Scarlett Marbry was just sixteen when her mother, an acclaimed Sacred Harp singer, committed suicide in front of her, sending her running from rural Alabama and the darkness that pushed her mother over the edge. Now, after five years of building a fragile cage around her heart to protect herself, she must return to Crossroads for her grandparents' funeral. There, she'll not only be forced to deal with the reality of her deep Southern roots, but she'll have to face the one she left behind.
Revell Marshall is used to working with fragile objects. He's built a life and career around reassembling the delicate stained glass windows that have put Crossroads back on the map. He's also been pining for Scarlett all these years . . . Determined to win her heart, he helps her piece together the facts of her mother's past. Except these revelations, once exposed, could set Scarlett on the downward spiral she barely escaped the last time. Especially when the truth that stained the past may be the same one that shatters her faith in the one person she thought she could trust . . .
Stained is an amazing story by the very talented Elizabeth Marx. This is the first story I have read of hers. I will be forever a fan of hers now. The way she writes is so beautiful and elegant. The flow of the story is amazing; it really brings you into the story and not only read the story, but live and feel it. This story was filled with so many emotions, have some tissues handy while reading. I love how deep the writing is in this story. There wasn’t one ounce of ‘fluff’ in this story. I loved it!
I walk her over to the small dance floor area and swing her around in my arms. As we dance to our song, Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat, I envision what it will be like to dance with her to this song on our wedding day. I pull her in closer to me so that I can feel her heart beating against mine. This day has been absolutely perfect and there’s just one more thing I need to do. I pull away from her just enough so that I can look into her eyes again.
“I love you so much Derrick. No matter what we’ve been through we always make it work. You make us work. I love you.”
She kisses me back but instead of a soft kiss she kisses me fiercely. I feel tears coming down our cheeks and I pull away.
“Don’t cry angel. This is all for you. Everything I do is for you so that our future is perfect. Come on we have one last surprise for the night.”
This is definitely a series you don't want to miss!! If you loved Lily and Dean in Haven from the Storm as I did, then you will definitely want to read about Lily's brother, Easton.
This is Easton’s story and what leads up to the events in Haven from the Storm. This series had me in tears! The way Sarah uses detail in the story is just amazing! She really makes you feel like you are right there. You feel every emotion that the characters do. I absolutely loved it!
I read Haven from the Storm first, so I knew what was going to happen in the end. That did not stop my heart from aching and the tears to pour. Born and raised in Oklahoma, I definitely could relate to the emotions. I really enjoyed getting to read about Easton and getting his side of the story.
The book is written in multiple POVs. I have to say that the different POVs were one of my favorite things about the book. It really allows you to connect with the characters and feel the emotions that are packed in the story. That is not an easy task and I have found very few authors that can do such a good job at it! Way to go Sarah!
All around, this book, along with Haven, is amazing! I will forever be a fan and can’t wait to read more from Sarah. She has amazing talent!
I finally got away from my sister’s watchful eye. I didn’t have anywhere I needed to be today and even more importantly there wasn’t anywhere I wanted to be. I wanted a break, a timeout from life. Everything was spinning out of control because they were all losing their minds…or I was losing my mind, I wasn’t exactly sure.
“I told her what you wanted me to, I told her we were done and we could never be.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“No, that’s not what I wanted. I wanted you to stay away from her in the first place. Stay away from her until you grow up enough to deserve her.” I stood from my place on the rock and moved toward him. “Why would you think you could be with Lily when you were just messing with that red head? Are you trying to hurt her?”
“I didn’t do anything with Mindi. Not that I expect you to believe me, but it’s the truth. You’re determined to turn me into the bad guy and I think you’re doing a good job at it.”
This book was amazing! Becoming More is a very good debut, coming of age novel. I really liked the storyline and it definitely kept me interested to where I didn't want to put my Kindle down. It was very well written. Lots of drama and detail made the story flow very well. It never felt rushed for me. I loved how we were able to see Lilly grow into an adult; learning the ways of the ‘adult world’ and the choices we must make transitioning into an adult.
I could see a lot of myself in Lilly. Being so naïve and holding on so strong to ‘love will fix everything’, yup, I’ve been there before! There were so many times I wanted to reach in and shake some sense into Lilly, it drove me crazy. I hated having to watch her go through everything she did. I wanted to fix everything and protect her so badly lol. By the end of the story, she made me very proud. She matured very nicely.
Colton. Oh, Colton. I loved him oh so much! Bad boy persona, tattoos, lead singer of a band, such a huge heart!!! I fell for Colton pretty hard and fast. J I was Team Colton as soon as Lilly laid eyes on him. The more and more his sweetness came out, I was screaming for Lilly to open her eyes and look at what she had right in front of her.
I had a bad gut feeling about Lauren right from the beginning. I know her type all too well. I had her figured out pretty fast. Sander? Pshhh! He was a bit harder for me to figure out. I had hope for him in the beginning, before we met Colton that is. Lauren and Sander are meant for each other lol!