Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt: The Life That Mattered by Jewel E. Ann

February 11, 2020 Angela Blog Tours, Excerpts, Reviews, Romantic Suspense

Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt: The Life That Mattered by Jewel E. Ann

Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt: The Life That Mattered by Jewel E. AnnThe Life That Mattered by Jewel E. Ann
Series: Life #1
Published by Self-Published on February 6, 2020
Pages: 370
Format: ARC
Genres: Romantic Suspense
five-stars

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Goodreads

Sex isn’t love. Love isn’t sex. And friendship is neither.

The son of a French Olympic skier and a Malaysian fashion designer, Ronin Alexander has lived the life of a nomad, traveling the world to find his next adventure.

Life takes a dramatic turn when he meets Evelyn, a beautiful scientist who owns a bath shop in Aspen, Colorado. They defy all the rules of relationships, falling hard and quickly in love.

Their world intertwines with Evelyn’s two best friends, the Governor and his soon-to-be wife. The four become close—very close.

When tragedy strikes, things from their pasts are unveiled—unimaginable truths and the grim realization that life will never be the same.

Jewel E. Ann steps into another dimension with this mind-bending thriller, a provocative story that pushes boundaries and tests the true meaning of love.

I’m still trying to wrap my brain around what I just read, but what I do know is that The Life That Mattered knocked my socks off. With painstaking execution, this entirely unique, consuming, passionate, and thought-provoking novel puts Jewel E. Ann’s literary sorcery on full display. Nice to see you again, Book Hangover.

The Life That Mattered bookstagram

There is a lot to unpack in the synopsis. Olympic skier, fashion designer, chemist, bath shop owner, what sounds like a foursome, love story, tragedy, thriller… Say what? If I’m honest, it had me confused and a bit hesitant to read the book. If other readers are similarly conflicted, here’s all you really need to know: Two main characters fall in love. They are best friends with another couple. The four of them aren’t swingers. Some crazy sh*t happens and it will leave you reeling.

Ronin and Evelyn are two people who fall deeply in love very quickly. I abhor instant love in fiction as a general rule, but their connection feels not only authentic but inevitable. Their meet cute is so endearing, and the fierce love they share is evident throughout the entire book.

Unquestionably, Ronin is a wonderful man who is devoted to Evelyn, but he’s hiding something. I had my heart in my throat waiting to uncover the complete truth and how it might affect them. Their best friends, Lila and Graham, have a complicated relationship. Their dynamic fascinated me and kept me guessing.

The character development is exceptional. Evelyn is my favorite. I was immediately drawn to her imperfections and easy nature. Her love for her family, friends, and just life in general is contagious. Her joy was my joy; her heartache was my heartache.

The Life That Mattered is the first book in the Life Duet, and it has a cliffhanger that tested my sanity. I love puzzles, though, and this book leaves many pieces to put together. I finished the last sentence and then went back and re-read the prologue and a few other passages at least a half dozen times. I have absolutely no idea where this story is heading, but I can’t wait to get my hands on The Life You Stole to find out.

Recommended for fans of:
Romantic suspense
Love at first sight
Skiing
Hot buns (the kind you eat)

* I received an early copy to voluntarily read. It does not affect my honest review.*

 

The Life That Mattered by Jewel E. Ann now live

Excerpt from The Life That Mattered

I wasn’t opposed to the occasional drunken one-night stand, but not with Evelyn. We weren’t drunk, and I wasn’t okay with an arbitrary time in the future that I may or may not see her again.
“I’ll walk you to your door,” Evelyn said as she turned off her Jeep.
“God …” I laughed, shaking my head. “That’s messed up. Now I feel a huge urgency to get my own vehicle. I think I’ll go tomorrow to buy one just so you don’t ever have to walk me to my door again.”
She climbed out. “I don’t have to stop at your door. We don’t have to play by the rules of dating. I think we’re past that age. How old are you?”
I found her hand and led her to the front door. “Thirty-five.”
“I’m thirty-four. Have you ever been married?”
We stopped at my door and faced each other. “No. You?”
She shook her head. “The rules don’t apply once you’re past thirty.”
“The rules?”
Evelyn grinned. “The courting shit. The baseball game.”
“The baseball game?” My head canted to the side.
“Yeah. The sexual bases? First base is kissing. Second base is—”
“Yes.” I fished my keys from my pocket. “I’m familiar with the bases.”
“Well, I don’t know if you’re a fan of baseball or not, but I am.”
I unlocked my door and motioned for her to go inside.
She wet her lips and stepped into my condo without an ounce of hesitation. “You’re inviting me in. So you are a fan of baseball.”
Not so much. Skiing, football (soccer), rugby, cycling, tennis … but not baseball. However, something told me Evelyn might make me a baseball fan.
“Are you sure you’re living here?” She glanced around at the sparse furnishings of my two-bedroom condo.
“I never stay in one place long. No need to own much. It’s just that much more to sell or move.”
Books.
I owned books and a place to sit and read them. My parents didn’t believe in letting Julien and I watch television while we were growing up. Julien embraced art. I embraced fiction—mysteries and sci-fi.
“What do you consider not long?” She ran her fingers along the back of my leather recliner before dropping her bag to the floor and slipping off her jacket.
“Three to five years is a nice stay.” I tossed my coat onto one of two barstools at my kitchen counter.
“Okay. So our marriage will be short.” Her teeth trapped her full bottom lip.
“Probably.”
I’d dated enough women to know there existed a sequence of events that took place way before the M word should ever be discussed. I’d never reached the point of discussing the M word. Not even with my longest relationship, which lasted two years.
Two years and we didn’t talk about marriage.
I was out of my realm of experience with Evelyn. We joked about marriage, but who joked about that? Then there was a baseball discussion happening, and I didn’t even like baseball, but I waited with restless anticipation for Evelyn to make her point. Something told me it could be brilliant.
“Kenny was a guy I dated my first year in college. He played baseball.”
I could not have cared less about this Kenny guy, but he brought her back to the baseball talk, so I folded my arms over my chest, leaned against the counter, and gave her my full attention as she walked in slow circles around my furniture. A predator with calculated moves.
Who was I to judge? I walked into her shop that day and basically said we needed to expedite our dating status—laid out my plans to eat dinner with her, close down bars, and sip hot chocolate.
“He was a solid hitter. Always got on base, but he never hit a home run. I honestly think he lacked the confidence to go for it. His coaches told him to just get on base, so that’s what he did because that’s what you do when you’re young like that. You spend a lot of time on the bases.”
Were we still talking about baseball in the literal sense?
“I think once you hit your thirties, no one should judge if you just hit it out of the park your first time up to bat.” Her lips twisted as she stopped in front of me. “The goal is to hit it home. If you can do that, then why the hell not, right?”
I thought I understood the metaphor. But if I was wrong, I could get thrown out of the game.
“Can I get you a drink?”
Evelyn shook her head.
My eyes narrowed, studying her for a few seconds.
“First base is fine.” She shrugged.
Fuck me …

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five-stars

About Jewel E. Ann

author Jewel E. Ann

Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today best selling author with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.

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