Book Title: Better
Author: Carey Heywood
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 17, 2014
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Aubrey is embarking on a bucket-list trip around the world, the last wish of her Aunt Ally. It was supposed to be the trip Ally would have taken when she got better. Now, it’s just a chance for Aubrey to say good-bye.
Adam escapes in his solo trips overseas, working just enough to fund the next one. When the opportunity to circle the globe falls in his lap, he can’t refuse. The only catch is that he won’t be traveling alone this time.
Unable to hide from each other, Adam’s overprotective nature thwarts Aubrey’s desire to find her own way. Can they move past initial assumptions to find something better?
***ARC was provided by author in exchange for an honest review***
“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”
~Helen Keller
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
~Abraham Lincoln
‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
~Alfred Lord Tennyson
Better – it’s such a subjective word. No one’s interpretation is the same. What is better for some people is not for others. In every facet of life, the word better has multiple meanings…it’s up to the person to define it for him/herself based on what s/he wants out of life.
For Aubrey Kline and her Aunt Ally, the word better meant when Ally was cancer free, and she could live her life by traveling the world and seeking out all of the adventures life had to offer. But sadly, Ally never got better, and when she died, she left a life insurance policy worth 50,000 to Aubrey, so that she could take Ally’s “When I Get Better” trip around the world. At first, Aubrey didn’t want to take the trip; going out on her own was a daunting prospect for someone who spent the past several years at home helping take care of Ally. She didn’t feel like she fit in with the people in her age group…she didn’t feel like she fit in anywhere. But then, Aubrey decided that if this was one of Ally’s dying wishes, she would fulfill it…Ally was her best friend – she had no choice but to go for her.
Aubrey’s journey is life-changing in more ways than one. The people she met and the places she traveled opened her up to the endless possibilities that life has to offer. One person in particular, her travel companion, Adam Burke changes everything for her…he makes her life BETTER!
This was the first text by Carey Heywood that I have read, but it definitely will not be the last. Better is an emotional read because it is an honest look at what cancer does to not only the person who is suffering but also to those who are there to watch and live on. From the beginning of the story, readers will be captivated by how Aubrey tells her story…you will cry with Aubrey as she says goodbye to her aunt; you will get just as frustrated with Adam as she does; you will get to experience all of the places Aubrey and Adam travel to because Carey writes is such a vividly, descriptive way that you will like you are traveling with them.
Aubrey’s journey is one of self discovery…it’s one that allows her to become a better person…the one her aunt always knew she was. Thank you, Carey Heywood, for Aubrey’s story…I know this text is very personal to you and it shows in your storytelling. You wanted your readers to understand how people and events shape, especially tragic ones, shape who they are, and you accomplished that masterfully.
4 poison apples
“What are you doing in here?” I stammer.
He’s on his knees by the bed, reaching under. “This bed is a trundle. There’s no way I’m sleeping on that sofa.”
“But I’m sleeping in here,” I argue.
I watch as he pulls the trundle out. It’s smaller, maybe twin sized.
“Yes, and I’m sleeping here.” He makes a wide sweep with his hands over the smaller bed.
I remember how awkward it felt, sleeping so near him the night before. At least the trundle is low to the ground. My mouth drops as he depresses a lever and raises it to the same height as my bed, and the way it’s made, we’ll be face to face with maybe an inch separating his bed from mine.
I gulp. He turns to look at me. “Um, I was going to get changed.”
“Oh, don’t mind me.”
“Out,” I order him.
His eyes travel lazily down me, and I shiver. His mouth twitches before he turns to leave, closing the door behind him. I hurry over to it and lock it, sagging against it. I had been looking forward to a night away from him. I quickly change, unlock the “door, and climb into bed. I hear the door open and shuffle further under the covers.
When I wake the next morning, I’m facing him. Wiping sleep from my eyes, I watch him. He’s shirtless, his sheet draping low across his hips. I lick my lips, mesmerized by the rise and fall of his chest. I quietly slip out of bed and out of the room, taking my clothes for the day with me. I need distance. I can’t stay in that room any longer. It smells like him, a mixture of Irish Spring, his cologne, and something just him.
I shower and get dressed. I’m in the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets for something to snack on when he walks out. He’s still shirtless. Why can’t he put on a shirt?
“Hungry?” he asks, scratching the back of his head.
“A bit,” I admit.
“Give me a minute. I saw a bakery close by.”
“Okay.”
He walks back into the room and shuts the door. A couple minutes later, he walks back out, now in jeans and a vintage looking M*A*S*H t-shirt.
“Nice shirt.”
He laughs. “It was my dad’s.”
“You’re wearing hand me downs,” I joke.
“Just trying to live the green life.”
I don’t give him the satisfaction of a chuckle even though that was funny as I follow him out of the flat.
“What about Abe?”
“He can get his own breakfast,” he says, grabbing a set of keys that are hanging on a hook by the door. I give him a look.
“Don’t worry. I’ll bring him something back.” He holds the door open for me.
I tuck my hair behind my ear and hurry down the stairs. I wait for him at the bottom, not sure which direction to go. He comes up beside me, tilting his head to the right. We turn together and walk.
“I saw you.”
“Excuse me?” I stop.”
“He’s now a step ahead of me. He looks back at me.
“I saw you watching me this morning.”
“I wasn’t,” I stammer, looking away.
“If you say so,” he says as he continues to walk.
I follow him but stay a step behind on purpose. I can’t believe he saw me.”
Carey Heywood is a self-published New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with six books out and many more to come.
She was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. Ever the mild-mannered citizen, Carey spends her days working in the world of finance, and at night, she retreats into the lives of her fictional characters.
Supporting her all the way are her husband, three sometimes-adorable children, and their nine-pound attack Yorkie.
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