Before I share my review as part of the blog tour for Love, Secrets and Absolution by K.L. Loveley, I just have to share the fantastic book trailer. It shows some of the main themes of the book and gives readers an idea of what the book is about, although nothing will prepare you for the emotional scenes you will read when you get to know (and love) the characters.
Read on for my review and the chance to win a signed copy and a tote bag!
People
in the village gossip about Grace’s son, Alfie.
He’s a lonely boy full of secrets, lies, and obsessive thoughts.
How far can a mother’s love go? Will she ultimately sacrifice her life for his?
Set in Nottinghamshire, this family drama follows the lives of Grace and Alfie as he transforms from a naïve, young boy into a teenager spiralling out of control.
Love, Secrets, and Absolution is a coming of age story with a difference.
Deceit, betrayal, love, and addiction, a family falling apart in the midst of teenage angst and torn loyalties; will anybody find absolution?
He’s a lonely boy full of secrets, lies, and obsessive thoughts.
How far can a mother’s love go? Will she ultimately sacrifice her life for his?
Set in Nottinghamshire, this family drama follows the lives of Grace and Alfie as he transforms from a naïve, young boy into a teenager spiralling out of control.
Love, Secrets, and Absolution is a coming of age story with a difference.
Deceit, betrayal, love, and addiction, a family falling apart in the midst of teenage angst and torn loyalties; will anybody find absolution?
What did I think?
What a wealth of emotions I experienced whilst reading this heartwarming book. I always find that books told from different perspectives get right under my skin. Seeing a story unfold from both sides gives the reader an insight that we wish we could have in real life. Alas, you can never know what somebody is thinking but in the world of books and fiction we become marvellous, magical mind-readers!
K.L. Loveley has written an emotional, frank and thoughtful book on a family dealing with Asperger's Syndrome. Now this story starts during the miner's strike of 1984 with Paul and Grace welcoming their longed-for first child into the world, in a time where kids weren't diagnosed with ADHD or autistm, they were just thought of as weird or naughty. Baby Alfie is not like other children, he doesn't so much play with toys or books as rearranges them: in straight lines, size order or colour coded. His mother, Grace, loves him unconditionally but his father, Paul, thinks his brain isn't wired right. As far as I was concerned, Alfie is bright and smart and so what if he is a little different.
I knew I would love Alfie from the minute he describes his birth. He is like a little sponge, absorbing information and becoming smarter every day whilst seeing things that his young mind cannot fully understand but he knows is wrong. He doesn't make friends easily but those who are lucky enough to befriend Alfie have someone on their side who would lay down their life for them. He may not have fully developed social skills but he sure does go the extra mile for people he loves.
Grace's chapters are told via her diary and I loved this. Rather than just telling the story from Grace's point of view, we are allowed a peep into her diary where she records her innermost thoughts and feelings. Her love for Alfie shines through every page and you might be thinking that she sounds like an overprotective mother but she allows Alfie to make mistakes and learn from them, but Grace is always there to pick up the pieces and set him back on the right track (as long as it is straight).
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Alfie grow up before my eyes. He's not perfect as he's an easy target for those scumbags who prey on the weak and vulnerable, but I like to think that, with his friends and family on his side, he becomes a stronger person because of his mistakes.
Open your heart to Alfie and pick up a copy of Love, Secrets and Absolution today! It's something a little different from most family dramas as Alfie's condition isn't diagnosed until his late-teens. So until then, his family and friends don't know what they're dealing with - he's just 'not right', but who decides what is 'right' and what isn't? Perhaps people should look in the mirror before labelling something as flawed or 'not right'. The world would be a boring place if we were all perfect.
My rating:
Buy it from Amazon UK
Buy it from Amazon US
About the author:
K.L
Loveley is a former nurse, who has seen, heard, and dealt with a wide
range of medical, social and family dramas. She has used her nursing
experience, along with her excellent people watching skills to create
fascinating characters and intriguing scenarios within her books. She
writes contemporary fiction, psychological dramas and poetry.
Her
debut novel ‘Alice’ was published in February 2017, and the story
tackles alcoholism head-on,
and presents the reader with an empathetic account of a spiralling
addiction and the resulting pattern of hopelessness that many fall
into.
K.L
Loveley’s second novel
‘Love, Secrets, and Absolution: An emotional and gripping
psychological, family drama’ is a coming of age story with a
difference. Deceit,
betrayal, love, and addiction, this story is about a family falling
apart in the midst of teenage angst and torn loyalties.
If
you enjoy reading authors like Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain,
you will enjoy K.L Loveley!
K.L
Loveley lives in Nottinghamshire, England and loves socialising with
friends and family. She is an avid reader and enjoys a variety of
genres including psychological, thrillers and historical fiction. Her
favourite authors include John le Carré, K.L Slater, Marian Keyes
and Philippa Gregory.
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
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