Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle
Release Date: Feb 1/2013
Adquired: Epub copy provided by author
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Indigo/Kobo Books/Book Depository
Two years after watching her kidnappers go to prison, Naomi Jensen is still in love with one of them. Jesse will be released in a few years, and Naomi knows college is the perfect distraction while she waits. But when her new friend Finn makes her question what is right and what is wrong, she begins to wonder if Jesse is the one for her...until she discovers he's out on parole. Naomi must sort through her confusion to figure out where love and freedom truly lie-in Finn, who has no connections to her past, or Jesse, who has just asked her to run away with him.
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It's been two years since Naomi Jensen escaped the house she was being held hostage in after being kidnapped from a parking lot late one night. Two years since she last saw Jesse, one of the captors she ends up falling for, despite the circumstances-or even because of it. We find her enrolled in Harvard University, studying film, and constantly trying to push the images of her year held hostage to the farthest reaches of her mind. We are also immediately introduced to Finn-a new male character, and the apparent object of Naomi's attention.
After everything I felt while consuming the first book, it was initially a little bit of a shock to find out that so much time had passed, and that Naomi was apparently "moving on". As I read the first few pages, I found myself wishing that the author had just stopped at the first book-I wanted Naomi's fate to be left to my imagination. Though as I got halfway into it, I couldn't seem to click the pages fast enough. I appreciated the effort the author made in making Naomi's reactions and thought process realistic in relation to what she experienced. I still found her to be a little too blase and gullible, but it didn't bother me as much as it should have, I had already become way too invested in her character while reading The Breakaway. I sympathized with her, I cheered on her thoughtless actions, I wanted to experience every emotion with her-that is SO unlike me. I usually LOATHE weak willed characters, LOATHE.
I also found the complete turnaround her mother made, in terms of her concern for her daughter, a little contrived. It made sense for her to have gotten a lot more protective, but I couldn't grasp the genuineness of it-we just didn't get a good and proper glimpse inside her head during the first book. I would have also liked to learn more about Naomi's father, he was pretty much a shadow lurking in the background, and had very minimal dialogue. I enjoyed the brassy character of Becca-Naomi's roommate-she provided some much needed comedic relief.
Jesse and Naomi. I can't even..I don't exactly know where my thoughts begin, and I definitely don't know where they end. It's such a disturbingly messed up situation, and I'm not sure what kind of person it makes me to have the giddy feelings I do when I read their scenes but..*sigh* don't make me explain it. They just were, and it just was, and I think they've made it into my top 10 favourite book couples. My heart broke in weird places as their time together played out-the details of their initial pairing went RIGHT out of the window. It stopped being disturbing, and became something tangible-again, I don't know if I should scold myself for this thought, or just chalk it up to the author's great writing skills *shrugs*. Doesn't even matter.
Near the end of this, I was almost as divided as Naomi-I couldn't tell you HOW I wanted it to end, I was just feeling way too much at once. I loved that. I loved that this wasn't a book that just made you sit on the surface and watch. I was sitting somewhere in a corner in every single one of those scenes, like a whimpering puppy, asking, out loud.."What will you do NOW!?" (Yes, a talking, whimpering puppy, apparently). If you read The Breakaway, you MUST read this book, it's just something you have to do..seriously. It was an excellent conclusion.
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What was the biggest obstacle you met while writing Naomi's character?
Which character would you say that you, as the author, most relate with?
What does your next literary project entail?
What was your main inspiration for this book/series?
I first wrote The Breakaway back when I was in high school, so I have a hard time remembering exactly what inspired the story for me. I do remember reading several books about kidnapping and being fascinated by the whole subject. The books were The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore by Joan Lowry Nixon and Ransom by Lois Duncan. I love these books, but I wanted even more. Since I couldn’t find more at the time, I started writing The Breakaway.
Pieces is a story I’ve always had in my head since I finished The Breakaway, but I didn’t decide to write it until fans started telling me they were really interested in knowing the rest of Naomi’s story.
Pieces is a story I’ve always had in my head since I finished The Breakaway, but I didn’t decide to write it until fans started telling me they were really interested in knowing the rest of Naomi’s story.
Can you tell us something interesting you discovered while researching for this book?
Even though I’ve traveled to Europe once (when I was 16), I don’t remember much about customs or getting a Visa and dealing with a passport. I thought it was really interesting how much research I had to do about all the protocols for traveling to another country, let alone preparing to move and live there. It’s quite involved!
What was the biggest obstacle you met while writing Naomi's character?
I think the biggest obstacle I had writing Naomi’s character was figuring out where she would be emotionally two years after escaping her kidnappers. I had to do a lot of research on therapy and the different cycles Naomi would likely go through.
Which character would you say that you, as the author, most relate with?
In Pieces, I relate most to Naomi. Feeling lost and unsure of where you want your life to go is something I remember really well from my years in college. In that respect, I could identify with Naomi’s journey to figure out what and who she wants to be.
What does your next literary project entail?
My current project is a new adult story I’m calling “the country music book” for now. I do current updates about the book on my blog if you want to keep up with how it’s going. I love this book so much and I’m excited to share it with the world! My publisher is very interested in it, so hopefully it will come out within the next year/year and a half.
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Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She loves the seasons, but late summer and early fall are her favorites. She adores chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in whatever time she can grab between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life.
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A huge thank-you to Xpresso Book Tours for hosting this tour and allowing me to participate, and Michelle Davidson Argyle for kindly sending me a copy of her book to review.
CLICK HERE to follow the rest of the tour
*hugs* Thanks for being part of the Pieces blog tour and for the interview!
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