Title: THE LUCKIEST
Author: Wendy Owens
Publish Date: July 10th 2014
SYNOPSIS:
Once upon a time Mackenzie Phillips thought she’d found her happily ever after. She had married her high school sweetheart and had started her perfect family. But one tragic night Mac’s perfect life was ripped away from her, leaving her beautiful fairy tale existence in ruins.
When everything worth living for is suddenly taken from you, how do you keep going? People told her how lucky she was just to be alive after that night, but she didn’t agree.
Years passed with Mac living in a fog, until another unfortunate turn of events placed her world on its head once again. Now, still carrying the tender wounds of her past, this widow has to face the realities of life again.
Broken and truly alone, she must find work. In walks her new employer, Dean Johnson, a guy who is just broken enough himself, that she thinks he might actually be able to understand her. But Mac soon discovers that that bond with Dean may instead force her to face demons she isn’t yet ready to deal with.
**Contains mature material including language and sex.
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MY REVIEW:
Wendy Owens has written another incredible story you won’t want to miss. THE LUCKIEST is the third book in her Stubborn Love series and is connected to the first two books as the story of how Christian met his friend “Mac” while working as a roadie for his friend Dean’s band. Although some characters overlap in this series to connect the books, each can be read as a stand-alone. However, I warn you. Once you get a taste of Wendy’s writing you’ll be going back for more!
Be prepared for a love story beyond what you typically read. Be prepared to really feel as you are taken on a journey that starts out so sad, then offers hope, and then finally happiness again. Expect to cry, but you will also smile, and you will be glad you went through every step along with the heroine, Mackenzie “Mac” Phillips.
Mac’s life was once wonderful with all her dreams as a young woman coming true. She was happily married to her high school boyfriend with a sweet baby girl and in school to be come a chef. When tragedy strikes and that world is gone Mac falls into an oblivion, a darkness she can’t get past. She essentially stops living herself, because her grief is so overwhelming. When her dear father, who has been her anchor, suddenly dies she is forced to take an active role in her survival again. A chance meeting with Christian Bennett leads to a job offer with a band lead by singer, Dean Johnson. Mac steels herself and accepts the job as chef for the band as they tour. After three years in virtual isolation she thrusts herself into an unknown world and lifestyle.
On the road with the band, Mac is repeatedly challenged by the job, the road life, and the band she starts to find herself again. She opens up little by little and begins to live, rather than just survive each day. She almost immediately bonds with the friendly, charismatic (and very sexy) Christian. She also finds herself drawn to the mysterious, but often sullen Dean. She’s so used to feeling nothing at all so the confusion of such a myriad of emotions is often a struggle for her. Her numbing pain is still always there, but it’s now sharing space with pride in her progress and accomplishments, fear and wonder at all the new things she is experiencing, attraction, frustration, anger, disappointment, desire, guilt and hope.
Dean has his own secrets and heartbreak. Broken in his own right, he understands Mac’s pain and vulnerability. He’s attracted to her, but keeps it to himself. He knows she’s not ready for the kind of relationship he’d like to have with her, so he tries to be her friend. Dean was NOT the typical self-indulged rock star. Well, he was gorgeous with a voice that melted hearts and he oozed sex-appeal, so a few of the better rock star qualities, but more importantly, he was kind, patient, and tender with Mac. Dean finds ways for them to do things together that help get her mind off her pain and break open her shell a bit. He really was wonderful and it was impossible not to want him to have all he dares to hope for in the end.
I like that there was nothing rushed in this book. Not Mac’s healing, not her transition into a new life beyond Travis and Katie, and not her jumping into a new relationship. The Luckiest is a beautifully written story of a strong woman who finds the courage to live, and to eventually love again. 4 stars.
~Complimentary copy received in exchange for a honest review.
ABOUT WENDY:
Wendy publishes YA under Wendy L Owens
Wendy publishes Adult and NA under Wendy Owens
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Wendy Owens is a writer, born in the small college town, Oxford Ohio. After attending Miami University, Wendy went onto a career in the visual arts. After several years of creating and selling her own artwork she gave her first love, writing, a try. It’s become a passion ever since. Wendy now happily spends her days writing the stories her characters guide her to tell, admitting even she doesn’t always know where that might lead. Her first series, The Guardians, is a YA fantasy series about angel and human hybrids.
Since then she has branched into NA Contemporary Romance and released titles to include Stubborn Love, Only In Dreams, and Do Anything. Her next romance, The Luckiest is scheduled to be released in July 2014.
When she’s not writing, this dog lover can be found spending time with her tech geek husband, their three amazing kids, and two pups. She loves to cook and is a film fanatic.
For more info on Wendy’s young adult fiction visit: http://wendy-owens.com/
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