BLOG TOUR - BOOK REVIEW - THE RESURRECTION OF AUBREY MILLER by L.B. SIMMONS - NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE - SELF PUBLISHED

By: L.B. Simmons

Published By: L.B. Simmons

Released : Available Now

Details: Mobi file for honest review, 

RATING: 5 SOUL SEARCHING STARS

Blurb: Goodreads

***Standalone NA Romance with HEA***

Death.

For some, it’s simply one of life’s certainties, nothing more. For others, it’s merely a fleeting thought, one often overshadowed by the reckless delusion that they have been blessed with the gift of immortality.

For Aubrey Miller, death is the definition of her very existence. Overcome with the guilt resulting from the loss of her beloved family, she alters her appearance from the once beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl to that of one shrouded in complete darkness, enveloping herself in her own unbreakable fortress of solitude as a form of protection for others.

As she enters her first year of college, her goal is simple: Earn a degree with the least amount of social interaction as possible. What she never anticipates is the formation of very unlikely relationships with two people who will change her life in ways she never believed possible: Quinn Matthews, the boisterous former pageant queen, and Kaeleb McMadden, a childhood friend from her past who never really let her go.

Over the years, as their connections intertwine and grow, a seemingly indestructible bond is formed between the three…

But when death painfully reemerges, Aubrey is lost once again, burying herself deeper than ever before inside the familiar fortification of her fears.

Will the refuge of friendship, the solidarity of life-long bonds, and the power of unconditional love be enough to do the impossible?

Will they be enough to finally bring about…

The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller?

****NA Contemporary Romance****

****WARNING - Due to the graphic nature of some scenes, this book is not recommended for those who are particularly sensitive to the death of a child and/or suicide and is intended for mature audiences only. Contains adult language and themes.****



BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

This story spans the four years that Aubrey/Raven is at Titan University.

You will see her as both Raven and Aubrey Miller.

This is a story that is more than you can imagine from the blurb.

It is a story that will hurt your heart at times, it is inevitable you will be reaching for a tissue.

Aubrey/Raven is a character that has been so affected by the loss in her life, she blames herself. She is the bringer of death.

This she truly believes.

I have read many a damaged/broken character in my reading life, we watch the layers being peeled back and we watch them blossom.

Aubrey/Raven will show you layers that are not hidden from view. She will decorate herself in her layers. Her layers are deeper than some.

Deep black dye covers the top of an entire bottom layer of electric blue, fulfilling its purpose in concealing my naturally light blonde hair. The contacts in my eyes are completely white, with the exception of the black pointed ellipses right in the middle. A 16-gauge circular barbell crosses through the septum in my nose, the newest addition to my piercings. I run my tongue across the back of the tiny skull-shaped stud currently residing in my left dimple piercing, mirror image of the one on the right, while my fingertips graze the 12-gauge mini-curved barbell in my eyebrow on the same side. The sight of the skulls serves as a constant reminder of the permanent loss of my once beaming smile, its grave marked with silver.

... I look like a freak.

“That’s life I guess,” I answer with a shrug of my shoulders. “Unfortunately for the people around me, life tends to come with an extraordinarily short expiration date. Like milk.”


Enter Quinn. She is the bubbly character that is so bubbly , you are almost waiting for her bubbles to pop. She is a really great friend in this story. She sees beneath the decorations that Raven has adorned herself with.

She doesn’t judge.

Enter Kaeleb, Boarding Buddy to Quinn.

Beautiful guy.

Funny guy.

Kaeleb’s forehead falls to my neck as his shoulders shake with laughter. “Well, that’s a first. I cock-blocked myself.”

Intelligent and endearing guy.

“As long as you continue to travel through life in this darkness, you will never know how beautiful your light truly shines when you let yourself love and be loved.”


Patient guy.

Smexi guy.

“Sunshine,” he says, scooting his body toward the end of my bed. “You need to get lost? You come to me. I’ll take you to places you never knew existed.”

He does not judge.

There is no love triangle in this book, it does not need it to tell this story. This story is about three friends and what lays underneath each of their layers.

There is of course the resident biaaatches, one in particular who you just wanna take down. I pass the skinky dead fish to you to slap her with.

This story keeps opening up and getting deeper.

It does have it’s humorous moments. The swear jar is there to lighten our reading mood. I think Palmer is too.

There are many hidden messages within this tale. A tale that is as much about coming of age as it is about not letting life bring you down.

Don’t blame yourself. 

Shit happens.

Things happen you have no control over.

Terrible things.

Life can be a tough mouthful to swallow... sometimes.

When we are younger, we can let the comments of the insensitive stick to us like mud. We can take the comments and twist ourselves up inside and it can lead to deeper more traumatic emotions. Some of us need friends that will stand by us through the thick of it and help us to come out the other side.

Sometimes we need a push and a shove to help us get back on track.

And that is ok.

Staring upwards, I say a silent prayer that I’m doing the right thing... because I know better than anyone how consuming the idea of death can be.


Aubrey, Kaeleb and Quinn, all come with their own experience with life that has hurt them. They are three friends that need each other and are there for each other.

I am leaving out an awful lot when it comes to other sub characters because I want you to read it for yourselves.

The Resurrection Of Aubrey Miller will resonate deeply within its readership.

I could so see this book as a movie and watching Raven/Aubrey evolve... would be quite something.

I am not ashamed to admit I had some hard girlie cries in parts. The ugly cry surfaced. Although this story touches on some tough topics, it also has a lot of heart and it was a story I thoroughly enjoyed reading. 

I think everybody can take something from this story.

Every being in this world makes an impact on at least one person they encounter during their lifetime.You can change the course of someone’s life by just a kind word, a hateful one, or even by simply choosing not to say anything at all. Every choice you make has the potential to create a ripple effect, trickling into and affecting the lives of others.

Life, your existence in this world, is indeed a very powerful thing. Truly a gift that you can give to others.

Michelle

THE RESURRECTION OF AUBREY MILLER by L.B. SIMMONS - RELEASE DAY BLITZ & EXCERPT

Release Date ~ April 25th

Author: L.B. Simmons

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☆✮ Synopsis ✮☆

Death.

For some, it’s simply one of life’s certainties, nothing more. For others, it’s merely a fleeting thought, one often overshadowed by the reckless delusion that they have been blessed with the gift of immortality.

For Aubrey Miller, death is the definition of her very existence. Overcome with the guilt resulting from the loss of her beloved family, she alters her appearance from the once beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl to that of one shrouded in complete darkness, enveloping herself in her own unbreakable fortress of solitude as a form of protection for others.

As she enters her first year of college, her goal is simple: Earn a degree with the least amount of social interaction as possible. What she never anticipates is the formation of very unlikely relationships with two people who will change her life in ways she never believed possible: Quinn Matthews, the boisterous former pageant queen, and Kaeleb McMadden, a childhood friend from her past who never really let her go.

Over the years, as their connections intertwine and grow, a seemingly indestructible bond is formed between the three…

But when death painfully reemerges, Aubrey is lost once again, burying herself deeper than ever before inside the familiar fortification of her fears.

Will the refuge of friendship, the solidarity of life-long bonds, and the power of unconditional love be enough to do the impossible?

Will they be enough to finally bring about…

The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller?

Excerpt

“Thank you so much, Quinn. This day has been…unbelievable. And I owe it all to you. You have no idea.” My voice trembles a bit with the admission, because she really has no idea what she’s done for me today.

I feel normal.

A normal girl, about to have a normal birthday celebration with her friends, in a normal (albeit spectacular) dress, with normal hair and make-up.

The only thing that’s missing is a pair of normal shoes.

“Shoes! I need shoes!” I exclaim.

“No, you don’t.” Quinn giggles and reaches for the knob of my bedroom door.

“What? Why wouldn’t I need shoes?”

That makes no sense.

She’s drunker than I thought.

That’s it, I’m officially hiding the champagne.

“You’ll see,” she says just as there’s a knock at the front door.

She winks. “Trust me. Just, stay in here. Don’t come out until someone comes to get you.”

After Quinn quietly shuts the door behind her, I remain seated. As the sounds of Kaeleb’s murmur filters into my room, a nervous excitement flitters through my belly and spreads into my chest. My joy takes flight and I breathe in deeply, contentment pumping enthusiastically with each thrumming heartbeat.

Damn, it feels good to be alive.

I don’t have to wait for long. After a very loud squeal from Quinn in the other room, there’s a knock at my door. My pulse kicks up and I rise from the bed, smoothing out my dress. With a glance in the mirror, I pluck a couple of sections of my new hair with my fingers and set them back into place. “Come in,” I remark, turning in the direction of the door.

The handle turns and as Kaeleb pokes his head around the corner, his eyes find mine. His eyebrows rise as his mouth falls slightly open, and he breaks my gaze as his focus shifts to take in my hair, my exposed neck and the line of my dress. He holds his stare briefly at the crystalline sash lining my waist, and then slowly drifts down to my smoothly-shaven legs and perfectly painted toenails. The left side of his mouth quirks up as he clears his throat, frozen in place. He tears his scrutiny away from my feet to fully step into the room, then turns away from me to shut the door.

I take advantage of the 1.5 seconds his back is turned, and survey him from head to toe. His light-blue button-up is folded to his elbows, displaying the prominence of the flexed muscles along his forearms. As he places both palms on the door and leans into them, his shirt rides up enough for me to see the designs on the back pockets of his dark jeans. They hug his ass perfectly, and for the first time in my life, I want to slide my hands right into those pockets just to feel the hardness of his toned body.

My fingers itch with the need to touch him, but I maintain control while Kaeleb braces against the door, inhaling and exhaling deeply. He stays planted there for a few more seconds until I suddenly begin to feel self-conscious. I run my hands over my hair and dress to make sure everything is as it should be.

Just as I start to ask him if he’s all right, he whips around with a full smile on his face. A few long strides later, and he’s standing right in front of me. Raising both hands, he traces the tips of his fingers along the sides of my cheeks, leaving a scorching trail as they run down my neck and thread themselves into the hair at my nape. With his thumbs underneath my chin, he tilts my head back and looks me directly in the eyes.

“You look amazing, Sunshine. Truly breathtaking.” His head dips slightly and he runs his lips tentatively along mine, the movement so sensual I can’t keep my hands off of him any longer. Fisting his shirt in my hands, I pull him into me and press my mouth hard against his, the need to taste him overriding my caution. A whimper rises in my throat and escapes into his mouth as his tongue slides in between my lips, slowly and deliberately, taking his time to stroke and caress mine. His hold tightens as his fingers curl deeper into my hair, the tinge of pain sending shockwaves of pleasure coursing through my body until they land right in between my legs, the throbbing sensation growing with each strike.

After another gentle sweep of his tongue, he lessens the kiss and pulls back slightly. His lips brush against mine before they slide over to the corner of my mouth, up along my cheek, and then rest them against my ear as he breathes, “Happy birthday. The dress is phenomenal.”

 

☆✮About L.B. Simmons ✮☆

L.B. Simmons is a graduate of Texas A&M University and holds a degree in Biomedical Science. She has been a practicing Chemist for the last 11 years. She lives with her husband and three daughters in Texas and writes every chance she gets.

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