett wants is to build furniture and be left alone, and everyone allows it because it’s easier to pretend he doesn’t exist. When your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, a hot mess of a girl who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. The more he gets to know her, the more of a mystery she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he may ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a slow-building, character-driven romance about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances. (Goodreads.com)

Review

Katja Millay's debut novel, The Sea of Tranquility,  is a sad, lonely and absolutely beautiful work of fiction.

I always read up about the author before I pick up a book.  Being a writer myself, I guess I am just interested in their motivations and quirks.  Reading up on Millay, I discovered she was once in film school and after reading The Sea of Tranquility I can see it totally fits.  Her prose are so beautifully descriptive and and her characters are so fully fleshed out, it is almost like you are watching a movie in your mind's eye.

Millay, herself, describes her novel as "a slow-building, character-driven romance" and she is right on both accounts.  On first appearance, this novel builds slowly to the point of frustration at times but once you reach the end you realize that the build was actually gaining in intensity all the way to the very last word.

Both the hero (Josh) and the heroine (Nastya) are tragic, broken people.  Honestly, they really depressed me, but damn if I couldn't put their story down!  There were points in their story that I truly felt like I was drop kicked straight in my gut.....hard. There were also points where I wanted to strangle both hero and heroine for putting me through all the angst.  But the moments where these two connect, where they are drawn to each other and to the possibility of a reset of their young lives is worth every second of angst.

I don't do spoilers, but I will say this:  This whole novel is built around the last few sentence and they will take your breath away ( but only if you do the work and follow Nastya and Josh's journey from the first to the last word.) The reward is in finish.

Review: Arranged

Rating: ★★★★★

Author: Catherine McKenzie

Genre: Adult Fiction; Contemporary Romance; Chick-Lit

Publisher: (William Morrow) Harper Collins

Publication Date: January 8, 2011

Pages: 243

Format: E-Book, Trade Fiction Paperback

Content Rating: PG-13

“You just need to be honest with yourself about what kind of life you want.  And once you do that, you'll know what you want and how to get it." ~ Catherine McKenzie, Arranged

Overview

Anne Blythe has a great life: a good job, close friends, and a potential book deal for her first novel. When it comes to finding someone to share her life with, however, she just can't seem to get it right. When her latest relationship implodes, and her best friend announces she's engaged, Anne impulsively calls what she thinks is a dating service—only to discover that it's actually an exclusive, and pricey, arranged marriage service. Anne initially rejects the idea, but the more she learns about the service, the more she thinks: Why not? After all, arranged marriages are the norm for millions of women around the world; maybe it could work for her.

A few months later, Anne is travelling to a Mexican resort, where in one short weekend she will meet and marry Jack. And against all odds, it seems to be working out-until Anne learns that Jack, and the company that arranged their marriage, are not what they seem at all. (Harper Collins /Goodreads)

Review

I love it when I stumble on a book that I was not expecting and it then turns out to be exactly what I need.  Such was my introduction to the beautifully simple writing style of Catherine McKenzie through her second book Arranged.

I came across Arranged while searching through the 'Deals' section on my Nook. It was temporarily marked down to $1.99 (Although, the sale did not last long at all and it is now back to its standard $9.99.) I will confess it was the cover that caught my eye initially.  Then I read the overview and thought to myself, "hmm, this is different.  I need something different. My book rut is quickly becoming a book pothole. "  After reading over some reviews that explained how McKenzie wove in a correlation to the classic serial Anne of Green Gables, I was sold (my sister-in-law and my niece are HUGE Anne fans.)

What I didn't expect was how absorbed I would be after only the first few pages and even more that it would continue to keep me entertained all the way to the end. 

Arranged was first and foremost a strong character-driven self discovery novel.  It had a handful of life themes that really wrapped up Anne's journey in a heart-felt and realistic manner.  'Forgiveness', 'making your own way' and 'love requires hard work' are the most prominent lessons Anne navigates through her relationship with Jack and the trials of their arranged marriage. 

I really can't say enough good things about McKenzie's writing style.  It flows so easily.  The dialogue is crisp and the settings transport you seamlessly.  My mind did not have to work to understand the characters or the plot even though both were complex and three-dimensional.  It just clicked. A writer that can do that is one to add to your favorites list. What impresses me even more is that McKenzie is a  lawyer by day and writes in her spare time!  I'll be picking up McKenzie's first novel Spin next and will follow that up with her new novel Forgotten when it is released on October 16.

Bookshelf Rewind: September 2012

September was a pretty good month book wise.  I had a five-star read that I have been waiting for all year, a good helping of four-star reads and even my three-star reads leaned more towards three and a half-stars!  

Kristin's Bookshelf for September 2012

Seduced in the Dark (★★★★★) By C.J. Roberts

I have been waiting all year for this one and wow did it pay off! I was sorely mistaken in assuming it could not get any darker or more disturbing than its predecessor Captive in the Dark. It was almost too much at times but one of the best story lines I have come across (if you can stomach some of the content.) I will be reviewing this one very soon!

On Dublin Street (★★★★☆ 4.5) By Samantha Young

This indie novel has quickly become a hit since its release at the beginning of the month. It has an original plot and keeps you invested in the story all the way through. I sat on the fence for a while on whether or not it deserved five-stars but after reading Seduced in the Dark, I bumped it down to 4.5 stars. Plus it takes place in Edinburgh, my most favorite city in the world :)

The Book Thief (★★★★☆) By Marcus Zusak

This novel is moving and deserving of its many awards for sure. It does, however, take fortitude to read it. It is set during WWII and is narrated by Death. Enough said.

Down To You (★★★★☆) By M.Leighton

I really enjoyed this indie read even though I could predict the outcome by page 10. It was a fast read and the plot line was unique. It will have a sequel that I will be sure to pick up.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour(★★★☆☆) By Morgan Matson

This one was a near miss for me. I really liked the story but I felt it got weighed down in the descriptions of settings. It almost felt like a love letter to fast food with all the stops along the way (too many to remember).

Send (★★★★☆) By Patty Blount

Send was not what I expected and that was a good thing! Yeah, it had romance but that was not what held you captive. This one is narrated by 18-year-old Daniel Ellison (Kenny) and it is a serious look at bullying.

Somebody To Love (★★★★☆) By Kristan Higgins

Kristan Higgins writes engaging romance stories but not sex. You will not find descriptive love scenes in her novels. Sometimes that works and sometimes not. This time it worked really well. Her characters in this one are so well written and have such personality that you don't miss the steam.

The Next Always (★★★★☆) By Nora Roberts

This is classic Nora Roberts. I know that for the most part if I pick up a Nora Roberts book I am gonna get a story I will want to finish. That is what makes her one of the most successful romance authors of all times. I am invested and will be reading the next two in this series ASAP!

Unravel Me(★★★☆☆) By Kendall Ryan

This indie had so much potential. I read the overview and was really looking forward to it! Unfortunately it missed more than it hit the mark. The hero and heroine could have connected more, could have worked harder to solve the mystery of his identity. It had a lot of sex and not a lot of chemistry.

On My Bookshelf for October 2012

The Sea of Tranquility By Katja Millay
The Fault in Our Stars By John Green
Futures and Frosting By Tara Sivec
Unbroken By Lauren Hillenbrand
My Favorite Mistake By Chelsea Cameron
Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn
Dead Until Dark By Charlaine Harris
The Last Boyfriend By Nora Roberts