On Tour with Prism Book Tours...
Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it's paranormal, contemporary, or suspense-you'll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.
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The locations featured in I Have People
I grew up in San Jose, California. Hence, the places Holly and Gabe go to on their ‘dates’ are real places that I frequented as a child. Authors write about what they know, and these are places that I know!
Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk
Image courtesy of [lamnee] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
This is a fabulous amusement park located on a Boardwalk right next to the ocean. Take a gander here. Ride on a roller coaster or sunbathe next to the ocean. Your choice!
The Pinnacles
Image courtesy of [kangshutters] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
To check out The Pinnacles click here. In trying to figure out where Gabe and Holly should go on a date, this one was a no brainer. My hubby and I went to The Pinnacles on one of our memorable first dates! It really did look like something pre-historic. And we really did hike through caves filled with about a foot of water. It was quite the experience!
San Francisco
Image courtesy of [renjith krishnan] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Monterey
Image courtesy of [Salvatore Vuono] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My hubby and I were stationed at Fort Ord in Monterey for a time. So I actually got to LIVE there. And our first daughter was born there, hence it holds a special place in my heart.
I Have Peopleby Taylor Dean
Paperback, 366 pages
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Goodreads summary:
Missing any memories?
Holly Sinclair is happily married to the love of her life, Gabriel. Young and in love, Holly hopes to have their first child soon. Of course, Gabriel wants to wait till Holly's health is restored, much to Holly's dismay. She feels perfectly fine. So what if she just woke up from an eight-month coma? So what if some of her memories are missing? She remembers Gabe and that's all that matters, right?
That is, until HE enters her life again . . . she forgot about HIM.
What I thought:
I read two of Taylor Dean's books back in February. Lancaster House was fairly enjoyable, but The Middle Aisle just didn't work for me. One of my followers, really liked I Have People and I saw that there was a book tour for it, so I signed up. I was really hoping that I would enjoy this one more than I did the other two. I did and I didn't.
I loved the locations used in this book. I have been to San Francisco and Monterey Bay. Both are gorgeous and have some great things to do! It was fun seeing Holly go to those places and create memories there.
I also really enjoyed the middle section of this book, which is ironic because that is the part that deals with the abuse that Holly was facing. I just felt that the conversations and interactions were gritty and realistic, even though they were rather depressing. It was such a sad situation and seeing Holly deal with things as she did, as most women in these same situations do, was tough. I know someone who faced abuse (it started on their honeymoon, if you can believe that) and she talked about how shocked she was the first time and how she didn't know how to react or didn't even believe it actually happened. Holly definitely feels that same way. Gabriel is like this hope or light in Holly's life, something she definitely needs to help her survive.
The beginning of the story just felt off to me. Holly's dreams about Gabriel bothered me a little, maybe because she was married to someone else and because she shared every detail (all of which she remembered from her dreams) with her friend, Angela, over lunch. There were also a lot of idioms. Dean used them quite a bit to show how Holly's mind wasn't quite healed. For example Holly said she was "head over high heels" for Gabriel instead of just "head over heels" and then Angela or Gabriel would correct her. This just got a little old for me.
I liked Gabriel, but I felt he was a little too good to be true in some ways. Some of his use of gosh and golly bothered me and I don't swear. I think the words were just overused and used sometimes when people normally wouldn't use them. Gabriel just did all these things for Holly and said all the right things even though you know that Holly is being lied to. I didn't really feel like there was chemistry between the two of them. I actually felt more chemistry between Holly and her first husband. There also was a lot of kissing and such and I didn't feel any of the story building up to anything. So there was no intensity, which is one of my favorite things to read about in books - the build up to that first kiss. Then after Holly gets her memory back and I knew what Gabriel and Angela and the doctors had done, I just couldn't believe anyone would do that. It just felt so implausible and wrong to me and that things should have gone differently.
That being said, I still felt Dean handled Holly's reactions to the abuse really well. I also really liked Holly's character. She was sweet and still strong. You might doubt her strenth knowing that she dealt with abuse, but she tried to change the situation and to work through the problem with her husband. It takes a lot of guts to face something and someone like that! The ending was super sweet, thank goodness! If you have read and enjoyed Dean's other books, then I would definitely recommend this one. I'd also recommend reading this if you enjoy reading sweet Adult Romance.
Content: Some non-descriptive sexual content, brief abusive violence, 18+
Genre: Adult Romance
Publication date: September 19th 2012 by Create Space
Source: Tour host and author
Rating:
5 prize packs to US winners: 1 signed paperback, 1 tote bag, 2 bookmarks, 1 "I Have People" pencil, and 1 "I Have People" pink dog tag necklace.
10 ebooks to US or International winners
Open only to those who can legally enter. 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 on Rafflecopter and Grand Finale posts as well as emailed and the winner 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 Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and Prism Book Tours and sponsored by Taylor Dean. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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8 – Launch!
22 – A Tiffyfit’s Reading Corner - My Favorite Character in I Have People
- Beck Valley Books - The Title of I Have People
- Beck Valley Books - The Title of I Have People
26 – Grand Finale Blast!
Disclosure: This review is of a book I was given for free by an author or publisher, or through NetGalley or Edelweiss. This in no way influences the opinions shared in my review. You may see my complete policy on the sidebar and on my policies page. This post also contains an affiliate link. If you make a purchase of any type using this link, I receive a small kickback.
Disclosure: This review is of a book I was given for free by an author or publisher, or through NetGalley or Edelweiss. This in no way influences the opinions shared in my review. You may see my complete policy on the sidebar and on my policies page. This post also contains an affiliate link. If you make a purchase of any type using this link, I receive a small kickback.
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