Today is The Bookish Babe's stop on the Unbreakable Blog Tour. The tour was organized by Shh Moms Reading. My stop includes a review and tour giveaway.
Category/Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 7/30/13
Format: eARC
Source: Received from author for review
Rating: 5 stars
Format: eARC
Source: Received from author for review
Rating: 5 stars
Jessica Harper is the epitome of perfection. She’s a good daughter, makes excellent grades, and always strays on the safe side of life. The last thing she thought would ever happen was falling in love with her best friend’s brother. But sometimes fate just has a way of bringing two people together.
Wide receiver for the University of Arizona, Gabe Garcia, seems to have it all. When his feelings for Jessica come to surface, Gabe will give up everything to be with her.
But what happens when a tragedy abruptly changes the course of your life? For Jessica and Gabe, everything they thought they knew about each other will be questioned. Sometimes, there are scars in life that are cut too deep to completely heal.
Will their love prove to be unbreakable, or will it shatter and prove fate is just another lie?
*This book contains mature subject matter and is not intended for those under 17 years of age.*
Wow. You know you have experienced a really great story when you finish at one o'clock in the morning, tears streaming down your cheeks and a smile on your face. I honestly can't say enough good things about Unbreakable. But I'll try...
Unbreakable is a story that I went into semi-blindly. I read the synopsis, but chose not to focus on it too hard because I wanted the story to reveal itself to me. And given that the title is Unbreakable, yeah, I should have known that the story would be emotionally heavy. Even so, I wasn't fully prepared for the tumultuous times and the emotionally tough story that is Unbreakable.
Unbreakable begins with a very, very sweet story. Jess and Gabe are lifelong friends, and have been fighting an attraction for most of that time. Once they decide to take a chance, their life turns into a beautiful love story. Gabe was simply perfect, but not annoyingly so. I loved how carefully and lovingly he treated Jess. I love that he knew what he wanted in his life, and took that chance whole-heartedly. Jess was also a very endearing character. She was intelligent and caring, and so open to love. I love books written with dual point-of-view, and how that allows me to feel safe in knowing where both characters are coming from. I was very surprised when a third point-of-view showed up. I can't say much about this mysterious addition, excerpt that at first I was really upset. But as it turns out, the author absolutely knew what she was doing, and that addition ended up being a big positive. I wish I could talk about this other "person" that I started out almost hating. It's not that he/she was bad, but I didn't want an interference in what I was hoping and needing to happen. I was completely shocked when I begrudgingly began to accept, then ended the story really liking and wanting more of that character.
Unbreakable takes a dramatic turn near the mid-point, and I have to say my heart felt so constricted at this point that I had to remind myself it was just a story. I'm an empathetic reader at heart, so much so that it's almost comical, and the author did a fabulous job at conveying the characters' emotions. There were moments that I was so upset, anxious, heartbroken that I wanted to cry, scream, and/or hit something. Now, I can't really go into the aspects of the story that caused these emotions, because there is something very delicate about Unbreakable and the way it was written, that makes me believe that it should be experienced, not summarized.
Unbreakable is Rebecca Shea's debut novel, and I am so impressed by what a great job she did. The writing had such a natural, even flow. The characters were so engaging, and I felt their pains and happiness along with them. The story went places I didn't expect and wasn't initially happy about, but such is life. Unbreakable was such an easy story to slip in to, and I was on the hook until the very end. Knowing what I know now, I am extremely excited about Undone, a companion to Unbreakable. Once you've read Unbreakable, you will be, too.
Favorite Quote:
Every kiss, every touch damn near killed me. When you came to visit me in Arizona, I got to have just a little taste of you, not knowing if I'd every really have you, in the way I always wanted has been killing me. " ~ eARC, 14%
"Now what?" she laughs, dropping her head to my shoulder. I breathe her in and let the smell of coconut invade my nose.
"This is just the beginning," I say to her, planting a kiss on her lips in between each word.
"The beginning of what?"
"Us." ~eARC, 14%
Grabbing my chin lightly, he turns my head back toward him. "All I have ever wanted was you and is still you. You are what I deserve," he whispers. Pressing his lips to mine, he offers me the softest, sweetest kiss. "Understand me?" he asks, still not releasing his grip on me.
Character Inspiration
(These actors are the author's picks, but I want to add that I gasped a little when I saw Jay Hernandez as Gabe. I had literally been googling pictures of him earlier that very day, and was telling my husband that I will always love JH.)
Trailer
Purchase Unbreakable
(I receive no compensation for purchases.)
(I receive no compensation for purchases.)
GIVEAWAY
5 ebooks
10 signed paperbacks
· $25 gift card (Amazon or B&N)
· GRANDPRIZE is a Kindle Paperwhite
· $25 gift card (Amazon or B&N)
· GRANDPRIZE is a Kindle Paperwhite
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the author
Rebecca Shea lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her family and her first “kid” her beagle, Miles. From
the time Rebecca could read she has had a passion for reading and books. Rebecca spends her days
working full-time in the financial industry as a marketing manager. Born and raised in Minnesota,
Rebecca moved to Arizona in 1999 to escape the bitter winters. When not working or writing, she can
be found on the sidelines of her boys football games, or watching her daughter at ballet class. Rebecca
is fueled by insane amounts of coffee, margarita’s, Laffy Taffy (except the banana ones), and happily ever after’s.
Rebecca Shea lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her family and her first “kid” her beagle, Miles. From the time Rebecca could read she has had a passion for reading and books. Rebecca spends her days
working full-time in the financial industry as a marketing manager. Born and raised in Minnesota,
Rebecca moved to Arizona in 1999 to escape the bitter winters. When not working or writing, she can
be found on the sidelines of her boys football games, or watching her daughter at ballet class. Rebecca
is fueled by insane amounts of coffee, margarita’s, Laffy Taffy (except the banana ones), and happily ever after’s.
Connect with Rebecca:
