My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Her Lifeline by L. A. Casey
This novel is filled with heart-wrenching moments and a pureness that can only be encapsulated by a talented author. Set to be released January 24th, 2019, L. A. Casey does an excellent job in character development and plot build up. Although parts of it were hard to read because of the Scottish vernacular used, it was a welcome change in my UK reading experiences. The tone of the novel was genuine because of the language used (and you know I love a good accent) which left me wanting more.
If you are looking for a book that has a good build (and a plot that doesn’t involve the characters spending 80% of the book humping like rabbits) then this is a great choice for you. The emotions are genuine and Ward Buckley will have you blushing over and over again.
I love Erin’s strength and her presence in the novel. She doesn’t just forgive Ward but she makes him work for it (as she should). One thing I would have changed would be to delay the “kitchen” scene a little bit further along in the story because they went from 0 to 100 real quick. That’s all I will say for now because I don’t want to spoil it for the rest of you. L. A. Casey just made her way on my author watch list of upcoming romance writers in 2019.
Criticism:
Whiskey? Really? Out of all the random nicknames/ pet names for a character you go with Whiskey? Alright. Not my first choice but I could see where the author was going with the symbolism… even though her mom is an alcoholic… if my mom was an alcoholic I wouldn’t want the pet name of my lover to be a hard liquor. Just sayin’.
I stand behind my review in that I love the story and the writing behind the story, however, I think at points the book dragged on. The ending that she chose was phenomenal but I was distracted by the way in which she summed up her chapters before the finale. There were multiple times reading it where I thought I could stop and be content with the end of the story. Before Tommy died I got the impression that the writer was content at the ending of the story and didn’t want to continue. Then, after Tommy died I understood that there were more plot holes the author wanted to fill. Although this bothered me on a literary level I think the plot and the characters remain strong and the events are very true to how I feel reactions would be in real life. A+
Summary (in my own words with no spoilers):
When disaster hits Erin’s life the first time, the man she always relied on wasn’t there to pick up the pieces. After a decade of no contact, disaster strikes Erin again only this time the comfort she so desperately craved from Ward Buckley is the last thing she wants.
Tommy Saunders is Erin’s brother and Wards best friend from their childhood in Scotland. They had dreams to build an app (Friendzone) that would change the technological world forever. Hours of designing the app and planning for college all changed in the course of a few seconds when Mr. Sauders is killed in a tragic car accident. When Tommy decides to stay with his grieving family instead of heading off to university (uni), Ward, determined to run from his sinister past sticks to the plan. Erin sees him as a traitor and curses the day he left them for good. Only it wasn’t for good…
Now Tommy is in a serious accident of his own awaiting life-saving surgery. Ward a self-made billionaire and founder of Friendzone gets the message, he leaves his life in London behind to help the man he once called a brother. Although his tensions are noble, his cause is lost on Erin Saunders who rejects him at every turn. Will he prove to be the man that once
Author L. R. Rutherford 