Blog Tour and Giveaway: Beside Your Heart: Mary Whitney

by Reviews by Tammy and Kim - Tuesday, June 18, 2013

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Release Date June 17, 2013

"It's an emotional story that will take the reader back to those feelings that made the late teen years such a powerful time."

Late one night Nicki Johnson plays with emotional fire and Googles her high school love, only to find his name splashed across the British gossip columns. Back in his native England, Adam Kincaid is successful and dating a woman from an aristocratic family like his own. With a career in politics, Nicki’s no slouch, but she knows Adam is living a world away from her life.

Yet there was a time he was no farther than the next locker. Nicki will never forget their year together in high school—the year of her sister’s death, the year her mother checked out. Adam helped Nicki through suffocating grief, and she led him through a coming of age. Was it just high school, or was it something more?

Beside your Heart Playlist

"The bright side is the wonderful memories are always there waiting for you, right beside your heart."

I have to say that this book surprised me. It is a story of the "one that got away" and I was expecting it to be more about the reconnection of lost loves. But this was more of a remembrance and tribute to how it all began and just gave us glimpses of what is still to come.

He'd brought me happiness during that awful year...

Nicki is a physically and emotionally scarred high school student.She was guarded, reserved, and still dealing with grief. Adam, a student from England staying in the US for the semester captures her eye and her heart. He is funny, flirty, has that sexy accent, but gives off mixed signals. He pays attention to her and seems to like her, but also has a girlfriend and a timeline for how long he will be in the states It is an on again off again major crush situation for both of them. They have feelings, they are afraid to admit those feelings, and have issues with communication. So there is angst, pain, drama, and jealousy. But when they finally get on the same page, they are really good together. They have a good rapport, chemistry, understanding, and deep feelings. It is about learning to open up and the beauty of first love. But there is a ticking time bomb just waiting to ruin it all and time is not on their side.

Nicki had many issues to overcome. She was still in a vulnerable emotional state and Adam was one of the few people who could actually make her feel better. But she still kind of frustrated me at times. She did a lot of pushing Adam away and a few times I wanted to shake her. But her self preservation was understandable since she had already suffered loss and heart break. I just adored Adam. He was so sweet and he really seemed to have every intention of trying to make them work. But she was so stubborn and scared. Granted, Adam made his own share of mistakes too. But I felt at times that she did not give him a fighting chance and I did not like some of the choices she made.

I enjoyed the story and the characters. They had a wonderful heartfelt connection with a star-crossed lovers kind of vibe. The supporting characters of their friends and his sister also provided comedic relief and support to the main couple. The author did a great job capturing the awkwardness of High School crushes and insecurities. But this story also had the underlying component of tragedy, grief, and loss. It made me sigh with happiness at times, and sad and tearful at others.

Adam brought lightness to my life that hadn't been there in so long. I felt more like my age again. He wasn't simply a distraction to take my mind off things. Being around him made me more at ease, made it easier for me to deal with all my s***. He made life fun and gave it more meaning.

"I also wanted you to have it because you'll always have my heart."

I was a little surprised since I got it in my head based on the synopsis that this book would encompass both their past and present story. I am such a sucker for second chance love stories. So I kept waiting and waiting for it to shift from past to present day. But this book is really about her remembering their intense high school relationship with a few glimpses into their futures. So just as I was just getting to where I was hoping we were heading and was totally into it... BAM! It was over! It definitely had me engaged enough to want more of their story. So now I am teased and ready for book two to see where their journeys take them. I really enjoyed Adam's point of view in the epilogue and hope that we get more of that in book two.

Thanks to Mary Whitney for providing me with and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Whitney Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Amazon Author Page/Pinterest/Goodreads Author Page

Even before she graduated from law school, Mary knew she wasn't cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she's spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, D.C., Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband.

Pick up Mary Whitney's A Very Important Guest free this week!