Description:
Living With No Regrets Is Harder Than It Seems Finley isn’t exactly sure when her life began to feel unfamiliar. She suspects the transformation started long before she caught her husband and fellow garden club member doing the white-trash-two-step on her new Bernhardt sofa. Now free from the shackles of a loveless marriage, and with her children off to college, she’s finally able to go searching for the missing pieces of her heart. Finley’s best friend, Cathyanne, is already working hard to ensure that Finley finds true love this time around. But when Finley is unwittingly tossed into the arms of two men—their sexy trainer and her neighbor, a popular country star—Cathyanne fears finding the right guy will be more complicated than she ever could have imagined. For Finley, building a new life feels as impossible as flying a paper airplane to the moon. But maybe, just maybe, with the right help, she will find her whole heart—even if it’s in the very last place she thinks to look.
My Review:
As with a lot of women's fiction, I was expecting some emotion, but not as much as I felt. A lot of the emotion and realizations came with the situation with Finnie's best friend. The story starts out with Finley (aka Finnie) trying to air her dirty laundry--the reason why she's in a divorce support group. She came across as awkward and distracted, but my first impressions were far from right. She has been coasting along in life and in her marriage and is finally ready to make a change and take a stand.
Finley is a woman who is on a journey of self-discovery. I loved watching her find herself and taking time to figure her life out. She's got a bit of sass and is very rooted to her past and to what's socially appropriate. She's got a few different possible love interest, which made for some entertainment.
Bachelor #1--Roy. Roy is Finnie's ex-husband and she wonders if she's been too hasty, since her feelings are unresolved, even though he cheated on her many times. I love the way things resolved with him and that whole situation.
Bachelor #2--Josh. Josh is Finnie's personal trainer at the gym. He's cute, buff, nice...and about 10 years younger than her. They're a good balance together, since they're so opposite and he really is a sweet guy.
Bachelor #3--Quinton. Quinton is Finnie's next door neighbor and is also a music star who has turbulent past. He's a little mysterious and is very creative, especially with his words.
The journey to live with no regrets is a tough one for Finnie to make and I really did enjoy the ups and downs, especially the life realizations. Having no regrets seems almost impossible to do, but sometimes thinking outside of the box helps. I couldn't help but reevaluate my own life and my priorities.
Content: moderate innuendo, kissing (including heavy making out), talk of affairs; mild religious elements (it's the South); mild language.
My Rating: 4 Stars
Excerpt:
Packed like corralled cattle
between four wood paneled walls, the riotous crowd filling the bar
overwhelmed the echo of Finley’s boots as she made her way through the
darkened hallway. Built during the early days of Nashville, Tootsie’s
was rumored to have launched Willie Nelson’s career as well as other
famous performers like Kris Kristofferson, Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings,
and in more recent decades, Quinton Townes.
At the end of the hallway, and through an open door, Finley spied her neighbor.
Jagged
locks of ashy-blond hair peeked out from under a worn cowboy hat to
poke at the frayed edges of his western shirt. A dimple split his right
cheek as he smiled, his head bent toward that of a young woman.
Finley
moved closer, watching as the groupie handed Quinton a cocktail napkin.
“Will you sign this for me?” she said, adding a coy smirk.
Quinton
ran his smoky gray eyes over the woman’s skintight T-shirt as he
slipped the paper and pen from her hands, his fingers lingering a touch
longer than necessary on hers. “Who should I make this out to?” he
drawled in that slow, Texas way of his.
Gazing out from under a pair of mascara-laden lashes, she said, “McKenna,” and then bit down on her plump bottom lip.
Finley
rolled her eyes. This one was young, even by Quinton’s standards.
Likely, not much older than her daughter Royanne, or Quinton’s own
estranged daughter, Annie, for that matter. Because she hadn’t known him
back when he was married, it was hard for her to imagine him as
anyone’s daddy. But then he’d become a father long before the world had
known his name. Before his solo career had taken off and he’d mistakenly
boarded a high-speed train running on tequila and cocaine, barreling
headlong into the blinding lights of one forgotten arena after another.
Before he’d traded the unconditional love of a wife and three children
for the fleeting admiration of his fans. Before the cheers of the crowds
had echoed into a deafening abyss where there wasn’t enough booze or
blow in his empty hotel room to silence the void. And certainly before
he’d woken up one morning a homeless, washed-up one-hit-wonder with
nothing but a broken-down Mazerati to call his own. The very day he just
so happened to have entered Finley’s life.
“The imagery is beautiful, the romance very well done and realistic.” Rachel Ann Nunes.
Finley is a spunky and snarky Southern woman with a lot of sass! The romance is swoon-worthy and satisfying. And underneath it all, it's got a great message. Definitely worth a read!
Author Julie N. FordA graduate from San Diego State University with a BA in Political Science, Julie N. Ford also earned a Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama, which has only made her better able to recognize the unhealthy, codependent relationship she has with writing. Professionally, she has worked in teaching and as a marriage and family counselor. She is the author of six women’s fiction novels, including Count Down to Love, a 2011 Whitney Award finalist. When she’s not writing, she entertains delusions of being a master gardener, that is, when she’s not killing the unsuspecting plants in her yard with her good intentions. She lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, two daughters, and the cutest Scottish fold cat you’ve ever seen. She loves to chat with readers.
Blog Tour Giveaway$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 6/28/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Katie, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to read and then post a review of my novel. I can imagine you get a ton of requests for reviews and that you have limited time, so I wanted you to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to read mine. Thanks SO much!!! Julie N. Ford
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