ARC Review: Forever Loved by Deanna Roy

I absolutely loved Forever Innocent and couldn't wait to get my hands on Forever Loved by Deanna Roy. Forever Loved is the second installment in her Forever Series, and is the continuation of Corabelle and Gavin's story. This is meant to be read after Forever Innocent and should not be read as a standalone. If you haven't read Forever Innocent, beware of spoilers in this review. As much as I was looking forward to reading this book, I have to say that I was disappointed in this story. I realize that in life things are not all tied up with a neat bow and that things get messy. But this book did not end the way I expected or hoped for, and I will admit that I was wishing for a better ending.

Forever Loved picks up right after the events of Forever Innocent with Corabelle in the hospital after her freezing cold swim. She has pneumonia and is under observation until her doctor as well as a social worker clears her. Gavin is determined to be by her side and not leave her again as they face things together for the first time since losing Finn. But when Corabelle's parents show up, her mother and especially her father want Gavin nowhere near Corabelle. If that wasn't enough, Gavin is soon contacted by Rosa the woman in Mexico that he paid for sex that she has a three year old little boy that she says is his. Gavin knows that he needs to tell Corabelle after everything that they have been through, but he worries that she is in no condition for this news. After Gavin tells Corabelle, she stays strong for him and helps him by standing by his side. But what kind of life together can they have if the boy turns out to be Gavin's? Can Corabelle and Gavin have a future together after everything that they have been through, or will this latest obstacle be the one to end their relationship for good?

Gavin and Corabelle had already been through so much in the first book, and then they are hit even harder in this one. I kept wondering when they were ever going to get a break. I will say that I hated what Gavin had done in the past and how things had happened after they lost Finn. I understand that he was young and was struggling, but I didn't agree with his actions. But I really admired the way he was determined to be there for Corabelle for the rest of their lives. He was supportive and encouraging and he never judged her for her issues or mistakes. I like that he made her his priority and that he was always honest with her. He didn't try to keep things from her, and I think that he showed a lot of growth over the course of both books. Corabelle was strong and was a survivor, but she was also extremely vulnerable. She needed help and support from those around her, and I wanted to see her really dig into her issues and get better. I felt like her issues were pretty much an afterthought in this story though, and I don't feel like she ever dealt with them. She might have discussed them and let others know about them, but after that they seemed to just be forgotten without ever being resolved. I felt like so much more of this story should have been about how she was able to overcome those and move forward towards a healthy and happy future.

I also felt like this book was just one bad thing after another and it was almost to the point of being unrealistic. I just felt like so much of it was meant to generate drama rather than actually being true to the story. I kept waiting for Corabelle and Gavin to catch a break, but it just seemed like they never did. While we do get answers and all the loose ends are tied up, I felt like the ending wasn't very satisfying. I didn't really feel like their HEA was a true HEA, and I can't believe how everything turned out. It was made worse with the epilogue for me. I just felt like Gavin had done something that wasn't really that understanding or reasonable considering everything, and I felt like it put Corabelle in a really bad spot. Not to mention I felt like Corabelle just let everything go because of her love for Gavin with very little issue. I just wish that this book had gone differently and it was far from the ending that I had hoped for with these two. I know that we will see more of them in the next book, Forever Sheltered, but I still just felt like this was a big let down after the first book. Honestly I am glad I know what happened even if I am not happy about it, but if I had known how things would end I am not sure that I would have ever started this series. This one just wasn't for me and I think it might have just been that I wasn't okay with how everything played out. I think that there are others that will really enjoy these books and will be okay with how things ended.

**ARC Provided by Author**

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Guest Post with Author Deanna Roy and Giveaway

Meet Deanna Roy, author of Forever Sheltered.

Deanna Roy is the USA Today bestselling author of numerous works of romance, women's, and children's fiction.

Her first novel was Baby Dust, a story about a pregnancy loss support group. Her romance series that begins with Forever Innocent, about a couple who reunites four years after the death of their premature baby, became a runaway success. It was followed with Forever Loved, and Forever Sheltered will come out August 2014.

Find Deanna at:

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ARC Review: Forever Sheltered by Deanna Roy

Forever Sheltered is the third book in Deanna Roy's Forever series, but this book can be read as a standalone. I was a little worried going into this book after having read Forever Loved. I really enjoyed Forever Innocent but had been disappointed in Forever Loved, and honestly we didn't get to see much of Darion in Forever Loved but the little we did wasn't the best. I am so glad that read this story though, and I really liked both Darion and Tina. I had been looking forward to Tina's story since her character was first introduced and I am so glad to say that I thought her story was so interesting and I really liked how everything turned out for her.

Tina doesn't date men. She does one and done, and that is good enough for her. Losing her baby after he was born prematurely and only lived for three hours was the hardest thing she ever went through and she was in a bad spot for awhile after that. Putting herself through college, she made money by speaking out against suicide and helping others like herself that had thought there was no other way. But when she gets a job through her friend Corabelle at a hospital working with patients through art therapy, she finds a new purpose. She is glad to help others of all ages use art as a way to cope with everything they are going through. When Dr. Darion Marks asks her for help with a patient, she is not too happy to help him after he blew her off with no explanation the last time he asked for her help. Darion knows that he has a reputation for being cold and stoic, but he has a secret that he must protect at all costs including not allowing himself to interact more than necessary with those around him. Things get complicated when he asks for Tina's help with a special patient though. As Tina and Darion get to know each other better, they can't fight the attraction between them and soon are seeing each other. But with Darion and Tina both having secrets and a ton of baggage, can they learn to let each other in and move toward a future together?

I really liked Darion as the story progressed even though I started off thinking he was pretty cold and unfeeling. He was kind of mean right off and I thought that he had a bad attitude. But once we learned about everything going on in his life, it made a lot more sense. He was doing everything that he could to manage what he needed to, and I really admired the lengths he was willing to go to for his family. He cared so much, and I really liked that he was such a great person underneath the facade. He was really adorable with Cynthia, and I loved getting to see that side of him. I really thought that Darion and Tina worked well together despite all their differences. Tina was completely opposite of Darion, and yet she was kind and caring and would do whatever she could to help her patients. I thought that she was the perfect balance for Darion, and she really helped to loosen him up a bit. They were really supportive of one another, and I liked that they both shared a passion for art. Tina was able to move forward with her life and really heal with her friends and patient's help, but I also saw how much Darion was a part of her progress. These two had great chemistry together, but they also just had a natural ease to their relationship. They were able to relate to one another and see things that others didn't and I loved watching them fall for one another.

Overall, I enjoyed Forever Sheltered a lot. I thought that Tina and Darion were really interesting as a couple, but honestly the secondary characters made this story. I loved Cynthia and Albert, and it was fun to see them interact with Darion and Tina and see how they really had a huge impact on these characters. I thought that this story was really sweet and emotional. Tina and Darion were both struggling with things, and this book was really a journey for them as individuals as much as for them as a couple. Despite the heavy issues in this story, I really felt like this book was one about hope and love and was actually really light-hearted. I look forward to reading more from Deanna Roy in the future, and can't wait to see which character's story is next for this series. I am really hoping that we get more on Mario which is a friend of Gavin's. I can't wait to see him fall hard!

**ARC Provided by Author**

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ARC Review: Forever Innocent by Deanna Roy

I really liked this book. This story is not a light read, and it deals with loss, heart-break, and guilt. But despite all of that, this book is a beautiful story about true love always finding a way and how two people who are meant to be together finding each other even when it seems impossible. Deanna Roy is a new to me author, and I didn't really know what to expect from her. But after reading Forever Innocent, I will definitely be keeping an eye on her in the future.

Corabelle and Gavin have known each other since they were kids. They have been everything to each other since they were old enough to move beyond just friendship. Despite being on the birth control shot, Corabelle gets pregnant. Even though things are moving faster than they planned, Gavin and Corabelle always knew they would get married and have a family. But after only seven days of being alive, their baby Finn dies. Gavin runs away in the middle of the funeral, leaving Corabelle reeling and trying to figure out why he would just up and go without her. After realizing that he is not coming back, Corabelle begins to move forward with her life. Four years later she is switching schools to attend the school that her and Gavin had always dreamed of attending, not realizing that he is also attending the same school. They run into each other in one of their classes and despite the four years apart, they are still very much attracted to each other and the connection is still there. They try to avoid each other, but it seems as though fate has other plans. The more they are thrown together, the more everything resurfaces and they begin to wonder if maybe this is what is supposed to be happening. But both of them have secrets that they have kept from the other, and even though they seem to be picking the pieces of their relationship back up, everything can change once the truth comes out.

I really liked both Gavin and Corabelle. I thought that they both handled things poorly when things got tough, and they both seemed to make some bad decisions. But when you consider their age and the things that they had suffered through, I really think that is how a lot of people would react. Corabelle was brave and strong despite having moments of weakness. She seemed to be able to do what she had to even though she was alone and dealing with her grief. Gavin was sweet and caring, despite handling things wrong when everything fell apart. He was determined to win Corabelle back doing anything that it took, and he did something so unique and special for her that it absolutely pulled every single last one of my heart strings! Corabelle and Gavin are so perfect for each other and they are truly meant to be together. Things haven't been easy on them, but the fact that they keep being drawn together shows just how much they are supposed to work things out. I really enjoyed watching them get reacquainted and begin to start healing together. Not only were they really sweet together, but they were also extremely hot! These two had so much chemistry and the sex was exciting and steamy.

I didn't know that this story was going to be part of a series when I started, so the ending took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting that there was going to be another story, and I was disappointed not to get the rest of the story right then! If I have any complaints about this book, that would pretty much be it. I am excited to read the next book in this series, Forever Loved, and I can't wait to see these two continue to heal and make their future together. Overall, this story is well written and deep. The flashbacks and different POVs really allow the reader to connect with these characters and understand as much as is possible what they were going through. This book is emotional and beautiful, and should definitely be read with a box of tissues close by. I would recommend this story to anyone who is looking for a true love story that isn't just a fairy-tale with an easy happily ever after. This story is real and believable with the hero and heroine experiencing many ups and downs that life sometimes throws in the way, and is about how they have to sort of battle their way back. I am hoping that Forever Loved comes out soon, because I fell in love with these characters and I really need to know what happens to Corabelle and Gavin.

**ARC provided by Xpresso Book Tours**

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Feature and Giveaway: Forever Innocent by Deanna Roy

“Our baby died on prom night, and nothing was ever the same again.”

Corabelle doesn’t feel like any of the other college girls. On what should have been one of the happiest nights of her life, she and her boyfriend Gavin watched a nurse disconnect the ventilator from their seven-day-old baby. During the funeral two days later, Gavin walked out and never returned.

Since then, her life has been a spiral of disasters. The only thing that has helped is her ability to black out whenever the pain gets too hard to bear, a habit that has become an addiction.

When Gavin shows up in her astronomy class four years later, he is hell-bent on getting her back, insisting she forgive him. Corabelle knows she can’t resist the touch that fills the empty ache that has haunted her since he left. But if he learns what she has done, if he follows the trail back through her past, her secrets will destroy their love completely. And once again, she’ll lose the only person who always believed she was innocent.

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