Review: A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 11, 2014
This book is AMAZING - I loved it! I was reading in bed way past any reasonable hour (one night I was reading it until 3:45AM)!! It started off a little slow, but once it picks up - you can't put it down!Tara was well on her way to becoming a concert pianist because of her natural musical talent but her abusive boyfriend slowly put a stop to everything that she loves. The once vibrant women was now friendless and unrecognizable. Stephen controlled everything that she did, even giving her a script to learn before dinner parties because he said that she embarrassed him. He was also becoming increasingly physically abusive by pushing her down and grabbing her arms. Finally it was Stephen's openly cheating on Tara because he said that she didn't give him what he needed that forced her to make a decision. She looked in the mirror one day not recognizing herself anymore. It was then that she decided to leave him while he was away on a business trip.If it had happened all at once, I wouldn’t have stood for it. I was always a very outgoing, vibrant person who laughed easily and often, before he came along. But when it happens slowly day by day, chipping away at the very core of you, it is less noticeable. Until it gets to the point where one day you look in the mirror and don’t recognize yourself anymore, but are too beaten down to do anything about it. I had morphed into an insecure, shell of myself, the light in my eyes almost extinguished. My hopes and dreams had slipped away and I had lost myself somewhere along the way. The only thing I lived for was his approval which never came. I was constantly trying to do better for someone who it seemed, just couldn’t be pleased.The turning point came when his infidelities became more frequent and he stopped trying to hide them. He instead blamed me for driving him to it because of my inadequacy in the bedroom. My inexperience which he had been pleased about initially, soon became a negative in his eyes. - TaraSoon after moving out of her only friend Kelli's one bedroom apartment, she settles into her own space. But she misses her friend and still spends time there. On one visit, Kelli's long-time boyfriend Cooper and his friend Riley were are there visiting. Cooper and Riley are both in Austrasia's elite group in the Special Forces that is stationed in Sydney, while Kelli and Tara both live in Melbourne. On this particular visit when Riley sees Tara for the first time, he cannot take his eyes off of her and sparks fly between them. Tara doesn't feel ready to jump into another relationship so quickly after Stephen and Riley hasn't been interested in a relationship since his last girlfriend became pregnant with his brothers baby. But neither can stay away.I was falling for this guy. It had only been a few days, but my every waking moment had either been spent with him or thinking about him. His face was there when I closed my eyes, his smile, his laugh. I could feel his lips against mine even after we had said goodnight and I had climbed into bed. - Tara“I’d built up all these walls, and convinced myself I was happy on my own just focusing on my career, and then with one smile you completely turned my world upside down. I can’t guarantee that this will be easy, in fact I know it’s going to be tough at times, but I also know I don’t want to be without you.” - RileySince Riley and Cooper are away for many weeks at a time, Kelli and Tara get gym memberships to occupy their time and that is where they see an amazing looking man that they refer to as Mr. Hotbod but Tara never talks to him because of her low self-esteem. Tara also begins playing piano and signing at a bar called Songbirds two night a week and working tables some of the other nights. It is there that she saw sees Cole a.k.a. Mr. Hotbod and all of his yummy hotness and they become friends, but he may be interested in more from her.“I’ll still remember the night we met as the night that changed my life. You’re my exception to every rule.” - Cole“I remember everything about the night we met. Your passion for music, the way it felt when you touched my hand. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. I still can’t.” - TaraThis book is open ended, meaning it is a bit cliffy but the book ends without finishing the whole story because it is far from over and I. Cant. Wait. To. Read. Songbird Caged!!