Review: Sole Sister by Brooklyn James

Sole Sister by Brooklyn James

Series: The Boots My Mother Gave me #2

Release Date: 1st August 2015

Genres: Contemporary Fiction

 

It's the book fans have been waiting for: Kat's story is finally here! As the second instalment in the Boots My Mother Gave Me series shifts focus onto the younger of the LeBeau sisters, readers are sure to find themselves once again enthralled and moved by Brooklyn James and her wonderful storytelling. 

 

 

  The second book in The Boots My Mother Gave Me series, Sole Sister picks up several years later, continuing the story of Harley LeBeau and her rebellious sister Katrina ‘Kat’ LeBeau. Relocating to Nashville to be closer to Harley and Miah, Kat aspires to launch her Sole Sister fashion line. A gutsy and impromptu plan suddenly lands her on the cover of The Ville Spill—the local celebrity gossip rag—alongside country music’s latest heartthrob, giving Sole Sister the push it needs. But Kat quickly learns that not all press is good press. Years removed from an abusive childhood and teenage pregnancy, the past that Kat never talks about continues to seep into her life and relationships. Still struggling with the images of finding her father after his suicide, Kat forges ahead, vowing to avoid past mistakes. To focus on her career and responsibilities as a single mother, she swears off the disappointments of love. The first man she ever loved, her father, broke her heart. The first boy she ever fell in love with, her daughter’s father, broke her heart. What Kat didn’t plan on was Nashville SWAT Officer Connor Reese. She and Connor have more pulling them together than keeping them apart. Kat finds herself in familiar territory when her plan to steer clear of heartache is derailed after spending a night in his arms. Will facing her past help to secure her future? Will Connor offer her a second chance at life and love? Or will her heart break yet again? Staying true to its predecessor, Sole Sister explores the dynamics of strength in sisterhood, the ongoing conflict and unconditional love between mother and daughter, and the courage to become more than one’s past.   

 Having read the 1st book in the series The Boots My Mother Gave me ( find my review HERE), I was very excited to be asked to review Sole Sister. As the blurb suggests, this is the 2nd book in the series and tells the story from Kat's perspective. Kat is the type of woman who has made some mistakes in her life. But, then again life hasn't always dealt her and her sister Harley a fair hand. With an abusive father who has emotionally scarred them, they are both rebuilding their lives in good old Nashville, where Kat is trying to launch her own footwear fashion label -  Sole Sister. I love the name of her business! She is also trying to be single mum to a rebellious teen. Harley is trying to make it big in showbiz as a songwriter whilst trying to juggle the needs of her own family and a husband who is feeling surplus to requirements. Thanks to Kat and her less conventional ways, the sisters find themselves as part of a gossip magazine feature and things take off for them both, but not without consequences and making the odd enemy along the way.

Ever eager to do things her own way, Kat is equally as rebellious as her teenage daughter. When she meets the absolutely luscious Connor Reese she promises herself that she is not going to fall for yet another bad boy. But good grief, I fell for him myself! Within Connor's tough exterior as a Swat team member, lies a heart of pure Aussie lust! A single parent himself, Connor is looking to be 'needed' every bit as much as Kat. But, as per usual Kat's life becomes more and more complicated, as does her relationship with Connor.

I just adore Brooklyn James' writing style. Her characters are so wonderfully engaging and utterly compelling. There is plenty of humour within the pages of this book along with some passion, love and a little bit of heartbreak. The interaction between Kat and Harley is fantastic and I really want to read more about them. The Le Beau sisters have so got attitude! I love that! Dealing with the emotional fall out from their father, both girls handle their feelings in different ways but are totally and 100% committed to one another. Despite being dead, their father seems to still impact on them greatly. Can they find it in their hearts to move on or will they always live with the ghost of memories that continue to haunt them.  I highly recommend this book. Its amazing.  Do go read the first book in the series, The Boots My Mother Gave Me though. Its not totally necessary as Sole Sister can be read as a standalone. But, go read it anyway because its that good too!

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 AUTHOR BIO

 

Brooklyn James is an author/singer/songwriter inspired by life in the Live Music Capital of Austin, Texas. Her first novel,The Boots My Mother Gave Me, has an original music soundtrack and was chosen as a Quarter Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. This book has ranked in Kindle's Top 100 Coming of Age and Women's Fiction. When she is not writing books, she can be found playing live music around Austin as part of an acoustic duo. Like most everyone, she treasures her time spent with family and friends. Brooklyn has been in a Weezer video, met Harry Connick Jr. as an extra on the set of When Angels Sing, and she was Mira Sorvino's stand-in on Jerry Bruckheimer's Trooper pilot for TNT. She enjoys reading, dancing, working out, fishing with her hubby, and a good glass of kombucha. Brooklyn holds an M.A. in Communication, and a B.S. in both Nursing and Animal Science. Her nursing career has seen specialties in the areas of Intensive Care and Postpartum. She serves as a Guest Speaker with a focus on awareness and prevention of Domestic Violence and Suicide.

 Find her at www.brooklyn-james.com or www.facebook.com/BrooklynJamesAuthor. You can also find her music on Amazon, iTunes, CDBaby, YouTube, and Pandora.