About the Book: Title: Choosing Happy (Madison Square, #2)
Author: Samatha Harris
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: September 20, 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Madison Buchanan’s life has imploded…Sean Taylor is gorgeous, fun, and young—very young…
Her husband left her for his nineteen-year-old intern, leaving her alone and faced with starting over in her forties. With the help of her feisty best friend, Madison reinvents herself, armed with a new look and open to new possibilities.
He hasn’t had the best of luck. Sean’s track record with women is less than stellar, but when he walks into The Den one day, he just can’t help but be captivated by a dark haired beauty with the sad eyes and killer legs. She’s a little older, but he doesn’t discriminate. More than anything, he wants to be the one to make her smile.
Sean personifies the only thing that has eluded Madison all of her life—joy…
It was meant to be a fling, something fun, with no strings and zero drama, but Sean wants something more, and Madison is just not ready. She’s lived by the rules her family, her friends, even her boss have laid out for her, but her new life is not what she expected. Being with Sean opens feelings she never thought she’d experience.
The the demands of her family and her job throw her boring, simple life into chaos, and Sean is no exception…
Madison is left with a choice. Give in to the expectations of the world around her—or choose to follow her heart and be happy.
But choosing happy is so much harder than it seems.
Review:
This is a fantastic sequel from author Samatha Harris, and I'm incredibly excited to check out more from her in the future! Choosing Happy is the second book in the Madison Square series, and while I didn't like is as much as I liked the first novel, I still enjoyed this one a great deal. Ms. Harris has an amazing talent, and is definitely an author to watch. I honestly didn't want to stop reading this book because I was invested in how Madison and Sean's story would end. This was such a refreshing read, with fantastic lead characters and wonderful writing.
Madison, who is in her early 40s in this novel, is a newly divorced woman after her husband left her for a much younger woman. Obviously, this sends her into a tailspin and she makes some dramatic choices. She lets her best friend completely make her over giving her a drastic new look, and then becomes involved in a hot and heavy relationship with a younger man. The one thing I greatly enjoyed about this story was how well written the relationship was between Madison and Sean. What started out as something fun for both of them, turned into something more. You could tell from the moment they met that Madison and Sean were meant to be, and you'll be cheering for them from the get go.
This was definitely new territory for me since I never read a book before where the female lead is much older than the male lead, but it worked beautifully in this story due to Ms. Harris's fantastic writing. I know other stories where authors tried to attempt this, but reviews weren't so great. But don't worry at all about this story because what made this book work was how Madison had a constant struggle over whether or not to actually take a chance and explore the relationship with Sean. To me, it seemed like a very realistic approach (as I'm sure any woman would worry about how this relationship would look, even though they shouldn't at all, since who you love is who you love), and that made the book a much more enjoyable read.
Madison herself is such a strong main character, and while there were times she got on my nerves a bit because of some decisions she made, it was all apart of her learning how to choose/love/live for herself and "choose happy." Sean definitely is there to help her with this discovery, but it truly is all her. I loved her attitude at the end of this book because it showed how far she came since the beginning. Honestly, Madison's character development throughout the novel was one of the best I have seen. All of this makes the title of this book absolutely perfect.
Sean was someone that I loved and wanted to know more about after reading the first book, Somewhere in Between. I'm so glad that we got to see inside his brain because we see how amazing of a guy he is...much more than the fun jokester that he portrays to everyone around him. Both Madison and Sean have a lot of baggage that they bring to their relationship, but they have a nice balance and help each other through things...supporting each other where they need it most. And that's exactly what a relationship should be.
There is a bonus chapter that I highly recommend reading. It adds a lot to the story, and while I don't want to give away any spoilers, it is a bit of a difficult read because it gives us insight into Sean's childhood. My heart broke for him, but it made the story come full circle, and I appreciated that the author included it.
I highly recommend checking out this series because it's a simple, fun, sexy read that will sweep you away and leave you wanting to read more from this author!
Happy reading :)
Madison, who is in her early 40s in this novel, is a newly divorced woman after her husband left her for a much younger woman. Obviously, this sends her into a tailspin and she makes some dramatic choices. She lets her best friend completely make her over giving her a drastic new look, and then becomes involved in a hot and heavy relationship with a younger man. The one thing I greatly enjoyed about this story was how well written the relationship was between Madison and Sean. What started out as something fun for both of them, turned into something more. You could tell from the moment they met that Madison and Sean were meant to be, and you'll be cheering for them from the get go.
This was definitely new territory for me since I never read a book before where the female lead is much older than the male lead, but it worked beautifully in this story due to Ms. Harris's fantastic writing. I know other stories where authors tried to attempt this, but reviews weren't so great. But don't worry at all about this story because what made this book work was how Madison had a constant struggle over whether or not to actually take a chance and explore the relationship with Sean. To me, it seemed like a very realistic approach (as I'm sure any woman would worry about how this relationship would look, even though they shouldn't at all, since who you love is who you love), and that made the book a much more enjoyable read.
Madison herself is such a strong main character, and while there were times she got on my nerves a bit because of some decisions she made, it was all apart of her learning how to choose/love/live for herself and "choose happy." Sean definitely is there to help her with this discovery, but it truly is all her. I loved her attitude at the end of this book because it showed how far she came since the beginning. Honestly, Madison's character development throughout the novel was one of the best I have seen. All of this makes the title of this book absolutely perfect.
Sean was someone that I loved and wanted to know more about after reading the first book, Somewhere in Between. I'm so glad that we got to see inside his brain because we see how amazing of a guy he is...much more than the fun jokester that he portrays to everyone around him. Both Madison and Sean have a lot of baggage that they bring to their relationship, but they have a nice balance and help each other through things...supporting each other where they need it most. And that's exactly what a relationship should be.
There is a bonus chapter that I highly recommend reading. It adds a lot to the story, and while I don't want to give away any spoilers, it is a bit of a difficult read because it gives us insight into Sean's childhood. My heart broke for him, but it made the story come full circle, and I appreciated that the author included it.
I highly recommend checking out this series because it's a simple, fun, sexy read that will sweep you away and leave you wanting to read more from this author!
Happy reading :)
Check out Book 1 in the series:
I'll be posting my review for Somewhere In Between next week, so stay tuned!
Author Bio:Samatha “Sam” Harris lives near Baltimore, Maryland with her husband David and daughter Ava. Born in Florida, she migrated north which most people agree was a little backwards. She has been an artist all of her life, a Tattoo Artist for more than ten years, and a storyteller since she was a kid.Sam has a slightly unhealthy love for Frank Sinatra, classic movies, and Jazz and Blues music, but her first love will always be reading. From Romance, to Thrillers, to Historical Fiction and everything in between, she loves to become a part of the story. As a writer she tells the stories that she would want to read.
~Cassie
Great review, Cassie! This sounds like a fun read and right up my alley, too! Glad you liked it! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and I look forward to reading your review of SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN
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