Choices by Sydney Lane
Synopsis
Fate brought her here, but will her choices destroy her dreams?
Quincy Priest made all the right choices in her small town, black-and-white life. But being perfect is tiring. So. Very. Tiring.
Wanting desperately to step out of her sister's shadow, Quincy jumps at the opportunity to attend college with her best friend. The quiet bookworm with family secrets comes out of her shell. But when Quincy meets not one, but two perfect guys, she has to make a choice. In doing so, she might forfeit the relationship she secretly longed to find.
Declan. Sweet, handsome, and perfect. He makes her feel cherished for the first time in her life.
Brody. Sexy, hot, and irresistible. He could tear down her carefully built walls.
Before she can become the woman she wants to be, Quincy will make mistakes. And suffer one unimaginable loss.
Quincy Priest made all the right choices in her small town, black-and-white life. But being perfect is tiring. So. Very. Tiring.
Wanting desperately to step out of her sister's shadow, Quincy jumps at the opportunity to attend college with her best friend. The quiet bookworm with family secrets comes out of her shell. But when Quincy meets not one, but two perfect guys, she has to make a choice. In doing so, she might forfeit the relationship she secretly longed to find.
Declan. Sweet, handsome, and perfect. He makes her feel cherished for the first time in her life.
Brody. Sexy, hot, and irresistible. He could tear down her carefully built walls.
Before she can become the woman she wants to be, Quincy will make mistakes. And suffer one unimaginable loss.
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K's Review
5 stars*****
"Choices" is the perfect title for this book! It brought me back to those awkward and challenging college years when I was so full of doubt about my own choices and whether or not I was making the right ones. There were times in this book that I felt so emotionally connected to Quincy and her struggles. In some ways, it was almost like reading my own story. Well, minus the two hot guys both pining for my attention! But, we can't have everything...
Quincy grew up with a bi-polar sister who also suffered with addictions. Because of this, Quincy made the choice to work hard and be the perfect student and daughter. She didn't want her parents to have more on their plate than they already had and she was also on a mission to prove that she wasn't like her sister. This is something that I can relate to from my own personal experiences. Sometimes we are forced to make choices for what is best for others and not necessarily for what we want. I respected Quincy for always putting her sister and parents needs ahead of her own and NOT acting like the world owed her a favor. She handled it with maturity.
When she goes away to college she faces new choices! More specifically she finds herself drawn to two very different men by the names of Brody and Declan. She has somehow found herself in the difficult position of loving two men but for very different reasons. Declan is the safe choice and someone she can always count on but Brody is the risky choice who doesn't do relationships. One follows her heart and emotions... the other her brain and her safety.
I loved both of these male characters... and, I understood why it was so hard for her to choose. They were both great guys but for very different reasons. I know that Brody was supposed to be kind of the "bad boy" choice... but I didn't think he was a bad boy at all. He was just dealing with bad choices of his own and needed to learn to trust again.
There was a big heartbreaking event at the end of the story that forced Quincy to take pause... and this is where I stopped to reflect that sometimes we have to endure the consequences of other people's choices. And, those choices can alter us just as quickly as our own.
All in all this was a beautifully written story, it touches the emotions and makes us feel... and, for those of us who are older it allows us an opportunity to reflect and remember. I loved it...
I would like to thank the author for contacting me and giving me a complimentary copy of this book. Yet another book slides into my favorite pile!
Quincy grew up with a bi-polar sister who also suffered with addictions. Because of this, Quincy made the choice to work hard and be the perfect student and daughter. She didn't want her parents to have more on their plate than they already had and she was also on a mission to prove that she wasn't like her sister. This is something that I can relate to from my own personal experiences. Sometimes we are forced to make choices for what is best for others and not necessarily for what we want. I respected Quincy for always putting her sister and parents needs ahead of her own and NOT acting like the world owed her a favor. She handled it with maturity.
When she goes away to college she faces new choices! More specifically she finds herself drawn to two very different men by the names of Brody and Declan. She has somehow found herself in the difficult position of loving two men but for very different reasons. Declan is the safe choice and someone she can always count on but Brody is the risky choice who doesn't do relationships. One follows her heart and emotions... the other her brain and her safety.
I loved both of these male characters... and, I understood why it was so hard for her to choose. They were both great guys but for very different reasons. I know that Brody was supposed to be kind of the "bad boy" choice... but I didn't think he was a bad boy at all. He was just dealing with bad choices of his own and needed to learn to trust again.
There was a big heartbreaking event at the end of the story that forced Quincy to take pause... and this is where I stopped to reflect that sometimes we have to endure the consequences of other people's choices. And, those choices can alter us just as quickly as our own.
All in all this was a beautifully written story, it touches the emotions and makes us feel... and, for those of us who are older it allows us an opportunity to reflect and remember. I loved it...
I would like to thank the author for contacting me and giving me a complimentary copy of this book. Yet another book slides into my favorite pile!
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Excerpt
As soon as the door closes, he grabs my arm and spins me around. Before I can react, his mouth is on mine. All of my doubts are washed away. When he touches me like this, nothing else matters. His tongue enters my mouth, and I taste the very essence of him. It’s as if he is breathing life into me.
He unexpectedly pushes me away, and I stumble backwards. “Fuck! You’re driving me crazy! I’m trying to do this the right way, and everything just goes to hell when I see you. All fucking night, I couldn’t think of anything but the way you felt underneath me.” He takes a deep breath, trying to gain some control. “But it feels wrong, Quince. You know why? It feels wrong because there were three people in that bed.” His voice shakes with anger, and his eyes are full of pain.
That makes my blood boil. “No, Brody. It feels wrong because you left me and ran straight to another girl! That’s what feels wrong!” Tears threaten to fall, but I’ll be damned if he will see me cry.
“What are you talking about? Since I laid eyes on you, I haven’t touched anyone else. And believe me, I tried. But when I closed my eyes, all I saw was you.” He closes the gap and wraps me in his arms. I lay my face against his chest. His heart is pounding, and his chest rises and falls unevenly. “What have you done to me?”
Everything is so intense with Brody. My feelings, good and bad, are amplified when I am with him. He makes me feel beautiful. He makes me feel crazy. But most terrifyingly, he just makes me feel.
“Brody, I just don’t know what you want. Am I supposed to be at your beck and call while you sleep around and do whatever you want?” His arms still. “I mean, you say you don’t want a relationship, but you don’t want me to see anyone else.”
“Baby, I said a lot of things before I met you. I don’t do relationships.” He exhales. “But you make me want to try.” His voice is so low, I wonder if he even meant for me to hear.
“What do you want me to do? Declan is my friend, and I don’t want to hurt him. I told him I am talking to someone else. It’s not like I can tell him it’s you. Just give me some time to figure it out. I just need some time, Brody.”
Running his hands through my hair one last time, he backs away. “I’m afraid to ask you to choose, Quince.” He slowly traces my lower lip with his thumb, his eyes searching mine. “I’m afraid you won’t choose me.”
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