At Any Turn

Received in exchange for an honest review. WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? WHERE AM I!? WHAT’S HAPPENING!?!?! Sometimes, I hate the way indie authors just reel you in, wrap their fingers around your heart, pull it out of your chest and crush it right in front of your face. That’s maybe 30-40% of the time I’m reading a book written by an indie author. The remaining percentage is usually quite pleasant. Aubrey has exceeded my expectations in being able to break my heart with such a beautiful, sad, and complicated story about two people who were meant to be together and who’re faced with the most unfortunate circumstances. CEO Adam Drake had everything. He had money, owned a successful gaming company, and now he had Emilia – the love of his life. Several months after their business transaction, their relationship started to get serious. However, a series of decisions that followed Mia being accepted into medical school put them on rocky terms, and Adam’s need to control the situation began to push her away. The more he pushed the more distant she became. But there was no denying their attraction to one another and their need to be together. But there’s something Mia is keeping from him, something she’s not saying, and his over-controlling and protective nature is forcing both of them to make bad decisions. The one thing Adam can’t do is sit by and lose Mia the way he lost his sister. As a HUGE-EXTREMELY-MASSIVE-OBSESSIVE GEEK I have been recommending Brenna Aubrey and her books to every geek girls I know. At Any Price BLEW ME AWAY with its geek culture references, quirky characters and interesting story line. At Any Turn, on the other hand, completely DESTROYED ME and my soul, it broke my emotions and tugged at my heart and anger strings. Before you think this is a negative review, stop. What I hope to accomplish is to show the brilliance – and at the same time – the heartbreak and rage I felt reading the follow-up to Adam and Mia’s story. Sure, the couple had their ups and downs in the first book, but that isn’t compared to what they go through in the second. I do admit that there seem to be more bad times than good, but the good times, though few, make up for it. I do believe Adam and Mia belong together, but I also believe they are two headstrong, AND STUBBORN individuals with a little more pride than most. I say things would have been solved a lot faster if they just sat down and talked about it, but that is always easier said than done in any given situation. In trying to secure her, I had pushed her away because I had arrogantly assumed that I was the number one priority. While at the same time telling her that she wasn’t the number one priority to me by refusing to move back east to be with her. I was beginning to realize how ridiculously unfair I had been in that. The real question was…Was it too late for me to fix it? I had a lot of hate towards Mia in this book, which made me sad because I adored her in the first one, but I had a lot of issues with Adam too. Mia shouldn’t have kept secrets and that’s what bugged me the most, but Adam shouldn’t have been so pushy. In the end, I felt both of the characters were justified in their actions, especially in the last chapter which I think, was the most moving. In all honesty it was just a string of bad decisions made by two strong individuals who were vying for control of their lives and their relationship, and that’s life. One thing I have to absolutely point out with Aubrey’s writing is the amount of realism in her words. She isn’t afraid to be mean, be cruel to the reader and completely rip your heart out, give you hope and then just TAKE IT AWAY AGAIN. It takes a lot of courage to do that and to write about such a serious topic. The subject of the book is very difficult for any couple to cope with and I think Adam and Mia did their very with the circumstances that were presented…..BUT IT STILL DIDN’T MAKE ME FEEL BETTER READING IT. But looking into her eyes, my chest squeezed tight despite my anger. Who was the one who ended it, here? Who was the quitter? Who had walked away? How dare she feel hurt that I chose to move on with my life instead of wallowing in the devastation she so obviously expected me to be suffering? I will say that I still love Adam and I love Mia. Apart from their decision-making I can respect them as individuals. Both strong-willed, they know what they want and aren’t afraid to fight for it. That is a quality that can be respected on any account. And you know this GEEK GIRL can’t get ENOUGH of the geek culture and geek humour. I’ll give you a hint to one that is often used….it’s another STAR WARS reference, and it has to do with Han Solo and Leia. Just before I finish, I have to stop for a minute and give some love to my book boyfriend, Adam. Whom I could only ever wish to find in my dreams…. I mean he doesn’t have to own a gaming company or be a billionaire, that’s just bonus stuff…. But I wish I could find someone who’d take care and worry about me the way Adam worries and takes care of Mia. *SIGH* “Emilia…” I whispered. “Yeah?” I opened my mouth. I miss you. Like I’d miss my right arm. Like I’d miss my own beating heart. Like I’d miss my next breath. Brenna Aubrey’s At Any Turn was definitely worth the wait and worth the read. If you haven’t I definitely recommend you reading the first novel At Any Price before you read this one. It may be heart-breaking, and you may have the urge to PUNCH SOMEONE or several people, or just EVERYONE in the book, but it’s worth it….it’s all worth it, especially in that last chapter. 5/5 Hearts of Love Check out more of my reviews at http://www.akiikomorireading.com

I enjoyed the second installment in this series, but not quite as much as the first. In all actuality, it's closer to 3.5 stars than 3, but you know the deal with half stars. I spent this entire book going back and forth between trying to figure out what Mia was keeping from Adam and wanting to smack them both for the lack of communication and all the things they did wrong. So much lack of communication! But, one thing is for sure, I couldn't put it down once I started. Review to come.

I loved this book, it brought out all the feels. Now I just have to read book #3 because I am just so attached to these characters.