Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen


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SIGNS OF LIFE
Resilient Love #2
Melanie Hansen
Releasing Sept 28th, 2015
Dreamspinner Press


Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He’s able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists, using isolation and punishing physical exertion to keep the world at bay.

High school teacher Kai Daniels has a heart for at-risk kids—he was one himself, and a teenage brush with the law and some troubled years behind bars left him scarred inside and out. With courage, hard work, and the support of friends, he’s built a fulfilling life that leaves no time for a relationship.

An intense encounter with Kai at a gay club ignites a spark in Jeremy that he thought was extinguished forever, but he’s unwilling to destroy the fragile peace he’s managed to create, and he leaves Kai humiliated and disappointed. Things should have ended there, but a bizarre occurrence brings the two together in a way neither of them expected.


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Alpha Book Club Review
This story is one that starts with a huge emotional shock, less than 10 percent into the book and the main character, Jeremy, has had his life shattered. So where does Melanie Hansen take you from there? Well, of course she leads Jeremy to another man with a traumatic past, Kai. Together these two men decide if it's worth all the potential anguish of possible finding love again.


"No, Kai couldn’t go for the easy familiarity, the gentle caring; he had to go for the complicated, the intense."


Overall I am giving this story a solid 4 stars overall, it is a solid story with good character development and even though it's part of a series it can be read alone. My only trouble was the insta-love and what started out to be such an emotional story almost had nowhere to go after that; however, I was happy with the growth and development as we watch Jeremy & Kai fall in love and start their lives together.

ARC provided by Dreamspinner Press and Reviewed by JLoves2Read from Alpha Book Club and Jessewaves Reviews.




Melanie Hansen has spent time in Texas and Florida prisons…for work. She’s been in a room with a 17-year-old mass murderer who was also one of the most soft-spoken and polite teenagers she’s ever met. After a 13-year career as a court reporter, she can tell many stories both hilarious and heartbreaking.

She grew up with an Air Force dad, and ended up marrying a Navy man. After living and working all over the country, she hopes to bring these rich and varied life experiences to her stories about people finding love amidst real-life struggles.

Melanie left the stressful world of the courtroom behind and now enjoys a rewarding career transcribing for a deaf student. She currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.



Check out the first in the Resilient Love Series


EVERYTHING CHANGES
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ALPHA BOOK CLUB REVIEW

Signs of Life
Melanie Hansen
Series: Resilient Love, Book 2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Date Published: 9/28/2015
Stars: 4
Heat: 4

Blurb
Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He’s able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists, using isolation and punishing physical exertion to keep the world at bay.

High school teacher Kai Daniels has a heart for at-risk kids—he was one himself, and a teenage brush with the law and some troubled years behind bars left him scarred inside and out. With courage, hard work, and the support of friends, he’s built a fulfilling life that leaves no time for a relationship.

An intense encounter with Kai at a gay club ignites a spark in Jeremy that he thought was extinguished forever, but he’s unwilling to destroy the fragile peace he’s managed to create, and he leaves Kai humiliated and disappointed. Things should have ended there, but a bizarre occurrence brings the two together in a way neither of them expected.


This story is one that starts with a huge emotional shock, less than 10 percent into the book and the main character, Jeremy, has had his life shattered. So where does Melanie Hansen take you from there? Well, of course she leads Jeremy to another man with a traumatic past, Kai. Together these two men decide if it's worth all the potential anguish of possible finding love again.

"No, Kai couldn’t go for the easy familiarity, the gentle caring; he had to go for the complicated, the intense."

Overall I am giving this story a solid 4 stars overall, it is a solid story with good character development and even though it's part of a series it can be read alone. My only trouble was the insta-love and what started out to be such an emotional story almost had nowhere to go after that; however, I was happy with the growth and development as we watch Jeremy & Kai fall in love and start their lives together.

ARC provided by Dreamspinner Press and Reviewed by JLoves2Read from Alpha Book Club and Jessewaves Reviews.

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