THE DARKEST SUNRISE:
Whoever coined that phrase is a bald-faced liar. Words are often the sharpest weapon of all, triggering some of the most powerful emotions a human can experience.
“You’re pregnant.”
“It’s a boy.”
“Your son needs a heart transplant.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Syllables and letters may not be tangible, but they can still destroy your entire life faster than a bullet from a gun.
Two words—that was all it took to extinguish the sun from my sky.
“He’s gone.”
For ten years, the darkness consumed me.
In the end, it was four deep, gravelly words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Porter Reese.”
THE BRIGHTEST SUNSET:
Lies.
Words destroyed me.
“I’m sorry. She didn’t make it.”
“Daddy, he can’t breathe!”
“There’s nothing more we can do for your son.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
More lies.
Those syllables and letters became my executioner. I told myself that, if I didn’t acknowledge the pain and the fear, they would have no power over me. But, as the years passed, the hate and the anger left behind began to control me.
Two words—that was all it took to plunge my life into darkness.
“He’s gone.”
In the end, it was four soft, silky words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Charlotte Mills.”
"He'd made the darkness a beautiful place filled with understanding and acceptance."
I am saying this now: this duet has got to be one of the most emotional reads I have read this year, if not ever. Not only do we get Aly's signature humor, but we get real drama, with consequences that are entrenched deep in this book. The reality of the pain, the scariness of the possibilities, and the depth of the emotions I felt for these characters....my gosh. I didn't want to put these books down!! Even though I read them both throughout the week leading up to Christmas, I had to step away repeatedly. It was awful putting these down, because not only did the 'problems' play on in my mind long after I stopped reading, but each time I got to squeeze in some of their story, I just had more time to think about it in between. Having read this slowly, having marinated in the drama, slowly rotating the what-ifs and the possibilities around in my mind, this duet took over my life for a week! I was so engrossed in Porter and Charlotte, I was daydreaming a lot just thinking about them. <sigh> So good!
"Happiness was a state of mind, not something you had to hold on to for fear you'd never get it back."
I wrote this on my Facebook page:
As a mommy, my mommy heart is broken.
As a woman, my logical heart is broken.
As a reader, my emotional heart is broken.
Because it's TRUE!!! It's SO true!!! I was so heartbroken over everything that was happening, and I was completely enraptured from the first page of the first book until the last page of the last book. This duet picked on my fear as a mommy on so many different levels, but it also made me SEE the other side. The reality of the situation was nothing short of soul scraping; I was hurting so much. I purposely don't read books that have kids in pain in them. I can't allow myself to accept and deal with it fictionally because I never want to put myself in the parents' shoes, EVER. This book was going to test my comfort levels on all fronts: Love, Pain, Death, Loss. And boy did it ever. My heart ached the entire time I read it. It was beautiful....
In this book, words had a different effect. Words had a profound meaning. Words had an emotional punch. Anytime I read Aly's words, they trip me up. I always stutter-step when I read them, and not because I can't understand them....it's because of the force of her words give me pause. She breathes life into her words. She makes me think. She makes me question. She makes me feel. I 'heard' the rasp in his voice. I 'felt' the searing pain from her tears. Aly doesn't just tell a story....she makes me feel the story. Every. Single. Time. It tells me something when I've 'just' opened a book, but when I look down, I'm already at 24%. Her words, they move me.
By 35%, I was gasping and giggling. I loved the way she brought Porter and Charlotte to life. If there were ever a book, a set of characters that were so right for each other, this one would definitely be at the top of that list. I loved Porter's strength in the way he handled things in the dark and brought them to the manageable light. I loved Charlotte's trust in his strength for her, but I loved seeing her grow and show her resilience in the face of all that life threw at her. Porter and Charlotte were definitely an amazing team when it came to lovers in life and dreamers in love. With all that these two went through; the heart-wrenching pain, the torture and the heartache, you most definitely got to feel their happiness as well. I felt all their pain, but I felt all their joy and love as well. I loved this couple SO much!!
One thing Aly does with finesse is to not only match the perfect emotions with the storyline, but she can match the humor and the love that is necessary to make the book that much more real. The humor was tongue in cheek; Porter and Charlotte had this defense mechanism they used so well, but it just worked. It really worked. Nothing was over the top. The drama was intense and authentic, the love was strong and fathomable, and the reality was vital and true. Aly drew you into their plight while playing with your heart, only to push you away and hurt you with their sorrowful truths. The basis of this storyline will hit you in your core and it will drag you through the depths of your emotional lows to get to your unimaginable highs. This was an amazing duet, and Aly's words were phenomenal. Amazing. Just.....amazing.
"Our situations were different, but the same shade of black painted both of our souls."
~BEE
"Our situations were different, but the same shade of black painted both of our souls."
~BEE
PURCHASE LINKS
THE DARKEST SUNRISE
AMAZON: http://amzn.to/2Dky9Cz
THE BRIGHTEST SUNSET
AMAZON: http://amzn.to/2BVg1D3
~MEET ALY MARTINEZ~
Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five- including a set of twins. Currently living in Chicago, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.
~CONNECT WITH ALY~
Wow I just love your review Bee! My heart was beating fast reading it. I'm scared at the same time really want to read this duet because I know I will be heart broken. But I have you to hold my hand. So I will read it.
ReplyDeleteI will hold your hand, guaranteed!! I hope you LOVE this one!
DeleteAwesome review isn't an adequate enough response - you rock and so does this duet!
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much, Zilpha!!
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