Monday, December 22, 2014

Reclaiming the Sand by A. Meredith Walters Review!




"He was love. He was home. He was forever." -A. Meredith Walters, Chasing the Tide


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 ***The powerful continuation of the story that began in Reclaiming the Sand- a tale of love and forgiveness and learning to over come a past that has come to define you.*** Bully and Victim Friend and Lover Past and Future Ellie McCallum and Flynn Hendrick’s story was as painful as it was devastating. But they were able to find within each other an unlikely yet beautiful love. Despite the obstacles that tried to keep them apart. And together they rose out of the ashes of their tragic history. Now years after their life changing reunion Ellie is back in Wellston, having just graduated from college and ready to start her future with the man who taught her how to love. However, returning to a town that held so much bitterness and anger was the last place she wanted to start over. But for Flynn, who is now an art professor at the community college and firmly rooted in the place that gave them their beginning, she’d do just about anything. Yet it’s difficult building a life when you’ve only just learned how to live. And love, no matter how strong, doesn’t always conquer all.   Ellie and Flynn must learn how far they are willing to go to stay together. Or whether the ghosts of the past will consume them both.   Because finding a happily ever after is harder than it seems. Particularly when you’re fighting against the one thing that could destroy you.      


Time for my thoughts!

To start, I was blessed with an ARC for a honest review. I am so thankful for the ARC and the chance to read and write about another fantastic A. Meredith Walters book! From the moment I finished Find You In The Dark, I knew A. Meredith Walters was one of those authors that I would buy the book first, and read the synopsis later! I truly enjoy her stories. I love that she always brings a depth to her novels. She frequently writes about things I'm passionate about: things related to the mental health field. Ellie and Flynn are no exception. From the first novel Reclaiming the Sand, we learned of Flynn's...challenges.  We also learned of the troubled life Ellie had, and how she's coped through everything she's experienced. Chasing the Tide is a continuation of Ellie and Flynn's story. Ellie finally got out of Wellston, earned a degree, and started to make some positive changes in her life. Then, it was time to return to Flynn. Back to Wellston. Back to the town filled with bad memories, challenging job options, and friends who were never that great for Ellie.

The majority of this book is about Ellie's internal struggle. I feel like we really got a clear picture of Flynn in Reclaiming the Sand. We got an idea of Ellie and her struggles, but Flynn just broke my heart and sealed it back together again in the first book. In this book, the reader really gets the chance to dig deeper into Ellie and look at how much her past effects her present and future. I appreciated the RAD references because in reality, RAD is a very serious diagnosis and would be totally understandable for someone like Ellie, who's lived through what she has, to be diagnosed with that disorder. It definitely effects the person you are, but also effects you relationships, your outlook on life, etc. I feel for Ellie during this book, but I also feel so frustrated with her! I felt like the, "I'm so sick of Wellston" part took a huge chunk of the book. She says over and over again how much she loves Flynn and that's the only reason she's in Wellston- but she never really explained to Flynn that she was unhappy there. Once she said the truth, that she will need adventure a change of scenery once in a while, Flynn said he'd do everything he could to try to manage those changes- which is totally the answer I expected sweet Flynn to give!

I could go on and on about this book, and if I had more time-- I probably would! But alas, it is 1:35AM and I've got an early morning tomorrow. So for now, I'll sign off but heed my advice- A. Meredith Walters is always worth the read. This book was a beautiful addition to Flynn and Ellie's story and I loved it!!




Below is some information about the first book in this wonderful series :)




From the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep comes a story of forgiveness, redemption and finding love in the most unlikely of places.
*THIS IS A STANDALONE WITH NO CLIFFHANGER!*
Bully and victim.
Tormenter and tormented.
Villain and hero.
Ellie McCallum was a bully. No connection to anyone or anything. A sad and lonely existence for a young woman who had come to expect nothing more for herself. Her only happiness coming from making others miserable.
Particularly Freaky Flynn.
Flynn Hendrick lived a life completely disconnected even as he struggled to become something more than that boy with Asperger's. He was taunted and teased, bearing the brunt of systematic and calculated cruelty, ultimately culminating in a catastrophic turn of events that brought Ellie and Flynn’s worlds crashing down.
But then Flynn and Ellie grew up.
And moved on.
Until years later when their paths unexpectedly cross again and the bully and the freak are face to face once more.
When labels come to define you, finding yourself feels impossible. Particularly for two people disconnected from the world who inexplicably find a connection in each other.
And out of the wreckage of their tragic beginnings, an unlikely love story unfolds.
But a painful past doesn’t always want to let go. And old wounds are never truly healed…and sometimes the further you try to run from yourself the closer you come to who you really are.




The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.
A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.
When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.
A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency.

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