REVIEW: BEAUTY FROM SURRENDER BY GEORGIA CATES

How do you move on when he’s every song you sing?

After Laurelyn Prescott walks away from the love of her life, she returns to Nashville to pursue the only dream she has left. Determined to find a distraction from the pain of losing Jack Henry, she immerses herself in her music. But with her old life comes old acquaintances and new expectations. When Laurelyn refuses her record producer’s outrageous demands, she finds herself without a career—until an unforeseen opportunity presents itself. From there it’s a rocket ride straight to the top where Laurelyn finds the success she’s always dreamed of. Will it be enough to bring her the happiness she so deserves, or will the absence of Jack Henry leave her wanting more?

Jack Henry McLachlan never expected to fall in love with Laurelyn Prescott—but he did. After he foolishly let her slip through his fingers, he spends three months searching for her, but their reunion doesn’t come easy. The woman he finds isn’t the same one who drifted away without a goodbye. No longer an insecure girl on an Australian adventure, this Laurelyn is a successful musician with a promising career. Her dreams are becoming a reality, and Jack is terrified his American girl won’t have a place for him in her new life. With only a month to convince her otherwise, will it be enough time to make her visualize a life beyond the glitz and glamour, a life that includes him?

Where to Find Beauty From Surrender:

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Where to Find Georgia Cates

GoodReads | Website | Twitter 

Published May 30th 2013 by Georgia Cates

*** 5 Stars***

This little gem is the sequel to Georgia Cates's Beauty from Pain. I've been looking forward to this book coming out for a while and I was not at all disappointed with it at all. 

1) Laurelyn. This poor girl. She fell in love with a man and a relationship that did not seem to have a chance in hell to survive. She waited until the very last minute to hear the words she so desperately wanted to hear from Jack Henry and when she didn't hear them she left her heart and soul in Australia and made her way back to Nashville. She mourned the loss of her love as many women probably do--loss of appetite, lots of sleep or the inability to sleep, lots of crying, and lots of denying the true depth of the pain to friends because you won't or don't or can't talk about it. When her friend, Addison, offers Laurelyn a chance to resurrect her singing career, she hesitantly takes the opportunity and rocks it. She throws herself into the band in the hopes that she can move away from the hurt of her past. Her mother, father, and Blake (scumbag extraordinaire) create obstacles along the way but Laurelyn keeps her head on straight and begins to enjoy successes with her band. You can imagine her stunned reaction when Jack Henry appears at one of her shows. Her entire world is rocked and their love affair begins again.

2) Jack Henry. This poor guy. Somewhere along the way he accidentally fell in love with Laurelyn and when he recognizes it and goes to tell her, she's gone. POOF. Disappeared and he has no way of finding her. He pulls a typical screwed up move the week after she leaves but then gets himself together and begins the search to find her and get her back. I love how he shows up with her guitar at her gig and waits until after it to have a moment with her. So. Swoony. And then he finds her and walks away from her ...NOOOOO, don't do it Jack Henry! Well luckily crisis is averted and we get to watch him woo her and woo her he does.

 I could soooo be wooed by Jack Henry. Please? He's a good woo-er. He is wonderful and in love with her and while he doesn't have the best timing for some of his plans or things he needs to tell her, he is fan-f*cking-tastic.

3) The ensemble cast. This cast made things interesting. Laurelyn's mother and father were less than stellar parents before and not much has changed. Blake was one of the bigger scumbags I've come across in my reading. Jerk. Addison earned her stripes as a best friends and I thought her straight talking ways were much needed. Charlie and the band were awesome to Laurelyn at time when she really needed it. But the stars of the show were Jack Henry's family--his mother in particular. Jack Henry's mother is laugh out loud funny. She whipped him into shape at every opportunity and I loved her for it.

I'm not sure if it is rare that a sequel is better than the first, but I thought this one was. I loved every part of this story. It was a nice mixture of  both of their perspectives, humor, drama, and romance. It also didn't  have a cliffhanger but the writer has the possibility of more to come with these two open and that makes me a very happy reader and blogger. 

***5 stars***

I am the most thankful that while Shelley highly recommended Beauty From Pain, I didn't have to wait more than a week to find out what happened next. This makes me only a teeny bit sad that I have truly missed out for months, but again, I only had to wait a week for the next book so I'll take it! 

1) Laurelyn. I enjoyed the first part of the book in a big way because it was a well written time of heartache. Some of those are quick and then we move back on to happier times instantly, and it wasn't that way with her. She felt so much for Jack Henry that she didn't anticipate and didn't know what to do with, but I loved that she wasn't immediately trying to get back out there and forget him. (I was obviously still holding out for his rich butt to figure it out and find her!) After that whole debacle, I was proud to see her being a lot more assertive I guess in what she wanted and making him communicate better with her. Don't get me wrong, our book people truly suck at communicating but I guess we have to continue loving them anyways. I loved how much she stood up for herself with the asshole..I mean Blake..situations. Ugh...I hate that there are men out there like him that use their powerful positions to take advantage of women using blackmail and force. Just ugh! 

2) Jack Henry. Oooh baby, did he mess up and did he realize it. Might be his age at being 30 now that made him wake up and smell the roses, but I am so glad he just woke up. He was always good at the romance so he didn't disappoint in the least for round 2. He even turns the tables around with a sexy striptease number that will make you swoon hardcore. One of my absolute favorite scenes in the book, I might add. Anyways, I digress. He went all into put up or shut up mode and while things got a wee little bit angsty as they always do, I never stopped rooting for him to get his girl. And do we have. to. wait. forever. to. find. out. what's. gonna. happen. Yes, yes you do. But the journey is the best part, right? Uh...sure...I obviously get way too emotionally invested in a book, but my heart hurt for their speed bumps and not knowing how things would end. 

3) Everyone else. Yes, I loved most of them. I hurt for Laurelyn for all of the things that she went through with her mom and dad. That was just bizarro, in a crazy way, but that's just how some parents are even though they suck. Then, that Blake situation that I mentioned previously. Scum to the bag, and I hope he rots somewhere in their fantasy little world. He's awful. Like Shelley said, Jack Henry's family were the best! I loved them and their conversations and while they're wealthy, they're not that kind of wealthy people which was truly refreshing. While I loved his mother, I also loved all of the conversations with his brother. They had much more brotherly bonding this time around with each of their issues and those were some great moments.

I liked this one better because almost all of the secrets were out in the open. No more not knowing each other's names and much more getting to know each other for real and figuring out how to get to their forever. Do they? Well, read to find out, but crazy good book with crazy good writing. 

REVIEW: BEAUTY FROM PAIN BY GEORGIA CATES

They agreed on three months...but their love knew no boundaries.

Jack McLachlan is a winemaking magnate and easily one of Australia’s most eligible bachelors. His success and wealth make him no stranger to the complications of romantic relationships and that’s why he goes to extreme measures to avoid the hassle. He prefers simplicity in the form of a beautiful female companion with no strings attached. He arranges relationships like business deals and they’re always the same. No long term relationships. No real names.

It’s his game and his rules. He’s content to play as usual, but when Laurelyn Prescott enters his life, his strategy must change because this player is like none he's ever encountered. His world is turned on its head after he begins a three month affair with the beautiful American musician. Nothing goes according to plan and as he breaks more and more of his own rules for her, she’s exceptionally close to becoming something he never thought possible. His ultimate game changer.

Not recommended for younger readers due to sexual content and language.

Kindle Edition, 326 pages

Published January 29th, 2013 

Where to find Beauty from Pain:

Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  B&N

Where to find Georgia Cates:

website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter

*** 4 Stars***

1) Laurelyn. I liked Laurelyn from the moment I met her on the plane even though the only thing I knew about her at that point was that she was capable of some witty observations about her best friend, Addison. Within pages we learn that she's a musician, she's from the south, she's not interested in a relationship with Addison's brother, and she's trying to put some distance from herself and a bad relationship. When Laurelyn receives a most unusual proposition from Lachlan (aka Jack Henry) I must admit I paused a moment to question her sanity. I mean maybe it's the mother in me, but who in their right mind agrees to have an intense 3 month relationship with a man when you don't even get to know his real name??!! He could be Jack the Ripper for heaven's sake! But since this is fiction and I know I have to suspend reality, I did. I just went with it. So advice...just go with it...don't question it, just accept and move on. So move on I will. As Laurelyn tries out this new relationship she discovers that she likes the security and boundaries that it provides. It makes her feel safe and free to say and do things she might not normally do. She finds herself enjoying her time and the routine that develops in the days, weeks, and months that pass. During this time we find that she has a poor example for a mother and a father, a real reason to have trust issues with anyone (especially a man), and powerfully strong desire to become successful without any outside help. For such a young woman, Laurelyn has a solid head on her shoulders and handles this Australian adventure with such confidence and grace--I'm not sure I could have been as cool as she was in any of the given situations she found herself in.

2) Lachlan/Jack Henry. I kinda thought this guy was a prick a first. I mean who does this? He treats women like he's ordering off a menu--I think I'll take that one over there this time...ugh. I obviously got past my disdain for his methods and while I think they were a smidge over the top, I suppose I understand why he did what he did. If I was a wealthy, single, bazillionaire with tons of people trying to use me for their gain, I would probably have to resort to some interesting methods to find companionship too. I actually started to like him more after some of his sweet gestures or surprising her with an unexpected kindness. Then Audrey arrives in the picture and Jack Henry's story becomes even more interesting when we learn that this stalker ex-girlfriend that is trying to win him over in a most unusual and destructive way. I think the way he handled her was when I was officially on Team Jack Henry...up to that point I liked him but hadn't been completely swayed by his behavior. Once I decided to like Jack Henry I found him charming and I loved the funny scenes with his family. 

3) The story. On the surface this story is about two consenting adults entering into a 'relationship' based on some messed up theory that they can avoid the pitfalls all other relationships seem to fall prey to. This story line would be meaty enough but Georgia Cates also throws in subplots about Laurelyn and her ex, Jack Henry and one of his exes, a glimpse of their families, and a hint of a story with Ben and Addison and Zac. It seems like a lot and it is, but it's not unmanageable. I think Cates gives us enough with each of these plot points to feed our hunger but not enough to satiate us. Which leads me to my final point...

4) The Mother Effing Cliffhanger. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times...Cliffhangers give me a little bit of reader rage...especially if the story is good and I've been sucked into the world of the characters. Needless to say, I was sucked into this world and when I finished reading this I felt like I need to either seek solace in my favorite alcoholic beverage or trash my Kindle in a temper tantrum. I'll let you decide which one I did.

Luckily for you by the time we post this blog, the second book in this series will be released and in the process of working its way to e-readers everywhere. Happy reading...and here's to hoping that there's NO CLIFFHANGER!!! Or I might have to die. 

**4 stars**

This is another recommendation from my co-blogger extraordinaire, and I do have to say I feel bad she has to re-read all of this stuff with me because I am codependent. And being codependent I do thoroughly enjoy reading with her. When she said "You have to read this book!" I asked no questions ! 

1) Laurelyn. So I thought this girl was absolutely nuts. I love me a good story about a youngish girl and the wealthy guy, totally cliche, I know but I like what I like. But this took that whole scenario and did a 180 on me by their entire relationship being anonymous. Yes, I guess it would take the pressure and expectation out of the equation, but I truly know nothing about this anyway since I have been with the same guy since I was 15. I thought sometimes she acted way older than her age because of her current and past experiences. This caused me a lot of feelings of dislike towards Addison. Chick needs to grow up a bit, yes? She was flighty with her treatment of her supposed BFF so I was glad (sorry!) that she wasn't as present in most of the book as I figured she would be. The set up with her sperm donor and mother, and ex-lover was consistent throughout the story, but mostly unresolved so I am thinking we are going to get a lot of information for these plots in Beauty from Surrender. Two other things we love with a passion is the setting in Australia and that this girl is a rocker. Well, country rocker, but musician all the same and I cannot wait for more of that in the next installment! 

2) Lachlan/Jack. So this successful, handsome man is on one of those "I am not looking for love complexes." Does this get old? No! Want to know why? Because they're going to fall and they're going to fall hard and I for one love reading about it. Usually it's the result of some past trauma or issue, but his biggest problem just seems to be his money and the fact that his father worked all the time. I loved the experiences with his family and one scene especially with his brother and some *ahem* photos. (Isn't that the worst thing ever when you give an inch and people take a mile and start swiping through all of you pics on your phone!) This scene made me laugh so hard. I loved seeing his interactions and his growth as their relationship evolved. Other than that, Jack Henry is the ultimate bachelor and I think he feels this is the only way he can have an intimate relationship and ensure that people don't turn into a gold digger. I have a feeling that one or more of his past relationships are also going to cause a boatload of drama coming up in book two. The end. Oh...Emmm...Gee! Heart shattered for this guy! 

3) The story. I was so crazy surprised and in love with the depth of the story that is this book. The setting in Australian sucked me in and it talks about all of these beautiful places and wineries. Then, the glam life of going to the Sydney Opera and being wined and dined by this generous man. I loved the Aussie talk and was quite satisfied with the pacing and thought the writing was great. Not to keep kicking the dog repeating stuff that has already been said, but the secondary plot kept things interesting and not all sex all the time. This is my favorite part...when they're communicating and the dialogue is strong and the characters have to deal with issues or just live. 

4) Cliffy, you suck. I had an idea that there was going to be a cliffhanger since Shelley had read the book before, like I said. I am in denial at this point I think. Thank goodness the second one is already out, because I would be sad to have to wait 6 months or whatever it has been for this one. I don't know how all of you did it, if you're following this series! Just whoa! 

Just from this one book Georgia Cates will definitely be a frequent flyer on my to be read this! Cannot wait to see what else she has in store for us, besides making us feel like dying! (And if you read the angsty books that I do, you will know that this is the ultimate compliment!)