Blog Tour - Missing Lily By Annette K. Larsen {Review & Giveaway}
Missing Lily
Author: Annette K. Larsen
Publication Date: May 15th,2014
“You don’t know who I am,” I whispered. He didn’t move—either away from me, or closer—and after an interminable moment, I stepped back and hurried out of the house.
He didn’t follow me as I fled into the night.
Lylin was not used to being alone—much less alone, hurt, and lost. So when she is separated from her guard and forced to abandon her horse, she counts herself lucky to stumble upon a manor house. Still frightened by those who chased her into the night, she keeps her identity a secret, calling herself Lily as she accepts the help of kind servants, and the compassion of Lord Fallon. When they fall into an easy friendship, she wonders if her secrecy was too hasty. However, as she gets to know the manor and its residents, Lylin discovers that she’s not the only one hiding secrets, and it may be a very good thing that her host doesn’t know her true identity as a member of the royal family.
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My Review
"You are, you know."
"What?"he asked,moving closer to me.
"You are my dream.You have been for a very long time."
He kissed my cheek."Well,then."He kissed my other cheek."Now we can start dreaming together."He pulled me to him,kissing my as though trying to prove I really was his dream.
I never doubted it for a second.
The book stars with Lily,our main character being attacked while traveling to her sister's house.After wandering through the forest,in the middle of a storm,she discovers a place to stay and find shelter.The house's owner,Rhys takes her in and treats her like an equal,something she really enjoys since she is a member of the Royal Family and is used to people pretending around her.
She stays with Rhys for a few days until she is found and returns to the palace.But she doesn't give an explanation and she doesn't say goodbye.But when Rhys shows up at the palace, the reason behind his visit shatters Lily.Will she be able to move on,will she go after what she wants or will the circumstances allow her to live happily ever after with the man she loves?
When I started Missing Lily,I have to admit that I didn't have any expectations.And I'm not saying that as a bad thing.But I was happy to discover that this book wasn't what I expected.I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading it!
Firstly,I want to start by discussing the characters.Lily was an amazing main character and I understood her,connected with her from the beginning and enjoyed reading about her life in general.She is a princess,obviously but that didn't make her arrogant or selfish.She didn't pretend and she always put other peoples' needs in front of her own.We also see how she struggles between duty and her own feelings.I think Rhys kinda feels the same (I won't say why because that would be a spoiler) but Lily has a bigger burden to carry.The author though managed to explore that space between happiness and duty without overshadowing any of the two with the other which I loved!
Rhys was another character I fell in love with from the beginning.He is responsible and manages to handle so many things from such a young age which was admirable.He and Lily are both trapped in a bad situation but they are strong together and manage to overcome the many obstacles life has thrown their way.I loved their relationship and how in the end,they comforted and supported each other without losing themselves.He has the the nicest heart and it is proved on the last couple of chapters.I don't want to say why because that would spoil the story for you.
Moving on to the secondary characters.And of course,Lorraina.I must admit that she wasn't a likeable character which didn't change for me throughout the book.Her situation really broke my heart but I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she as a person was different.The author created her that way for a reason though and the whole things wasn't entirely her fault.I couldn't imagine someone going through what she went through but I don't think that my opinion for her will change.She didn't understand what happiness meant and obviously preferred looks and titles over love and true and sincere feelings.
And I can't find it in me to not talk about Tobias.I think that if he wasn't so selfish and only loved himself,he could have been different.He could have done so many things differently but let his anger control him instead.He always used violence and the good parts of him were overshadowed by the bad parts that always won.I believe that he deserved a second chance but because of the fact that he gave up and didn't give himself that second chance,other people didn't either.If that makes any sense.
Secondly,now that I've expressed my feeling regarding the characters I will move on to the plot.It was something really different from everything I have read before,which is always refreshing.The story was surprisingly enjoyable and fast paced.It had many twists which were predictable but I don't think it affected the story that much.They just didn't blow my mind as an unpredictable twist would.That doesn't mean though,that I wasn't eager to keep on reading and see what would happen.The writing was beautiful and poetic and I just fell in love with it!
Missing Lily was an enjoyable,believable,realistic and quick read!It also included some letters which helped me understand what the main character was feeling.They were also an insight to Lily's thoughts which I found unique!Highly recommend Missing Lily to those of you in search of something different and unique!
About The Author
I was born in Utah, part of a crazy, fun family of nine. I grew up in Flagstaff, AZ and St. Louis, MO before striking out on my own college adventure in Virginia. I decided to try my hand at writing novels after I was married and living in Idaho. I write clean romance because it’s my favorite genre, but often difficult to find.
I have Charlotte Brontë to thank for the courage to write novels. After being bombarded with assigned reading about women who justified abandoning either their families or their principles in the name of love, I had the great fortune of reading Jane Eyre. And that was it: finally, a heroine who understood that being moral and making the right choice was hard, and sometimes it hurt, but it was still worth it. After rereading it several years later, I realized that if I wanted more books to exist with the kinds of heroines I admired, then I might as well write a few myself. My books are about women who face hard choices, who face pain and rejection and often have to face the reality of sacrificing what they want for what is right. The consequences are often difficult or unpleasant, but in the end, doing what’s right will always be worth it.
I believe there is no substitute for good writing or good chocolate. Fortunately, one often leads to the other.
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Blog Tour Giveaway
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Ends 6/15/14
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