Mia Sheridan – Preston’s Honor – ARC Review

Synopsis

There were two brothers—identical twins—and though I loved them both, my soul belonged to only one.

Annalia Del Valle has loved Preston Sawyer all her life. The daughter of an impoverished migrant farmworker, she grew up as an outcast in what was no more than a tiny, cooped up shack in California’s Central Valley. But her heart found freedom in the land, in the wide-open spaces of Sawyer Farm, and in the boys who were her only friends.

Preston has yearned for Annalia since he was a boy. But a sense of honor kept him from pursuing her until he’s unable to hold back any longer and their worlds—and bodies—collide one hot summer night. A night that sets off a chain of events that will alter their lives forever.

Now Annalia is back in town after disappearing without a trace for six long months. Determined to reclaim her heart, her life, and the baby she left behind—the son who was created in a moment of lust and love and pent-up yearning.

Preston has survived grief, a ravaging drought, and the despair of heartache, but he’s not sure he can survive Annalia again. And he might be unwilling to try. Will pride and bitterness keep him from the one thing he’s always longed for?

How do you heal what is irreparably broken? How do you forgive that which is unforgivable? How do you discover that real honor comes not from circumstance, but from the place deep in our hearts where truth resides? And how do you move beyond the wounds of the past to discover that some loves are as solid as the ground beneath your feet, and as enduring as the earth itself?

THIS IS A STAND-ALONE SIGN OF LOVE NOVEL, INSPIRED BY GEMINI. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

*ARC Kindly provided by the Author in exchange for an honest review*

Mikor elkezdtem olvasni ezt a könyvet, megmondom őszintén, hogy a prológusnál picit megijedtem, hogy ez nem az én történetem lesz. Ennek az egyetlen oka az volt, hogy a kötet elején szereplő dologra, úgy gondolom, hogy nem létezik megbocsájtható magyarázat…. Azonban ahogy a történet szépen lassan elkezdett kibontakozni, egyszerűen nem tudtam nem megszeretni a szereplőket, olyannyira hogy egyszerre rettegtem, hogy milyen okokra fog fény derülni a könyv végére, és egyszerre szorítottam a szereplőknek, hogy tudjak majd megbocsájtani nekik bármi is történt. 

Annalia és az édesanyja, – aki Mexikóból szökött át a határon még Annalia születése előtt- , mélyszegénységben élnek egy kis poros út mellett, egy icipici viskóban. Annalia soha nem érezte magát boldognak az anyja mellett, aki a szeretet legkisebb jelét sem mutatta irányába, és az iskolában is úgy érezte, hogy nem tartozik sehová, és igyekezett is eszerint élni az életét. Az egyetlen hely, ahol szabadnak és boldognak érezte magát, a földek és a tágas epermezők voltak a szabad égbolt alatt. De legkedvesebb hely számára egyértelműen a Sawyer farm volt, ahol minden alkalommal -két külsőleg teljesen egyforma, de belül nagyon is különböző- játszótárs várt rá a kerítés mögött, a Sawyer ikrek, Preston és Cole. 

Az évek során a hármójuk barátsága elkezdett mélyülni és átalakulni. Egy idő után mindkét fiú mélyebb érzelmeket táplált Lia iránt, akinek szíve mégis csupán az egyikükért dobbant. Azonban egyetlen versenyfutás a lányért, és a ‘testvér becsület’ mindhármójuk helyett döntött…

Mia Sheridan igencsak aktuális témához mert hozzányúlni, a bevándorlók-, és a hontalanság kérdéshez. Annalia egy kivételes és igencsak gondosan megformált karakter, és az ő szemein keresztül az írónő számtalan rétegét tudta megmutatni ennek a témánakHogy milyen érzés az, amikor sehol nem érzed magad szívesen látva, ha nincs olyan hely, amelyet otthonodnak nevezhetsz, és leginkább, ha sóvárognod kell csupán egyetlen szerető érintésért, amelyet sohasem tapasztaltál meg. 

A kötet igencsak nagy része a múltban játszódott, és ezek a fejezetek voltak a kedvenceim! Imádtam a szereplőket, és nagyon közel kerültek a szívemhez. Sokszor fájt a szívem értük, de sokszor meg is dobogtatták azt. Annyi biztos, hogy Mia Sheridan ismét egy gyönyörű történetet hozott el nekünk barátságról, otthonról, megbocsájtásról, második esélyekről és nagyon örülök, hogy elolvashattam ezt a történetet, amely új sok szempontból volt szemfelnyitó számomra. Őszintén ajánlom!

A Sign of Love sorozatról

A sorozat minden részét egy-egy csillagjegy inspirálta. Mia Sheridan tervezi, hogy mind a 12 csillagjegy könyvét megírja. A Leo az oroszlán-, a Stinger a skorpió-, az Archer’s Voice a nyilas-, a Becoming Calder a vízöntő-, a Kyland a bika-, a Grayson’s Vow a mérleg-, a Midnight Lily a szűz-, a Ramsay a kos-, a Preston’s Honor pedig az ikrek jegyében íródott. A kötetetek önállóan olvashatók és nem függenek össze. Mindegyik különböző szereplőkről szól, ez alól kivétel a Leo és a Leo’s Chance valamint a Becoming Calder és a Finding Eden.

My Review in English

To tell the truth when I started to read this book, at the Prologue I was a little bit scared that this won’t be my story. Simply because I just couldn’t think about anything that could make the thing that has been revealed on the first pages of the book forgivable. However, as the story slowly began to unfold, I simply couldn’t not love the characters, so much that I was really scared about what will be revealed at the end of the book and I was truly rooting for them that no matter what happened I would be able to forgive them.

Annalia and her mother – who had fled across the border of Mexico before Annalia was born – live in extreme poverty in a little cabin at the end of a dirt road. Annalia never felt happy with her mother who hasn’t shown any sign of love towards her. At school, she also felt that she doesn’t belong anywhere and she tried to live her life per this idea. The only place she felt happy was outside under the open sky, especially on the strawberry fields. But her very favorite place always has been the Sawyer farm, where two – outside perfectly identical inside total opposite – boys waited for her at the end of the rows of strawberry plants with a huge smile on their faces, the Sawyer twins, Preston and Cole.

Over the years, the friendship between the three of them slowly began to transform and deepen. After a while both boys started to form deeper feelings towards Lia, whose heart however only beat for only one of them. But one race for the girl and the ‘Brother honor’ made the decision instead of them…

This time Mia Sheridan was not afraid to touch a relevant current concern, the subject matter of the immigrants and statelessness. Annalia is an exceptional and very carefully crafted character, and through her eyes the author could show us many layers of this topic: how does it feels when you do not feel welcome anywhere, if there is no place that you can call home, and most importantly, if you are craving for only one loving touch, that you’ve never had a chance to experience before.

A large part of the book took place in the past and I loved these chapters so much! I loved the characters and they grew very close to my heart. My heart ached for them so many times but many times they also made it beat faster. Mia Sheridan once again brought us a beautiful story about friendship, home, forgiveness and second chances and I’m so glad that I could read this story which was eye-opening for me in so many ways. I truly recommend it!

About Sign of Love Series

Every part of the series was inspired by one of the signs of the zodiac. Mia Sheridan plans to write a book about all of the 12 astrological sign’s. Leo was inspired by the Leo’s-, Stinger the Scorpio’s-, Archer’s Voice the Sagittarius’s-, Becoming Calder the Aquarius’s-, Kyland the Taurus’s-, Grayson’s Vow the Libra’s-, Midnight Lily the Virgo’s, Ramsay the Aries’s and Preston’s Honor the Gemini legend. All parts of the series are stand-alone stories (except Leo and Leo’s Chance and Becoming Calder and Finding Eden) with no cross over characters or story lines.

My Favorite Quotes From the Book

“Part of my love for Preston was like a slow-moving river that had gained breadth and speed over time. And another part came in short bursts of white-hot lightning, marking the very moments when the love in my heart had charged and intensified. And I knew this would be one of those flashes, one of those moments burned into my memory, and even possibly, the last one I’d ever get.”

 “Loving Annalia was many thing for me, but easy had never been one of them. Wild, breath-stealing, joyful, heart-wrenching even, but easy? No.”

 “Promise me you won’t stop dancing with me, Preston. No matter what.”

 “My heart, it seemed, knew only how to beat for him, like the wings of a bird soaring through an endless sky. As blue as his eyes and as warm as his touch had once been on my skin.”

“I vowed to prove to her that her secrets – the tender places inside her – were safe with me. And I promised myself I’d trust her with my tender places, too.”

 “I just wanted out of the . . . the smallness of my life, I guess. I wanted to break free of the parameters I thought had boxed me in so tightly. That smallness was inside of me, too, though. And I’m the one who created so many of the painful parameters, and I’m coming to see that. I’m coming to see that sometimes the most damaging borders are inside us.”

 “My heart, it seemed, knew only how to beat for him, like the wings of a bird soaring through an endless sky. As blue as his eyes and as warm as his touch had once been on my skin.”

 “Maybe Lia and I were just doomed in general—always managing to just miss each other. Like two people searching for one another in the dark.”

 “Someday I’m going to leave here, but a part of my heart is going to remain. With you.”

4.5 – Two pieces of a whole – Stars

About the Author

Mia Sheridan is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. Her passion is weaving true love stories about people destined to be together. Mia lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband. They have four children here on earth and one in heaven. Mia can be found online at www.miasheridan.com or www.facebook.com/miasheridanauthor

Leave a Reply