The Book Beehive: Book Review and Giveaway for SALT by Mara White

SALT

by MARA WHITE

Salana Livingston did everything right, from taking her multi-vitamin to kneeling before bed to say her prayers every night. She followed the path her parents had planned before she was born, never questioned the role until the day a bus-load of sweaty kids from the Bronx got dropped at her parents' horse farm.

Tiago Alcazar knew a life of hard knocks. An incarcerated father, a missing and strung-out mother who left him to rely on his aged grandmother for most of his life.

Tiago runs the mean streets of the neighborhood that raised him, living hand-to-mouth, everyday a gift, if he can just make it.

Burdened by a world that only wants to see her as perfect, Salana finds her greatest confidant in a boy society has labeled as worthless. Their paths cross too many times for their stubborn hearts to deny the connection, but can the delinquent and the debutant defy the odds and overcome the social constructs that condemn them?

ADD TO GOODREADS

REVIEW: 4 STARS

"Why did his heart call to hers and block out all the meaningless noisy stuff?"

Y.E.S. This book. This love. This truth. This depth. I am not sure I will accurately be able to convey all that I loved about this book. At some points it was an uphill battle for me, but I loved it by the time I was finished with it. Not only did Mara White jump into a very deep love that was, for all intents and purposes, an "unconventional match" between two people at very different social standings in life, but she did it in such a powerful way that mastered every hurdle thrown their way. I love that they manipulated the odds in their favor just by living life. I felt this book from the first page until the very last, and the emotions were so intense, I almost chucked my kindle!! I think my favorite part about this book was that none of it was conventional in the truest sense of the word.

Salana was an amazing person, inside and out. She had insight mixed with innocence and that was admirable, but her unbiased mentality was a beautiful thing to witness. She was an honest person with a good soul, deep down. She didn't allow others to dictate acceptance in her eyes. She had such a strong sense of self, and I feel that strength was her guiding light throughout all the crazy these two dealt with. Not only in their collective circumstances, but in their bubble together as well. Their pull and their chemistry was absolutely evident and completely undeniable.

Tiago was the very description of a boy from the 'hood. His upbringing, his lifestyle, his world, is vastly different than Salana's, and to "picture" him? I saw the cornrows and the saggy pants, the white tank and the gold chains around his neck, but I also saw him. The way he was on the outside most definitely did not match who he truly was on the inside...or maybe it did? Was he a softie? No. No way. He was from the mean streets. He had a very distinctive "don't mess with me" attitude that he had NO problem sharing with anyone and everyone. To add to it, he was rather crass as well...but that's just who he was. He was a rough hewn young man taking what he wanted, but the flip side to that was seeing how he carried himself. There was a deep-seated truth to him. A very protective and moral side that was unshakeable to it's core and I admired that about him.

Their love, their story, it wasn't an easy one. There was such a sexy intensity between them, social standards be damned, but there was also natural insecurities with bold issues. I honestly felt like I was going through the motions with them - I felt the whole darn thing. But Tiago, he made this story for me. His unwavering strength and conviction in his love for Salana....there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. He was such a dynamic character. There was so much more to him than meets the eye. I loved his personality, his depth....his devotion. There was a confidence and swagger in him that showed the streets he was raised on, yet there was such an intimacy when he was around Salana that was a force to be reckoned with. He was the physical interpretation of 'weak in the knees' for me. A bit (read: a lot) of bad boy with a whole lotta heart. I loved him!

Now for a few harsh truths - A few times I had to re-read some passages because they were quite confusing. Overall I was caught up in the storyline and the love so I kept pushing through, but a few times had me squinting. I also ended up putting this book down and walking away around the 30% mark. I was so bummed that I needed to take a breather from it. I mean, this book was sooo good. I was deep into it, enjoying it and loving it - time escaping me. The ridiculous reason? The first sex scene had me like....whuuuut? This is a joke, right? It was just, I don't know, not what I would have imagined it to be, given the circumstances. I was completely caught up in the story, in the happenings, in the push and pull of these very different worlds colliding, but that first sex scene seriously took me out and made me step back while scrunching my nose. Obviously I went back in, and I am glad I took a moment and cleared my mind, because the rest of this story had me once again completely engrossed and twisting my fingers in anticipation while I was reading it. I was anxious as to how this story was going to turn out, because at one point, Salana - she was going to get the wrath of me!! I mean, c'mon!! I wanted to shake her so damn hard! Argh!! Talk about frustrating! But see? That's good. That means I was invested and completely devoted to this story!!

I am sitting here shaking my head while I write this because the emotions I felt while reading this were so very real. So very palpable. When a book can pull out the feels, when it can make me physically feel the emotions that are coursing through me, that is a sign of a good book for me. This was such an amazing story, so emotional and turbulent. I loved Tiago and Salana. Loved them. I will easily and quickly recommend this one. So. Darn. Good. I loved it. Mara White proved yet again that she can write words that affect my heart in all the ways possible.

"....as if their destiny were already written."

~BEE

PURCHASE: AMAZON Kindle Unlimited

ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN AN ECOPY

~MEET MARA WHITE~

Mara White is a contemporary romance and erotica writer who laces forbidden love stories with hard issues, such as race, gender and inequality. She holds an Ivy League degree but has also worked in more strip clubs than even she can remember. She is not a former Mexican telenovela star contrary to what the tabloids might say, but she is a former ballerina and will always remain one in her heart. She lives in NYC with her husband and two children and yes, when she’s not writing you can find her on the playground.

~CONNECT WITH MARA~

FACEBOOK AMAZON GOODREADS TWITTER