Sacred blog tour. Review, Spotlight & Giveaway.

Growing up on Catalina Island, off the California coast, Scarlett Wenderoth has led a fairly isolated life. After her brother dies, her isolation deepens as she withdraws into herself, shutting out her friends and boyfriend. Her parents, shattered by their own sorrow, fail to notice Scarlett's pain and sudden alarming thinness. Scarlett finds pleasure only on her horse, escaping to the heart of the island on long, solitary rides. One day, as she races around a bend, Scarlett is startled by a boy who raises his hand in warning and says one word: "Stop."

 

The boy—intense, beautiful—is Will Cohen, a newcomer to the island. For reasons he can't or won't explain, he's drawn to Scarlett and feels compelled to keep her safe. To keep her from wasting away. His meddling irritates Scarlett, though she can't deny her attraction to him. As their relationship blossoms into love,  Scarlett's body slowly awakens at Will's touch. But just when her grief begins to ebb, she makes a startling discovery about Will, a discovery he's been grappling with himself. A discovery that threatens to force them apart. And if it does, Scarlett fears she will unravel all over again.

Amazon link for Sacred

ELANA K. ARNOLD completed her M.A. in Creative Writing/Fiction at the University of
California, Davis. She grew up in Southern California, where she was lucky enough to
have her own horse--a gorgeous mare named Rainbow--and a family who let her read
as many books as she wanted. She lives in Long Beach, California, with her husband,
two children, and a menagerie of animals. She is represented by Rubin Pfeffer of the
East/West Literary Agency. Sacred is her debut novel.




Arnold's website
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Excerpt:

"Since coming to the island, Scarlett, I've felt pulled closer and closer to you...like you're the earth, and I'm the moon caught in your orbit. I can't pull away, I don't want to pull away."

My review:

Scarlett and her family live on the small island of Catalina, off the coast in California. They were the average, run of the mill family until tragedy struck and her brother died. Her parents immediately became emotionally unavailable, withdrawn into their own grief. So they are completely oblivious to Scarlett and her pain, her weight loss and the fact that she is hurting herself. The only time she is truly happy is when she’s on her horse, riding is her escape from reality.

It’s on one of her rides that she almost runs right over the handsome boy with the striking good looks, brilliant green eyes and dark curly hair. Will Cohen is new to the island and has an innate ability of being in the right place at the right time, right when Scarlett needs him.
The connection they share is evident and it doesn’t take long before Scar is eating, laughing and living again. But Will has a secret, one that threatens to tear these two apart before they even have a chance to begin.

Arnold has managed to capture the tragically beautiful life that Scarlett leads, and express it in such a way that the reader will be captivated. You will be drawn into Scar’s pain as she struggles with the aftermath and devastation her brother’s death left. How does a young girl pick up the pieces of her once perfect now shattered life? Finally finding that which she longs for with Will, only to learn his secret and have him too pull away from her, just like her parents have done.

My only complaint was the all too quick turn around from her mother. She goes from emotionally absent, dependant on sleeping pills, phoning in her parenting skills to overbearing and over protective in five minutes flat. Don’t get me wrong, I was pleased she finally pulled her head out of her a@@. I would have liked to have seen a bit more development there and not the unrealistic flip.

Overall this was a moving story of a little girl lost trying to get past the grief and pain, and come out on the other side a better person. Definitely a must read for YA love stories, with a slight paranormal twist. I give this one 4/5, but that’s just my two cents!

Coming soon!  November 12th 2013, Splendor, the sequel to Sacred..

 

The passionate romance that began in Sacred concludes in Splendor.
Scarlett loves the touch of her boyfriend, Will. But when he leaves Catalina Island to start college on the East Coast, she wonders whether their passion can survive a long-distance relationship—and whether she can face the home front on her own. Scarlett's senior year should be a breeze, but her parents have recently separated, and her already-wild best friend, Lily, is becoming involved with a dangerous boy named Gunner . . . a boy Scarlett is also attracted to. A boy she doesn't want to be—and shouldn't be—attracted to.
To take her mind off her troubles, Scarlett focuses on caring for her newly pregnant mare and delving deeper into the Kabbalah. Her religious exploration offers a way to stay connected to Will, who is a Kabbalah mystic, and a key to understanding her disturbing dreams about him. But as she gets wrapped up in her mare, her Kabbalah studies, and her conflicting feelings for Will and Gunner, Scarlett misses the warning signs that lead to a heartbreaking loss.



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