Release Day Blitz: The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski {Review, Excerpt,+Giveaway!}
The Edge of Always (The Edge of Never #2)by: J.A. Redmerski
Publication Date: Nov. 5, 2013
Publisher: Forever Romance
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 464 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N| Bookish | iTunes
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Camryn Bennett has never been happier. Five months after meeting on a Greyhound bus, she and her soul mate Andrew Parrish are engaged—and a wedding isn’t the only special event in their future. Nervous but excited, Camryn can’t wait to begin the rest of her life with Andrew – a man she knows in her heart will love her always. They have so much to look forward to—until tragedy blindsides them.
Andrew doesn’t understand how this could happen to them. He’s trying to move on, and thought Camryn was doing the same. But when Andrew discovers Camryn is secretly harboring a mountain of pain and attempting to numb it in damaging ways, there is nothing he won’t do to bring her back to life. Determined to prove that their love can survive anything, Andrew decides to take Camryn on a new journey filled with hope and passion. If only he can convince her to come along for the ride…
Andrew doesn’t understand how this could happen to them. He’s trying to move on, and thought Camryn was doing the same. But when Andrew discovers Camryn is secretly harboring a mountain of pain and attempting to numb it in damaging ways, there is nothing he won’t do to bring her back to life. Determined to prove that their love can survive anything, Andrew decides to take Camryn on a new journey filled with hope and passion. If only he can convince her to come along for the ride…
I hear the water from the shower shut off, and seconds later a loud
bang
vibrates through the wall. I jump up from the chair, letting the remote control
hit the floor as I rush toward the bathroom. The edge of the coffee table clips
the shit outta my shin as I pass.
I swing open the bathroom door. “What happened?”
Camryn shakes her head at me and smiles as she leans over to pick
the hair dryer up from the floor beside the toilet.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“You’re more paranoid than I am,” she laughs.
She glances down at my leg as I rub it with my fingertips. She sets
the hair dryer back on the counter, comes up to me, and kisses the side of my
mouth. “Looks like I’m not the one of us who needs to worry about being
accident-prone.” She smiles.
My hands cup her shoulders and I pull her closer, letting one hand
fall down to touch her little rounded belly. I can barely tell she’s pregnant.
At four months I thought she’d at least be emulating a baby hippo, but what do
I know about this stuff?
“Maybe so,” I say, trying to hide the red in my face. “You probably
did that on purpose just to see how fast I could get in here.”
She kisses the other side of my mouth and then goes in for the
kill, kissing me fully and deeply while pressing her wet, naked body against
mine. I moan against her mouth, wrapping my arms around her.
But then I pull away before I fall into her devious trap. “Dammit,
woman, you’ve gotta stop that.”
She grins back at me. “You really want me to stop?”
she asks with that up-to-no-good smile of hers.
It scares the shit out of me when she does that. Once after a
conversation laced with that smile, she stopped having sex with me for three
whole days. Worst three days of my life.
I read and reviewed The Edge of Never back in September and I really enjoyed it. Andrew and Camryn's journey together was a memorable one and I was happy with the way everything fell into place. When I heard there was a sequel and then read the blurb I was overcome with nerves. These two had already been through so much- how much more could they endure?
Andrew and Camryn are two of the strongest characters I think I've ever read about. They have been placed through the ringer time and time again and still manage to come out on the other side stronger. While The Edge of Never was about learning to let go and let yourself fall in love- I found The Edge of Always to focus more on strength of self and how to overcome life's trials and tribulations and create a life that makes you happy. I absolutely thought this book was beautiful in every way and I really believe Redmerski did an excellent job of wrapping up Andrew and Camryn's story. You can really break this story down into two parts: the first part, was about overcoming tragedy and learning how to become whole again and the second part was about living life to the fullest and making every moment count. I did feel the two parts had a rather strange transitioning period. At the end of the first part we are left wondering about some alarming news and then the second we are in a completely different place and I didn't feel those two really flowed that well. That was the only issue that detracted from this story, though. Once I started reading part two I felt like I was in fast forward (but not in a bad way). Things picked up speed perfectly and I found myself wanting to hit the slow down button because I wanted to savor what was happening.
Camryn is such an interesting character. She's unlike any I've ever read. The way that she copes by hiding really broke my heart and I'm so glad Andrew is there for her and will never let her suffer alone. She is such an enigma though. She is very difficult to figure out- one minute she feels one way and is happy to be doing what they are doing, but then the next she questions and doubts their decisions. For someone who doesn't want to have a set plan of her life, it seems her not knowing really makes her even more anxious. Places she thinks she wants to go, she realizes she's trying too hard to recreate past memories instead of making new ones and that really bothers her.
“It’s like, you know, it doesn’t matter what you do, even if you try to replicate an experience down to every last detail, it’ll never be the way it was when it happened naturally the first time.”
Andrew and Camryn are both such free souls and I love that their views on life are so unfettered. Their pact and promises they make to one another are so precious and I love how they'll make each other promise something, but know they could never actually hold true to that promise.
Andrew's devotion to Camryn made my heart hitch so many times that I was left breathless. He is so madly in love with her and would do absolutely anything to make her happy. His happiness was dependent on hers and when those two would get on stage and make music together, I really saw just how well they complemented one another. They have a love that would defy time and space and both have faced so many things together that I knew their love was of the lasting kind.
The epilogue to this book? Perfection. It really was. I know a lot of people hate epilogues but I felt this was so critical to their story and it's a surprise POV from a different character. The story really comes full circle and I really appreciated Redmerski giving that to us.
I found myself enjoying this story more than the first. I loved watching Andrew and Camryn fall in love on the road, but I loved watching their growth and development even more. Watching them turn back to the road after their world has been thrown into disarray and watching them learn how to live again is what made this such a good read for me.
"Life is a journey- not a destination." -RWE
About J.A. Redmerski:
J.A. Redmerski, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children, two cats and a Maltese. She is a lover of television and books that push boundaries and is a huge fan of AMC's The Walking Dead.
Giveaway:
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2 comments
OMG! I cannot wait to read this one! I adore the first book, and Andrew (of course)!! And you are right, Andrew and Camryn are two very strong characters! You also have me very excited about the epilogue!!! *happy smiles*
ReplyDeleteAwesome review and giveaway my friend!!
Yay! I hope you like this one! I know I did! Andrew was so great in this one!
DeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.