'always do the thing that scares you. that's the way to break out of a cage of your own making.' my father used to say that all the time. he died back when i was fifteen and left me with a lot of bad memories and a generic dark cloud hanging over my head, but his mantra's what i've chosen to keep for myself. it gives me a bit of courage when i need it most.

i don't even know where to start with this book, but i do know where i finished: 21%.

when i started this, i was actually kind of excited to read it (which was obviously my first mistake) because it sounded like it would be perfect. a psychology student, an intern and one of the fellows she works under? (no pun intended.) sign me up, like, yesterday.

but after roughly 5%, i found myself bored, annoyed, and apprehensive all at once. firstly, what a boring, cliché way to have your characters meet. i could almost appreciate it ironically - mocking the cliche, and so on, but this was absolutely not ironic. boring. in a whole hospital wing, clearly the only way for these two to meet that would be totally unique and show how quirky and clumsy and awkward my beloved mary sue is for her to bump into him! and spill his coffee all over him! step aside, hollywood, there's a new romcom queen in town! gross.

and then she's all googly eyed over this guy like she's 12, which may have been acceptable in a typical young adult novel but this girl is supposed to be 26. what right-minded 26 year old turns into a babbling idiot around men? who the fuck actually eeps over a text message from a practical stranger when they're grown? that was embarrassing and (admittedly irrationally) annoying.

he treats her like a piece of meat, more or less, or a commodity. he threatens past flings of hers, says he's going to make their job harder if they disrespect her, treats her like a piece of property that he already owns because he wants her so duh, he has her! women are just unclaimed pieces of meat waiting for some big strong man to come along and dibs them! perhaps the worst is that he says can "pay him back" for his jacket with her time and, although not stated, it's heavily implied, her body? fuck you, dr. creep. why do you treat your interns like they're an all you can eat buffet for you to take advantage of? i would've reported his ass no matter how unbelievably/conveniently hot he is. the fuck out of here with that; my body is not currency. you're lucky i don't set you and that stupid shirt on fire.

but does our mary sue feel that way? hell no! creepy, oppressive, obsessive, possessive, fucking abusive dr. delicious has her wet as fuck. from literally ground zero. someone get this girl some water, stat, because she's acting like she's fucking dying of dehydration.

p.s. i would also like to say that the use of a guy like nick: stupid, selfish, abusive, slutshaming, and of course - of fucking course - attempting to rape our mary sue and stalking her like she hung the moon (or, at the very least, has an actual personality — neither of those things is true, for the record) is yet another sign of a weak ass story. dude is a straight up disney villain, a caricature of a person clearly geared just to make dr. dick look like a superhero to our swooning, weak-knees, wet-pantied waif of a main character. pathetic. he wasn't even all that wrong to begin with. not that she deserves to have her dress ripped/have him attempt to rape her or whatever (because no one deserves that; no means no, and even if you change your mind partway through sex, no still means no,) but don't be an idiot and tell him maybe or make plans with him or do anything other than give him a stone cold no, especially after that happens. you're putting yourself directly in harm's way — and at the age of 26, that's incredibly shameful.

generally speaking, don't shit where you sleep, dumbass. you can't have romantic entanglements with a handful of men that all work with you without it coming back to bite you sooner or later.

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Lovely stuff. Lots of worthiness here: The author, the hero and the heroine.

 

The writing is spot on - the serious topics are well researched - enough to make me care about checking to see if the author has experience in the field she writes about here. I'm not surprised to learn that the author studied Psychology.

 

I enjoyed her writing style. An edited book is always welcome in my reading pile - its supposed to be the norm but unfortunately, nowadays an fully edited book is few and far between in this genre.

 

I can "feel" each character. Those characters who are meant to be adorable are absolutely just that: adorable. And the characters who are meant to be abhorrent are just that: abhorrent sonsanddaughtersofbitches.

 

I started on book 2 of this series first, another couple's story, which is where I first read about this couple, Caleb and Romy. Their lovey-doveyness in that book made we want to see how they got their HEA. I'm glad I did.

 

Caleb is a good boy. His is real. A broken, gentle/violent/intense (gorgeous) soul who has a huge capacity to love. Not your usual badboy man-ho we have so much of in New Adult lately. Yes, he makes shitty choices which I hated but he hated them more. Every worthy girl needs to be loved the way he loves Romy.

 

Romy is a good girl too. Also has her demons but eventually rises above them. She loves Caleb the way he deserves to be loved and she's strong and vulnerable and sweet and caring and hurting and deserves Caleb's love too.

 

They have an intense bond, sexual and emotional chemistry. The sex scenes are realistic and sexy.

 

What also drew me to this one was that this is a stand-alone, within a series.  I loved their connection so much that although the book had a nice HEA, I wanted an epilogue cos I'm invested in more than their here and now. So, for me the ending needed something extra: maybe a look into "a year down the line" cos they've gone through so much and I want to know how they grow. I prefer to hear more about them in this one book, not a sequel or installment follow up, so if there are future books in this series, about other MCs then I'm definitely looking out for them. Maybe they will feature there and it'll be good to catch up. But not another book where Caleb and Romy are the MCs though, I prefer one couple's story in one book, not installments.

 

This is a book I will re-read.

The topic is fascinating.

I cried when he cried and laughed when he laughed.

I felt her bewilderment and then felt her contentment in his arms.

Everything Between Us - Mila Ferrera I thought I was going to have serious problems with Daniel sleeping with Stellas mom but surprisingly after the first few chapters it was easy to get past it.
I wanna know more about Nate! I think it would make a great next book. ^_^

Daniel’s got everything figured out. He makes a good living as an artist … mostly through offering “private shows” to the wives of local wealthy businessmen. He never stops playing the game and never lets anyone touch his heart. But when his current fling offers him a few hundred an hour for art lessons for her reclusive, college-dropout daughter, Daniel finds himself forgetting his own rules. The girl is rude. Insulting. Incredible.

And she sees straight through him.

Stella is hiding from the world, not because she wants to, but because crippling panic attacks await her every time she tries to live a normal life. She’s determined to push everyone–including her handsome new art teacher—away. But Daniel makes it utterly impossible. The guy is irritating. Mocking. Magnetic.

And makes her want things she knows she can never have.

What starts as a battle of wills turns into passion, where giving in means facing the things that scare them most.

Everything Between Us by Mila Ferrera

Publisher: Mila Ferrera Books
Released: November 5th 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance
Format: eBook
Source: via Xpresso Book Tours for the tour

 

My Review

Wow, what a fantastic read. I was totally addicted to reading this book, I just HAD to find out what happened. Everything Between Us had such a unique premise for me with a complex collection of characters. The detailing of Estella’s condition was amazingly vivid and I had tears for her. But also felt compassion for Daniel and his challenges in life.

Daniel is a fantastic artist that questions his talent, but to add extra cash to his pocket, Daniel does gives art lessons to wealthy women (wink wink); plus teaching at the community college. Daniel has a brother overseas serving for his country and parents that he visits weekly. Daniel has a strong personality on the outside that shows charm, wit and hotness. On the inside, Daniel is insecure and plays games so he doesn't have to deal.

Daniel has a major deal with his current extra cash lover (Liza) and when he enters the mansion he spots Estella her daughter (better known to friends as Stella). He is definitely intrigued by her, but from what Liza says about her, she is crazy.

Stella has everything she ever asked for, attends a prestigious college and has friends, but suddenly her world comes crashing down. Stella started having panic attacks and her life only got worse. Not being able to handle college life any more and the fact her room-mate was affected by her attacks, Stella went home to seek help. Since meeting her mother’s latest toy, Stella cannot stop thinking about him. Daniel, not Dan, Danny or Danielle, just Daniel.

Daniel is commissioned to paint three pieces for Liza and thinking that some art lessons may also help Stella, Daniel is paid in advance for daily lessons. Daniel isn't really looking forward to giving the lessons, Stella seems to have a way of seeing through his shell and into his heart. This can only be trouble and it is from day one.

Stella is determined to get rid of Daniel and does everything she can think of to turn him away. Daniel is stubborn in his own right and continues with the lessons. Slowly, slowly Stella gives in and starts to draw with Daniel; she is discovering that he isn't just some man that uses women for money, but there is something hidden underneath.

Liza goes to a retreat for a week and during this time a severe storm hits; Stella by herself in the mansion starts to panic when the lights go out. Daniel still arrives for his regular appointment with her and ends up staying. One thing leads to another and they both start to uncover each other’s secrets. Stella is coming to rely on their lessons for company, but she still can’t find the courage to leave the house.

Can Daniel help Stella overcome her panic attacks (or agoraphobia)? Will Stella decide Daniel is worth fighting for and seek professional help? What will happen if Liza finds out about their feelings for each other? Will Daniel and Stella be together when they live in such different worlds?

I was absolutely addicted to this book from the get go. It was extremely interesting reading about the panic attacks that Stella has and the treatment that is required to beat them. I felt so many emotions throughout reading Everything Between Us and I utterly loved the writing style of Ms Ferrera. I had to grab another of her books and can’t wait to get stuck in. I highly recommend this books to all new adult romance readers, fantastic!

About the Author

Mila Ferrera lives in New England, where she has a family and a job and does various normal, everyday things, all while plotting novels in her head. She has a passion for writing new adult/adult romance featuring psychological twists and tortured heroes. Her own psychology internship involved plenty of consultation, but alas, no sexy Swedish doctors, and her decision to make one up is what sparked her self-publishing adventures. She's the author of SPIRAL (available now), ONLY BETWEEN US (9/3/13), and EVERYTHING BETWEEN US (11/5/13).

 

~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~

 

Giveaway

One (1) eBook copy of Everything Between Us by Mila Ferrera
Open Internationally
Ends Midnight 12th November 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let me be honest, I'm completely on the fence about this one. Everything Between Us turned out to be so much more than I thought it would be. It was more emotionally charged than I expected, and I loved it. There were just a few things that I couldn't let go of.

Let's start with what I liked. The characters absolutely make this list. Even if you originally dislike Daniel (and I'll be honest, I did) it's hard not to grow to love him over time. Mila Ferrera builds a character that is so deep, so broken, that I couldn't help but forgive him. Even Stella, despite her crippling phobia, is well rounded and fleshed out. No matter what else happened, I clung to these two characters. They made it all worthwhile.

That's not to say that the writing isn't well done. It most definitely is. The story that weaves these two together is just as three-dimensional as the characters themselves. They fight, love, and make bad decisions. I felt like this had all the romance I wanted, without being over the top. Even the steamy scenes were expertly written to enhance, not to overshadow. I ate it up.

The first thing I couldn't get over, and trust me I tried, was the way the book started. It took me so long to like Daniel because of the way the book opens. No matter how sweet things went from there, it was still always hiding in the back of my mind. The second issue I had wasn't as big. I just felt that the ending was a bit long. I loved the tension between Stella and Daniel. I loved how hard they worked to be together, but I also felt it was a little drawn out. I wanted to yell, "Cut them a break!". Maybe I was a little too invested?

The fact remains that, despite any qualms I may have had, this book is very well done. I see a lot of readers falling in love with Everything Between Us. I know that I did. Take a chance why don't you? It might just be your new favorite book.