Tuesday, July 1, 2014

"Craving Redemption" By: Nicole Jacquelyn Review

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Craving Redemption
By: Nicole Jacquelyn

Synopsis
Asa and Callie had nothing in common. He was an Ace, raised in the club and loyal to it above all else. She was a high school student with braces on her teeth and a narrow view of the world.
They should have never crossed paths.
But when Callie decides to defy her parents, and Asa goes on an errand for the club, their lives collide. He saves her, and she mesmerizes him.
They part believing they’ll never see each other again.Neither could have predicted the chain of events they’d put in motion.
Now the two have to navigate the dark waters of a relationship built on tragedy and need without drowning in guilt for things outside their control.
How do you love someone when the worst decision of your life was the reason you met them?

My Thoughts
    Callie’s world changes in the span of a few short hours when she attends a party and gets caught in the crosshairs of a turf war between motorcycle gangs. Saved by Asa, Callie has no idea that the repercussions that will follow, for both the couple and their families. Threatened and constantly in danger, Callie and Asa embark on a journey together. While trying to keep one another safe and their newly found love strong, they deal with life in some of the worst ways possible. Caught up in the turmoil of one crazy night, Asa and Callie have to live with their decisions for the rest of their lives.
    Craving Constellations is almost a must read before this one. Not necessarily because the stories intertwine significantly, but I think to enjoy the characters and their dynamic within the motorcycle club. That said, the majority of the events in Craving Redemption actually happen before the first book..which I will admit threw me for a loop.
     I enjoyed Callie and Asa’s relationship and felt she gave as good as she got. They are both independent and strong willed, so seeing them try to adjust was pretty spectacular in places. The biggest problem I had with the book, was simply Callie’s age. In the book, she’s a teen. Due to unforeseen actions, she has to leave her home and her family, and no one thinks really twice about letting her go off with this older motorcycle guy. Just with an assurance that he’ll protect her. I probably would have been a lot more comfortable with the relationship and the sexual aspects if she had been just a teensy bit older.
     That said, I did enjoy the story and actually just pretended that Callie was older in my head. Asa was loyal to a fault which I loved and I enjoyed their at times tumultuous relationship. There is a brief period where Asa is incarcerated and the author gave an excellent description of how families deal under those circumstances. A fantastic addition to the Aces series, I can’t wait to see what Nicole comes up with next.


The Aces

Book Details
Publisher: Self Published
# of Pages: 426
ASIN: B00IKZZ46W
Date of Publication: February 1, 2014
Location: Sacramento, CA