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Jackson Falls #1
Coming Home
This is an alternative cover version of ASIN B008KJAIDC.
Sometimes, you have to take a roundabout route to get to where you're meant to be.
From USA Today bestselling author Laurie Breton comes a sweeping romantic saga, spanning two decades, about love, about friendship, about growing up and finding out who you are and what you really want.
Danny Fiore has the face of an angel, a voice that will rip your heart to shreds, and a single blinding ambition: to be a rock star. Eighteen-year-old aspiring songwriter Casey Bradley is four weeks away from marrying her childhood sweetheart when Danny blows into her life and turns it upside down.
Three days after they meet, Casey leaves behind everything and everyone she’s ever known to marry this charismatic man and follow his dreams. Together with laid-back guitarist Rob MacKenzie, Casey writes the songs that catapult her husband to a fame beyond their wildest imaginings. But it's not all glitz and glamour. The road to success is loaded with land mines, and every time Danny breaks her heart, it’s Rob who picks her up, dusts her off, and sets her back on her feet.
It's not until an unimaginable tragedy occurs that Casey begins to question who she is and what she really wants from life. In the process, she discovers that the choices you make at thirty may differ vastly from those you made at eighteen.
Fall into the book that readers have called "heartfelt," "poignant," and "brilliant."
Sometimes, you have to take a roundabout route to get to where you're meant to be.
From USA Today bestselling author Laurie Breton comes a sweeping romantic saga, spanning two decades, about love, about friendship, about growing up and finding out who you are and what you really want.
Danny Fiore has the face of an angel, a voice that will rip your heart to shreds, and a single blinding ambition: to be a rock star. Eighteen-year-old aspiring songwriter Casey Bradley is four weeks away from marrying her childhood sweetheart when Danny blows into her life and turns it upside down.
Three days after they meet, Casey leaves behind everything and everyone she’s ever known to marry this charismatic man and follow his dreams. Together with laid-back guitarist Rob MacKenzie, Casey writes the songs that catapult her husband to a fame beyond their wildest imaginings. But it's not all glitz and glamour. The road to success is loaded with land mines, and every time Danny breaks her heart, it’s Rob who picks her up, dusts her off, and sets her back on her feet.
It's not until an unimaginable tragedy occurs that Casey begins to question who she is and what she really wants from life. In the process, she discovers that the choices you make at thirty may differ vastly from those you made at eighteen.
Fall into the book that readers have called "heartfelt," "poignant," and "brilliant."
438 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2012
751 people are currently reading
3460 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Breton
27 books204 followersLaurie Breton is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic suspense and women's fiction. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her two grown children and with her two grandchildren, who are the light of her life. If you went looking, you might find her at the beach, or attending a sidewalk art festival, or walking the streets of Boston. Laurie lives in a small town in Maine with her husband and two adorable dogs named River and Jasmine.
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November 26, 2014DNF @14%. No rating. Review posted November 26, 2014
Do pigs fly?
"My name's Casey Bradley, and I've been waiting eighteen years for you to come walking into my life."
Seriously?
I have no patience whatsoever for characters who act immature and are a huge nuisance. The so-called heroine, an eighteen-year-old girl (who's supposed to have grown up fast due to her having raised her sibling), is about to marry her childhood sweetheart. But get this. When Jesse touched her she didn't feel any fireworks she'd heard about and the prospect of hitting the sheets with him left her pretty cold. Since she didn't want to hurt Jesse, she couldn't tell him that. Unfortunately she'd only been kissed by that one boy and she thought that was normal. Still, she's determined (*yawn* *eye roll*) to absolutely go through with this marriage. Yet when she meets the future rock god Danny Fiore who's all about fuck 'em and leave 'em, all her "good" intentions vanish into thin air within a blink of an eye. Of course Danny goes all gaga over that gorgeous girl stat even though he's got a commitment phobia. Whatever. She meets him twice and marries him to pursue her dreams. *headdesk* I have absolutely no clue how she told her "ex" the exciting news because that alleged drama happened off page. Though I'm sure he was thrilled about having been kicked to the curb. *Baba pets Jesse* *insert extra big eye-roll*
Anyhoo, the first time they have a somewhat serious argument they are unable to solve it. So, what would any mature, responsible and intelligent human being do in that situation? Hmm…maybe this?
Dearest Danny,
My younger son has been practicing slamming doors for a few years now. I'll tell him to give you some pointers. You know the saying 'practice makes perfect'.
One has to wonder if she has even a brain. And what love? Based on what did they marry in the first place? Proper words elude me to express how stupid that was.
Phew. Saved by the bell because they made up later on. Yet I'm sure Rob is patiently waiting around the corner to pick up the broken pieces the next time they will have a fight. A constant back and forth filled with problems and drama can be expected. Very nice.
BTW, in the aftermath of her deflowering process, she has a glorious idea…
"Have there been a lot of women in your life?"
"Yes," he said.
She felt an insane rush of jealousy. "I hate them. I hate every single one."
He's a stranger. A friggin' stranger. Even if he hadn't been a stranger it's total BS blathering about "I hate them blah blah blah". Grow the heck up already, will you?
At 9% it was clear where the story was heading when Danny said:
Curiosity killed the cat or some such. I had to fast forward and was right. Congratulations.
I just don't need that teenage £!?^^!!$%&*ç"+§??!
Movin' on.
Do pigs fly?
"My name's Casey Bradley, and I've been waiting eighteen years for you to come walking into my life."
Seriously?
I have no patience whatsoever for characters who act immature and are a huge nuisance. The so-called heroine, an eighteen-year-old girl (who's supposed to have grown up fast due to her having raised her sibling), is about to marry her childhood sweetheart. But get this. When Jesse touched her she didn't feel any fireworks she'd heard about and the prospect of hitting the sheets with him left her pretty cold. Since she didn't want to hurt Jesse, she couldn't tell him that. Unfortunately she'd only been kissed by that one boy and she thought that was normal. Still, she's determined (*yawn* *eye roll*) to absolutely go through with this marriage. Yet when she meets the future rock god Danny Fiore who's all about fuck 'em and leave 'em, all her "good" intentions vanish into thin air within a blink of an eye. Of course Danny goes all gaga over that gorgeous girl stat even though he's got a commitment phobia. Whatever. She meets him twice and marries him to pursue her dreams. *headdesk* I have absolutely no clue how she told her "ex" the exciting news because that alleged drama happened off page. Though I'm sure he was thrilled about having been kicked to the curb. *Baba pets Jesse* *insert extra big eye-roll*
Anyhoo, the first time they have a somewhat serious argument they are unable to solve it. So, what would any mature, responsible and intelligent human being do in that situation? Hmm…maybe this?
Dearest Danny,
My younger son has been practicing slamming doors for a few years now. I'll tell him to give you some pointers. You know the saying 'practice makes perfect'.
One has to wonder if she has even a brain. And what love? Based on what did they marry in the first place? Proper words elude me to express how stupid that was.
Phew. Saved by the bell because they made up later on. Yet I'm sure Rob is patiently waiting around the corner to pick up the broken pieces the next time they will have a fight. A constant back and forth filled with problems and drama can be expected. Very nice.
BTW, in the aftermath of her deflowering process, she has a glorious idea…
"Have there been a lot of women in your life?"
"Yes," he said.
She felt an insane rush of jealousy. "I hate them. I hate every single one."
He's a stranger. A friggin' stranger. Even if he hadn't been a stranger it's total BS blathering about "I hate them blah blah blah". Grow the heck up already, will you?
At 9% it was clear where the story was heading when Danny said:
Curiosity killed the cat or some such. I had to fast forward and was right. Congratulations.
I just don't need that teenage £!?^^!!$%&*ç"+§??!
Movin' on.
![Profile Image for Michelle [Helen Geek].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1448463806i%2F5557851._CR0%2C13%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
August 18, 2013
08/18/2013 -- FREE TODAY on Amazon! This was a 5 Star book for me.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
03/30/3013 --
Overall Rating = 5 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb = 2 / 5 = 3.5 Stars [Aug 2013 -- new cover so ignore previous cover comments!!]
Writer’s Voice = 5 Stars
Character Development = 5 Stars
Story Appreciation = 5 Stars
Worth the Chili = 5 Stars [I got it as a freebie, but $0.99 on Amazon]
Epic! No other way to describe this story. It is one that flows very smooth and easy, but the story packs a wallop! There were multiple places I bawled like a baby and others I'd have a huge smile on my face. It takes three people through 13 years of life. They are so deeply intertwined. Life is what happens when we are busy making a plan. Just remarkable.
A few things are just outstanding about this book:
1 -- Number one is the authors voice. She tells a wonderful believable story. I actually thought a few times of the old rocker Don Henley as I was reading this story. Rob reminded me of him. She gives us a complete story full of wonderful characters and a rich backdrop. It is a story of rock -n- roll and those people who made it what it is. But it is really so much more. It is the story about plain people; their dreams, their relationships, their blood, sweat and tears. It really is marvelous.
2 -- Great, phenomenal characters. Casey was a normal woman from small town, America who had a talent. She could write poetry and put them to song. Rob was a good Irish Catholic boy. One of nine. Music was in his very marrow. Danny has the voice of a fallen angel. Music saved him. Gave him focus. These three are painted so full bodied, with such passion, we feel like we've been given a gift and we love them. The story around them is told in such rich detail we feel like we know them and know exactly where they are what they are feeling. We never feel slighted. The backstory, the secondary characters, all of it. Just as good from the first page to the last. The feeling she wrings out of us at every turn. This story ranks right up there with other epic works by better known authors. A wonderful talent this.
3 -- Rock -n- Roll. The good and the bad and everything in between. We see it from various angles; a powerhouse star, a musician, a songwriter, a wife, a mother, etc. Anyone who doesn't believe these people work hard isn't paying attention. This is the point of view of this story. Working hard, paying your dues, getting to the top and then continuing to work hard to stay on top. And through it all, life. It happens and keeps happening.
I can't really think of anything I didn't like. The cover could have been better. It did nothing for me, but when you get such a wonderful story, it is trivial to even comment on it.
There were absolutely no editing issues. How remarkable is this?
Here is a personal something that is just a marvel to me. This was an Amazon freebie a few months ago. I actually got the third in this series the other day. I got to looking at the books and because I've had such great luck recently reading freebies, I started in. So, I got two in the series free. I've found four authors in three months with books I'm in awe about, free. I rarely gush, but can't help myself; Nia Forrester, Donna Sturgeon, Claire Kent and now Laurie Breton. I may seriously never buy a book again! These four authors are on my "always buy" pile. I'm now reading all Laurie's backlog. I've read #2 in this series;
. It is the story of Jesse and Rose. Finished it and it was sooo ... good.
I have found another favored author. This lady and her talent is no fluke. I've read two of her books and am on a third and all are excellent stories with wonderful characters. I've truly feel like I've found treasure! Thank you, Laurie Breton!
Happy Reading!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
03/30/3013 --
Overall Rating = 5 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb = 2 / 5 = 3.5 Stars [Aug 2013 -- new cover so ignore previous cover comments!!]
Writer’s Voice = 5 Stars
Character Development = 5 Stars
Story Appreciation = 5 Stars
Worth the Chili = 5 Stars [I got it as a freebie, but $0.99 on Amazon]
Epic! No other way to describe this story. It is one that flows very smooth and easy, but the story packs a wallop! There were multiple places I bawled like a baby and others I'd have a huge smile on my face. It takes three people through 13 years of life. They are so deeply intertwined. Life is what happens when we are busy making a plan. Just remarkable.
A few things are just outstanding about this book:
1 -- Number one is the authors voice. She tells a wonderful believable story. I actually thought a few times of the old rocker Don Henley as I was reading this story. Rob reminded me of him. She gives us a complete story full of wonderful characters and a rich backdrop. It is a story of rock -n- roll and those people who made it what it is. But it is really so much more. It is the story about plain people; their dreams, their relationships, their blood, sweat and tears. It really is marvelous.
2 -- Great, phenomenal characters. Casey was a normal woman from small town, America who had a talent. She could write poetry and put them to song. Rob was a good Irish Catholic boy. One of nine. Music was in his very marrow. Danny has the voice of a fallen angel. Music saved him. Gave him focus. These three are painted so full bodied, with such passion, we feel like we've been given a gift and we love them. The story around them is told in such rich detail we feel like we know them and know exactly where they are what they are feeling. We never feel slighted. The backstory, the secondary characters, all of it. Just as good from the first page to the last. The feeling she wrings out of us at every turn. This story ranks right up there with other epic works by better known authors. A wonderful talent this.
3 -- Rock -n- Roll. The good and the bad and everything in between. We see it from various angles; a powerhouse star, a musician, a songwriter, a wife, a mother, etc. Anyone who doesn't believe these people work hard isn't paying attention. This is the point of view of this story. Working hard, paying your dues, getting to the top and then continuing to work hard to stay on top. And through it all, life. It happens and keeps happening.
I can't really think of anything I didn't like. The cover could have been better. It did nothing for me, but when you get such a wonderful story, it is trivial to even comment on it.
There were absolutely no editing issues. How remarkable is this?
Here is a personal something that is just a marvel to me. This was an Amazon freebie a few months ago. I actually got the third in this series the other day. I got to looking at the books and because I've had such great luck recently reading freebies, I started in. So, I got two in the series free. I've found four authors in three months with books I'm in awe about, free. I rarely gush, but can't help myself; Nia Forrester, Donna Sturgeon, Claire Kent and now Laurie Breton. I may seriously never buy a book again! These four authors are on my "always buy" pile. I'm now reading all Laurie's backlog. I've read #2 in this series;
. It is the story of Jesse and Rose. Finished it and it was sooo ... good.I have found another favored author. This lady and her talent is no fluke. I've read two of her books and am on a third and all are excellent stories with wonderful characters. I've truly feel like I've found treasure! Thank you, Laurie Breton!
Happy Reading!
November 29, 2018
Oh, this was so sad. Sad. Sad.
I hate sad.
Please don't read if you are planning to read the book or really don't like plot points spelled out.
I hate sad.
Please don't read if you are planning to read the book or really don't like plot points spelled out.
November 4, 2014
'His music was his mistress, a siren far more seductive than any mortal woman. And unlike mortal women, this lady wouldn’t disappoint.’
Jenny: I have to say Gitte, I was captivated by the expressive and stunning beauty of this authors prose. Her words immediately pulled me into the story and held me until the end, though it was a struggle at times as her words certainly shattered my heart over and over again.
I am completely exhausted. I feel as if my heart has run an emotional marathon as Coming Home continually tested my emotional limits. My poor heart is reeling as the story of Rob, Danny and Casey, three friends who come together through a mutual love and passion for music and who together pursue their dream to break in to the music industry, a story told over a 15 year period. Coming Home is told with emotion, beauty and a HUGE helping of angst. I felt love, anger, frustration, hurt and overwhelming sadness throughout….my resolve was constantly tested and I felt it all. Though, how I’m feeling after finishing this story? I’m honestly not sure.
“My name’s Daniel Fiore, and you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I want to hold you in my arms and dance with you all night.”
“My name’s Casey Bradley, and I’ve been waiting eighteen years for you to come walking into my life.”
This author certainly wove a complex and heartbreakingly told story of self-discovery, friendship, loss, and intense love that is tested to its utmost limits. This was tough read wasn’t it Gitte and Coming Home certainly left us feeling pretty down as the sadness just kept coming.
Gitte: Well, I have to say this is one of the hardest reviews I’ve had to write because my emotions and feelings on this book are all over the place. I asked myself continuously whilst reading if there can ever be too much angst, too much heart-break and tragedy? Can a story be too depressing to read? After finishing Coming Home my answer is yes….yes and this is the one that finally became all of the above for me.
“Tell the world to go to hell…and follow your heart.”
Despite this, I could not put it down because the writing was implicitly beautiful, the love story embodied everything you’d want, making promises of something amazing and epic. When you strip everything away to the bare core of the story; this was a stunning depiction of love, friendship, despair and hope as well as individual growth.
“Nobody has the right to tell you what to want.”
I love high emotions, whatever that emotion may be. I love having a story make me feel so much I can’t stop my tears or even have me wanting to throw my kindle at the wall in frustration. Reading is an escape; the disappearance into someone else’s world. Wanting to live through the eyes and heart of a character that you feel so damn close to or connected with. Living and breathing their passion and desperation.
“You’re my whole goddamn life. Haven’t you figured it out by now?”
You want to laugh, cry, love, feel what they do right alongside them. However, to be bombarded by nothing but grief, heart-break, a sombre tones as well as despair and struggle from page one to the last proved too much for me this time. Too much in the sense that I have no idea what to say or how to rate Coming Home. These feelings I credit entirely on the sublime writing!
Jenny: I’m also at a loss on how to rate this one. I wanted to shout STOP at times the sorrow became too much to bear, and it was the sheer beauty of the writing that spurred me to continue.
We meet Casey who has led a somewhat sheltered life, living on a dairy farm, engaged to her childhood friend. She feels imprisoned by obligations and responsibilities, with expectations placed on her following the loss of her mother a few years earlier.
‘She felt as though she’d spent her entire life settling for second best.’
Danny Fiore enters her life with the force of a meteorite. This larger than life amazingly talented, exquisitely handsome, confident and self-assured man represents everything she has yearned for but never imagined possible. He steals her heart and awakens a longing, a dream and a chance at real happiness which Casey grasps with both hands. Yet behind the confident façade Danny is a vulnerable man plagued by scars from his past.
“You terrify me…You make me hungry for things I’m not sure I have a right to want.” – Casey
Theirs was an intense, passionate and all-consuming love. These were two people whose strengths and weaknesses would test them as individuals, test their marriage and test the friendship and creativity they shared with their friend and fellow music partner Rob through the years.
“I’d give it all up for you……I’d put on a tie and sit at a desk all day if it was what you wanted.”-Danny
“I’d never ask you to do that. It would crush your spirit.” – Casey
“I love you that much.” – Danny
As I began to anticipate how this story was to play out, I did consider putting it aside. I wasn’t sure if i was prepared to put myself through the torment I knew was to come. However, I did continue because I was committed to these characters, their struggles and their story and felt a necessity to see it through to the end. One thing I don’t particularly like is when my hand is forced in regards to my feelings about a character. When “that” character becomes something entirely different than the one I’ve fallen in love with, through no fault of the character but merely to accept another, then it puts me off kilter. As my feelings differed to that of the author, I felt as though the character I was invested in was let down although the authors love and passion for her story was never in question. I know you share the same thoughts as me on this Gitte, and as you can explain it much better I’ll hand it over to you. Coming Home certainly tested us didn’t it?
Gitte: We really were tested Jenny and kudos to Laurie Breton for making me so passionate about my feelings, however, I feel it only right to voice my issues with this story. As a reader I was put in a position where a choice was taken out of my hands. Without wanting to spoil anything, what we have here is the beginnings of an epic beautiful love story. It started out so heart-warming, exciting and hopeful. Danny and Casey; so very much in love, taking a chance on each other whilst struggling to fight for their dreams; living in poverty to chase their aspirations of making it in the music industry side by side. Their journey was burdened by obstacles, pain and rejection. It was filled with tragedy and desperation. Yet it had a love so extremely powerful.
“We’re charmed. Nothing can ever hurt us.”
The stunning writing made this an addictive journey where I rooted for Danny & Casey as well as Rob, I revelled in their passion, love and friendships. The three musketeers with a friendship forged by steel; an unbreakable bond. The dynamics were those made of nostalgia and the making of memories.
Then slowly but surely the Author shifted focus and penned a story where characters were made a stark difference of. We suddenly had a bad guy and a good guy. The attention slipped and only the negative or bad was highlighted and the good guy is suddenly ‘not so good’ and was made to lose his voice and his way; I was clearly forced to ‘un-love’ him in order to like where this story was going. This broke my heart, truly it did, because it was an injustice in the making. Why make us fall in love with a character then suddenly only show us the bad, which in my opinion was consequential of a hard life, and from there on end continue to do so despite his struggles and tragic past? The Author took sides about a third way through the story, she wanted an outcome and come hell or high water, this was going to happen no matter what and at who’s cost. Thereby making me, the reader, unable to have my own opinion thus I was forced into a corner just as she was.
‘Never enough time…Not in a lifetime would there be enough time to satisfy her hunger for him.’
Now, writing about a love so strong and a passion so fierce; how is it possible to reject that and paint a picture so bleak and heart-wrenching about a romance that withstood an uncountable amount of struggle and grief? A love withstanding everything thrown at it cannot be compared to a love that’s never been truly tested.
I fell in love with both Danny and Rob equally; however, I felt incredibly angry at some of the developments and if it wasn’t for the outstanding beauty of this Authors writing, I would have stopped reading.
This story made me realise, that actually, there can be too much angst and heart-break when it’s as relentless as in Coming Home. Also, I really don’t enjoy when an Author tries to sway my opinion by dismissing one of her beloved characters by suddenly only highlighting the bad and not giving them the credit they so truly deserve, the credit she originally penned when we began this journey.
“I’m sorry it took me so long.”…..“You were born to be held.”
So yeah, I’m at a loss….I loved, absolutely loved the stunning beauty of the writing. Coming Home had the promise of epic-ness, a unique rock star story spanning decades with characters who embodied raw passion, hope and perseverance.
“Not everybody gets a second chance….”
Then….well I’ve never felt so emotionally tired and utterly despondent as I did upon finishing this story, not in a long time. Hence my confusion and inability to say whether I loved it or not. Perhaps my strong emotions and jumbled thoughts mean that I did, who knows? I’m still confused and morose!!
J&G: We have to say we were very surprised at the intensity of this book. You see, last month we put a call out to our fellow readers asking them to recommend a book which had lots of romance, passion, it HAD to have humour and it was to be nothing overly angsty with no love triangles. Basically we were in the mood for a sweet romance which would make us smile and Coming Home was mentioned a few times and so we took the plunge. We didn’t read any reviews and didn’t know a lot about the story so we were really taken aback by enormous level of angst and the sheer heartbreak and sadness felt throughout Coming Home.
However, we were pulled into the story immediately by the phenomenal writing and there was no turning back as we felt compelled to follow Casey, Danny and Rob through their journey of self-discovery, pain and heartbreak. There was no way we could put this book down until we turned the very last page even though it left us in a state of emotional exhaustion.
“I’m just an ordinary guy”
“No…….What you are is the air that I breathe.”
There are so many aspects to this story as we unravel the past and doubts that plague Danny, the unattainable dreams that taunt Casey and the constant stream of broken relationships that follow Rob.
“I need to find out where I fit into that world.” – Casey
“You fit right here…by my side” – Danny
There is no doubting that despite our issues, we found this to be a beautifully told story and regardless of the fact that we weren’t completely content with the way some aspects played out, Coming Home did leave us breathless. If you love your angst, if you love your heartache and you want to experience some truly beautiful writing, then we recommend picking up Coming Home.
´♥´♥´♥
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January 22, 2014
4.5 stars...
This was such an emotional epic book. Spanning 15 years and taking a girl into a strong independent woman. In many ways this isn't just a story about the music industry but about Casey's transition from the love of Danny and Rob...
I'm not going to lie, this story really touched me. I cried, laughed and parts of this sweeping story ripped my heart out. How can so much pain and sadness be surrounded by so much love and friendship. Oh, that's because it's life. I can't really go into how this story changes and grow in the 15 years it spans but what I can tell you is, it will move you. You will be engrossed and want to find out what happens next. You should also know it's also full of drama. But that's life too.
Casey loved with her whole heart, she didn't hold anything back and the simple beauty in that jumped off the pages of Coming Home. She was my favorite part of this book. I empathized with her, I envied her and I found parts of myself in her story.
Coming Home is written so beautifully that it only adds to the epic feel. Detailed descriptions and even though the sex is not very graphic, it's just perfect for what this story is. It fit, the characters and the writing perfectly. The heat and longing smolders off the pages.
In conclusion, Coming Home was a pleasant surprise and i'm glad I picked it up. I'm so wrapped up in these characters and the small town of Jackson Falls that I can't wait to dive into the next book.
This was such an emotional epic book. Spanning 15 years and taking a girl into a strong independent woman. In many ways this isn't just a story about the music industry but about Casey's transition from the love of Danny and Rob...
“Hello,” he said. “My name’s Daniel Fiore, and you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I want to hold you in my arms and dance with you all night.” For a moment, her hand remained limp. Then she curled icy fingers around his. “Hello,” she said. She smiled, and all the air left his lungs. “My name’s Casey Bradley, and I’ve been waiting eighteen years for you to come walking into my life.”
I'm not going to lie, this story really touched me. I cried, laughed and parts of this sweeping story ripped my heart out. How can so much pain and sadness be surrounded by so much love and friendship. Oh, that's because it's life. I can't really go into how this story changes and grow in the 15 years it spans but what I can tell you is, it will move you. You will be engrossed and want to find out what happens next. You should also know it's also full of drama. But that's life too.
Casey loved with her whole heart, she didn't hold anything back and the simple beauty in that jumped off the pages of Coming Home. She was my favorite part of this book. I empathized with her, I envied her and I found parts of myself in her story.
Coming Home is written so beautifully that it only adds to the epic feel. Detailed descriptions and even though the sex is not very graphic, it's just perfect for what this story is. It fit, the characters and the writing perfectly. The heat and longing smolders off the pages.
Nothing in eighteen years of living had prepared her for that first taste of him, for those hot, wet kisses flavored with Kentucky bourbon and Coca-Cola.
In conclusion, Coming Home was a pleasant surprise and i'm glad I picked it up. I'm so wrapped up in these characters and the small town of Jackson Falls that I can't wait to dive into the next book.
November 5, 2014
'His music was his mistress, a siren far more seductive than any mortal woman. And unlike mortal women, this lady wouldn’t disappoint.’
Jenny: I have to say Gitte, I was captivated by the expressive and stunning beauty of this authors prose. Her words immediately pulled me into the story and held me until the end, though it was a struggle at times as her words certainly shattered my heart over and over again.
I am completely exhausted. I feel as if my heart has run an emotional marathon as Coming Home continually tested my emotional limits. My poor heart is reeling as the story of Rob, Danny and Casey, three friends who come together through a mutual love and passion for music and who together pursue their dream to break in to the music industry, a story told over a 15 year period. Coming Home is told with emotion, beauty and a HUGE helping of angst. I felt love, anger, frustration, hurt and overwhelming sadness throughout….my resolve was constantly tested and I felt it all. Though, how I’m feeling after finishing this story? I’m honestly not sure.
“My name’s Daniel Fiore, and you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I want to hold you in my arms and dance with you all night.”
“My name’s Casey Bradley, and I’ve been waiting eighteen years for you to come walking into my life.”
This author certainly wove a complex and heartbreakingly told story of self-discovery, friendship, loss, and intense love that is tested to its utmost limits. This was tough read wasn’t it Gitte and Coming Home certainly left us feeling pretty down as the sadness just kept coming.
Gitte: Well, I have to say this is one of the hardest reviews I’ve had to write because my emotions and feelings on this book are all over the place. I asked myself continuously whilst reading if there can ever be too much angst, too much heart-break and tragedy? Can a story be too depressing to read? After finishing Coming Home my answer is yes….yes and this is the one that finally became all of the above for me.
“Tell the world to go to hell…and follow your heart.”
Despite this, I could not put it down because the writing was implicitly beautiful, the love story embodied everything you’d want, making promises of something amazing and epic. When you strip everything away to the bare core of the story; this was a stunning depiction of love, friendship, despair and hope as well as individual growth.
“Nobody has the right to tell you what to want.”
I love high emotions, whatever that emotion may be. I love having a story make me feel so much I can’t stop my tears or even have me wanting to throw my kindle at the wall in frustration. Reading is an escape; the disappearance into someone else’s world. Wanting to live through the eyes and heart of a character that you feel so damn close to or connected with. Living and breathing their passion and desperation.
“You’re my whole goddamn life. Haven’t you figured it out by now?”
You want to laugh, cry, love, feel what they do right alongside them. However, to be bombarded by nothing but grief, heart-break, a sombre tones as well as despair and struggle from page one to the last proved too much for me this time. Too much in the sense that I have no idea what to say or how to rate Coming Home. These feelings I credit entirely on the sublime writing!
Jenny: I’m also at a loss on how to rate this one. I wanted to shout STOP at times the sorrow became too much to bear, and it was the sheer beauty of the writing that spurred me to continue.
We meet Casey who has led a somewhat sheltered life, living on a dairy farm, engaged to her childhood friend. She feels imprisoned by obligations and responsibilities, with expectations placed on her following the loss of her mother a few years earlier.
‘She felt as though she’d spent her entire life settling for second best.’
Danny Fiore enters her life with the force of a meteorite. This larger than life amazingly talented, exquisitely handsome, confident and self-assured man represents everything she has yearned for but never imagined possible. He steals her heart and awakens a longing, a dream and a chance at real happiness which Casey grasps with both hands. Yet behind the confident façade Danny is a vulnerable man plagued by scars from his past.
“You terrify me…You make me hungry for things I’m not sure I have a right to want.” – Casey
Theirs was an intense, passionate and all-consuming love. These were two people whose strengths and weaknesses would test them as individuals, test their marriage and test the friendship and creativity they shared with their friend and fellow music partner Rob through the years.
“I’d give it all up for you……I’d put on a tie and sit at a desk all day if it was what you wanted.”-Danny
“I’d never ask you to do that. It would crush your spirit.” – Casey
“I love you that much.” – Danny
As I began to anticipate how this story was to play out, I did consider putting it aside. I wasn’t sure if i was prepared to put myself through the torment I knew was to come. However, I did continue because I was committed to these characters, their struggles and their story and felt a necessity to see it through to the end. One thing I don’t particularly like is when my hand is forced in regards to my feelings about a character. When “that” character becomes something entirely different than the one I’ve fallen in love with, through no fault of the character but merely to accept another, then it puts me off kilter. As my feelings differed to that of the author, I felt as though the character I was invested in was let down although the authors love and passion for her story was never in question. I know you share the same thoughts as me on this Gitte, and as you can explain it much better I’ll hand it over to you. Coming Home certainly tested us didn’t it?
Gitte: We really were tested Jenny and kudos to Laurie Breton for making me so passionate about my feelings, however, I feel it only right to voice my issues with this story. As a reader I was put in a position where a choice was taken out of my hands. Without wanting to spoil anything, what we have here is the beginnings of an epic beautiful love story. It started out so heart-warming, exciting and hopeful. Danny and Casey; so very much in love, taking a chance on each other whilst struggling to fight for their dreams; living in poverty to chase their aspirations of making it in the music industry side by side. Their journey was burdened by obstacles, pain and rejection. It was filled with tragedy and desperation. Yet it had a love so extremely powerful.
“We’re charmed. Nothing can ever hurt us.”
The stunning writing made this an addictive journey where I rooted for Danny & Casey as well as Rob, I revelled in their passion, love and friendships. The three musketeers with a friendship forged by steel; an unbreakable bond. The dynamics were those made of nostalgia and the making of memories.
Then slowly but surely the Author shifted focus and penned a story where characters were made a stark difference of. We suddenly had a bad guy and a good guy. The attention slipped and only the negative or bad was highlighted and the good guy is suddenly ‘not so good’ and was made to lose his voice and his way; I was clearly forced to ‘un-love’ him in order to like where this story was going. This broke my heart, truly it did, because it was an injustice in the making. Why make us fall in love with a character then suddenly only show us the bad, which in my opinion was consequential of a hard life, and from there on end continue to do so despite his struggles and tragic past? The Author took sides about a third way through the story, she wanted an outcome and come hell or high water, this was going to happen no matter what and at who’s cost. Thereby making me, the reader, unable to have my own opinion thus I was forced into a corner just as she was.
‘Never enough time…Not in a lifetime would there be enough time to satisfy her hunger for him.’
Now, writing about a love so strong and a passion so fierce; how is it possible to reject that and paint a picture so bleak and heart-wrenching about a romance that withstood an uncountable amount of struggle and grief? A love withstanding everything thrown at it cannot be compared to a love that’s never been truly tested.
I fell in love with both Danny and Rob equally; however, I felt incredibly angry at some of the developments and if it wasn’t for the outstanding beauty of this Authors writing, I would have stopped reading.
This story made me realise, that actually, there can be too much angst and heart-break when it’s as relentless as in Coming Home. Also, I really don’t enjoy when an Author tries to sway my opinion by dismissing one of her beloved characters by suddenly only highlighting the bad and not giving them the credit they so truly deserve, the credit she originally penned when we began this journey.
“I’m sorry it took me so long.”…..“You were born to be held.”
So yeah, I’m at a loss….I loved, absolutely loved the stunning beauty of the writing. Coming Home had the promise of epic-ness, a unique rock star story spanning decades with characters who embodied raw passion, hope and perseverance.
“Not everybody gets a second chance….”
Then….well I’ve never felt so emotionally tired and utterly despondent as I did upon finishing this story, not in a long time. Hence my confusion and inability to say whether I loved it or not. Perhaps my strong emotions and jumbled thoughts mean that I did, who knows? I’m still confused and morose!!
J&G: We have to say we were very surprised at the intensity of this book. You see, last month we put a call out to our fellow readers asking them to recommend a book which had lots of romance, passion, it HAD to have humour and it was to be nothing overly angsty with no love triangles. Basically we were in the mood for a sweet romance which would make us smile and Coming Home was mentioned a few times and so we took the plunge. We didn’t read any reviews and didn’t know a lot about the story so we were really taken aback by enormous level of angst and the sheer heartbreak and sadness felt throughout Coming Home.
However, we were pulled into the story immediately by the phenomenal writing and there was no turning back as we felt compelled to follow Casey, Danny and Rob through their journey of self-discovery, pain and heartbreak. There was no way we could put this book down until we turned the very last page even though it left us in a state of emotional exhaustion.
“I’m just an ordinary guy”
“No…….What you are is the air that I breathe.”
There are so many aspects to this story as we unravel the past and doubts that plague Danny, the unattainable dreams that taunt Casey and the constant stream of broken relationships that follow Rob.
“I need to find out where I fit into that world.” – Casey
“You fit right here…by my side” – Danny
There is no doubting that despite our issues, we found this to be a beautifully told story and regardless of the fact that we weren’t completely content with the way some aspects played out, Coming Home did leave us breathless. If you love your angst, if you love your heartache and you want to experience some truly beautiful writing, then we recommend picking up Coming Home.
´♥´♥´♥
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September 30, 2014
This is a book about 3 friends and the "complexities of their interrelationships over the span of fifteen years." Because of the big span of time, this book had an "epic" feel to me as we see each character grow & develop from their innocent beginnings to all the turbulent events that they had to endure to get to the end. I really enjoyed this author's writing style and I had trouble putting this book down. I look forward to reading more from this author.
September 14, 2012
For those of you who hate to read long reviews, I'll summarize first: I loved this book, I can't wait to read the second one in the series and I think if you're a fan of Nora Roberts, you'll probably love it, too. More fresh than many of Susan Mallery's books often feel and more expansive in time and place than a lot of Jill Shalvis' stories, nonetheless, Coming Home offers a lot of the romance and charisma and details that often draw people to those authors' characters. If I had a negative comment, it would be that the terms of endearment and language are often a little cheesy sounding, but I think that's more about a generational difference than it is about quality; the author and the characters are part of the generation before mine and so their vernacular in this story will be different from my own. Because of that, I won't take away any stars for it; I'd rather the characters feel real than sterile, modern versions of themselves.
For anyone who wishes to read my detailed review, it follows. I'm going to be upfront and tell you all straight away, the author is my (great) aunt. I just want to put that out there from the beginning. I've known she was a published author for a long time and to be honest, I hadn't really read her stuff. Part of it was that the books I could get were all romantic suspense, which isn't really my thing. But a few years before my grammy (Laurie's older sister) died, she let me borrow her copies of Coming Home and Sleeping With The Enemy, and I just never really got around to reading them straight away. We moved several times and the books got shoved into a box, only to be forgotten.
This summer, I got an invite to be Laurie's friend here on Goodreads. I discovered that, not only is she writing again, but she's finally able to re-release her first two novels, the ones I had borrowed from my grammy, which were out of print and locked in publishing rights for years. When I saw their synopses, I knew I should finally sit down and read them. And now that I have started, I can't even believe I waited this long!
I can say that I loved this book with all honesty, not because I'm related to the author, but because it's fantastic! Any of you who have read my reviews in the past know that I'm big on a couple key parts of a story: characters who garner my emotional investment and settings that make me feel like I am there. If a story is set in a place where I've been or a time that is part of my personal history, I need to feel like it is genuine (even if it is mostly fictitious). I don't need an original plot, provided a story is well-executed otherwise (though a decent, if familiar, plot never hurts). And if a story has a great romance and/or good sex scenes, well, all the better. I think Coming Home fits all my definitions of a great story.
Let's start with the characters - the main characters, Casey, Danny and Rob - were all real people to me. They were flawed and genuine and wholly themselves (even when they weren't). They had real lives, real troubles, real pain and real joy. I loved that Danny was a rock star (eventually) and that Rob and Casey had earned a Grammy, and yet, that part of their lives was no more a character in the story than the places where they lived. In other words, it didn't define who they were in a way that made the story about Hollywood and what it is like to be a struggling musician thrust into the spotlight. The music scene is just that, a setting in which the love story between these three people is being told.
Speaking of the setting, this story had that in spades. I've been to NYC, I've been to Boston (lived there, even) and I've lived in Maine almost all of my life. If you've never been to those places, Laurie does a great job of helping you feel as though you have. I've only seen LAX, never any other part of LA, and yet, that felt more like a real place than a Hollywood set. Maybe not as much as the other places in the story, but then, that almost felt deliberate, as though the people Danny, Rob and Casey were in LA were facsimiles of their true selves. Their genuine selves were the people we meet in the beginning, the struggling artists living in the bowels of Boston and New York, the farm girl from rural Maine struggling to stay herself in a world of artifice.
This story isn't just a tale of a woman and the two men she loves, it is also a record of the time in which they lived. These people are the age of my parents and inlaws (Casey is about the same age as my mother), and yet, as a member of GenX, I am still old enough to remember a lot about the 70's and 80's, to recall what it was like before cable and cell phones and the internet were such a huge part of our lives. This story helps bring back that time in a way that doesn't feel like nostalgia so much as a documentation of a time that has passed. Frankly, I feel like Coming Home soars where I felt One Day missed the mark. That story, too, was about a relationship and yet, it felt like it was more about the lifestyle than it was the people in it. This story is always, always about the characters. That's my kind of story.
If you have never picked up one of Laurie's books because crime-oriented stories are not your thing, give this one a try. It will change your idea of her as an author. Frankly, I think it was brave of her to write both types of stories under her own name, rather than go the route Nora Roberts has and use a completely different pen name for her romantic suspense novels (in case you did not realize, she is also JD Robb). Truthfully, reading this book has now encouraged me to read Laurie's romantic suspense stories, a genre outside my typical interests. It's funny, but much as I loved the InnBoonsboro stories, they didn't make me want to read anything by JD Robb. Go figure.
For anyone who wishes to read my detailed review, it follows. I'm going to be upfront and tell you all straight away, the author is my (great) aunt. I just want to put that out there from the beginning. I've known she was a published author for a long time and to be honest, I hadn't really read her stuff. Part of it was that the books I could get were all romantic suspense, which isn't really my thing. But a few years before my grammy (Laurie's older sister) died, she let me borrow her copies of Coming Home and Sleeping With The Enemy, and I just never really got around to reading them straight away. We moved several times and the books got shoved into a box, only to be forgotten.
This summer, I got an invite to be Laurie's friend here on Goodreads. I discovered that, not only is she writing again, but she's finally able to re-release her first two novels, the ones I had borrowed from my grammy, which were out of print and locked in publishing rights for years. When I saw their synopses, I knew I should finally sit down and read them. And now that I have started, I can't even believe I waited this long!
I can say that I loved this book with all honesty, not because I'm related to the author, but because it's fantastic! Any of you who have read my reviews in the past know that I'm big on a couple key parts of a story: characters who garner my emotional investment and settings that make me feel like I am there. If a story is set in a place where I've been or a time that is part of my personal history, I need to feel like it is genuine (even if it is mostly fictitious). I don't need an original plot, provided a story is well-executed otherwise (though a decent, if familiar, plot never hurts). And if a story has a great romance and/or good sex scenes, well, all the better. I think Coming Home fits all my definitions of a great story.
Let's start with the characters - the main characters, Casey, Danny and Rob - were all real people to me. They were flawed and genuine and wholly themselves (even when they weren't). They had real lives, real troubles, real pain and real joy. I loved that Danny was a rock star (eventually) and that Rob and Casey had earned a Grammy, and yet, that part of their lives was no more a character in the story than the places where they lived. In other words, it didn't define who they were in a way that made the story about Hollywood and what it is like to be a struggling musician thrust into the spotlight. The music scene is just that, a setting in which the love story between these three people is being told.
Speaking of the setting, this story had that in spades. I've been to NYC, I've been to Boston (lived there, even) and I've lived in Maine almost all of my life. If you've never been to those places, Laurie does a great job of helping you feel as though you have. I've only seen LAX, never any other part of LA, and yet, that felt more like a real place than a Hollywood set. Maybe not as much as the other places in the story, but then, that almost felt deliberate, as though the people Danny, Rob and Casey were in LA were facsimiles of their true selves. Their genuine selves were the people we meet in the beginning, the struggling artists living in the bowels of Boston and New York, the farm girl from rural Maine struggling to stay herself in a world of artifice.
This story isn't just a tale of a woman and the two men she loves, it is also a record of the time in which they lived. These people are the age of my parents and inlaws (Casey is about the same age as my mother), and yet, as a member of GenX, I am still old enough to remember a lot about the 70's and 80's, to recall what it was like before cable and cell phones and the internet were such a huge part of our lives. This story helps bring back that time in a way that doesn't feel like nostalgia so much as a documentation of a time that has passed. Frankly, I feel like Coming Home soars where I felt One Day missed the mark. That story, too, was about a relationship and yet, it felt like it was more about the lifestyle than it was the people in it. This story is always, always about the characters. That's my kind of story.
If you have never picked up one of Laurie's books because crime-oriented stories are not your thing, give this one a try. It will change your idea of her as an author. Frankly, I think it was brave of her to write both types of stories under her own name, rather than go the route Nora Roberts has and use a completely different pen name for her romantic suspense novels (in case you did not realize, she is also JD Robb). Truthfully, reading this book has now encouraged me to read Laurie's romantic suspense stories, a genre outside my typical interests. It's funny, but much as I loved the InnBoonsboro stories, they didn't make me want to read anything by JD Robb. Go figure.
April 4, 2013
5 AMAZING STARS
This is a beautiful love story that covers over 13 years. It's very well written and the author tells the story of love, marriage, relationships and second chances. The story is about Casey, Danny and Rob and their struggle to make a name for themselves in the music industry in the 70s and 80s. But this story is so much more, it had me smiling and crying and not wanting it to end...its quite a long story but nothing is dragged out, it was just beautiful..loved It.
This is a beautiful love story that covers over 13 years. It's very well written and the author tells the story of love, marriage, relationships and second chances. The story is about Casey, Danny and Rob and their struggle to make a name for themselves in the music industry in the 70s and 80s. But this story is so much more, it had me smiling and crying and not wanting it to end...its quite a long story but nothing is dragged out, it was just beautiful..loved It.
December 4, 2014
Only two other books have made me cry, You Before Me and The Edge of Never, this is the third book that had me silently weeping into my kindle trying not to wake my husband at 1am.
I have been reading a lot of books recently and they have all been very similar with love angst, usually happening over a short space of time and with a lot of money.
It was so refreshing to read a book that spanned 15 years and you grew with the story as they grew in their relationships. I felt like I knew everything about Casey, Danny and Rob so much that when the story took a turn into another direction it pulled my heart out, shattered it and then threw it back in to pick up the pieces. I felt it was beautifully written and the money and fame were not the crux of the story, but just what made them who they are.
Read this book you seriously wont regret it, it is refreshing to read something about love but written in a different way to current mainstream romance books.
I have been reading a lot of books recently and they have all been very similar with love angst, usually happening over a short space of time and with a lot of money.
It was so refreshing to read a book that spanned 15 years and you grew with the story as they grew in their relationships. I felt like I knew everything about Casey, Danny and Rob so much that when the story took a turn into another direction it pulled my heart out, shattered it and then threw it back in to pick up the pieces. I felt it was beautifully written and the money and fame were not the crux of the story, but just what made them who they are.
Read this book you seriously wont regret it, it is refreshing to read something about love but written in a different way to current mainstream romance books.
September 3, 2016
FREE RIGHT NOW!! 4/14/14
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November 10, 2012
Oh the emotional roller coaster I unexpectedly road when I decided to read this book! I'll be honest I'm very picky with books. I saw the year this story started in and was like" yeah I don't know"but it was free. so it sat on my kindle for a month without me so much as glancing at it. Then I decided what the heck it had good reviews sounds interesting I might as well check it out. My mistake was starting this book in the evening on a school night. Imagine my surprise when my 5:00am alarm went off to wake the kids for school and I was still lost in this book. I dumbly sent the kids to school then picked it back up and read until it was done. Then I Reread some parts I had bookmarked. Sadness hit me when I realized it was over. Would I read this book again? Absolutely!! Would I recommend it? Heck yeah!! Take a chance in a love story that is real. The emotional ups and downs in this story aren't the fake overblown fight then make ups in most books. This isn't angst. This true to life feelings and you will not be disappointed.
October 18, 2013
A sweeping, epic 5 star love story.
November 5, 2012
Rating: 4.5
This YA book was long, but it was good read. The writing was solid. I fell in love with these 3 characters right off the bat. The author did a great job conveying the love that these 3 have with one another--so raw and realistic. I cried several times in the book. The heroine was so selfless and strong--she was the backbone of these men's lives. It was incredible to see how she changed to become a woman that focuses on "HERSELF" rather than on others. I <3 Rob. Love him for the very beginning. Although he was always on the sidelines, he was such a sweetheart. Danny was a unique character. I love/hate him at the same time. He's so self-centered, but love her no less..in his unique way. It was great to see a change in him later on in the story.
Definitely looking forward to the 2nd installment of the Jackson series.
This YA book was long, but it was good read. The writing was solid. I fell in love with these 3 characters right off the bat. The author did a great job conveying the love that these 3 have with one another--so raw and realistic. I cried several times in the book. The heroine was so selfless and strong--she was the backbone of these men's lives. It was incredible to see how she changed to become a woman that focuses on "HERSELF" rather than on others. I <3 Rob. Love him for the very beginning. Although he was always on the sidelines, he was such a sweetheart. Danny was a unique character. I love/hate him at the same time. He's so self-centered, but love her no less..in his unique way. It was great to see a change in him later on in the story.
Definitely looking forward to the 2nd installment of the Jackson series.
April 25, 2013
I would rate this book higher if I could! Amazingly done!! Definitely one of my TOP favorites. I love that it was a true journey of Casey and Danny's love, passion, life struggles, heartache and of finding herself over 15 years. Breton did an amazing job of not rushing anything to come together. An absolute detailed lovely story. I felt like I was on that long journey right along with Danny, Casey and Rob. This was such an EXTREMELY emotional story and it just felt so raw that you actually feel the characters and the heartache along with them. I laughed and actually sobbed..and cried more. This will forever stay with me. Breton is brilliant. Don't let the cover fool you, this is worth it. I would read this book over again!
December 11, 2012
This is a story of young, passionate love that develops. Passion, fury, rage, sadness, hurt, love, essentially, the emotional rollercoaster of young love that many of us experience. Its also a story of growing up and finding yourself. Casey grows from a young girl into a women & shares the ups & downs of the emotions that live within her while struggling to just get by.
I truly loved this book for many reasons - 1: much of it was set in Boston & so the familiar scenes & street names made me smile. 2: Casey's journey of self discovery through the ups & downs of her personal life & career - something many of experience in our real lives.
Breton brings true life realities to life in this book.
Bravo!!!!
I truly loved this book for many reasons - 1: much of it was set in Boston & so the familiar scenes & street names made me smile. 2: Casey's journey of self discovery through the ups & downs of her personal life & career - something many of experience in our real lives.
Breton brings true life realities to life in this book.
Bravo!!!!
April 7, 2014
I'm so glad this was free.
At 57 yrs old, I just don't have the patience for an 18 year old girl getting married, (at least she wasn't pregnant), and then after knowing someone for a short time, decide to marry the other. That's a fickle 18 yr old for you. No mention of how she broke the news to her ex fiance.
And then she and her wanna be rock star hubby start having problems. Gee, I couldn't see that coming. Relationships developed so quickly that I felt like I was reading an abridged version of the book. I did not finish.
I have been enjoying Young Adult books, but this one is more teenage, NON adult genre.
At 57 yrs old, I just don't have the patience for an 18 year old girl getting married, (at least she wasn't pregnant), and then after knowing someone for a short time, decide to marry the other. That's a fickle 18 yr old for you. No mention of how she broke the news to her ex fiance.
And then she and her wanna be rock star hubby start having problems. Gee, I couldn't see that coming. Relationships developed so quickly that I felt like I was reading an abridged version of the book. I did not finish.
I have been enjoying Young Adult books, but this one is more teenage, NON adult genre.
July 14, 2016
This is a wonderful and beautiful story that had me captivated from page one and only got better the more I read. It's a sweeping and epic tale of love, friendship, heartbreak and hope, that spans almost 16 years, from the summer of 1974 through the spring of 1990. I can't say enough about how well written and real the characters and places felt while I was reading. I truly loved all 3 characters, and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a unique and beautiful love story. I will warn you to have tissues handy! :)
March 26, 2014
I got this book because of all the great reviews... and I just could not finish it. I read in to about 25% of the book and gave it up. This story didn't seem to have much substance to it. It was dragging on and I just don't think I could have handled another 5 hours of this book.
By the time I was 25% into the book, already more than 2 years had passed and I felt like I didn't know any of the characters. There was no depth to them, or at least they weren't explained. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a shot, I don't know. I know this story has great reviews, but I just didn't like it.
By the time I was 25% into the book, already more than 2 years had passed and I felt like I didn't know any of the characters. There was no depth to them, or at least they weren't explained. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a shot, I don't know. I know this story has great reviews, but I just didn't like it.
November 23, 2013
This is indeed an epic...
One of the best and I can't find words that best describe how marvelous this novel is.
It was heart wrenching yet astonishingly good, I feel like I was with Casey, Danny and Rob's life the whole weekend. I've never been smitten this much, I thought I was reading an Erich Segal novel, which by the way is my favorite author. I fell in love yet heart broken at the same time but a satisfying smile in the end...
You rock my weekend Ms. Breton!
One of the best and I can't find words that best describe how marvelous this novel is.
It was heart wrenching yet astonishingly good, I feel like I was with Casey, Danny and Rob's life the whole weekend. I've never been smitten this much, I thought I was reading an Erich Segal novel, which by the way is my favorite author. I fell in love yet heart broken at the same time but a satisfying smile in the end...
You rock my weekend Ms. Breton!
September 29, 2012
I kind of loved this book. It illustrates the blending together of life and the idea of fame. I liked that it was realistic but not overwhelming. By no means was it the focus. You truly got to know and love the characters.
May 4, 2013
I have no words
This was quite incredible
It was a HUGE story spaniing 15 years
I laughed out load
Danced about with happiness
Fell to my knees in despair
and was really, really thankful to know there are more books in the series
5 big bright beautiful stars
This was quite incredible
It was a HUGE story spaniing 15 years
I laughed out load
Danced about with happiness
Fell to my knees in despair
and was really, really thankful to know there are more books in the series
5 big bright beautiful stars
October 19, 2012
Great Read, made me cry and I couldn't put it down.
November 4, 2012
great book a few parts had me bawling like a baby
October 4, 2013
I made it to 14%. Too similar to a soap opera. Not even realistic drama. I got frustrated with the characters and gave up.
December 20, 2012
This was a really excellent book. When Ms. Breton contacted me to review this book, I read the synopsis and was hooked when I read that Danny was a singer! There are a couple of things that will hook me when I read a synopsis and that's one of them. Also this story starts out in the year I was born so that caught me too. This story spans the course of about 15 years, I believe.
This is really the story of Casey who, at eighteen, is just weeks away from marrying her long time boyfriend. Her brother, Travis, comes home and introduces her to Danny Fiore, a singer who has heard some of her songs and wants her to write more songs for him to sing. He sweeps her off her feet in no time at all and she is moving away from home to be with him. Casey writes songs, but doesn't have the training to put them on paper, this is where Rob comes in. He is able to put them on paper and ends up being her writing partner for years to come.
I don't want to spoil anything and since the story covers so much time there is a lot going on. Casey, Danny and Rob end up working together for years and in the beginning its rough going, almost to the point where they gave up. Danny is a star, though, and eventually, after he pays his dues he is "discovered" by a small up and coming label and he skyrockets to stardom very quickly.
Casey and Danny encounter their share of problems over the years, but they are one of those couples that seems to persevere no matter what because they really do love each other. Rob is Casey's best friend throughout all these years, and even though he is kind of in the background he is the one that is always there for her when she has to deal with the backlash of Danny's explosive career. He is there for her in times when Danny isn't or can't be there. He encounters his share of problems with life and love over the years as well, but there is always one constant for him and that's Casey.
This is really the story about how through living life day to day and encountering it's highs and lows you realize that the things you thought you needed and wanted when you were young may not really be what's best for you. As Casey grows up and deals with tragedy she realizes that the thing she really needed was there with her all the time.
I really loved this book. It's wonderfully written and while it is long, it covers such a big chunk of time that it doesn't seem long. There was never a time, for me anyway, where the story dragged. I feel like it was well paced and the characters were nicely developed. It's also very well edited. I do have the 2nd book in this series as well, so I will be reading that one very soon.
This is an adult book with some love scenes that aren't overly descriptive, but they aren't the "fade to the next scene" kind of love scenes either. They were very tastefully written. I recommend this book if you like contemporary romance. This is a very touching story that will make you feel for the characters you are reading about.
This is really the story of Casey who, at eighteen, is just weeks away from marrying her long time boyfriend. Her brother, Travis, comes home and introduces her to Danny Fiore, a singer who has heard some of her songs and wants her to write more songs for him to sing. He sweeps her off her feet in no time at all and she is moving away from home to be with him. Casey writes songs, but doesn't have the training to put them on paper, this is where Rob comes in. He is able to put them on paper and ends up being her writing partner for years to come.
I don't want to spoil anything and since the story covers so much time there is a lot going on. Casey, Danny and Rob end up working together for years and in the beginning its rough going, almost to the point where they gave up. Danny is a star, though, and eventually, after he pays his dues he is "discovered" by a small up and coming label and he skyrockets to stardom very quickly.
Casey and Danny encounter their share of problems over the years, but they are one of those couples that seems to persevere no matter what because they really do love each other. Rob is Casey's best friend throughout all these years, and even though he is kind of in the background he is the one that is always there for her when she has to deal with the backlash of Danny's explosive career. He is there for her in times when Danny isn't or can't be there. He encounters his share of problems with life and love over the years as well, but there is always one constant for him and that's Casey.
This is really the story about how through living life day to day and encountering it's highs and lows you realize that the things you thought you needed and wanted when you were young may not really be what's best for you. As Casey grows up and deals with tragedy she realizes that the thing she really needed was there with her all the time.
I really loved this book. It's wonderfully written and while it is long, it covers such a big chunk of time that it doesn't seem long. There was never a time, for me anyway, where the story dragged. I feel like it was well paced and the characters were nicely developed. It's also very well edited. I do have the 2nd book in this series as well, so I will be reading that one very soon.
This is an adult book with some love scenes that aren't overly descriptive, but they aren't the "fade to the next scene" kind of love scenes either. They were very tastefully written. I recommend this book if you like contemporary romance. This is a very touching story that will make you feel for the characters you are reading about.
top-tbr
May 9, 2013I'm not going to lie, I LOVE the new cover... and, I'm putting it on my list.
Songwriter Casey Bradley is just eighteen years old on the day that handsome, charismatic singer Danny Fiore blows into her life and sets her heart on fire. Good girl Casey has never done anything her dad would disapprove of, but the first time she looks into those turbulent blue eyes, the first time she hears that golden voice, she's ready to give up everything -- home, family, fiancé -- to follow Danny wherever his dreams lead them.
Together with guitar wizard Rob MacKenzie, Casey writes the songs that catapult Danny to a fame beyond their wildest imaginings. Through the lean years, when there isn't enough to eat, and the fat years, when life comes at them so quickly there's no time to breathe, they're an unstoppable hit-making machine, the holy trinity of rock and roll. But the road to success is littered with land mines. Rivers of darkness flow through her troubled marriage, and every time Danny breaks her heart, it's Rob who picks her up, dusts her off, and glues the pieces back together.
It isn't until an unimaginable tragedy rocks their solid foundation that Casey is forced to question who she is and what she really wants from life. As she searches for herself amid the wreckage, she discovers the bittersweet truth that the choices a woman makes at thirty may differ vastly from those she made at eighteen.
Songwriter Casey Bradley is just eighteen years old on the day that handsome, charismatic singer Danny Fiore blows into her life and sets her heart on fire. Good girl Casey has never done anything her dad would disapprove of, but the first time she looks into those turbulent blue eyes, the first time she hears that golden voice, she's ready to give up everything -- home, family, fiancé -- to follow Danny wherever his dreams lead them.
Together with guitar wizard Rob MacKenzie, Casey writes the songs that catapult Danny to a fame beyond their wildest imaginings. Through the lean years, when there isn't enough to eat, and the fat years, when life comes at them so quickly there's no time to breathe, they're an unstoppable hit-making machine, the holy trinity of rock and roll. But the road to success is littered with land mines. Rivers of darkness flow through her troubled marriage, and every time Danny breaks her heart, it's Rob who picks her up, dusts her off, and glues the pieces back together.
It isn't until an unimaginable tragedy rocks their solid foundation that Casey is forced to question who she is and what she really wants from life. As she searches for herself amid the wreckage, she discovers the bittersweet truth that the choices a woman makes at thirty may differ vastly from those she made at eighteen.
January 13, 2013
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The Sweet sounds of the Seventies
...~ Magic Man by Heart ~ Hotel California by Eagles ~Respect by Aretha Franklin...
I loved the seventies the fashion the cars the décor various world events: President Ford pardon former President Nixon; IBM introduces the PC and the movies The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Alien, The Godfather and Saturday Night Fever.
And, now the review:
This story is set in 1974 it’s about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain but how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption through living life day to day. Every chapter truly touched me. I was laughing at times, rooting for the characters or crying. I am absolutely in love with Rob! I felt like I was living through Casey page by page she is the heroine that will capture your imagination.
Without gushing too much, I’ll just leave it to this… read this one! (Preferably in your pajamas, under warm blanket, with a large latte!)"
Ms. Breton, thank you so very much for such an eloquently written novel.
Laurie Breton
*I was a lucky winner and received this book as a goodreads giveaway.
The Sweet sounds of the Seventies
...~ Magic Man by Heart ~ Hotel California by Eagles ~Respect by Aretha Franklin...
I loved the seventies the fashion the cars the décor various world events: President Ford pardon former President Nixon; IBM introduces the PC and the movies The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Alien, The Godfather and Saturday Night Fever.
And, now the review:
This story is set in 1974 it’s about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain but how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption through living life day to day. Every chapter truly touched me. I was laughing at times, rooting for the characters or crying. I am absolutely in love with Rob! I felt like I was living through Casey page by page she is the heroine that will capture your imagination.
Without gushing too much, I’ll just leave it to this… read this one! (Preferably in your pajamas, under warm blanket, with a large latte!)"
Ms. Breton, thank you so very much for such an eloquently written novel.
Laurie Breton
*I was a lucky winner and received this book as a goodreads giveaway.
November 10, 2012
I absolutely LOVED this book! Being on a very tight budget these days, I have been finding free books to read on my Kindle ... so my expectations going into a book are usually not very high. When I started this it was immediately "boy meets girl, boy wants girl..." I was afraid it was just a trashy romance novel. Boy was I wrong! This was a very substantial book! Long, detailed, and just a beautiful story about the life of a young woman. I don't want to go into great detail because it would spoil for those who haven't read it. I can't say much without ruining it for others. I will just compare it to a Kristin Hannah or an older Danielle Steele book. This book invoked many emotions in me. I found my laughing, crying, and getting butterflies in my stomach throughout.
I would greatly recommend this book; however, it does have some adult content, so readers beware!
I would greatly recommend this book; however, it does have some adult content, so readers beware!
January 25, 2013
This book was fantastic. Well written, engaging, real.
But I'm torn with my rating because I HATE cheating. And IF there is cheating, I want that man punished til he's on bloody knees. I NEVER want to hear "It didn't mean anything." I also NEVER want to hear that sex means something different to a man than a woman. Justifying those actions doesn't fly with me. Sorry, but you don't love someone and screw another. EVER.
rant finished
That said, Laurie Breton can weave an interesting tale that kept me up way too late reading. I just loved her style and the characters she created.
So this would have been a 5 star but am taking one away for cheating.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
But I'm torn with my rating because I HATE cheating. And IF there is cheating, I want that man punished til he's on bloody knees. I NEVER want to hear "It didn't mean anything." I also NEVER want to hear that sex means something different to a man than a woman. Justifying those actions doesn't fly with me. Sorry, but you don't love someone and screw another. EVER.
rant finished
That said, Laurie Breton can weave an interesting tale that kept me up way too late reading. I just loved her style and the characters she created.
So this would have been a 5 star but am taking one away for cheating.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
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