Thursday, May 5, 2016

Review: Hand of Thorns by Ashley Beale






Struggling from her father's recent death, Monica Rockwell needs to find a way to help her mother financially. With being in college full time she knew she needed a quick fix solution and fast. Although becoming a surrogate mother helped the financial burden, suddenly there was an uproar of other difficulties for her to face. Mainly being, Leon Owens.

Leon is dominate, wealthy, and downright sexy, not to mention he's climbing the charts in his Hollywood acting career. It isn't any wonder Monica falls hard and fast for a man the rest of the world swoons over. There is just one problem. Leon is the father to the child in which Monica is carrying. The same child Leon and his long-term girlfriend, Ellie, are paying Monica to have.

Mutual feelings and a scorching hot attraction bring Monica and Leon together in ways they know are forbidden, but they can't seem to resist. Over time emotions become too much to handle, and hearts begin to break. They have to decide if everything they have together is worth the risk in the end.

WARNING: This novel deals with situations hard for some, including but not limited to cheating. It is advised for reader to be at least 18 years of age, due to sexual content, language, and adult situations. Hand of Thorns is a new adult forbidden romance.



4.5 stars
Review by Jen Skewes

I loved this book.  This may just be my favorite book by Ashley Beale.  And yes I may have said that after reading Selling Satisfaction but this one was just as good.  It had a very unique story line that is very differentt from anything that I have read before.  When I first saw the teasers for this book I was certainly intrigued.  And then Ashley released the blurb and I became very nervous.  I mean, all you have to do is read the blurb and I think you could totally understand why.  A woman who is falling in love with the father of the baby she is carrying, which is not her child.  That has angst fest written all over it.  And Ashley Beale certainly delivered.  The knots in my stomach and all the emotions that I felt were completely worth it, because the ending was simply beautiful and amazing.

I do not want to give too much away, because honestly the blurb says it all.  When something tragic happens in Monica’s life she needs to find a job that will pay enough to help support her mother and herself.  When she finds out about surrogating for a couple who is looking to have a baby but cannot, she thinks that is the perfect solution for her. Monica is young and has the opportunity to not only make the money she needs but to be able to give two people the family that they have always wanted.  She is doing a really good thing.  But what happens when you meet the couple whose baby you will be carrying and realize that the father to be is the man that you met briefly a few weeks ago.  The same man that you thought was hot and sexy and could not stop thinking about. That man being actor Leon Owens.

Leon is a hot and sexy actor who has been with his girlfriend Ellie, for quite some time.  They want to have a baby and are looking to hire a surrogate.  When they have that first meeting with Monica he knows exactly who she is and where he saw her last.  There is no denying the physical connection between the two of them.  But as they spend time with each other those feelings of lust become so much more.  Monica knows that her feelings for Leon are wrong.  She is carrying his baby that he is having with his girlfriend.  So falling for Leon has disaster written all over it.  But a part of Monica is willing to take the risk, knowing full well that in the end someone will get hurt.  And that someone will most likely be her.  But will crossing that vey dangerous line be worth it in the end?

I loved Leon and Monica together.  Leon is hot and sexy and at times he may have made some stupid decisions, or said some words that may have been wrong.  But the truth is I felt how much he wanted, loved and cared for Monica.  I felt it in his actions.  I honestly think that he was stuck in a really bad place, even if he helped put himself there.  He was having a baby with his girlfriend who he loved, but at the same time was completely falling for the woman who was carrying that baby.  He was in a war between right and wrong, as well as with his heart and his brain.  And the question was always; which one will win?

Monica, oh how I felt for that girl even though she knew it was wong to have feelings for Leon.  She was so young and you honestly cannot help who you fall in love with.  And distancing herself from him wasn’t always easy considering their situation.  But I felt for her because of the feelings, her conflicts and the hurt that caused her to even become a surrogate in the first place.  She was so strong.  Honestly any woman who can put themselves in the position she was, carrying someone else's baby, in my opinion has to be strong to go through it all.  But throw in emotions, love, heartache and pain and you see just how strong she is.  All though at times I really wanted to see her strength and to see her stick up for herself when it came to a certain person's comments.  But most of all I just wanted her and Leon to find a way to make it work and be happy together.  

This was such a wonderful and amazing read.  There were times where my stomach was in knots and I was so afraid to read what happened next but at the same time I couldn’t read fast enough because I needed to know.    I felt so many emotions with this book.  I felt the love, the passion, the anger and frustration.  There were a few times where I just wanted to slap someone.  I felt the connection between Monica and Leon and was rooting for them the entire way.  There was a part of me that did not get his relationship with Ellie and think that is the only thing that I had an issue with.  It was missing something for me and that was that I needed more of an explanation of Leon and Ellie and their relationship.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I wanted them together because truthfully I was not a fan of Ellie’s at all.  But I needed to understand them more, needed to know his emotions and feelings when it came to them and his relationship with her.  I think it would have helped in understanding his actions and decisions a little more.  Because at times I was not sure why they were together.  But many will read this book and not even care about the two of them because all you want is to see Leon and Monica happy together in the end.  Which is what I wanted as well.  


Another amazing job by Ashley Beale!!!



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