A Dream Within A Dream: Together We Heal Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Together We Heal! I have my review of the book to share with you today - and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Together We Heal (Fall and Rise #4)

Author: Chelsea M. Cameron

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 18, 2015

Description:

Trish Grant is not a romantic. Okay, so she may read her share of romance novels, but that doesn’t mean she thinks that some fellow with a six pack is going to ride up on a horse and sweep her (literally) off her feet. Romance like that just isn’t for her. It belongs on the page.

Max Jackson noticed Trish at his cousin’s funeral, of all places. She was hard to miss with her citrus-colored hair, violet contacts and fiery attitude.

Trish was just as captivated by Max. He makes her laugh, which is rare, and it doesn’t hurt that he rocks blue hair and the most killer smirk that drives her crazy. Max is there for her during a rough time and even if she wanted to, she can’t shake him.

There are things about Trish that Max doesn’t know, and she’s not going to tell him. She hasn’t told anyone and doesn’t plan on it, thank you very much. But when Trish’s life is ripped apart by a dark piece of her past, will she let Max in? Or will she give up her potential fairytale to protect her already-scarred heart from further damage?

Together We Heal is a New Adult contemporary romance that focuses on our two main characters - Max and Trish - and their blossoming relationship. The author wrote the book in alternating first person point of views - those of both Trish and Max. I'm a firm believer that first person POV allows the reader to have a much deeper connection with the narrator, and it worked perfectly for this book. Trish is a great female lead. She's incredibly realistic - we learn about her past and the horrible events that have happened to her throughout her life. She's built up a huge wall to protect herself from getting close to anyone and from ever getting hurt. It all changes when she meets Max though, and Trish finds herself feeling emotions she never thought she could as well as having to face what happened to her in the past if she ever wants to heal and be able to move on. She's strong and fierce - especially on the outside - but once you get to know the real her, she's a sensitive person who deeply loves those she's let into her life. I hated learning about Trish's past, but I loved watching her realize that she needed to change if she ever wanted to move on with her life - especially in her relationship with Max. She's very stubborn and so afraid of almost everything having to do with any kind of personal relationship, but she begins to open up and let herself grow and change throughout the book - which I loved watching.

Max is a fantastic leading guy for the book. He's smart, works hard, is determined to get and do what he wants, and is so incredibly supportive of Trish during the entire novel. In essence, he's the perfect guy (in my opinion at least). He's not afraid of his growing feelings for Trish and refuses to let her push him away - he's in it for the long haul. I loved absolutely everything about him. I don't ever do book boyfriends, but if I did - Max would be at the top of my list. I adored watching his feelings for Trish grow along with their relationship - it was so sweet and totally swoonworthy. The plot is one that touches on very difficult topics such as drug use, sexual abuse, incest, and much more. But it's also one of hope, love, and the power that these two things can have in a person's life if they allow them to. The story focuses on positive topics as well - friendship, love, trust, the power within each of us. It might have an ugly backstory, but the part of the story that actually takes place during the book is wonderfully uplifting and beautiful. There were a few times that I found Trish's character to be a bit annoying though. It felt like she was just whining and complaining about all of the same things over and over again - all the time. That became a bit irritating, but didn't last throughout the whole book and didn't really effect my overall experience with the novel.

As I mentioned, there are difficult topics in the book that might cause some readers to not even try it, and it may contain triggers for some people. I suggest that you know what the book is fully about if any of these concern you and decide from there if you should read it or not. I highly recommend this book to fans of the genre as well as to readers who enjoy uplifting and hopeful romance stories.

Chelsea M. Cameron is a New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car, tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman) and playing fetch with her cat, Sassenach. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.