17 October 2013

{Blog Tour}Review+Interview+Giveaway: Amends:A Love Story by Shanda Fisch

Synopsis


Amends: A Love Story is New Adult romance about Amity, a quirky loner, and Laird, a popular football hero, who meet in the wake of a tragic accident.

Amity is a prickly high school outcast who dreams of a better life in college. A deadly car wreck puts her future on hold. When she attends an elite university three years later, she falls for Laird, the enigmatic son of a notorious billionaire. Soon she learns that Laird, who grew up just a few miles away from her home town, has a secret that could hold the key to her past and future. And she has a secret of her own.

Laird is devastated when he loses his mother at age eighteen. Shortly afterwards, he fights with his girlfriend on the way to a party, and they drive straight into a nightmare. They walk away from the accident, but the other driver isn't so lucky. Three years later, Laird is still haunted by that day. When he connects with Amity, hoping to make some kind of amends, he feels something unexpected. And terrifying.

Will Amity and Laird build a relationship that transcends the past? Or will secrets, lies, and guilt tear them apart?

Recommended for ages 18 and up.
My Review
3.5 stars!!

At first, I thought this was another Ten Tiny Breaths type of story with the heroine falls for the one guy who destroyed her family. Well, in part, yes. Both Amity and Kacey did fall in love with that guy who was instrumental in changing their life. But Amends gets a little more complicated than that.

First of all, Amity is not your typical NA heroine. She has a physical defect that affected her self-confidence. I liked the fact that the author wasn't afraid to write about a physically flawed character like Amity. But Amity herself, personality wise, was difficult to like sometimes because of the decisions that she made throughout the book. But I do understand why she made those decisions considering her circumstances. I think most 18-year old would probably act the same way.

Laird, the hero in this story, was the typical entitled rich kid. Like Amity, he had his share of tragedy and is saddled by a creep of a father. I liked Laird but I didn't love him. He was just okay. There were times when I felt that he got it way too easy. He never really paid for what he has done and his relationship with Ember was just annoying. The constant back and forth between them got on my nerves and I felt that Laird and Ember had more screen time together compared to Laird and Amity. And they were supposed to be the main characters. I was a little disappointed with that.

I actually liked the drama though. It reminded me of my favorite soaps back in the day. It was quite fascinating to read. I won't divulge any spoilers but the secrets, the intrigue and the tragedy are morbidly fascinating to read. And Amity got the brunt of it. Poor girl.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this story despite some issues that I had with it. I was able to read it in one sitting, which is always a good sign.


A brief chat with Shanda Fisch, author of Amends: A Love Story

Why do you write in the New Adult genre?
It lets me experience the wonder of young adulthood all over again--without the awful insecurity and skin problems. I also like the New Adult genre because I can cover darker, more mature themes that would be inappropriate in a Young Adult book for younger teens.

I've heard the New Adult genre is pretty steamy. Is there a lot of sex in Amends?
There are some love scenes, but they're pretty tame. The main focus of Amends is the emotional connection between Amity and Laird, and the unique obstacles that threaten to keep them apart.

What projects are you working on right now?
Right now, I'm working on Regrets, which recasts the story from Amends from the perspective of Ember, Laird's high school girlfriend. Regrets also goes a bit further into the future, and follows Ember until her twenty-fifth birthday. If you read Amends, you'll know that Ember has A LOT of issues. Her redemption won't come easy...if at all!

Who are your favorite authors?
There are too many to list here. A small sampling includes Hilary Mantel, Monica Murphy, J.K. Rowling, John Scalzi, and Jasinda Wilder. As you can see, I'm an omnivore!


Amends: A Love Story is available an e-book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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