Review: An Amazing Read That ALL Readers Must Experience
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 5, 2014
It’s been seven years of coping…seven years of existing with anger, torment, and bitterness…seven years of living for everyone else. That’s how Liz Carmichael’s life has been, and she’s been fine with it – at least outwardly. She has her brother, her two best friends and bandmates, Jarrett and Rhett, and her uncle. She doesn’t need anyone else, or so she thinks until Cannon Blackwell enters her life. Their introduction happens at a rest stop, and her instincts tell her to take a chance and invite him to join the band. She’s risking a lot bringing a complete stranger on her bus, but as soon as Cannon interacts with her brother, she knows she made the right decision. He’s everything she never thought she wanted or needed, and she’s scared of her feelings for him. She’s a control freak; it’s the only way she survives all of the anguish that surrounds her life, and Cannon throws her control off its axis. How can one man make her feel so much in such a small amount of time? How can someone who was just recently engaged make her feel like she’s the only woman in the world for him? In Liz’s mind, those things only happen in the movies; it doesn’t happen in the real world, especially hers. So why then do her instincts tell her it’s real, and how does she shut off her mind enough to take this chance for herself – this might be her opportunity to fly – to do some living on her own – to be defined by more than her “safety net” of darkness and angst.Pretty Instincts blew me away. This is my first read by S.E. Hall, but it will not be my last. There’s just something about her storytelling that grabs readers’ attention from the beginning and doesn’t let it go until they’ve experienced every emotion she wanted them to feel. Liz Carmichael is such a dynamic heroine. She completely closed herself off to her own happiness. She lives for those she loves and that’s what makes her thrive. She pours everything she is into others’ happiness because that select group of people is who has stood by her side since the beginning. She’s protective and fiercely loyal. But she’s also a woman who wears masks. Someone who knows the roles she needs to play to survive her inner turmoil. Liz hides behind her created faade, but it’s exhausting. S.E. Hall captures Liz’s complexity effortlessly. Readers will look at her with eyes of compassion, but they will also want to try to break her free from the binds she’s put around herself.Cannon Blackwell has taken a spot in my list of the top FIVE book boyfriends of 2014. He may seem too good to be true, but he’s exactly what Liz needs to break away at the wall she has around her heart. He’s compassionate, caring, and he calms Liz like no one else can. He knows what she needs before she even asks, and he’s just as protective of Connor as Liz is. He’s a smooth talker – it’s almost lyrical when he pours his heart out, and he’s not afraid to show Liz what he wants. He’s the perfect blend of sexy and sweet…fierce and fragile…complicated and easy.What separates Pretty Instincts from a lot of other books is the fact that it is about so much more than Liz and Cannon. It’s about what happens when everything a person thought she knew ends up being wrong, and the steps taken to rebuild broken relationships. It’s about the ability to love in various ways – none more or less than the others – just different. It’s about instincts and how they can lead someone to her other half – the one person who will help her breathe when she can’t do it on her own. It’s about the bonds of friendship and family, and it’s about letting go of the past and flying freely. It’s an amazing story of loss, betrayal, and redemption, and all readers need to experience it.A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.5 + poison apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)