December 1, 2017 – Page 2 – Sincerely Karen Jo

Instructions for a Secondhand Heart

Tamsyn Murray

4.5 ★ – PAINFULLY REAL, INCREDIBLY AFFECTING AND HEART ACHINGLY BEAUTIFUL

PUBLISHED BY POPPY December 5, 2017

GENRE(S): YOUNG ADULT, CONTEMPORARY, ROMANCE

HARDCOVER 320 PAGES

PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON – BARNES AND NOBLE – KOBO – INDIEBOUND

SYNOPSIS

Jonny knows better than anyone that life is full of cruel ironies. He’s spent every day in a hospital hooked up to machines to keep his heart ticking. Then when a donor match is found for Jonny’s heart, that turns out to be the cruellest irony of all. Because for Jonny’s life to finally start, someone else’s had to end.

That someone turns out to be Neve’s twin brother, Leo. When Leo was alive, all Neve wanted was for him (and all his glorious, overshadowing perfection) to leave. Now that Leo’s actually gone forever, Neve has no idea how to move forward. Then Jonny walks into her life looking for answers, her brother’s heart beating in his chest, and everything starts to change.

Together, Neve and Jonny will have to face the future, no matter how frightening it is, while also learning to heal their hearts, no matter how much it hurts.

REVIEW

Instructions for a Secondhand Heart absolutely broke my heart and then wonderfully pieced it back together. It’s painfully real, incredibly affecting, and just so beautifully written that I still can’t stop thinking about it.

Tamsyn Murray created such a lovely story about loss, self-discovery, second chances, and love. The storyline, while full of heart shattering situations, was riveting, sweet and at times even funny. The writing was undeniably moving, laced with beauty and sincerity, and just so utterly gorgeous that deeply affected me from beginning to end. The emotions I felt while reading this book made my heart hurt, but also filled it with so much hope and joy. I smiled, laughed, cried, loved, cried even more, and then smiled again. This was such a torturous, but positively emotional read that will stay with me for a very long time.

The characters in this book were so well-written and developed. Complex, flawed, and a little broken, but so real that you can’t help but just feel for them and cheer them on.

Jonny may have spent most of his life in the hospital and can be morbid at times, but he’s also genuine, charming, funny and really sweet. I completely adored him and rooted for him the entire time. Through the ups and downs, the happy and the very sad, I truly enjoyed following Jonny on his journey. He definitely stumbled and made plenty of mistakes, but along the way, Jonny also found something really amazing.

Neve’s stubborn, cold, and quite cynical that I had a difficult time liking her. I also didn’t enjoy her POV for most of the story – she was just so angry and negative. But Jonny’s friendship made her thaw little by little. With Jonny, Neve became someone different, a better version of herself – a girl who takes chances, trusts, smiles, laughs, and even falls in love. She was the hardest character to like, but by the end, I loved Neve as much as I did Jonny.

Speaking of friendships, the one between Jonny and Emily was so sweet and heartwarming. I loved their scenes together and wish there were more of them. Their inside jokes, their bantering, and the adorable way they cared about each other made my heart melt.

Instructions for a Secondhand Heart is an achingly delightful story about love, trust, friendship and forgiveness. Through Jonny and Neve’s journey, the author gracefully shows that even a terrible and painful situation can ultimate lead to something really beautiful. This book made me FEEL SO MUCH – it’s raw, emotional, sad, but uplifting in every way. If you’re looking for a story that will inspire, move, and teach you something about life, then I highly recommend this book.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from @TheNOVL in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Tamsyn Murray was born in Cornwall in the Chinese Year of the Rat. This makes her charming, creative and curious (on a good day) but also selfish, restless and impatient (v. v. bad day).

After moving around a lot when she was growing up, she now lives in Hertfordshire with her husband, daughter and son. At least her body does. Her mind tends to prefer imaginary places and wanders off whenever it can but that’s not necessarily a bad thing in a writer.

Tamsyn writes everything from picture books to YA. She teaches City University’s Writing for Children course in London. She loves hearing funny stories but advises people to be very careful what they say to her, especially if she has a pen in her hand.

Follow and Connect with Tamsyn Murray

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Thank you for reading my review and I hope you add this heartwarming book to your TBR.

Don’t forget to leave your comments down below. I’d love to hear what you think.

Sincerely Karen Jo

Unearth
Tricia Barr
(The Bound Ones, #3)
Publication date: December 1st 2017
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Our heroes erased themselves from the Four Corners’ histories and thought they were finally free…until Lily burst their bubble and told them they have to get involved with the cult one last time to stop them from unleashing a great evil buried thousands of years ago. But they fail, and the fifth Bound One is released, fulfilling his vengeful dreams formed over his long imprisonment. Phoenyx and her friends band together for one last fight, and one of them will pay the ultimate price.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Unable to tolerate his intrusion on her personal space any longer, she grabbed his wrist and pushed her will into him.

“Where is Ayanna?” she demanded with all the authority she could instill.

Joran closed his eyes and moaned. “Oh, now doesn’t that feel amazing! I am going to have so much fun with you.”

In one swift motion, he twisted his arm out of her grasp and grabbed both her wrists, holding them against the wall on either side of her head. And then something happened. Lust unlike anything she’d ever experienced seeped into her forearms and spread like venom through her veins, burning her to her core with desire.

“Kiss me,” Joran whispered.

A small voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her to fight, but every other part of her, body and mind, wanted nothing more than to obey him. She did as he asked, pressing her lips against his. When he pushed his hot tongue into her mouth, she opened it to welcome him, allowing him full access to whatever he wanted. Joran, she swooned inwardly.

His hands roamed across her body, pressing and grabbing. Her body responded heatedly to his touch, but something in her mind told her this was so very wrong. Shut up, voice, she said internally, swatting away those pesky thoughts that tried to keep her from enjoying this.

Joran broke the kiss and smiled down at her triumphantly. “Oh yes, we will have so much fun. I love having access to your powers. Ayanna might be my queen, but you will be a delightful toy.”

“Yes, I’m your toy,” she said mindlessly, desperate to please him.

“What the hell!” another familiar voice shouted from the doorway.

Irritated at the interruption, Phoenyx rolled her lusty eyes in that direction. When she saw Sebastian standing there, fuming with territorial rage, the spell she’d been under lifted. The pleasure she had taken in Joran’s large body pressed against hers now turned into disgust and violation, and she used all the physical strength she could muster to shove him away from her.

Joran seemed unphased by her rejection, smiling smugly at Sebastian.

“Ah, Water, welcome to the party,” Joran said. “I was just about to enjoy your mate. Would you like to join us?”

“Don’t you dare touch her,” Sebastian threatened in a dangerously low voice.

“Or what? You’ll splash some water at me?” Joran taunted.

Scared for Sebastian’s safety, Phoenyx pushed off from the wall and darted for him. When she reached him, the two of them fought to put themselves protectively in front of the other as they stared at Joran.

“Aww, isn’t that sweet,” Joran said. “But pointless. I have not come here to hurt you, my Bound Ones. I have merely come to extend an invitation. I am hosting a coronation ball tonight at Bodiam Castle to celebrate my return to the world, and I would like the four of you to attend. I know you are not yet ready to swear fealty to me, but I trust that in time, you will come to your senses. Consider this ball a temporary cease-fire.”

“Why should we come?” Sebastian snarled, wrapping Pheonyx in a possessive embrace.

“Because you want to see Ayanna,” Joran replied.

“What have you done with her?” Phoenyx barked, hating the taste of him that filled her mouth.

“If you want to know what has become of your friend, you will just have to come and see for yourselves,” Joran shrugged. “I don’t think you’ll recognize her, or is it that she won’t recognize you?”

He laughed sadistically and walked toward the door.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he said, slapping a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder fraternally as he passed and went out the door.

The two of them watched him as he went around the corner and the sound of his footsteps disappeared from earshot down the stairs. Now they were alone, and they were still hugging each other for dear life.

Phoenyx met Sebastian’s gaze, his blue eyes a storm of turmoil and conflict.

“I’m so sorry, Sebastian,” she pleaded, all the strength she had seconds again melting under Sebastian’s eyes. “He used my own compulsion against me. I had no choice—”

“I know,” he said, his expression stony, his jaw clenched. “I know.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her in a way that attempted to mark her as his. Then he rested his forehead on hers. “I hate him. He can take you away from me any time he wants.”

“No, he can’t,” she said, shaking her head fervently. “He can take my soul, and he can control my mind and body, but he can never take my heart, because you already have it. I will always be yours.”

“I love you,” he said.

Now it was her turn to mark him as hers. She kissed him just as hard, no tongue, no passion, just pure possession.

Author Bio:

Tricia Barr is a Professional Engineer and award-winning author. Her novel WYNDE earned a Gold Medal in the 2014 Independent Publisher Awards for Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror e-Book. She co-authored DK Publishing’s ULTIMATE STAR WARS (2015), which compiled all canon material moving forward prior to the release of “The Force Awakens.,” followed by the new STAR WARS: THE VISUAL ENCYCLOPEDIA (2017), which includes content from “Rogue One.” An expert on storytelling, Barr pens a regular series on the Hero’s Journey for the print publication Star Wars Insider magazine. She founded the respected website FANgirl Blog, and her writing can be found on a variety of websites, including Lucasfilm’s StarWars.com, and PopSugar, and Random House’s SUVUDU. She provided editorial services on Del Rey’s STAR WARS: THE ESSENTIAL READER’S COMPANION (2012).

Tricia Barr is an accomplished podcaster, co-hosting the popular Star Wars podcasts Fangirls Going Rogue and Hyperspace Theories. In her spare time, she competes as an amateur equestrian, earning top ten spots three times in national finals.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

In honor of the December 1st release of Unearth, book 3 in the Bound Ones Series, author Tricia Barr is hosting a big giveaway where everybody wins! Enter for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of Unearth. You can enter by voting for Ignite, book 1 of the series, for the Reader’s Choice Award. Everyone who votes will get an ebook copy of Ignite. You can increase your chances of winning the grand prize by sharing this giveaway with your friends on social media. Help Ignite become the RCA winner!

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