Ava Miles

Wow. You know a book is powerful when it brings up enough of your own similar issues that you have to stop reading for a day or two until you can get the reaction under control. This book did that for me. Natalie reminds me so much of myself. Her struggles with grief and loss have been my struggles with grief and loss. It was so inspiring to watch her grow and change throughout the book; to come to terms with at least some of her grief and to allow herself to open herself up to Blake's love once again.

Dear Blake. How can you NOT love a hero who gives up as much as he gave up in order to win Natalie back again? How can you NOT love a man who is that patient and loving and tender. That's not to say that Blake doesn't have his own issues or is perfect. He's not, but wow, what a wonderful testament to the power of love. Blake does his own growing and changing throughout the book too, tho' his is not quite as dramatic as Natalie's.

As with all of Ms. Miles's "Dare Valley" novels, the surrounding community and the families and friends of the hero and heroine provide the much needed support that anyone needs when dealing with grief and loss. The characters are well-rounded, the story line believable and the writing is crisp, clean and well done.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in the mood for a contemporary romance with a great set of characters.

I received an ARC edition from Ava Miles in exchange for my honest review. My review was not influenced by this and all conclusions and opinions are my own.… (mais)

Wow. That pretty much sums up all my feelings as I finish of this latest offering from Ava Miles. Absolutely wow. This book was phenomenal.

Our hero Jake suffers from PTSD and is looking to find ways to cope. He's already been through several therapists and different types of therapies, but in this book, he ends up working with Reverend Louisa, who we've met before in the other books in this series. Jake doesn't believe there's much hope, but working with Louisa, together with dating Louisa's daughter, Susannah, he experiences breakthroughs like he never has before.

THIS book is what I was so hoping to see when Ms. Miles published "The Chocolate Garden". This book accurately portrayed PTSD and the struggles that arise from it. Whereas I felt like "The Chocolate Garden" glossed over some of the difficulties of surviving domestic violence and entering into a new relationship after an abusive relationship, this book NAILED all the struggles and such that come with PTSD. Jake's feelings about himself and the brokenness he feels is all very indiciative of what many PTSD sufferers feel. I know. I am one. The brokenness, the self-loathing, the feel that others are better off without being in a relationship with you, everything.

And yet, Susannah sees past all that and loves the man that Jake is, not all the lies that PTSD tells him about himself. He ends up seeing Susannah as his miracle, helping pull him out of himself and back into the world. Each and every one of us has someone who either has worked such a miracle in our lives or who will work such a miracle one day. Not necessarily a romantic someone, but someone who pulls you up out of the depths when you can't find the way out yourself.

It's not an easy book to read given all of Jake's struggles. If you struggle with PTSD yourself, like I do, you may find this book hitting very close to home. I certainly did. I cried more with this book than I have in a long, long time. But it's totally worth it. Take your time but read it. Give yourself breaks to process, but don't hide from this book because of its subject matter. It's too good to pass up.

The plot, the setting, the characters, everything about this book was phenomenal. One of Ms. Miles' best books EVER. Read it. You won't forget it or regret it.

**I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review. All conclusions are my own.… (mais)

4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Fountain of Infinite Wishes is the latest installment in the Dare River series by Ava Miles. Once again, Ms. Miles has brought us a phenomenal story.

Brief Synopsis: Shelby McGuinness, along with her sister, Sadie, wants to find her father who left their family when she was 2 and Sadie was just an infant. She hires Vander Montgomery, a private investigator in Nashville, to find him. Sparks fly between the two and a romance is born.

Review: I absolutely loved this book. While I'm personally more like Sadie in temperament, I thoroughly enjoyed Shelby. She's vivacious and daring without being too impulsive. Her personality just sparkles off the page. She and Vander are attracted to each other from the start, but Vander is resolute in his ethics and will not date her as long as she is a client. It makes for interesting meetings between the two of them at times. Both characters are well-developed, complex characters. We learn a lot about their beliefs and hopes and past lives. They rely on each other for support and comfort even when they don't realize they're doing so; even before they started dating.

The only thing that disappointed me was how shocked and appalled the characters were upon meeting someone who is morbidly obese. I realize that's not how these characters choose to live their lives, but their reactions to me seemed too harsh. I would have thought that their mama, being a reverend, would have had them do service work in poor areas similar to the one this person lived in; that they would have been more used to dealing with those situations and feelings than they seemingly were. They did show compassion to the person, but their reactions almost seemed more harsh with that than they were towards the horrible reason why their father left (which was far worse, but I won't spoil it).

However, that was just a short piece of the story. While it disappointed me, the story and the characters generally were just wonderful. That piece is the only reason why this story didn't receive 5 full stars because I simply loved the rest of the story.

I enjoy the Dare River setting and characters. In fact, I think it's my favorite out of the three series Ms. Miles writes, so I always enjoy "coming home" to these stories and characters. I enjoy the fact that even this particular story is about Shelby and Vander, we see the rest of the family from time to time. Some more than other of course, but we get a glimpse at all the extended family which made me happy.

The descriptions of the various settings in this book balance well with the descriptions of the characters. Ms. Miles is very talented in that way. She gives us enough detail that we can imagine the scene, but doesn't over saturate the scene in our own imaginations.
The story line moved along at a decent pace. I was pleased that Vander didn't ask Shelby out until after he'd finished with finding her father. It was one of his many fine qualities. I also appreciated the way the family gathered around each other upon learning the horrible reason their father left I was very happy to see that they didn't take their negative feelings out on one another, but rather found comfort from each other.

If you enjoy stories about family, people finding each other, friendship, and a bit of romance, I'd highly suggest picking up this title. Enjoy!

[I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.]

Originally posted on: Valerie's Musings… (mais)

"The Gate to Everything" is the first book in a new series by Ava Miles. The "Once Upon a Dare" series is a spin-off from the "Dare Valley" series dealing with Blake Cunningham's football brothers. This first installment in the new series was fantastic!

This book focuses on quarterback Jordan Dean and his childhood sweetheart, Grace Kincaid. Jordan and Grace have always been the "golden couple". They've been together through thick and thin with Jordan's career in football and Grace's career as a chef. As Jordan's gotten more and more famous, Grace is having a harder time dealing with the by-product of that fame, the paparazzi and tabloid journalism. Eventually, it becomes too much for Grace, she breaks it off with Jordan, and flees to Italy. Months go by and when Grace returns from Italy, she meets with Jordan to tell him that she's pregnant. This is when the story really takes off as it has both of them dealing with still being in love with each other, but her still having a hard time with his popularity. Him wanting to keep her and their baby safe but stymied on how to do it. It's a fabulous story line that moves along at a decent pace, neither too slow or too fast.

While both characters are richly complex and well-rounded, I definitely connected more with Grace at the beginning, probably because I'm introverted and not comfortable in the spotlight either. I wasn't so sure about Jordan at first, but as the book went on, I grew to love him even more than Grace. He cares so deeply and yet, like many men, he's so afraid of being vulnerable in front of Grace. Yet, it's only by being vulnerable that he and Grace connect at a deeper level.

It's a great romance on top of being a wonderful insider's look at what fame and the spotlight must feel like to some spouses of sports stars, male or female. I loved the ending and I'm looking forward to the next one in this series! Pick it up and read it. It's a great feel-good story!

[I received a free copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review. My review was not influenced by this, nor was I compensated for my review. All opinions and conclusions are my own.]

Originally posted on: Valerie's Musings… (mais)