Sweet Hope by Tillie Cole

Sweet Hope (Sweet Home, #4) by Tillie Cole
Series: Sweet Home #3
on March 28th 2015


Amazon

From the USA Today Bestselling Sweet Home Series, comes Sweet Hope.

My name is Ally Prince and I've always been unlucky in love. I don’t know why, I just always… have.

When all of my best friends were falling for their soul mates in College, I was left behind. I was Ally, the pretty cousin of superstar quarterback, Romeo Prince. I was Ally, the best friend to the most amazing group of girls I've ever known—a title I loved, but one I became tired of 'just' being. And I was Ally, the one on which they could all rely.

But to me, I was Ally, the girl with the heart no one had claimed... And I was, Ally, the girl, who underneath it all, was heart-breakingly lonely.
I LOVE love; the thought of it, the nervous excitement of falling for Mr. Right, the desire of someone becoming my entire world... of me becoming theirs. I’ve always wanted passion, heart-stopping, epic, life-changing romance... I’ve always wanted the fairytale… I’ve always wanted it all.

It just never seemed like I would get it.

For the past few years I've thrown myself into my career as a museum curator. I’m the best of the best, the person every museum wants to hire, so when an opportunity came up to move to Seattle, I jumped at the chance. My cousin and my best friend lived in Seattle and I needed a change.

I needed a new beginning.

I wasn't expecting to meet anyone in the Emerald City. I wasn't expecting to work closely with the reclusive new sculptor my all-important gallery design was centered around. And I certainly wasn't expecting to fall for him... heart-stopping, epic, life-changing love...My real life fairytale come true.

But, like in every fairytale, there’s a villain, a dark and tortured soul... I just didn't know that the villain and the hero in my story would end up being one and the same.

New Adult Romance Novel—contains adult content, sexual situations and mature topics. Suited for ages 18 and up.

Sweet Hope is the third book in the Sweet Home series and is perhaps my favorite so far. The book deals with themes of guilt and redemption. Elpi and Ally are a true star-crossed pair. Elpi, the intimidating and tortured artist, is in desperate need of a second chance but feels unworthy of salvation. Ally, a carefree museum curator, feels inexplicably connected to Elpi’s work. I really admired her tenacity and unabashed faithfulness. My heart broke for Elpi, and the weight of his shame and his rejection of happiness were overwhelming at times.

Tillie Cole definitely has a talent for delving into painful emotions and somehow dredging up optimistic beauty. Frequently in the story though, the line between being emotional and overly dramatic gets blurred. I don’t view tears as a sign of weakness. When used judiciously, characters—particularly strong men—being moved to tears is powerful. However, the fact that Tillie Cole has all the characters in this story—both male and female—crying in practically every scene dilutes the impact of the feelings they are intended to convey. It seems to be a signature of Cole’s writing that I’ve noticed throughout the course of the series, and the story is weaker as a result.

I also could have done without the extended bonus chapter included at the end. It’s rather sappy and honestly adds little to the story other than length. It’s a bit spoiler-ish as well in terms of Levi’s story in the next book.

These shortcomings do not overshadow my appreciation for the book, however. It sends a strong message about the toxicity of holding onto sins of the past and the power of forgiveness. If you’re a fan of the series, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this installment. As a bonus, all the main characters from the previous two books return to play integral roles in the story.

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