Review: Anguish, Love, & Soul-Searching
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 20, 2013
"Seven Years of Bad Luck," is a journey that sets you on a course of disdain and uncertainty.  The characters are chasing after what everyone wants: love, commitment, and fulfillment.  What course is one supposed to really follow?  Does fate always play into one's life?  With life not always on the same path as the one we've laid for ourselves, how shattered do you let your life become before you realize it is time to start all over?Kathleen Cooper, aka Kat, certainly can tell you life has slapped her in the face a few too many times.  She has been lead to believe that heartache is all that will consume her.  Kat married Aidan, the love of her life.  They have been married for seven years,within those seven years, she'd had the most excruciating moments to date.  The man who once brought her happiness was now mentally and emotionally engulfing her in pain.  See, Aidan is a man of many things: he has the appeal and desire of women, he is suave, and knows how to make women swoon.  But Kat is not foolish and she sees the masks that Aidan wears, only he is her biggest downfall.  She is weak to him; intimately and physically.  She is in dire need of breaking free from this man, but how is this possible when you're life is consumed in a cycle you've become so accustomed to?Kat has finally had enough of Aidan's betrayals, and decides to take matters into her own hands, and walk away.  Alongside her Best-Friend Cheyenne, who after being kicked down plenty times as well, Kat is ready to venture forth towards a pursuit of happiness.  Cheyenne and Kat decide their lives be best rebuilt in a new city.  Starting from the ground up, these women find a place to live, job hunt, and begin to see through the haze of ugly.  But before Kat can continue in her repairing journey of soul searching,  she must tie up loose ends with Aidan.With a brief stop at a bookstore Kat is met in an unfriendly way by the devilishly handsome Ben.  He has the ego the size of Alaska, but he knows how to stop a woman in her tracks.  Kat was taken back immediately by this beautiful yet brazen man.  Inwardly she is reeling from that chance encounter, outwardly she is annoyed.  She can't get him out of her mind but needs to so she can finally sweep Aidan out of her life, for good.  Now she must make that brave last step with Aidan, divorce.After the divorce proceedings, Kat needs to get back to reality and must get herself a job.  Ben is the last thing on Kats mind after a few failed interviews, and is caught off guard when she realizes it is Ben who will be interviewing her.  Ben does what he knows best, he charms Kat.  He offers Kat the position, and without any other choice she accepts.  She is still a little thrown, but knows Ben is affecting her ways a man hasn't in close to a year.  What is it about a hot man in a suit?Ben wants to pursue a relationship outside of work, and Kat agrees with some hesitations.  Kat has insecurities with this; coworkers and clientele can see this as damaging.  Ben is the man all women want, he is a gentleman, he is sexy, and he is very sweet.  Ben knows how to please a woman, and that is exactly what he has in mind for Kat.  Pleasure, lust, and a great time.  He is willing to do just about anything to get that woman to be his, only he knows she has some inner demons working against them.  How can he make her see that she is worthy of him and his heart?These two have a very deep connection, something that Kat wasn't hoping to have so soon, considering Aidan ruined her for all men.  This "thing" that they are sharing, is growing and it's continually scaring Kat.  She is willing to work with him and date him, but not willing to take a bigger step.  Why can't Kat just let her walls come down and let Ben in fully?  Overcoming the fear of jumping in with both feet is hard especially when you have so much self doubt.  Will Kat ever be able to pull herself out of her old shell?  Can she determine if Ben is her soul-mate?  Ben can only push so far, but will he be too easy to give up?  Does he feel there is a future between these two?  Will work interfere with this romance?Being as this is J.L. Mac's debut novel, it is was brilliant.  It was full of so many unexpected twists and turns.  We see a woman who is so lost, wounded, looking for a new start, and possibly finding a new love, and J.L. Mac writes her like a Phoenix rising out of the ashes.  Her words are piercing, gut wrenching, and tear gushers.  I was blown away at everything that played out in this book, and how well thought out it was.  J.L. Mac is an author to keep an eye on, she will continue to astonish us readers with her brilliance and stunning words.  I recommend this book to anyone looking to walk a mile in Kat's shoes.  I give this book 5 stars, it was absolutely wonderful.  Thank you J.L. for writing such an awe-inspiring book!