Susi Reviews Fifteen Weekends by Christy Pastore
Synopsis
The past, it can haunt you…It can consume you…have a hypnotic hold on your mind, body and soul. The past can keep you from moving on…holding your heart hostage.
The past, can also bring you closure…provide answers you never knew you needed to mysteries you never thought existed…and the past, can force you to look at your current choices in an entirely different light.
Ashleigh Preston has always maintained control of her life, especially her romantic life. To everyone else she seems to have it all— a posh independent lifestyle with nothing holding her back. As a successful Freelance Food and Travel Columnist, Ashleigh can escape whenever she likes and travel the world. She frequently visits her favorite city—London.
Coincidentally, London is where Liam Frost, the charming Welshman lives, her no strings attached irresistible best friend with benefits. Still closed off to the idea of love because of her painful past, can Ashleigh overcome personal grief and take a leap of faith with him? Or will her emotional guilt be too much for Liam to handle, leaving him to move on with someone else?
Smart and sophisticated Marketing Executive, Emily Greene needs closure from her complicated past—she is still consumed by the disappearance of her ex-boyfriend, Craig Walker. The thought of him lingers with her even years later. A stormy night brings about a surprising confession from Emily’s arrogant, yet very attractive co-worker, Ethan Carlson. This admission gives Emily a good reason to push former romantic visions out and usher in new ones.
The past always has a way of twisting into the present. A series of mysterious events—cryptic phone calls and creepy text messages begin to pose an irritating problem for Emily’s life, until one day the annoying situation turns far more serious than she can anticipate or realize. Emily starts to believe her past might be a threat for her new heated romance with Ethan. Is it possible for Emily to move on with her life, despite never knowing what happened to Craig? Can Ethan help Emily put the past behind her and move on with him?
Amanda Parsons, the former country club socialite whose fall from grace has landed her in the poor house. A chance meeting with Vince Everett, a handsome and wealthy businessman, rescues Amanda from her sad state of affairs returning her to the familiar decadent lifestyle she’s accustomed. The clothes, jewels, shoes and gifts are nice, but the boredom and loneliness stir emotions reminding her of the scandal that shattered her world.
Can Amanda shake the emptiness that consumes her or is she doomed to repeat the same mistakes from her past? And why is her sister friends with her biggest mistake—Andrew Langston? Revisiting that dark part of her life sheds light on a mystery Amanda never dreamed would unravel so many possibilities for her future.
My Review
I love reading books by new authors and Fifteen Weekends is one of those books that I was thrilled to read and review. Congrats Christy on your exquisite debut! I really enjoyed reading it. Your book contained the elements that glue me to a story. Detailed descriptions and imagery make a story come alive and capture the reader and you did just that. I was able to visualize the story. It was like watching a movie about these three amazing ladies. Speaking of ladies, I loved your three main characters. Ashleigh, Emily and Amanda are all unique in their own way. I could see a little bit of me or someone I know in all of them. Being able to relate to the characters is another plus in a book that I am reading.
So yes, there are three main women in this story and each of them has their own story. Telling each story through their different points of view was brilliant. Your attention to details made each one of their stories more realistic and enjoyable to read.
The men… well, there are some sexy men in this book too. Within the three stories there are some hot and steamy men. Each one of the ladies has her own story and past. These men make up their lives in one way either past or present. While I loved the leading men, Liam, Ethan and Vince, I wouldn’t mind reading more about Alex. Alex makes his appearance in Amanda’s life. I hope Christy decides to write about him in another book. As a fan of her writing, I will definitely be reading it.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. I looked forward to each chapter as it revealed more of the three women’s stories. Unexpected moments along the way made this story a wonderful read and one that I recommend.
I look forward to reading more of Christy’s writing in the future.
I gave this book 5 stars!
Be sure to add this gem to your TBR. 🙂
About Christy Pastore
Writer Christy Pastore grew up in the lakeside community of Syracuse, Indiana writing short stories that usually involved characters who loved to travel, had a passion for fashion and were often times swept up in boy crazy crushes. Many of her first stores also dealt with coming of age situations with their best girlfriends.
Christy gave up reading books for several years, disillusioned with the annoying characters and predictable plot lines. Upon the recommendation of a friend, Christy picked up a much buzzed about popular romance novel which reminded her of why reading was such an enjoyable guilty pleasure.
Writing has been a constant in Christy’s life, leading her to create a popular fashion blog, Fashion Wrap Up. This endeavor allowed Christy to have the wonderful experience of working and collaborating with many talented models, designers, makeup artists and photographers in the Fashion Industry. While Pastore still writes about fashion and celebrity style in her spare time, her passion for story development, more specifically creative writing, publishing and content creation has taken her on a new journey and career path: Author.
Her debut novel, Fifteen Weekends will be out May 2014 just in time for you to add it to your summer reading list.
Additionally, Christy enjoys a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc, a warm cup of coffee, Gummi Bears, traveling and tweeting her thoughts on her favorite TV shows.
Christy and her husband Kevin currently reside in St. Louis, Missouri in the popular Italian Neighborhood, The Hill, with their two lovable dogs and cooler than cool cat.
Follow Christy on Social Media
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Buy Links
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