Thirty-year-old Daisy DiStefano has two people she holds dear: the grandmother who raised her, and her three-year-old son, Elliott. But when Daisy’s grandmother is killed in a seemingly random act of violence, Daisy must take steps to protect herself and her child.
Despite a thriving career in San Francisco, thirty-six-year-old Brooks McClain has returned home to spend what little time his mother has left before she succumbs to the deadly disease that is ravaging her. The seasoned investigative reporter has taken a position with the local newspaper and been on the job less than twenty-four hours when he’s summoned to cover the death of Pauline Thorpe.
Brooks is all business, but the more time he spends with Daisy DiStefano, the more invested he becomes; there’s something about a single mother, a defenseless child, and an unsolved crime that has stirred Brooks’s protective instincts like nothing ever has before.
And when the unthinkable happens, Brooks will do whatever it takes to clear the name of the woman he’s fallen for and the child he’ll protect at any cost.
Romantic and suspenseful,
Every Time I Think of You shows how far two people will go to fight for the ones they love, and the life they’ve always imagined.
Pre-Order Every Time I
Think of You at Amazon
Chapter One
Three-year-old
Elliott DiStefano hid underneath his mother’s bed when the shouting started. He
didn’t understand what the raised voices coming from the living room meant, but
instinct told him to hide.
No one ever
yelled in his house. Sometimes they used a different tone with him, firmer.
“Stop climbing everything, you little monkey,” his mama would say or, “It’s
time to pick up your toys and get ready for bed,” Nana would announce. Most of
the time he would do what they said, although sometimes they had to ask him
twice, especially if what he’d rather do was play a little longer. But they
never spoke to him in such a harsh way, and they never told him to shut up like
the man in the living room just did to Nana.
Elliott
clutched his favorite green army man tightly in his hand. His nana had given
him a bath after their early dinner at five, and asked if he was ready to put
on his pajamas. “I can do it myself,” he’d told her, and she’d smiled and
walked out of the bedroom he shared with Mama, closing the door behind her.
She’d promised they could watch a movie and that Elliott could have one of the
cookies they’d baked earlier that day for his bedtime snack. But then someone
knocked on the door and now there was yelling and no movie and no cookie.
The man’s
voice was scary and mean. Nana sounded like she was crying and as Elliott’s
fear grew he began to tremble. The yelling got a little louder, followed by a
crash and a thud. Then nothing. Was the bad man still there? What if he’d left
but planned to come back? Elliott could no longer hear Nana’s voice and he
wondered where she went. Did she leave? Did she go with the man? He curled
himself into a tight ball and began to cry silent tears.
He had no
way of knowing how much time had passed. It was dark under the bed and the
crying had tired him out, so he rubbed his stinging eyes and took a little nap.
When he woke up he desperately needed to go to the bathroom. His mama and Nana
had been so proud of him when he stopped wearing diapers, and he hardly ever
had accidents, but he couldn’t risk leaving the safety he’d found under the
bed. The minutes ticked by and though he tried his best to hold it, he peed in
his pajamas, soaking himself from the waist down. He started to shiver.
It was quiet
for a long time and then someone banged on the door and shouted something, but
Elliott didn’t know if that was bad or good. He heard voices in the living
room, not yelling, just talking, but he remained hidden. Mama would be home
soon and she’d know what to do. Elliott decided to wait for her under the bed.
More voices,
drawing closer. The door to the bedroom opened. Elliott froze, wondering if it
was the bad man coming to get him. He didn’t make a sound as a pair of legs
wearing dark blue pants, with a stripe down the side, came into view. If he
didn’t say a word or make any noise, maybe the person would leave.
No one would
have known he was there if he hadn’t coughed at that very moment. It was a bit
dusty underneath the bed, and Elliott already felt a little wheezy, like he
might need another dose of his medicine.
The legs bent as someone crouched down to look under the bed and Elliott
squeezed his eyes shut, terrified of what he might see.
“It’s okay.”
The man said, speaking softly. “I’m a policeman. I’m here to help. Can you come
out from under there?” Heart pounding, Elliott didn’t answer. He couldn’t.
More
footsteps. More dark blue legs. Elliott stayed put. No one was yelling, but
Elliott’s heart was still beating fast, and his body felt like Jell-O. A lady
wearing a dark blue uniform lay down on the floor next to the bed. “What’s your
name?” she asked. She sounded a little like his mama. Her smile was nice like
Mama’s, too. He didn’t think a bad person would smile at him, so he answered
her. “Ewiott,” he whispered.
“My name is
Officer Ochoa but you can call me Regina, okay?” He nodded. “How old are you,
Elliott?” she asked. Using the hand not clutching the army man he held up three
fingers.
“Three, huh?
That’s a good age. I want you to know that you’re safe and no one will hurt
you. Can you come out from under there? Here, take my hand.” She stretched out
her hand to him and he hesitated but finally touched her palm with his fingers.
She urged him gently toward her. Once he was close enough she reached in and
grabbed him by his pajama top, pulling him the rest of the way out.
Elliott
blinked and let his eyes adjust to the light. One of the officers noticed his
wet pajamas, and his shivering, and they wrapped his Thomas the Tank Engine
comforter around him, speaking in low, soothing tones.
“I want Nana
and Mama,” he said. They could barely hear him.
“What is your mama’s name?” they asked.
“Daisy,” he
said. He knew this was true because it was the name other people called her
when they said hello. And it was easy to remember because it was the name of a
flower, and he liked flowers.
“Do you know
your last name?”
He nodded.
He and Mama had practiced saying it. “DiStefano,” Elliott said. Maybe it didn’t
come out as clearly as it sounded to him because they repeated it back like a
question and he nodded.
The officers
exchanged a glance and one of them said, “Got it.” The officer who spoke
scribbled something on a pad of paper and left the room.
“We’re going
to take you to the police station and we’ll call your mom so she can come get
you,” Officer Ochoa said. “Okay?”
He wanted
his mama more than anything, so he said okay, and when she bent down and
scooped him up, comforter and all, he put his arms around her neck. She hurried
down the hallway and just before they got to the door, when he would have tried
to look for Nana to make sure she was coming too, Officer Ochoa pulled
Elliott’s head down to her chest and all he could see was the dark blue of her
uniform.
Trailer
Friday, December 4, 2015
EVEN BETTER the Second Time Around - My Review of the PLUS ONE Audiobook by Elizabeth Fama
Author: Elizabeth Fama
Narrator(s): Julia Whelan
Series: n/a
Length: 10 hrs 3 mins
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR
Publication Date: April 8, 2014
Source: gifted by author
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
Disclosure: I'm friends with the author. And when she told me she was planning to have an audiobook produced for Plus One, I was ecstatic. I've been wanting to re-read this phenomenal story pretty much since the moment I first finished the book. Then she told me she was in talks with the incomparable Julia Whalen to narrate, and I was over the moon.
I've listened to many, many novels narrated by Whalen, and she never fails to impress. I've also heard her voice characters with accents, French included, and I knew she was the perfect choice for this endeavor. And I told Beth that I thought so. It's been months in the making, but the audiobook version of Plus One is now available, and when Beth offered me a copy, I couldn't say yes fast enough.
And it was everything I was hoping for and more. If I loved this book the first time I read it, I loved it even more upon my re-read via audio. The story is so lovely and heartbreaking and it can cut you to the core if you let it. But it's also a fabulous story about the human spirit and how hard it is to break.
Julia's narration of Plus One is just so on point. She just has this way of making you forget you're even listening to a book; her narration is so captivating that you can't help but become engrossed in the story. Julia's performance made this story even more beautiful than I could have imagined, most especially because Whelan's French is worlds better than my inadequate attempt to pronounce it in my head. :P But she also just embodied Sol to a degree that I couldn't have expected; she absolutely nailed the character, not that I had any doubts.
Essentially, this audiobook was pretty much perfection. OH! And Beth's own child wrote and performed a song at the conclusion of the audiobook that is just gorgeous and it absolutely captures the spirit of the story. I am just so honored to have been given the chance to listen to this amazing performance of one of my favorite novels.
Below, you'll find my thoughts from the first time I had the pleasure of reading this lovely story.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Top Ten Tuesday: The Do's and Don'ts of Romance
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the awesome ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Apparently, they are overly fond of list-making and love to share their bookish lists with the rest of us book nerds. =) We're game.
What are your pet peeves or favorite things ever when it comes to romance in books? Be sure to share a link to your TTT post so we can visit!
Monday, February 9, 2015
Review: When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill
Author: Ellie Cahill (Liz Czukas)
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: February 24, 2015
Source: received from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For someone who's not the biggest fan of new adult in general, I've had some pretty awesome luck picking out great reads in this genre. In this case, it does help that I've already read -- and mostly adored -- a book by Liz Czukas, and When Joss Met Matt is written under her new adult pen name. Also, I'm a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, and though this story is more "friends with benefits", it definitely falls under that category.
I'm also a big fan of banter, and this novel had it in spades. I loved the easy friendship between Joss and Matt, the witty repartee…and, oh my, that chemistry. From the very beginning, you know that these two should be together, and it's fun but painful to read as they fall in and out of love many times as they ultimately work toward that end result.
This novel read like the montage episode of your favorite show, where something that's happening on the show in the present results in a lot of flashbacks. I enjoy a story told in this manner, as long as the segue isn't jarring and the flashback makes sense in the scheme of things. It's handled well in When Joss Met Matt, and the flashbacks were definitely necessary to the story. They give the reader a sense of the evolution of Joss and Matt's relationship, and they put what's happening between them now into perspective.
The only reason I didn't give this book five stars was because of the ending. It left something to be desired, especially with all of the build-up leading to it. Also, it was due a bit earlier and it felt like the author was prolonging it for bigger shock value. Aside from that, though, I really enjoyed this novel. For the most part, it was light-hearted and humorous, and I thought the spin on the standard "friends with benefits" storyline was refreshing. Cahill/Czukas definitely got my attention with this book, and I can't wait to read more from her, whether it be YA or NA.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Waiting on Wednesday: The Cage & The Game of Love and Death
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week's WoW selections are...
's Pick:
Author: Megan Shepherd
Series: The Cage # 1
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Publication Date: May 26th, 2015
Um... Human Zoo... Need I say more? That's cray cray and I'm all over it. Though I have to say the cover blows. I'm not a fan. It's just not eye catching. I almost didn't give it a second glance.
's Pick:
Author: Martha Brockenbrough
Series: n/a
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
Sometimes, you just want a good love story. And this one sounds incredible, especially with Love and Death calling the shots. Also, I'm really digging the simple, illustrated cover. More of those, please.
What are you desperately waiting for this Wednesday? Let us know in the comments or share a link to your own WoW post!
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Review: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor # 1
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: October 1st, 2010
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Cover Reveal : Everytime I Think of You by Tracey Garvis-Graves
I am so excited excited for this book. You see, I'm a huge fan of Tracey Garvis-Graves work, so when I heard she was coming out with a new book I was so happy! Check out the cover and first chapter!
Despite a thriving career in San Francisco, thirty-six-year-old Brooks McClain has returned home to spend what little time his mother has left before she succumbs to the deadly disease that is ravaging her. The seasoned investigative reporter has taken a position with the local newspaper and been on the job less than twenty-four hours when he’s summoned to cover the death of Pauline Thorpe.
Brooks is all business, but the more time he spends with Daisy DiStefano, the more invested he becomes; there’s something about a single mother, a defenseless child, and an unsolved crime that has stirred Brooks’s protective instincts like nothing ever has before.
And when the unthinkable happens, Brooks will do whatever it takes to clear the name of the woman he’s fallen for and the child he’ll protect at any cost.
Romantic and suspenseful, Every Time I Think of You shows how far two people will go to fight for the ones they love, and the life they’ve always imagined.
About Tracey Garvis-Graves
Friday, March 7, 2014
Review: Plus One by Elizabeth Fama
Author: Elizabeth Fama
Series: n/a
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR
Publication Date: April 8, 2014
Source: from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
I've been writing this review in my head for days, since I first finished Plus One, and yet I still don't think I can sufficiently portray just how much this book means to me, but that quote comes close to expressing everything I felt for Sol and her situation. I loved Monstrous Beauty when I read it last year, and I've been not-so-patiently awaiting Elizabeth Fama's next novel, so I was elated to receive a review copy. I purposely skimmed the summary for this book because I wanted to be as surprised with it as I was with Monstrous Beauty, but Plus One exceeded any and all expectations I might have had.
Despite the ugliness of Sol's plan and the world she lives in, I found so much unbridled beauty in this book, from the comparisons and contrasts of day and night life, to the desk drawings, to the gorgeous prose used to depict the Maquoketa Caves State Park...I felt like I was living and breathing Sol and D'Arcy's experiences through this book. This world is not far off from our own, just shy of what life could be like for us now, had things gone differently in the past. And not even vastly different...I mean, things in the past that were supposed to be temporary because of war, etc., have long since been made permanent: taxes, daylight savings time, among other things. Having one sector of the population temporarily switch to night in order to circumvent the effects of a devastating epidemic seems somewhat reasonable. But whenever the government intervenes like this, there are sure to be those who object.
So, yeah, this sounds like a dystopian novel, in that the government has made this society undesirable for some. But I don't want that to scare you away because this story definitely doesn't read like the typical dystopian novel. Far from it. Sol isn't trying to change the world...she's just trying to grant a dying man's wish. And I'm not positive, but from what I can tell this is actually sort of a retelling of The Day Boy and the Night Girl by George MacDonald. I haven't read the whole story, but it was referenced a ton in the Razorland Trilogy by Ann Aguirre, which I have also read and loved.
I also love the irony of Sol's parents naming her Soleil, which is French for "sun". Although when we meet Sol, her disposition is anything but sunny, we soon discover that this is an exterior shell she projects. Inside, she's still the young girl she was when her brother Ciel -- French for "sky" -- all but abandoned her and Poppu to live as a Ray, those who live in the daylight hours. Because of that betrayal, Sol doesn't get close to anyone and doesn't let anyone close. Poppu is all she has left, and now she's losing him, so it's understandable that Sol would want to give him the last thing on this earth that he wishes for, even if it means her own incarceration and the end of everything she knows.
What I loved best about Sol, aside from her devotion to her family, was how genuine she was. From her bluntness and non sequiturs to her never-ending diatribes, I really felt like I'd come to know this girl. Usually, I find that I need to relate to a character in some fashion or another in order to fully enjoy a story, but that wasn't the case with Plus One. I could never be as strong or as capable or as self-sacrificing as Sol. Not once did I question her decisions, think that she was making the wrong choice, but neither could I have ever done the same as she did in her circumstances. Sol knows her lot in life, and she's relenquished herself to always living in the dark, but once her heart is set upon its task, she will stop at nothing to see it through. Normally, I'd question the foolhardiness of such a plan, but with Sol, it was unbelievably easy to get on board with such a harebrained scheme.
And that's where D'Arcy comes in. He may not have been named after a character in a famous nineteenth-century novel, but he might as well have been. *sigh* I don't know how to adequately express how much I love the coincidences that brought Sol and D'Arcy together. There is nothing remotely similar about these two characters, but from the onset of their time together, it was clear to me that they were "meant to be". Maybe neither of the pair has actively rebelled against the system until now, but it's obvious that neither accepts it without question. And the fact that D'Arcy just went with his gut when it came to Sol...I think that just speaks volumes about his character and it speaks to Sol's unflappable willingness to see her promise through to the end.
I also love that this book made me feel smarter while I was reading it. I just knew there had to be a real word for that moment when you jerk yourself awake right before you fall into a deep sleep, and now I know there is. =) I love young adult novels; I think that much is obvious. But I love them even more when they're intellectually stimulating and really force me to question morally ambiguous issues, like the ones the characters face in Plus One. Other things that instantly captured my attention: Gigi and the Noma, the murmuration and how it's described, the use of French and how prevalent it is in this novel despite the fact that the setting is in Chicago, and the use of flashbacks to illustrate life for Sol prior to Ciel's absence. I'd love to go into more detail about these things, but I don't want to divulge too much about the story. Also, for brevity's sake, I need to end this review soon, or else it will end up as long as the novel....I really could go on and on about it ad nauseum, that's how much I enjoyed this book.
Sol and D'Arcy, as different as night and day and yet so perfectly matched. Plus One is a love story when all is said and done, but it's also a story of sacrifice and loss and hope. There are moments of unbelievable gut-wrenching pain that brought me to tears, there are chase scenes that could have come straight from your favorite action movie, and there are brief moments of levity that left this reader unexpectedly hopeful, despite the dire circumstances the characters were facing. Suffice it to say, this book is the real deal, the full package...everything I'd hoped it would be and more. I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet, but oh my goodness, did I looooove that ending! I think Gilda says it best:
*It may have taken me two hours to write this review, but I promise no babies (or Premie Gorts) were hurt in the process.
**All quotes were taken from an advanced copy and may not appear in the final book.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Happy Valentine's Day!!! + Our V-Day Movie Recs
Whether you're single or coupled up this V-Day, everyone appreciates a good swoon. April and I already listed some swoony reads on Tuesday, and on Wednesday we discussed what makes a good romance. And April put together that awesome SIMS video featuring our favorite swoony couples. Oh, and of course, April's giving away a couple of her favorite swoony books in the Romance is in the Air Giveaway Hop. But Valentine's Day wouldn't be complete without a romantic movie or two, so we put together a list of our favorite romantic flicks in honor of the "day of love".
Jen's picks:
Why it's a fave: Wuv...twue wuv. Cute little Fred Savage, who I had such a big crush on back in the day. Swashbuckling. Pirates. Andre the Giant. Evil Prince Humperdink -- who I only recently discovered also voices the character of Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas. The best ensemble cast ever, featuring Peter Falk as the kindly grandfather and Billy Crystal as Miracle Max. Some of the best lines: "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." ROUSes, or Rodents of Unusual Size, for the layman. Plus, it is hands-down my favorite movie ever. And the book ain't bad, either. =)
Honorable mentions: 10 Things I Hate About You ('cause of the Heath Ledger, obvs) & Wall-E ('cause even robots deserve love)
April's picks:
Why it's a fave: First romantic movie to ever make me cry.
Never Been Kissed, 1999
Why it's a fave: Corny but adorable.
Honorable mention: How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days (Brian and I both love this one and whenever it's on TV, we get sucked in)
I love all of April's picks, and I love that she mentioned that song from the A Lot Like Love soundtrack. I love when a song can instantly transport you to a moment in time or reminds you of a favorite movie. What are some of your go-to movies for V-Day? Any of our favorites make your list?
Hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day, no matter who -- or what book! -- you're spending it with! =)
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starryeyedjen
- I work with numbers by day, and I'm a mommy and avid reader by night. I'm a self-proclaimed Spreadsheet Queen, and I'll read anything you put in front of me. I seriously love all the books! And I adore audiobooks, too!
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