There is no way I can praise this book and the author, Tillie Cole, enough. I can already tell you I won't be able to do the book justice in my review, but I'm going to try my best. Tillie's written another book that rocked my world and that will rock yours too. All you have to do is start reading and you'll be hooked.
Title:
Sweet Fall (Sweet Home #3)
Author: Tillie Cole
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Publication Date: 26th August 2014
Blog Tour Organised By: Kelly @ Have Book Will Read
Author: Tillie Cole
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Publication Date: 26th August 2014
Blog Tour Organised By: Kelly @ Have Book Will Read
Synopsis:
From the USA Today Best Selling Sweet
Home Series, comes Sweet Fall; a tale of heartache, beating the odds
and finding strength in the most unlikeliest of places.
We all have secrets.
Secrets well buried.
Until we find the one soul who makes the burden of such
secrets just that little bit easier to bear.
Lexington "Lexi" Hart is a senior at the
University of Alabama. Surrounded by her best friends, her loving family and
having fulfilled her life-long dream of making the Crimson Tide cheer squad,
everything is going exactly as she always dreamed it would. But beneath her
happy exterior, demons lurk, threatening to jeopardize everything Lexi has
worked to achieve.
When events in her life become too much to cope with, Lexi
finds herself spiraling down into the realm of her biggest fear. Lexi falls
hard, victim once again to the only thing that can destroy her and, on the way,
finds herself falling straight into the dangerous tattooed arms of a guy from
the wrong side of the tracks.
Austin Carillo, starting Wide Receiver for the Alabama
Crimson Tide, must get picked in this year's NFL draft. He needs it. His
brothers need it. Most importantly, his mother desperately needs it. Brought up
in a world where the poor are forgotten, the sick are left to fend for
themselves and no hero miraculously appears to pull you out of hell, Austin had
no other choice but to make a living on the wrong side of the law—until
football offered Austin the break to get his life back on track.
But when a family tragedy drags him back into the clutches
of the gang he believed he had left far behind, Austin finds himself falling.
Falling back into criminal ways and falling deep into a suffocating darkness.
Until a troubled yet kindred spirit stumbles across his path, where Austin
quickly finds he is falling for a young woman—a young woman who might just have
the power to save him from his worst enemy: himself.
Can two troubled souls find a lasting peace together? Or will they finally succumb to the
demons threatening to destroy them?
New Adult/Contemporary Romance novel—contains
adult content, sexual situations and mature topics. Suited for ages 17 and up.
*CAN BE READ
AS A STAND-ALONE NOVEL*
Goodreads link:
Excerpt:
Hours and hours passed in silence, and I lay on my back just staring once more at the stars through the skylight, the sky brightening with the rising dawn, the dark room now lightened by a hazy orange glow.
I heard Lexi sigh beside me, and I asked, “What do think of when you look up at the stars?”
I caught Lexi’s head tilt to the side and her eyes narrowed in scrutiny.
Minutes passed as she stared silently at the night sky. “Sometimes I wonder what they must make of our world,” she whispered quietly. I didn’t think she’d respond. “Do we fascinate them or disgust them? Do they look down on us the same way we look up at them and wonder what we’re thinking too? Do they see all our problems? Watch our sorrowful excuses for lives with a growing sense of pity? Or do they envy us for just having a life, good or bad?”
Her response surprised me. Sorrowful excuses for lives?
“Ever look at them and feel inferior, feel small?” I added, really wanting to hear her answer.
Lexi fidgeted beside me, lifting her hands to create a frame with her fingers, her left eye closed as she studied Orion’s Belt like she was looking through a telescope. But her hands abruptly lowered and laid flat to her stomach, a guttering expression on her face. “I don’t need to look up at the stars to feel inferior, Austin. All I have to do is open my eyes and look at myself in the mirror.”
My attention snapped to her and a strange feeling rolled my stomach—sympathy?
Lexi yawned beside me and her eyelids began to droop, but she fought to stay awake, never taking her eyes off the stars. I couldn’t stop watching her. Something about her intrigued me. Or maybe it was the fact that she knew about me, about who I was, that drew me to her. I didn’t have to pretend just for right here, right now.
“Go to sleep,” I said after her third consecutive yawn, and she focused on me once more. She was making me fuckin’ tired, and I needed to stay alert.
Lexi simply shook her head and wrapped her arms around her chest, fighting off another yawn.
Damn stubborn chick.
“Lexi, go to fuckin’ sleep. We’re gonna be here all night anyway,” I ordered, and I watched her tired eyes widen.
“Are you gonna sleep?” she asked, and I frowned. Why the fuck did that matter?
“Probably, at some point,” I replied and shrugged my shoulders.
“Okay, then. But…” Her lips pursed in tension. “But please don’t touch me. I… can’t be touched… I’ll stay here hidden, just… don’t touch me.”
“I won’t,” I said vehemently through gritted teeth. Did she think I was gonna grope her in her sleep or some shit? What the hell did she think of me?
Lexi’s eyes closed and, within seconds, she was out, all curled up in the fetal position on the hardwood floor. She looked like a fallen, broken pixie.
Purchase Links:
Amazon UK - http://amzn.to/1pBlocQ
Amazon US - http://amzn.to/1vJtzEJ
B&N - http://bit.ly/1pBlLUX
iBooks - http://bit.ly/1pBmx4e
Kobo (still showing as pre-order) - http://bit.ly/1omDyKf
Author Interview:
1. What inspired you to write your first book?
I had always written
for fun, and one day I just kept writing and the end result was a full-length
novel. I drunkenly told my best friend one night and she, along with my
husband, persuaded me to publish it. I did, and I’ve never looked back. Writing
is my passion, and I am improving everyday. I cannot wait to see what stories I
will create in the future.
2.Which character from Sweet Fall was the easiest to write?
None of them were
easy to write… at all. Sweet Fall is very different to my other books, in the
fact that it deals with some pretty heavy topics… some pretty personal topics.
Every word of this novel, from all of the characters’ mouths tore something
from me and took a part of my soul. It is emotionally, the hardest book I have
ever written, yet probably the proudest thing I’ve ever done. This
story—especially Lexi’s character—is very personal to me. Austin and Lexi broke
my heart from beginning to end.
3.How long does it usually take for you to write a book?
It depends. If the
characters of a story are relentlessly screaming at me in my mind, it could be
as quickly as 4-6 weeks. Other books have taken 2-3 months. I write fast, but I
will only ever put a story out if I feel it will be enjoyed and it does what I
want it to, i.e. make you laugh, cry, be shocked, be in awe, etc…
4.Do you listen to music as you write?
Always. Without
music, I couldn’t write. At the start of each book I create a mood board, map
out the tone I want the novel to convey. Once that’s done, I begin looking on
iTunes for songs that carry that tone, create a playlist, and off I go! Those
playlists are always in the back of my novels and on my website so my readers
can enjoy them too.
5.What's your favorite book of all time?
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen. To me, it is perfect, and Mr. Darcy will always be my ultimate
book boyfriend! I read this novel about three times a year without fail. Then
pretty much anything else by this author!
Review:
★★★★★ stars
I love stories that touch my heart and soul. Sweet Fall is one such novel. I was always eager to find out what/why Lexi hid behind Goth makeup. I had no idea Austin had so much to lose. If there was ever a story that showed how two broken people can either build each other up and/or tear each other down, this is it.
First of all I have to commend Tillie Cole for pouring out her soul and personal experiences into this book. It couldn't have been easy for her, but we the readers and the novel as a whole are better for it. I have my own personal experiences with this disease and this is the first novel where I've seen it explained so honestly. It adds a layer of honesty and depth that propels this book to another stratosphere. Not only do we get to see, experience, and understand Lexi's demons, but we want her to fight them and emerge stronger. The same goes for ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease. It's understood there's no cure, but to read and comprehend what the disease does to those stricken with this disease and their loved ones was devastating as well.
The book is so well written, the pages flew as I read. (I read this book in a little over two hours.) I just couldn't put it down. There were moments when I felt my heart clench with fear, times when I smiled, and when I couldn't sit still as the tension grew to unbearable levels. I truly immersed myself in this book. I was so engrossed in reading, I wasn't even aware of the tears falling from my eyes. Even as I think about it now, my eyes are filling up.
I didn't think I could love any characters more than Molly and Rome, but I was wrong. For fellow Rome and Molly fan's we do get to see them a little. Rome is Austin's best friend, and their story plays out on the sidelines of Lexi and Austin's. Lexi and Austin are truly unique. They didn't meet under the best circumstances, but they were still managed to forge connections with each other that lifted them above the darkness that was drowning them. This story is phenomenal. It's a true mark of the caliber of Tillie's writing. Every book she writes keeps getting better and better. I've come to expect that from her and am always excited to hear a new book is on its way, regardless of the genre. Her books have a permanent home on my bookshelves and will be on yours too. If you haven't read anything by Tillie yet, please pick up Sweet Fall. You won't regret it.
* A copy was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner. I also purchased a paperback for my own shelf.*
* A copy was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner. I also purchased a paperback for my own shelf.*
About the Author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tilliecoleauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074846.Tillie_Cole
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tillie_cole
Blog: http://tilliecole.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074846.Tillie_Cole
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tillie_cole
Blog: http://tilliecole.com/
Giveaway:
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