Cover Makeover | In This Life by Christine Brae

IN THIS LIFE

Author: Christine Brae (Website | Facebook | Twitter)

Genre: Standalone, Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Release: November 15

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SYNOPSIS

Secrets ruin lives, and lies protect those secrets…

Wanting to escape her life in New York City before starting medical school in the fall, Anna Dillon convinces her best friend Dante to travel with her to Thailand on a medical mission. While volunteering in a coastal village recently ravaged by a tsunami, Anna meets Jude Grayson. They share an instant attraction that leads to a brief, passionate affair. When she has to rush home for a family emergency, he promises to stay in touch. 

But Jude never calls, and Anna tries desperately to forget him.

Five years pass, and Anna finally moves on with Dante after giving up hope that Jude will ever return—until they come face to face again in a chance encounter. Reeling, Anna discovers the life-altering secret of why Jude never contacted her—and why they can’t be together. But the passion that ignited between them on an exotic beach years ago never died, making it impossible to stay away from each other.

And Dante? Anna discovers that the friend she grew to love—and trust—has a secret of his own.

In case you've missed it, I actually reviewed In This Life here in my blog during the start of 2016. In which I have said, "Christine Brae’s prose for In This Life is that of poetic and beautifully weaved truths. ... Her words packed a lot more punch which resulted for the emotions of her characters to freely flow to us, her readers. Brae’s thoughts and words is the perfect match to flawlessly execute such a plot line as with In This Life." I even rated this book FIVE STARS. Read more of my thoughts about this book here. 

FULL COVER

[PH BLOG TOUR] BOOK REVIEW + GIVEAWAYS | IN THIS LIFE by Christine Brae

Title: IN THIS LIFE

Author: Christine Brae (Website | Facebook | Twitter)

Publication Date: January 22, 2016

SYNOPSIS

It started out so simply. Anna runs away to Thailand, drags her best friend Dante with her and spends a few weeks away, taking on other people’s problems while getting away from her own. She meets the enigmatic Jude Grayson, and for as long as it’s clear to both of them that it ends when they leave, she thinks she’s got the perfect fling planned out. 

Or does she? 

Anna returns home to find that her life is no longer the way it once was, and that she can’t stop thinking about him. She learns through tragedy that nothing she’s ever believed in has turned out to be true. The worst part? The people she loved were keeping a secret from her. And that no matter what she does, no matter how hard she fights against it, every path she takes keeps leading her back to Jude. 

This is a story about love, found in a faraway place by two very unlikely people. It is also a story about friendship and loyalty and fighting for what you have despite the illogical mystery of fate. And with the struggle between morality and guilt, faith and acceptance, there comes a learning that even the best-laid plans are powerless against the alignment of the universe. 

From the beaches of Thailand to the streets of New York, three friends, Anna, Dante, and Jude will learn the hard way that once providence steps in, there is nothing in the world that can change what is truly meant to be.

GOODREADS

AMAZON | B&N | iBOOKS

In this life, I hope you can take time and read In This Life by Christine Brae. It’s emotional. It’s real.

One of the simple joys that I have when I read all the works of an author is being able to witness the growth taking shape when it comes to their writing style. Just like her previous works, Christine Brae’s prose for In This Life is that of poetic and beautifully weaved truths. But this time around, her words packed a lot more punch which resulted for the emotions of her characters to freely flow to us, her readers. Brae’s thoughts and words is the perfect match to flawlessly execute such a plot line as with In This Life. It’s a story that truly requires a certain bravery and sincerity to radiate through the words and pages of the book for readers to fully feel and grasp its vital points. Aside from those, I do think that one of Brae’s strengths lies on how her words leave marks, make people think and reflect about their personal lives. In This Life may be about Anna’s self-discovery journey but a bonus to this is having our own self-discovery journey while reading the book and beyond that.  

“Don’t you ever just want to forget who you’re supposed to be and just be who you really are?”

PH BLOG TOUR | HIS WOUNDED LIGHT by Christine Brae

His Wounded Light 
(The Light in the Wound #2)
by Christine Brae 
Genre: New Adult

SYNOPSIS

The perfect life. 

The perfect marriage. 

The jilted lover. 

Their worlds collide.

Fate intervenes twelve years later and their paths intersect once again. All three will question whether the heart is truly capable of dividing and being divided; each will decide whether it matters who you loved first or who you love last. 

Together they will learn that in the end, there can always only be one.

GOODREADS

Purchase links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Fully Booked

It’s been days already since I’ve finished reading His Wounded Light by Christine Brae and I’m typing in my review just now. Why? Because I have to let everything that happened in this book sink in. Just wow, it totally blew my mind and my emotions away. I actually won’t go into detail with what happened here in this book because I’m quite sure that you’ll want to get a full experience of it once you’re reading it. And I also want you, guys, to experience that same level of happiness, sadness, frustration, regret, pain and everything that I’ve felt while I was reading it. Trust me on this.

Actually, I was really scared to start reading this book. Yes, and I even told Christine about me being scared to dive into this. The Light In The Wound’s ending seems perfect for me already and I’m fully contented with it. But then, Christine has so much to tell about these characters and their lives. So yeah, I was really scared how this one will affect everything because come on… Every Book 2 in a duology, trilogy or series just opens up a whole lot of opportunities to break relationships and let different kinds of drama in.

His Wounded Light is written from the POVs of Alex, Jesse and Isabel which was a great treat for us because we were given the opportunity to get to know more about their deeper thoughts and feelings. The shifting in the POVs was nicely and cleverly done. I notice what you did there, Christine!

THE PROLOGUE. I can’t even, guys! Christine did it again with her “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?” kind of prologue! I was even chanting “what the heck what happened to them?” in my mind when I was reading it. My curiosity and emotions were tearing me apart. One part of me wants to carry on reading already and the other half wants to stop first thinking that I can’t handle what’ll happen next.

[Year-Round YA and NA Guide: A List of My Most Anticipated 2015 Releases] Q & A with CHRISTINE BRAE, Author of In This Life

I'm so excited for this post and interview that I have for you today! I have been introduced to this author last year and was easily hooked by her books. From then on, I've been chatting up with her and supporting her (and her books) in any way that I can. Even organizing a blog tour. *winks* She's also one of nicest and sweetest author that I've had the chance of interacting with. So, I'm really really excited to finally meet her this coming September!

I tell you, this interview has been a long time coming. I've been meaning to interview her for the previous blog tour but sadly I didn't have much time to come up with questions. So, when I organized this event ... I knew that I have to have her participate on this! I grabbed that opportunity and TADA. Here we are. 

I chatted up with Christine Brae a couple of days ago and asked her questions about herself, her upcoming book - In This Life and about the MIBF '15 book signing event! Read along now and know more about her and her book. Plus, she left a very special message to her Filipino readers! <3

Title: IN THIS LIFE 
Author: Christine Brae (Website | Twitter) 
Publication Date: February 1, 2015

SYNOPSIS

"Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere,

They’re in each other all along."

Rumi

They say that life is full of choices. When you’re young and idealistic, you believe that the path you choose is the road that will lead you to your destiny. 

But what if, along the way, fate decides to step in, and no amount of logic or rationality or even prayers can save you from your fortune? When the sacrifices you make, the love that you find, and the bright promise of the future are all snatched away from you, you’re left alone to pick up the pieces of your life.

This is a story about love, found in a faraway place by two very unlikely people. It is also a story about friendship and loyalty and fighting for what you have despite the illogical mystery of fate. It is a story of faith and acceptance, and learning that even the best-laid plans are powerless against the alignment of the universe.

From the beaches of Thailand to the streets of New York, three friends, Anna, Dante, and Jude will learn the hard way that once providence steps in, there is nothing in the world that can change what is truly meant to be.

Why is this book included on my list? It's a Christine Brae book, so it's a must read for me! I adore how she writes and how powerful her words can be. Plus, she's a Filipina and am fully supporting her! If you haven't read a single book coming from her, you might want to change that. Stat. I reviewed two of her books here on my blog recently and here are the links for that: The Light in the Wound and His Wounded Light. By the way, that's a duology and I really love the story of it. I haven't had the time yet to craft a book review for Insipid but I would also recommend that to you. 

GOODREADS

Hi Christine! Thank you so much for granting my request and giving me this opportunity of interviewing you in such a short notice. I’m so excited to finally have you on my blog. I know that it’s been a long time coming! Before I proceed in asking questions about your upcoming book,  In This Life, I must ask you first something about yourself. Who’s your favourite author/s and what are your favourite books? How did this particular author/s and these books influence you as a person and as a writer?

A:  Hi! Thank you so much for having me today. Before anything else, I would like to say how great it is to be here with you.

I have so many favourite authors, too many to name. I grew up reading all kinds of books from Enid Blyton to Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew) and then I became obsessed with Stephen King.  I have always been a fan of Anita Shreve, Colleen McCollough and many other romance writers. I also have many favourite authors who started out in Indie, most of whom are my good friends - Tarryn Fisher, Colleen Hoover (not Indie), Calia Read, Melissa Brown, Andrea Randall, Karina Halle, Willow Aster, CJ Roberts, Tiffany DeBartolo and so many more.

I don’t believe that books have really influenced my life that much but I know that I have admired specific writing styles over the years.

PH BLOG TOUR | THE LIGHT IN THE WOUND by Christine Brae

The Light in the Wound 
(The Light in the Wound #1)
by Christine Brae 
Published: July 23rd 2013
Genre: New Adult

SYNOPSIS

Affected by her parents’ highly publicized divorce, Isabel grows up isolated and alone, with a resolve to never fall in love and repeat their mistakes.

When Jesse Cain enters her life, she falls hopelessly in love with him, and every sadness she’s ever felt is washed away by his intensity and passion. But people change as they grow up. Things can never stay the same forever.

Jesse and Isabel fight to stay together, determined to hold on to what they once had. Isabel wonders if a second love can ever be enough to make her forget her first.

Goodreads 

Purchase links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Fully Booked

The Light in the Wound by Christine Brae is an emotional book that perfectly captures the realities of life, in every aspect of it. It narrates the story of Isabel Amarra’s life from childhood till womanhood. It was very realistic because every joy, sadness, insecurity, fear, heartache, pain, regret and success of hers were bared in this story. It doesn't just focus on her romantic relationships but it also delved in into a picture of what some families go through.

This book is one of those books which have a prologue that will definitely astound your entire being, leave you hanging and definitely be begging to know more. Well, that's what I felt when I flipped and read that prologue! I was just eager to read more about this story. It's the type of prologue that'll immediately spur questions inside your head and you'll be wanting for it to be answered ASAP. Nicely done, Ms. Brae.

As a reader, it's a lovely and very inspiring experience to grow alongside a book character and that's what happens here in this book. As  I've already mentioned  earlier  this book spans out from the childhood days of Isabel Amarra's life till she reached her adulthood. There’s a very personal touch with Isabel’s voice all throughout the book because it feels like she’s personally speaking to you and telling you her story. But there were certain points in this book where I don’t feel that connected to her character. Maybe because of the actions and decisions she made won’t coincide with the way I was thinking and my way of making decisions in life.

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY | IN THIS LIFE by Christine Brae

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that I or us, readers are eagerly anticipating. Here's my pick this week ...

I wasn't able to sign up for the cover reveal of this book because PFFT I missed the chance to do so. Then due to me being really busy with real life and the Philippine Blog Tour for THE LIGHT IN THE WOUND by Christine Brae that I've organized (along side The Bookwhore Diares), I somewhat forgot to share the COVER for Christine's upcoming book. Anyways, I'll still be able to share it here in my blog this Wednesday because IN THIS LIFE belongs to my list of Most Anticipated releases in 2015! It's the perfect book to feature for this week's Waiting on Wednesday post! 

Why am I eager to read In This Life? I love the premise of the book and I'm sure Christine Brae will take me into another roller coaster ride with this one. And now that the cover's been finally revealed, I'm lusting over this simple yet uber pretty cover of it! 

Scroll along now, book nerds!

Title: IN THIS LIFE 

Author: Christine Brae (Website|Twitter)

Publication Date: February 1, 2015

SYNOPSIS

"Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere,

They’re in each other all along."

Rumi

They say that life is full of choices. When you’re young and idealistic, you believe that the path you choose is the road that will lead you to your destiny. 

But what if, along the way, fate decides to step in, and no amount of logic or rationality or even prayers can save you from your fortune? When the sacrifices you make, the love that you find, and the bright promise of the future are all snatched away from you, you’re left alone to pick up the pieces of your life.

This is a story about love, found in a faraway place by two very unlikely people. It is also a story about friendship and loyalty and fighting for what you have despite the illogical mystery of fate. It is a story of faith and acceptance, and learning that even the best-laid plans are powerless against the alignment of the universe.

From the beaches of Thailand to the streets of New York, three friends, Anna, Dante, and Jude will learn the hard way that once providence steps in, there is nothing in the world that can change what is truly meant to be.

GOODREADS

BOOK REVIEW | HIS WOUNDED LIGHT (The Light in the Wound #2) by Christine Brae

Title: HIS WOUNDED LIGHT (The Light in the Wound #2)

Author: Christine Brae (Website | Twitter)

Publication Date: December 8, 2013

SYNOPSIS

The perfect life. 

The perfect marriage. 

The jilted lover. 

Their worlds collide.

Fate intervenes twelve years later and their paths intersect once again. All three will question whether the heart is truly capable of dividing and being divided; each will decide whether it matters who you loved first or who you love last. 

Together they will learn that in the end, there can always only be one.

GOODREADS 

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | iBooks

It’s been days already since I’ve finished reading His Wounded Light by Christine Brae and I’m typing in my review just now. Why? Because I have to let everything that happened in this book sink in. Just wow, it totally blew my mind and my emotions away. I actually won’t go into detail with what happened here in this book because I’m quite sure that you’ll want to get a full experience of it once you’re reading it. And I also want you, guys, to experience that same level of happiness, sadness, frustration, regret, pain and everything that I’ve felt while I was reading it. Trust me on this.

Actually, I was really scared to start reading this book. Yes, and I even told Christine about me being scared to dive into this. The Light In The Wound’s ending seems perfect for me already and I’m fully contented with it. But then, Christine has so much to tell about these characters and their lives. So yeah, I was really scared how this one will affect everything because come on… Every Book 2 in a duology, trilogy or series just opens up a whole lot of opportunities to break relationships and let different kinds of drama in.

His Wounded Light is written from the POVs of Alex, Jesse and Isabel which was a great treat for us because we were given the opportunity to get to know more about their deeper thoughts and feelings. The shifting in the POVs was nicely and cleverly done. I notice what you did there, Christine!

THE PROLOGUE. I can’t even, guys! Christine did it again with her “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?” kind of prologue! I was even chanting “what the heck what happened to them?” in my mind when I was reading it. My curiosity and emotions were tearing me apart. One part of me wants to carry on reading already and the other half wants to stop first thinking that I can’t handle what’ll happen next.

BOOK REVIEW | THE LIGHT IN THE WOUND by Christine Brae

Title: THE LIGHT IN THE WOUND (#1) 

Author: Christine Brae (Website | Twitter) 

Publication Date: July 23, 2013

SYNOPSIS 

Affected by her parents’ highly publicized divorce, Isabel grows up isolated and alone, with a resolve to never fall in love and repeat their mistakes. 

When Jesse Cain enters her life, she falls hopelessly in love with him, and every sadness she’s ever felt is washed away by his intensity and passion. But people change as they grow up. Things can never stay the same forever.

Jesse and Isabel fight to stay together, determined to hold on to what they once had. Isabel wonders if a second love can ever be enough to make her forget her first.

GOODREADS

Purchase links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

The Light in the Wound by Christine Brae is an emotional book that perfectly captures the realities of life, in every aspect of it. It narrates the story of Isabel Amarra’s life from childhood till womanhood. It was very realistic because every joy, sadness, insecurity, fear, heartache, pain, regret and success of hers were bared in this story. It doesn't just focus on her romantic relationships but it also delved in into a picture of what some families go through.

This book is one of those books which have a prologue that will definitely astound your entire being, leave you hanging and definitely be begging to know more. Well, that's what I felt when I flipped and read that prologue! I was just eager to read more about this story. It's the type of prologue that'll immediately spur questions inside your head and you'll be wanting for it to be answered ASAP. Nicely done, Ms. Brae.

As a reader, it's a lovely and very inspiring experience to grow alongside a book character and that's what happens here in this book. As  I've already mentioned  earlier  this book spans out from the childhood days of Isabel Amarra's life till she reached her adulthood. There’s a very personal touch with Isabel’s voice all throughout the book because it feels like she’s personally speaking to you and telling you her story. But there were certain points in this book where I don’t feel that connected to her character. Maybe because of the actions and decisions she made won’t coincide with the way I was thinking and my way of making decisions in life.