On Tour with Prism Book Tours...
Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it's paranormal, contemporary, or suspense-you'll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.
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The Worth of a Soul
Image courtesy of [MR LIGHTMAN] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I Have People deals with the sensitive issue of domestic abuse. One of my favorite passages in I Have People is when Gabe and Holly have the following conversation:
“Why would you want me, Gabe? I’m used. Damaged merchandise. I’m broken and dented and scratched. I can’t be the person I was for the last six months.”
“Don’t ever say that, Holly. Don’t even think it. It isn’t true. You were the victim of a very sick man. Listen to me, you can take a precious jewel worth millions, dip it in mud, leave it dirty and stained, its beauty spoiled, and underneath it all it will still be worth millions. Cal took advantage of you, but it doesn’t change your worth. ”
“I let him hurt me. I stood there and took it,” she said, even though she was deeply touched at his words.
“You were scared.”
Holly stood, feeling flustered.
“Look . . . maybe you forgot about Cal and what he did to you, but I didn’t. Not for a minute. Every single day of the last six months I knew what you’d been through,” he said, his voice intense.
“I’ve always known” He let his breath out heavily. “Or at least, I suspected. Always.”
Holly let that sink in. There was something about the way he said the word, always. “Always?”
“Yes, Holly, always.”
“Explain yourself.”
I love that thought about the worth of a soul.
It’s a common analogy. I heard the analogy in a church talk once. Only it was about a twenty-dollar bill. You can fold a twenty-dollar bill, crumple it and dirty it—but it’s still worth twenty dollars.
It’s a common analogy. I heard the analogy in a church talk once. Only it was about a twenty-dollar bill. You can fold a twenty-dollar bill, crumple it and dirty it—but it’s still worth twenty dollars.
You can view an excellent video of the analogy here.
I didn't want to have Gabe quote the common twenty dollar bill analogy--it's overused--so I changed it to a precious jewel. Same thought, different item. But I cannot take credit for the original concept behind the analogy!
The thought has always stuck with me though. The worth of a soul is great. We all become damaged, dinged, and dented as we endure the trials of life.
But it doesn’t change our worth.
Something to remember!
The thought has always stuck with me though. The worth of a soul is great. We all become damaged, dinged, and dented as we endure the trials of life.
But it doesn’t change our worth.
Something to remember!
I Have People
by Taylor Dean
Paperback, 366 pages
Published September 19th 2012 by Create Space
Premise:
Missing any memories?
Holly Sinclair is happily married to the love of her life, Gabriel. Young and in love, Holly hopes to have their first child soon. Of course, Gabriel wants to wait till Holly’s health is restored, much to Holly’s dismay. She feels perfectly fine. So what if she just woke up from an eight-month coma? So what if some of her memories are missing? She remembers Gabe and that’s all that matters, right?
That is, until HE enters her life again . . . she forgot about HIM.
Holly Sinclair is happily married to the love of her life, Gabriel. Young and in love, Holly hopes to have their first child soon. Of course, Gabriel wants to wait till Holly’s health is restored, much to Holly’s dismay. She feels perfectly fine. So what if she just woke up from an eight-month coma? So what if some of her memories are missing? She remembers Gabe and that’s all that matters, right?
That is, until HE enters her life again . . . she forgot about HIM.
I loved this book! It starts out as a nice, sweet love story, even though you know there's something that's being kept from Holly. After Holly wakes up from an 8 month coma, Gabe is so careful with her and works hard to re-create their life before she went into a coma. Her best friend, Angela, is also there to help her out but neither of them will tell Holly how the accident happened or jog her memory--they tell her she needs to recover her memories on her own. She is happy and life is perfect and then HE comes into the story and there's a different tone. His name is Cal and he's likable enough, at first, and then reveals his true self after they get married. I really felt for Holly as she was humiliated by Cal over and over yet hung in there and acted like nothing was wrong. She tried to convince everyone she was clumsy and it got harder to make up stories as time went on. As she learns more about his dark secrets, though, she realizes that she needs to leave asap. I was frustrated that she didn't just leave but understand why she wanted to wait. At times it was hard to read how Cal treated Holly and I thought Taylor Dean did a great job of describing the abuse, where you could feel Holly's pain, without being too graphic. I'm so grateful that I have never personally had to deal with domestic abuse and I know that there are worse stories out there than Holly's and hers was hard enough for me to read.
In the Launch Tour post, which you can read here, Taylor Dean addresses the fact that the cover looks so happy and cheery but the book deals with the sensitive issue of domestic abuse, and the overall message of the book is a great one. I also love the title and it's a bit of a roller coaster for her as she realizes she has people that care about her to wonder if they really have her best interests at heart after all.
I was excited to get this guest post, The Worth of a Soul. This is one of my favorite conversations from the book, too. Once Holly's memory returns, she has a hard time believing that someone as wonderful as Gabe would give her the time of day. And Gabe--Sigh!! I loved him from the beginning and he gets even more wonderful once you learn the entire story. Be sure to read all of the guest posts during the tour because Taylor Dean adds lots of extra insights into her books and characters.
This book kept my interest from the first page and didn't slow down. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys reading about second chances and finding real and lasting love.
Content: I personally consider this a clean romance but will alert you that there is some passion involved (but no details)! And there's some swearing (but not much).
My Rating: 5 stars
In the Launch Tour post, which you can read here, Taylor Dean addresses the fact that the cover looks so happy and cheery but the book deals with the sensitive issue of domestic abuse, and the overall message of the book is a great one. I also love the title and it's a bit of a roller coaster for her as she realizes she has people that care about her to wonder if they really have her best interests at heart after all.
I was excited to get this guest post, The Worth of a Soul. This is one of my favorite conversations from the book, too. Once Holly's memory returns, she has a hard time believing that someone as wonderful as Gabe would give her the time of day. And Gabe--Sigh!! I loved him from the beginning and he gets even more wonderful once you learn the entire story. Be sure to read all of the guest posts during the tour because Taylor Dean adds lots of extra insights into her books and characters.
This book kept my interest from the first page and didn't slow down. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys reading about second chances and finding real and lasting love.
Content: I personally consider this a clean romance but will alert you that there is some passion involved (but no details)! And there's some swearing (but not much).
My Rating: 5 stars
Giveaways:
5 prize packs to US winners: 1 signed paperback, 1 tote bag, 2 bookmarks, 1 "I Have People" pencil, and 1 "I Have People" pink dog tag necklace.
10 ebooks to US or International winners
Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced on Rafflecopter and Grand Finale posts as well as emailed and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and Prism Book Tours and sponsored by Taylor Dean. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
8 – Launch!
26 – Grand Finale Blast!
4 comments:
Hi Melanie! What a wonderful review! Thank you so much! I'm thrilled that you loved I Have People! Thank you for reading and reviewing I Have People and thank you for being a part of the I Have People book tour! I love your blog! It's adorable. I'm happy to have found a new blog I'd love to follow! Thanks again.
Awesome review Melanie. I loved the Guest Post Taylor. I too will be following you, Melanie, as I think we would have a books in common.
As far as the cliche - what went, came back.
Pretty weak, I know.
You're welcome, Taylor! Thanks for helping me find this tour to join. And thanks for following my blog!
Thanks, Sherry! I enjoyed your review that Taylor shared yesterday and I'm now following your blog, too!
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