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astumpfreads's review
5.0
I have to admit that the Floor Time books started out as a quick read/guilty pleasure but now the entire Stewart Realty ever growing cast of people have become an obsession! I blame Liz Crowe's freakishly talented way of weaving lives together, alternating POVs and ripping at the heart of so many diverse topics is something I haven't experienced before.
I'm not sure a better series exists. I'm not sure if anyone recognizes this series, or it's author, for the sheer genius that it is either. Maybe it hasn't hit the mainstream because of the diversity of the storyline or the expense or whatever...but I for one and damn glad I've found it and it has been amazing reading every word of every book.
Now... on to the next one, Mutual Release!
I'm not sure a better series exists. I'm not sure if anyone recognizes this series, or it's author, for the sheer genius that it is either. Maybe it hasn't hit the mainstream because of the diversity of the storyline or the expense or whatever...but I for one and damn glad I've found it and it has been amazing reading every word of every book.
Now... on to the next one, Mutual Release!
teacherpatti's review
4.0
This is not a genre that I usually read but the author is a friend of mine. I really liked it! I am normally really shy about reading books that feature a lot of sex but I enjoyed this book a lot (and not just because the author is my friend!!!) :)
alyssa_loves_books's review
4.0
My name is Alyssa and I’m a Liz Crowe addict. Escalation Clause was my latest fix and was, one of my most highly anticipated book releases for November. I absolutely could not wait to get my hands on this book! After reading Essence of Time (my favorite read of 2012, BTW), I desperately needed this book. I’ve NEVER had such a visceral reaction to a plot line and I needed closure, I needed understanding & most importantly, I needed to grieve. I’m not going to go into plot or give you a summary of the book to entice, because it honestly doesn’t need that. You only need to know one thing - you must read this series.
Jack & Sara - Such an amazing, strong & powerful couple. My heart wept for them as I watched them grieve and grow further apart. But they are resilient, their love is strong and, as we well know, they fight hard and they chose to fight for their relationship. I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating - Sara is fierce! The loss of her brother was devastating to her, but through that loss she realized exactly how much of her life she let Blake live for her. She was forced to deal, and with that, came new strength and acceptance of her worth as a woman, a wife & a mother. She now refuses to accept anything less than what she, or her family, deserves - even from Jack. My favorite scene from this entire book involves these two, a trip to GA (What!! Jack, was in my home state!) and ice - no need to say anymore ;)
Brandis, Maureen & Rafe - Liz did it to me again! I just need to invest in a case of tissue when there is a Liz book on my tablet. We’ve known Maureen & Brandis’ ending for a little while now, but since they have always been in the background as secondary characters, the loss was not truly realized until this book. The main reason why I loved this book so much was because of these characters. The love and bond that Brandis & Maureen had, was extraordinarily beautiful and, I think, very important to know so that we can understand just how much she lost when he died. Even though I knew the outcome, I still fell in love with him, I had no choice. His death was gut-wrenching to read and completely shredded me. How do you move on from that? Simple, time and Rafe. I loved Maureen’s no holds barred kick ass attitude with the vulnerable side, that was scared to open up and love again after losing Brandis. The misgivings, guilt & fear that she had, about starting another relationship, were authentic, realistic and very believable. In taking the relationship slow, I was able to fall in love with Rafe right along with her. She deserved all the happiness she received.
Lila & Rob - As expected, their relationship was very tough and, at times, I didn’t know if they were going to make it. The extreme amount of grief, sadness & guilt, over the loss of someone so important to them, was a powerful thing. I thought it would be the straw that broke their back - but I was wrong. They persevered and came out the other side so much stronger for having made it through.
As a whole, Escalation Clause was amazing. I sat down to read and didn’t get back up until I was done. It grabbed, consumed and owned me. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, but I wanted to slow down getting to the end. My only complaints are that it felt a little rushed at the end with Maureen & Rafe, and while I loved all the characters, I wish that the main characters were more clearly defined. Since they all played a major role, I became invested and wanted to go deeper into the issues that each couple faced, but I couldn’t. With that being said, I still loved the book and this series will continue to remain one of my favorites and one I recommend to everyone!
ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
Find this review and more at Hesperia Loves Books
Jack & Sara - Such an amazing, strong & powerful couple. My heart wept for them as I watched them grieve and grow further apart. But they are resilient, their love is strong and, as we well know, they fight hard and they chose to fight for their relationship. I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating - Sara is fierce! The loss of her brother was devastating to her, but through that loss she realized exactly how much of her life she let Blake live for her. She was forced to deal, and with that, came new strength and acceptance of her worth as a woman, a wife & a mother. She now refuses to accept anything less than what she, or her family, deserves - even from Jack. My favorite scene from this entire book involves these two, a trip to GA (What!! Jack, was in my home state!) and ice - no need to say anymore ;)
Brandis, Maureen & Rafe - Liz did it to me again! I just need to invest in a case of tissue when there is a Liz book on my tablet. We’ve known Maureen & Brandis’ ending for a little while now, but since they have always been in the background as secondary characters, the loss was not truly realized until this book. The main reason why I loved this book so much was because of these characters. The love and bond that Brandis & Maureen had, was extraordinarily beautiful and, I think, very important to know so that we can understand just how much she lost when he died. Even though I knew the outcome, I still fell in love with him, I had no choice. His death was gut-wrenching to read and completely shredded me. How do you move on from that? Simple, time and Rafe. I loved Maureen’s no holds barred kick ass attitude with the vulnerable side, that was scared to open up and love again after losing Brandis. The misgivings, guilt & fear that she had, about starting another relationship, were authentic, realistic and very believable. In taking the relationship slow, I was able to fall in love with Rafe right along with her. She deserved all the happiness she received.
Lila & Rob - As expected, their relationship was very tough and, at times, I didn’t know if they were going to make it. The extreme amount of grief, sadness & guilt, over the loss of someone so important to them, was a powerful thing. I thought it would be the straw that broke their back - but I was wrong. They persevered and came out the other side so much stronger for having made it through.
As a whole, Escalation Clause was amazing. I sat down to read and didn’t get back up until I was done. It grabbed, consumed and owned me. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, but I wanted to slow down getting to the end. My only complaints are that it felt a little rushed at the end with Maureen & Rafe, and while I loved all the characters, I wish that the main characters were more clearly defined. Since they all played a major role, I became invested and wanted to go deeper into the issues that each couple faced, but I couldn’t. With that being said, I still loved the book and this series will continue to remain one of my favorites and one I recommend to everyone!
ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
Find this review and more at Hesperia Loves Books
mawmom's review
5.0
As with all of the Stewart Reality books, Escalation Clause focuses on the relationship of one couple, in this case Maureen (Mo) Jack's sister and Rafe Inez the sexy soccer coach we saw briefly in book 3, however the story is also filling you in on all the background characters from previous books.
We go back to when Maureen and Brandis first fall in love and see his death through her eyes. We then follow Maureen on the heart wrenching journey of recovering and moving forward after losing a spouse. We are there when she meets Rafe and the ups and downs that happen while she is trying to accept her survivors guilt.
However as much of the book is devoted to filling in areas of previous books that may have been sort of time traveled across in order to tell the story of the primary characters.
We are there while Jack and Sara work out the problems that arise in their marriage, we also see the rocky road by Rob and Lila travel to become a couple. We are shown a glimpse at Sara and Blake's parents early marriage and even a peek into the future with the children of the characters.
This is the latest in the Stewart Reality series and I loved it as much as the others in the series I am also torn, I wish that more time had been spent on Maureen and Rafe and their relationship. I almost feel like this could have been two books one telling the story of Maureen and Rafe and another entire book just filling in the blanks from previous books. So while this is another fantastic book from Liz Crowe the story of Maureen and Rafe is one of the weakest so far. Still with all that being the case I loved it and will be looking forward to book 7.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
We go back to when Maureen and Brandis first fall in love and see his death through her eyes. We then follow Maureen on the heart wrenching journey of recovering and moving forward after losing a spouse. We are there when she meets Rafe and the ups and downs that happen while she is trying to accept her survivors guilt.
However as much of the book is devoted to filling in areas of previous books that may have been sort of time traveled across in order to tell the story of the primary characters.
We are there while Jack and Sara work out the problems that arise in their marriage, we also see the rocky road by Rob and Lila travel to become a couple. We are shown a glimpse at Sara and Blake's parents early marriage and even a peek into the future with the children of the characters.
This is the latest in the Stewart Reality series and I loved it as much as the others in the series I am also torn, I wish that more time had been spent on Maureen and Rafe and their relationship. I almost feel like this could have been two books one telling the story of Maureen and Rafe and another entire book just filling in the blanks from previous books. So while this is another fantastic book from Liz Crowe the story of Maureen and Rafe is one of the weakest so far. Still with all that being the case I loved it and will be looking forward to book 7.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review
5.0
Liz demanded that I read this book, since I read books 1-4 in the series and then jumped to book 9. It was absolutely fabulous! FABULOUS!
As with the other books in the series, this is truly an ensemble story. We interact with many different characters from the series, but this is really Maureen and Rafe's story. Maureen had lost the man she considered the love of her life in a horrible accident and has spent many years alone, raising her children. Sure, she was surrounded by her family and friends, but she never dated or even had the inkling to, until her kids hot, Latin soccer coach came along.
Rafe had a bit of an uphill battle with Maureen. He felt a connection with her that he wanted to fully explore, but Maureen threw up every road block possible (he's her kids coach, he's younger, she just couldn't....). But Rafe was a man determined and wasn't going to let Maureen sidetrack what he thought they would have together. He struggled, a lot, and spent many month nursing a bruised ego and a somewhat mangled heart, but he stood his ground and waited for Maureen to catch up with him.
Maureen, being Jack's sister, had that Gordon stubbornness. She was always willing to lend a hand or advice to one of her friends or her brother, but she never really took a look at what she was doing to herself and to Rafe. And just like Jack, it sometimes takes extremes for her to remove her head from the tail end of her body before she realizes what's right in front of her. God love the Gordon's but are they ever an exhaustive group!
What I loved most was watching the second generation, Brandis and Gabe. There relationship was explosive even when they were babies and it was fun to see how, even then, they had their parents on their toes.
An absolute pleasure and one I'm glad I was tasked to read. Well done, Liz. Well done.
As with the other books in the series, this is truly an ensemble story. We interact with many different characters from the series, but this is really Maureen and Rafe's story. Maureen had lost the man she considered the love of her life in a horrible accident and has spent many years alone, raising her children. Sure, she was surrounded by her family and friends, but she never dated or even had the inkling to, until her kids hot, Latin soccer coach came along.
Rafe had a bit of an uphill battle with Maureen. He felt a connection with her that he wanted to fully explore, but Maureen threw up every road block possible (he's her kids coach, he's younger, she just couldn't....). But Rafe was a man determined and wasn't going to let Maureen sidetrack what he thought they would have together. He struggled, a lot, and spent many month nursing a bruised ego and a somewhat mangled heart, but he stood his ground and waited for Maureen to catch up with him.
Maureen, being Jack's sister, had that Gordon stubbornness. She was always willing to lend a hand or advice to one of her friends or her brother, but she never really took a look at what she was doing to herself and to Rafe. And just like Jack, it sometimes takes extremes for her to remove her head from the tail end of her body before she realizes what's right in front of her. God love the Gordon's but are they ever an exhaustive group!
What I loved most was watching the second generation, Brandis and Gabe. There relationship was explosive even when they were babies and it was fun to see how, even then, they had their parents on their toes.
An absolute pleasure and one I'm glad I was tasked to read. Well done, Liz. Well done.