Book Review: Forgiven (The Trouble Series #0.5) by Rachel Morgan

Forgiven
The Trouble Series #0.5
By:  Rachel Morgan
Published:  April 24, 2014
Source:  Author
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Heartache, humour, and first love collide in this sweet romance novella ... Three hundred and six days ago, Julia ran away from home. Abandoning her family, friends, boyfriend, and university plans, she fled with no explanation. She can't hide forever, though, and now it’s time to face the mess she left behind. (NA romance free of sexual content and explicit language.) (Approximately 80 print pages.)

The Trouble Series:

Four new heroines are about to enter the book world in this romance series full of swoon-worthy guys, comical moments, witty dialogue, and hot kisses… 

#1: The Introvert (The Trouble with Flying ~ Jun 2014) Sarah doesn’t talk to strangers, but the cute guy sitting next to her on the plane might have to be the exception. Hours of random conversation later, Sarah thinks Aiden could be her happily ever after. The trouble is, he’s gone now—and she has no idea how to find him. 

#2: The Nerd (The Trouble with Flirting ~ Aug 2014) Livi sees her first year of university as a chance to redefine herself and finally fit into the popular crowd. But how far will she go before realising that what she really wants has always been right in front of her?

#3: The Fraud (The Trouble with Faking ~ Oct 214) After a stupid miscommunication, everyone in Andi’s new res thinks she’s secretly dating Damien, boyfriend of resident queen bee Charlotte. Since the rumour’s already out there and refuses to be squashed, Andi and Damian decide to keep up the facade in the hopes of snagging the attention of the people they really want to be with.

#4: The Artist (The Trouble with Falling ~ Dec 2014) With exam stress, family wedding craziness, and a spiraling relationship with her boyfriend, Sophie finds herself sucked further and further into the darkness of depression. The only thing making her remotely happy these days is her art—and the guy on the other side of the internet who seems to really get her. But is that enough to keep her from falling off the edge entirely?

Book Teaser:

Courtesy of Ms. Morgan's Facebook

My Thoughts:

I read Rachel Morgan's Creepy Hollow Series, and loved it.  It was a young adult, fantasy series.  When I heard about Ms. Morgan's new series, a new adult, contemporary, romance series, I was curious and excited to try it out.

Forgiven was an extremely fast paced, and suspenseful novel.  It took place in Durban, South Africa.  I loved the setting and learned a few new words and slang as well!  This story is about a young lady named Jules, who left her life, family, and friends behind in Durban, and moved to England for 10 months.  She cuts off all communication with her family and friends and leaves behind, Josh, the love of her life, without any explanation.  The only one she keeps in contact with is her sister Sarah, through email, because her sister is so persistent in keeping in contact with her.  Jules returns to Durban, when Sarah asks her to return for a surprise 50th birthday party for their mother.  When Jules returns home, a lot has changed, and she learns that Josh is now with her ex best friend Amanda.  Jules never stopped loving Josh, and he is determined to find out why she left him.

This was such a great novella.  I loved the connection and love that was still between Jules and Josh even though they hadn't seen each other in ten months.  My heart broke for Josh as well as Jules.  I am a romantic at heart, and it was obvious to me that the two of them were meant to be together.  The love they had for each other was very sweet and pure.  I would have loved to see this novella developed in to a full length novel.  I really loved Jules' family, especially her sister Sarah.  I am really excited to see that, The Trouble with Flying, the first full length novel in the story is about Sarah.  I'm also excited to see that Jules' younger sister Sophie is going to get her own story as well.  Of course, I'm hoping for some overlap, and that we get more Jules and Josh in the other books in the series.

My Rating:

Forgiven is a suspenseful and sweet novella.  It is a great start to what looks to be a promising series.  I love Rachel Morgan's writing style, and am looking forward to continuing this series.  I give, Forgiven, by Rachel Morgan, 4 Entertaining, Intense, and Sweet, Love-Filled Stars!  Get it right now!  It's FREE on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and iTunes!   

About Rachel Morgan:

Rachel Morgan was born in South Africa and spent a large portion of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making. After completing a degree in genetics, she decided science wasn’t for her—after all, they didn’t approve of made-up facts. These days she spends much of her time immersed in fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling Creepy Hollow series.

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