Review: Debra Anastasia's "Poughkeepsie (The Poughkeepsie Brotherhood."

Amazon.com:    http://amzn.to/2sLG4V8

Amazon UK:     http://amzn.to/2ren8wu

Synopsis:

He counts her smiles every day and night at the train station. And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter acknowledges him—just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake Hartt is not like the others . . . he’s homeless. Memories of a broken childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh light of day. 

Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this kindness as nothing special, just like her. She’s the same as a million other girls—certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it were air to breathe.

When the moment comes that Livia must do more than smile, without hesitation she steps into the fray to defend the homeless man. And she's surprised to discover an inexplicable connection with her new friend. After danger subsides, their smiles become conversation. Their words usher in a friendship, which awakens something in each of them. But it’s not long before their bond must prove its strength. Entanglements from the past challenge both their love and their lives.

Blake’s heart beats for Livia’s, even if her hands have to keep its rhythm. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never fails. Love never fails, right?

In an interwoven tale of unlikely loves and relationships forged by fire, Debra Anastasia takes readers into the darkest corners of human existence, only to show them the radiant power of pure adoration and true sacrifice. Complicated families and confused souls find their way to light in this novel, which manages to be racy, profane, funny, and reverent all at once.

Review: Surj 

"Poughkeepsie" was one of those few books that has left me at a loss as to how to rate it. It was such a mixed bag that had me feeling so many things, sometimes not of the good variety. There were even a couple of moments where I almost DNF'd. Luckily there was something inside of me that felt compelled to see where this story would go and so despite taking a week to read, I made a point of finishing the book. 

“You make the rest of the beautiful things in the world cry 

for even trying at all. You make it hard for me to breathe.”

If you've read the synopsis, you'll know that the main plot for "Poughkeepsie" revolves around Blake and Livia. However this book was about so much more than just Blake and Livia. There were so many different stories that had a connection to the main plot and I guess this is where the problems arose. There were some stories that I absolutely loved and there were others that were okay but for me, it was the main plot that really didn't cut the mustard. There were parts I found slow, other crucial parts rushed and unfortunately, I didn't really connect with Blake and Livia. I'm not sure whether this was because the book was written in third person or whether there was another reason I can't quite put my finger on but I found myself skimming pages of their story to get to some of the other juicier bits. 

I absolutely loved Beckett and Eve. Their individual stories and their journey together captivated me from the get go. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't perfect but I couldn't wait to see the direction their story was headed. It was raw, gritty and often brutal with a truck load of heart ache. Yet there was also a hint of hope in there and it was this that kept me glued to the pages. 

"Beckett is probably the hardest person there is to love, 

he does life wrong for all the right reasons."

Cole and Kyle's story felt like it had been a little diluted by everything else that was going on in "Poughkeepsie" which is a shame because this as a book in it's own right would have more than likely made for excellent reading. both characters had quite  history and I would have loved to have delved deeper into each of their backgrounds instead of only getting glimpses here and there. 

Actually, come to think of it, maybe this is where the problem lies. There were three stories that could have been brilliant on their own but unfortunately felt diluted packed into one jumbo book. Add to that, the fact that "Poughkeepsie" was written in third person and the writing didn't really gel with me, and I guess there was a level of disconnect on my part. I am glad I finished the book though and I am desperate to dive into the second book in this series but that's because it's about two of my favourite characters that I'm desperate to see get a HEA. 

"Everytime I think i couldn't love you a bit more, you stretch my heart again"

I rated "Poughkeepsie" ❤️❤️❤️