Review: Great Wonderful Truthful Debut Novel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 13, 2013
“Those women, they have more power than any man I ever knew, I tell ya.  Once you set eyes on the right one, you might as well be dead because your heart no longer beats for you, your world no longer spins on its’ own, your soul is wrapped up in that single gaze and handed over freely.  Everything you do from that day forward, whether ya like it or not, will be for her; and her only.  That’s what I call true power.”I am going to try and do this book justice but WOW what a wonderful debut novel by a very talented author.  TJ Hannah had me hooked from the very beginning.  The storyline and characters were so easy for me to fall in love with.  The situations and experiences that Corbin and Sophia went through were raw and real and showed how strong they were.  There wasn’t anything about The Truth About Us that I didn’t like other than it ended.  There were sweet and sensual moments along with sexy moments.  Curveballs thrown from left field that left my jaw on the floor.Corbin is strong, sexy, sweet and a bit mysterious.  He holds so much emotion inside him just waiting to explode.  He is protective of the people he loves the most and tries to take the pain of those he loves and wear it as his own.  He doesn’t feel like he deserves love for the choices he has made in his past and is dealing with living with those demons day by day.Sophia is looking for an escape from her reality, from her past.  Tired of trying to be someone she is not for the sake of her parents she escapes and starts a new life in a small town working at a bar.  She wants to be a new and improved Sophia because the old Sophia is scared, lost, and alone.  Walking around day in and day out living a lie, she doesn’t let people get too close to her because she feels it’s better to live the lie she has been telling everyone for so long than to deal with the truth and emotions that will come with that truth.  Sophia is searching for a new life, what she doesn’t expect is to finally learn start speaking the truth about the ghosts that haunt her and learning to live with them.When Corbin and Sophia first meet there is something there that can’t be denied.  Maybe they have more in common than originally thought.  Corbin feels the pull towards Sophia but can’t figure out where that pull comes from because he doesn’t do commitments or attachments.  He enjoys things that are uncomplicated and easy and Sophia is anything but.  When Sophia is around Corbin she finds herself wanting to tell him about her past and she can’t explain why.“What’s your secret, sweet Sophia?” he asks with that half-joking smile, and I suck in a quick breath.“Which one?” I try to match his playful expression while fighting this urge to let my secrets burn out through my chest and set me on fire for him to see.  For him to extinguish, just like I wanted to with Tobie.Corbin reaches across the car and touches my cheekbone again.  “The one that makes you look so _______ sad.”Corbin and Sophia start clinging on each other almost searching for something more, something that will make their lives better.  It’s a beautiful innocent relationship that I enjoyed watching grow.  I enjoyed watching this scared little Sophia grow into a beautiful woman learning how to let go of the past and learn how to enjoy her present and look forward to her future.Every story has a BOOM moment and The Truth About Us had a few.  There were times I could be found with tears flowing down my face while reading this. And moments where my grin couldn't get any bigger.…Tobie knows I don’t mean it.  But I can’t add to Sophia’s life, I can only drag it down.  I can’t be her tragedy.  But by the look on her face, I already am.“I do mean it, Sophia.  You need to leave.  I don’t want you to come into that bar with me.  I need to get Kayla, and I need to do it alone.”  I turn to look out the window because I can’t bear to see her right now.  I’ll take it all back if I look at her. – The Truth About UsAnd of course what’s a good romance without good steamy scenes that left me squirming and wanting more.And then the final emotion that TJ Hannah gave me in The Truth About Us was the shocking element - I was shocked quit a bit during this read.Secrets will be unraveled and the truth will be told.  It can either break Sophia and Corbin or it can bond them together forever.  Read the story of Sophia and Corbin and learn their truths.TJ Hannah did an amazing job with pulling so many different emotions from me.  She gave me a story about knowing the truth about your life and dealing with it the best way you can.  A story about that no matter what life throws at you, you have to make the best of what you are handed.  A story about life, love and lost and all the moments in between that you can either miss out on or grab tight to and enjoy the life you are living.  Amazing job TJ The Truth About Us was such a breath of fresh air.