REVIEW: COMING HOME by PRISCILLA GLENN

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self-Pub
Publication Date: 1/21/14
Format: eARC
Source: Author
Rating:  4 stars

Leah Marino hasn’t been on a date in two years. After discovering the man she loved had manipulated and deceived her, she refuses to even entertain the idea of a relationship. Instead, she focuses her attention on taking care of her family, a role she’s assumed since the death of her mother and the one place she knows her kindness won't be taken advantage of again.

When a nostalgic trip back to her childhood home results in a chance encounter with Danny DeLuca, a smart-mouthed mechanic who’s as attractive as he is mysterious, Leah's carefully cultivated walls begin to crumble. She finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Danny, despite his unreliable behavior and mixed signals.

But Danny has a secret...

One that could shake Leah's already precarious foundation and bring her world crashing down around her. Suddenly, she's faced with an incredibly difficult decision--is she willing to risk everything for the chance at finding the love she's always wanted? Or are some obstacles just too big for the heart to overcome?

First Impression... What a nice cover. I've loved both of Glenn's books, and hope the streak continues with Coming Home.

The Story... When Leah Marino revisits her childhood home, the kind owner befriends her, and introduces her to her grandson Danny DeLuca. Danny and Leah part ways, but don't want to let the connection go. A friendship forms, but Leah soon wants more. Danny runs hot and cold, and seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Danny promises to tell Leah his secret, but knows he'll lose her.

The Characters... Coming Home is very much a character-driven story. Because of that, the story does have a slow pace. The downside to that is I was slow to get into Coming Home. The upside is, I did have a strong sense for the characters, their feelings and motivations.

Danny and Leah were both strong, likable characters. Looking back, it seems neither had an apparent flaw. It's nice to not feel annoyed by the MCs, for sure. Of course, this means that I didn't find either particularly dynamic, but I liked them both. Their story is more about making choices against outside circumstances.

Leah did have a bit of a sad background, losing her mother young and becoming the caretaker of the family. There was also a backstory with a jerk ex-boyfriend.

As for Danny, the big question with Danny is: What's his secret? What's the big deal? I'm not going to even hint at the secret, but I will say that I was surprised, and that I felt it was handled very well by the author. Very realistic, without taking the easy way out.

The Writing... Priscilla Glenn is a very talented author. As I've stated, I really enjoyed her previous books. Coming Home was an interesting story, and well-written. The style is very subdued, and I always find the powerful moments sneaking up on me. I never feel like Glenn is going for a shock-and-awe type of story, but more like quiet and profound.

The Heat...Perfectly complemented the story. Danny and Leah had a great, slow-building chemistry, one that held strong throughout the story.

In the End...  Coming Home is a slow burn type of story.  If you're looking for a well-written, introspective, and quietly powerful story, give it a try.



Favorite Quote:

  He stared up at her, and the vice-like pain in his chest began to soften for the first time since he had entered her apartment. There was nothing she could have said in that moment more perfect than the words she'd just spoken.
  Because no matter what she decided after this, even if she chose to walk away and never look back, in a way, she had just absolved him.
  She had looked straight through all the horror and the ugliness, and she still saw him.
  And when she laid her head back down on his chest, he rested his cheek against her hair and closed his eyes, wondering if there would ever be a man on this planet who was worthy of her.

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

About the author

Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three children. She has been teaching English Language Arts for the past twelve years while moonlighting as a writer, mom, coach, student, and professional laundry-doer.
If you catch her when she's feeling sophisticated, she'll tell you her favorite things are great books and good wine. In the moments in between, she'll admit her love for anything Ben and Jerry's, UFC fights, and Robert Pattinson.
Glenn is the author of the contemporary romance novels Back to You, Emancipating Andie, and Coming Home.
Email  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads

BLOG TOUR: EMANCIPATING ANDIE by PRISCILLA GLENN

 

Welcome to my stop on the Emancipating Andie Blog Tour!

The tour is hosted by AToMR Tours; find the schedule here.

My stop includes a review and giveaway.

 

Series: n/a
Category/Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 4/5/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 280
Source: Received from author for review

Ever since the one time Andie Weber threw caution to the wind - and paid the price for it - she’s learned that it’s safer and smarter to live life playing by the rules. Now she’s got a great apartment, a steady job, and a wonderful boyfriend in Colin; he’s sweet, stable, and essentially perfect – except maybe for the fact that his best friend is Chase.

Chase McGuire lives his carefree, unstructured life strictly for himself. Dripping sarcasm and oozing wit, he refuses to censor his feelings or opinions for anyone, making no apologies for either and wearing his abrasiveness like a badge of honor. No one has ever gotten under Andie’s skin the way Chase does – and vice versa.

So when Andie and Chase find themselves forced to take a two-day road trip together, they are already dreading an inevitable all-out war. But as the trip progresses, and the undeniable friction that has always defined their relationship slowly begins to wear away their preconceived notions of each other, Andie and Chase discover they both have a lot to learn about life, courage, happiness, and the age-old battle between logic and love.

 

Emancipating Andie is a story of self-discovery, and of falling in love. Falling in love with someone who has unwavering belief , and challenges you to stop being safe and start living.  Emancipating Andie is a patient and honest story of two people who make a true connection, and fall in love...despite the logic.

 

Slow Burn. Those are the words largely define Emancipating Andie, for me. This is a story that isn't necessarily slow paced, but takes its time to establish the connection between Andie and Chase. This isn't a case of two people who immediately fall in love and then spend the story trying to find a way to be together. This is a story of two people who seem to be complete opposites, and completely wrong for each other. Two people, who when pushed into spending time together, start to see beyond the exterior, and find the person who challenges, believes, and makes the other feel alive. This is a story of two people who find a connection, but out of a sense of responsibility and respect, do not cross that line into betrayal. You won't be able to help yourself from rightfully hoping Andie and Chase eventually end up together.

Chase and Andie were both perfect characters. And by perfect, I don't mean their actions, I mean that I loved them and loved reading their story so much. I'm not going to sit here and analyze them for my review, that's no fun for you and it takes the fun out of the story for me. But I will say that Andie and Chase both experience pain and happiness, revelations and change. Those type of experiences are what make characters for me. I don't need them to be perfect, I need them to be real.

 

A lot of readers are wary of books with cheating. That's understandable. Emancipating Andie is not a book about cheating, but a book about falling in love, and realizing that regardless of ending up with this person you're falling in love with, you don't belong in the relationship you're in.(This makes sense in my head. I hope it makes sense here.) It was a gorgeous portrayal of a young woman who has played it safe, and who finds the courage to truly live her life. Of a man who refuses to betray a friendship, no matter how badly he's hurt in the process. I would also like to point out that I liked Glenn not making Colin into the bad guy, giving Andie and Chase an easy way out. Because the fact is, Colin wasn't a bad guy at all, he just wasn't the right person for Andie, and she's not for him either.

 

Emancipating Andie is the second of Priscilla Glenn's books I've read and the second I've fallen in love with. In both instances, I found myself becoming overwhelmed by the characters and their story. The writing is so subtle, yet gorgeous and engaging. There was gorgeous passage in which I actually sat my Kindle down and said aloud (to myself) "That was maybe the most romantic love scene I have ever read." I was in awe because it wasn't full of romantic words or graphic at all. It was passionate, and full of all the emotions and love we all should experience in our lives.

Emancipating Andie is a story that I will remember as beautiful, enlightening, inspiring



 

 

Favorite Quotes:

  This girl was going to make him crazy. And somewhere between his room and the car, he decided he was going to let her.  ~eARC, 26%

  Instead he slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her down to him, running the tip of his tongue along the swell of her lip before he parted them, kissing her with every ounce of emotion he could muster, pouring every unspoken word into the kiss, telling her without words how she had managed to revive everything inside of him that was good, showing her that he wanted her to fall in love with him, because he was already there.  ~eARC, 75%

  "I can't promise you that I'll never be an asshole again. But I can promise you that I don't mean it. And I can't promise you that I won't ever make mistakes, but I can promise you that I'll learn from them and do whatever it takes to make it right with you again."

 

 

 

I am really excited to share this with you! Priscilla is sharing her favorite quotes from Emancipating Andie, and I think these will help explain why I loved it so much. (Especially Chase!)

Priscilla Glenn’s Favorite Quotes from Emancipating Andie

1. “I refuse to hold back what I’m thinking or what I’m feeling anymore. And if someone doesn’t like it, then they don’t need to be in my life. If that makes me an asshole, then so be it…Life is much more enjoyable when you’re surrounded by people who just accept you for you.”  

This so clearly defines Chase and everything he stands for. I love when he says this because it’s the first time Andie (and possibly even the reader) starts to respect the way he approaches life rather than censuring it.


2. “What’s that guy’s name? Where’s he going? Is he happy with his life? Did he want Bella to end up with Edward or Jacob?”

I love this line because it showcases the two contrasting sides to Chase’s personality: the profound, deep thinker, and the snarky (yet somehow charming) wiseass.


3. “He could feel the heat of her body as if it were a tangible thing. It permeated his clothes, his skin, his entire being, igniting a fire that was threatening to rage out of control, to consume any sound reasoning within him and hand him over to his impulses.”

Piano scene. ‘Nuff said. ;)


4. “Did you google ‘best groveling speeches’ while I was passed out?”

I love all the moments when Andie lets her guard down, but this one is particularly fun because it’s clear that Chase’s wittiness has rubbed off on her a bit.


5. “No plan. No itinerary. Just you and me.” - “And that’s it?” - “That’s everything.”

Explaining why I love this one would give a little too much away. I’ll just say that when I wrote that line for the first time, it gave me chills. The good kind. ;)


6. “So instead of having no regrets, we should know our regrets…If we can’t recognize when we’ve messed up, then how will we know when we’ve gotten it right?”

Oh Chase, Chase, Chase. You make me wish I was one of those boys from the 80s flick Weird Science who create a fictional character and magically bring her to life. In all seriousness, we’re all only human. No one is perfect. It’s okay to be imperfect. Embrace it, and use what you learn from your missteps to better yourself. (Side note: This message is a lot sexier when it’s taught through the ink along Chase’s torso and not by me on my soapbox.) ;)

Thank you so much to Priscilla for sharing her favorite quotes. I think you now know why I loved Chase so much!

 

 

Purchase Emancipating Andie at:

    

 

 

About the author

Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three children. She has been teaching English Language Arts at the middle and high school levels for the past eleven years while moonlighting as a writer, mommy, coach, student, and professional laundry-doer.

If you catch her when she's feeling sophisticated, she'll tell you her favorite things are great books and good wine. In the moments in between, she'll admit her love for anything Ben and Jerry's, UFC fights, and Robert Pattinson.

Emancipating Andie is Glenn’s second novel. She is also the author of the contemporary romance/young adult crossover, Back to You.

Connect with Priscilla at:

Twitter | Facebook

 

 

 

TEASER TUESDAY: EMANCIPATING ANDIE

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

·Grab your current read
·Open to a random page
·Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
·Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.

Series: n/a
Category/Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 4/5/13

Ever since the one time Andie Weber threw caution to the wind - and paid the price for it - she’s learned that it’s safer and smarter to live life playing by the rules. Now she’s got a great apartment, a steady job, and a wonderful boyfriend in Colin; he’s sweet, stable, and essentially perfect – except maybe for the fact that his best friend is Chase.

Chase McGuire lives his carefree, unstructured life strictly for himself. Dripping sarcasm and oozing wit, he refuses to censor his feelings or opinions for anyone, making no apologies for either and wearing his abrasiveness like a badge of honor. No one has ever gotten under Andie’s skin the way Chase does – and vice versa.

So when Andie and Chase find themselves forced to take a two-day road trip together, they are already dreading an inevitable all-out war. But as the trip progresses, and the undeniable friction that has always defined their relationship slowly begins to wear away their preconceived notions of each other, Andie and Chase discover they both have a lot to learn about life, courage, happiness, and the age-old battle between logic and love.

 

 

 

 My Teaser ~

    He tilted his head, and Andie felt like he was analyzing her. Like he could see right through her. Like she was completely exposed beneath his stare. There was a tiny flicker of panic in her chest, telling her to turn away. To pull back.

  To shield herself.

  But she fought the urge, watching him watch her, and much to her surprise, the tiny warning faded, and in its wake came a thrill that ran through her, making her heart beat a bit faster in her chest.

  It made no sense, but sitting there with him, letting hi pull her apart and piece her back together, felt strangely empowering.

"You look new right now," he finally said.

 "New?"

  He nodded. "Like you just discovered yourself."  ~eARC, 33%

 

 

 

I know my teaser is way to long, but I can't help myself. Be sure to check out my review of Emancipating Andie on 5/23

 

 

Purchase Emancipating Andie at:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

 

{COVER REVEAL} EMANCIPATING ANDIE by PRISCILLA GLENN

Happy Tuesday, peeps! Today I have a cover reveal for Emancipating Andie by Priscilla Glenn. This reveal was coordinated by AToMR Tours, and the cover was designed by Okay Creations.


Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: 3/13

Ever since the one time Andie Weber threw caution to the wind - and paid the price for it - she’s learned that it’s safer and smarter to live life playing by the rules. Now she’s got a great apartment, a steady job, and a wonderful boyfriend in Colin; he’s sweet, stable, and essentially perfect – except maybe for the fact that his best friend is Chase.

Chase McGuire lives his carefree, unstructured life strictly for himself. Dripping sarcasm and oozing wit, he refuses to censor his feelings or opinions for anyone, making no apologies for either and wearing his abrasiveness like a badge of honor. No one has ever gotten under Andie’s skin the way Chase does – and vice versa.

So when Andie and Chase find themselves forced to take a two-day road trip together, they are already dreading an inevitable all-out war. But as the trip progresses, and the undeniable friction that has always defined their relationship slowly begins to wear away their preconceived notions of each other, Andie and Chase discover they both have a lot to learn about life, courage, happiness, and the age-old battle between logic and love.

 

 

You can also find Emancipating Andie on Facebook

 

Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three beautiful children. She has been teaching English Language Arts at the middle and high school levels for the past eleven years. Glenn has written three books, although Back to You is her first published novel. Her guilty pleasures include great books, good wine, anything chocolate, and Robert Pattinson :)

Twitter | Facebook

BACK TO YOU BLOG TOUR ~ REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

Welcome to The Bookish Babe's stop on the Back to You Blog Tour! The tour is being hosted by AToMR Tours, you can find the complete tour schedule here. My stop includes a review and tour giveaway.



 Series: Stand alone
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: 10/20/12
Format: ebook
Pages: 328
Source: Received from author for review.

When Lauren Monroe first laid eyes on Michael Delaney back in high school, she had every reason to stay away from him; within minutes of their first encounter, his volatile actions confirmed his notorious reputation. But Lauren saw something in him that caused her to question his bad-boy persona, and against her better judgment, she took a chance. She had no way of knowing that the unlikely friendship they formed would become so important to her.

Or that it would end so painfully.

Eight years later, when Lauren begins her new job at Learn and Grow Day Care, Michael is the last person she expects to see. Refusing to revisit the hurt and confusion of their past, Lauren vows to keep her distance from him. But staying away from Michael proves to be more difficult than she thought, despite her lingering grief and her instincts for self-preservation.

As Lauren and Michael recall the friendship that changed them forever and the events that tore them apart, will they finally be able to heal? Or will the ghosts of Michael’s past prove to be too much to overcome?

A emotionally wrenching story of First Love and Second Chances.  

Michael and Lauren were the best of friends. Michael is the school's bad boy, with a demeanor meant to cover his private pain. Hostile, quiet, and seemingly dangerous, only Lauren can see the boy behind the facade. As the two become friends, against the odds, Lauren becomes Michael's safe place, a girl who sees his pain without pity, and keeps him in check. Michael becomes the boy who owns Lauren's heart, as she quietly and slowly falls in love with him. In a desperate move to get away from the home, the life, that has caused him such pain, Michael leaves Lauren behind, never to be heard from again. Until...eight years later, when Lauren and Michael again cross paths. Michael is a changed man, with a small daughter and years of regret. Lauren is also changed, determined to keep Michael at bay, and spare her heart another devastating break. Back to You is a love story, told in the past and the present, and is a story of a love that won't be denied.

I have a soft place in my heart for stories of friends who fall in love. I also have a soft spot for stories in which, after a bad split and many years apart, two people reconnect and rediscover love. Back to You gave me both. Instead of just telling the reading what happened in the past, author Priscilla Glenn did a lovely job of moving between the present and the past, and letting Michael and Lauren's story unfold.


Michael and Lauren both stole my heart. I am an easy sell for broken boys, which makes me seem kind of cruel! I guess it's that I can relate to loving someone a bit like Michael. The pain he experienced as a child and teen made me want to love and shield him.

"His face, like everything she knew about him, was purely contradictory. That cherubic mouth with those penetrating eyes: he was too lovely to be menacing, but too intense to be innocent."

Then, to see what kind of man Michael became made me love him even more. I also loved Lauren. Quiet, but strong, she is a girl who almost always does the right thing.

"She was one of the most genuine people he'd ever met, and he knew at that moment that if he did nothing else in his life, he wanted to be friends with Lauren Monroe."

Lauren could have easily been a bland character, but she wasn't in the least. Her huge heart, understanding nature, and determination made her completely endearing.


I'm so happy that I took the time and had the opportunity to read Back to You. It was a beautifully written, engaging story that made me feel so much. For lovers of Contemporary Romance, or those who simply love a sweet, emotional story full of  love and redemption, Back to You is a must-read.

Favorite Quote:


  Because something about him, something in his eyes, divulged the secret; there was a whole world in there somewhere, thriving just below the surface where no one could see it.


  He looked so young in that moment.
  So vulnerable.
  And right then, her heart broke for the little boy who wasn't taken care of, but it swelled for the person who, despite everything was able to maintain such kindness inside him, regardless of what everyone else thought they knew about him.
  And she realized right then, even if she never felt it again for the rest of her life, she knew what true, unadulterated love felt like.


  She closed her eyes, remembering the incapacitating pain. The double loss. Not only was her love unrequited, that in itself would have been painful enough to deal with, but in the same shot, she also lost her best friend in the world.
  And she never could figure out which one hurt more.  

Purchase Back to You at Amazon.

Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three beautiful children. She has been teaching English Language Arts at the middle and high school levels for the past eleven years. Glenn has written three books, although Back to You is her first published novel. Her guilty pleasures include great books, good wine, anything chocolate, and Robert Pattinson :)

Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{COVER REVEAL} BACK TO YOU by PRISCILLA GLENN

Today I am happy to share the new cover of Back to You,by Priscilla Glenn, hosted by AToMR Tours. Back to You is an Adult Contemporary Romance with strong Mature YA/New Adult appeal. I'm taking part in the upcoming blog tour, and am so excited to read this promising story. I'm became even more excited when I saw the new version...

When Lauren Monroe first laid eyes on Michael Delaney back in high school, she had every reason to stay away from him; within minutes of their first encounter, his volatile actions confirmed his notorious reputation. But Lauren saw something in him that caused her to question his bad-boy persona, and against her better judgment, she took a chance. She had no way of knowing that the unlikely friendship they formed would become so important to her.

Or that it would end so painfully.

Eight years later, when Lauren begins her new job at Learn and Grow Day Care, Michael is the last person she expects to see. Refusing to revisit the hurt and confusion of their past, Lauren vows to keep her distance from him. But staying away from Michael proves to be more difficult than she thought, despite her lingering grief and her instincts for self-preservation.

As Lauren and Michael recall the friendship that changed them forever and the events that tore them apart, will they finally be able to heal? Or will the ghosts of Michael’s past prove to be too much to overcome?

 

**Isn't that gorgeous? Simple, yet lovely.**

You can purchase Back to You at Amazon.

Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three beautiful children. She has been teaching English Language Arts at the middle and high school levels for the past eleven years. Glenn has written three books, although Back to You is her first published novel. Her guilty pleasures include great books, good wine, anything chocolate, and Robert Pattinson :)

Twitter | Facebook