Book Review - 8 Weeks

Wow. Happy Wednesday, everyone! Here we are again with another book review. I know you're all super excited to hear about this one. Let me tell you, it was one heck of a story. I'll also be posting the link to the review on the Time 4 Books 2015 Review Team page. If you haven't seen that, you gotta check it out. So many awesome books on there already. We're certainly paying it forward for the Indie author community. If you'd like to do your part, pop on over to the signup page and join us. No rules, just reading! It's so much fun! Anyway, let's get to the information about the book up for review today. Grab a cup of coffee and read on.

Title: 8 Weeks (Time for Love #1)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length (print):
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle (on sale) $0.99

Synopsis:
Is eight weeks enough time to earn back the love of someone you've betrayed...the only one you've ever loved?

Shelly has been in love with Cal since they started dating in eleventh grade. Despite everyone saying that the odds were against them, they got married after graduation and built a life together. Now, six years later, she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. Devastated, her first instinct is to call it quits…

After a drunken binge at his best friends’ bachelor party, Cal betrays the one person who has always been there for him, his wife, Shelly. Terrified and realizing she might divorce him, Cal must come up with a way to prove to her that his love is true…

Cal asks Shelly for eight weeks. Eight weeks to convince her that their marriage is worth the fight. Will Shelly be able to trust him again, or will their marriage end the way many others do when faced with opposition… In divorce?

This story is meant for readers 18 and older. 

***WILL NOT APPEAR IN REVIEW ELSEWHERE.  I think the cover tones/imagery/typeface all fit the genre and storyline on the pages. It's emotional. There's branding of a series at its finest going on here, too. I love how all the covers match. Makes for an easy recognition across books.***

Let's get to the yum.

I grabbed a sample of 8 Weeks during my 12 Days of Review Requests event when the author pitched the novel to me. I was captivated from page one. It grabbed my emotional side and refused to let me go. I could see the turmoil coming, knew how it would transpire, and still cried. Needless to say, I had to have the rest of the story. I bought it and dove right back in. Anyway, let's get going on the story part and why I rated it the way I did.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I know people like the main characters so I felt every moment of their stress. A group of people who've been friends forever, who suddenly have a spike wedged through their relationships. Yeah, some of them are a bit cliche, but those stereotypes exist for a reason (because they're real people). It's tough when you're in a group of people and two of them have a falling out. Who do you side with? How do you get over it? Betrayal of one is like a betrayal to all. But, at the center is the conflict between Cal and Shelly. I have to say, I loved them both so much. Yes, Shelly has her moments of childishness. But, she married the only boy she ever slept with, and I condone her for demanding she be treated with the highest level of respect. I think I might have thrown more than one fit in her situation. I give her props for even trying to save her marriage. Cal is so sweet and in love with his wife. I don't see many guys putting forth the kind of effort he did. Plot was great, and the author treated the incident in Vegas exactly as she should have. I won't tell you more, I'll just say the situation was handled precisely as it should've been to show the connection between the couple at the highest level. Pacing was also spot on. You get two POVs: Cal and Shelly. While I understand why the author did it, I think an unreliable narrator is fun sometimes--leaves the reader wondering. But not anything to ding the rating for.

Even though this is a book in a series, it's also a standalone.

From an Editor's Perspective:
"This hurts more then I remember..." Should be: "than" I remember. Usually, they guys were hounding... Should be: "the" guys. There were a few of those kinds of errors, but nothing that kept me up at night, wondering about who the editor could've been and why those were missed. Overall, well written and edited.

Rating:
1 Star for giving me great characters all around
1 Star for making the story believable
1 Star for pacing
1 Star for a heart-twisting plot
1 Star for editing
Overall, 5 out of 5 stars! Recommended if you enjoy books with emotion, a super tense central conflict people will either love or hate, and cool characters with verve.

As I always do when I come upon a five star read, I'm giving a couple of copies away! Enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

What do you think? Gonna check it out?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo