Book Blitz, Review, & Giveaway: Eight Goodbyes

Eight Goodbyes
Christine Brae
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: August 28th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance

One universe, nine planets, 204 countries, 809 islands and 7 seas, and I had the privilege of meeting you.” –Unknown

When Tessa Talman meets Simon Fremont for the first time, not only is she attracted to him, she’s intrigued by how different their lives are. He’s a dedicated scientist, practical, pragmatic, and grounded—while she’s a head-in-the-clouds romance author. As their relationship grows, they agree to meet in places around the world, while continuing to live on opposite sides of the globe.

Though their feelings for each other deepen, their priorities remain the same. Simon is in a hurry to be financially sound and settle down, but Tessa is enjoying her freedom and newfound success. Neither is willing to give in, but as each goodbye gets harder, Tessa begins to wonder whether fame is the path to happiness, or if she has everything she needs in Simon.

Just as Tessa finds the courage to go after her own happily ever after, the unthinkable happens, separating them in ways they never imagined.

To move forward, she must let go of the past, and determine once and for all if love is truly more powerful than the pain of goodbye.

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**My Review**

Welcome to my stop on the book blitz for Eight Goodbyes by Christine Brae! If you love a good romance that will carry you along a journey full of numerous emotions, then this should be your next read. Suddenly-famous writer Tessa Talman and Simon Fremont meet briefly on a flight to New York City and Simon finds himself quickly enamored with the sweet and sexy Tessa. Tessa also finds herself attracted to Simon, but enjoys a life without pressure and relationships and refuses to make any sort of commitment to Simon as he follows her around the world. As their feelings continue to grow, Tessa finally gets the courage to fully allow Simon into her life, but then everything tragically changes leaving questions about whether or not Tessa and Simon will ever truly be together. 

Kleenex alert on this one! I can’t imagine anyone getting through this one without at least one ugly cry, but Eight Goodbyes is completely worth it. I am crazy about love stories that span across time and places, which is actually what Christine Brae has given her readers with this emotionally charged romance. Tessa is a bit annoying for a good part of the novel because of her “whatever” attitude regarding Simon. He is the complete package of brains, good looks, money, charm, kindness, and such a romantic heart – yet Tessa toys with his emotions more times than I would like to admit. However, she does eventually redeem herself and completely opens up to Simon, but then a horrible turn of events changes everything – just when it was getting perfect. This sudden and surprising conflict that was thrown in, just when I thought I was getting a happy ending, adds to the depth and emotion of this novel making all of the emotions and feelings even more complex than they already were. It’s heart-breaking, thus the Kleenex reference, but also makes things that much sweeter once the novel comes to an end. 

There are so many wonderful things wrapped up into this novel that I’m struggling with how much to say, not giving spoilers, but including enough information to ensure that everyone will want to read this amazing book. However, the overall themes involve incredible and emotional love – both romantically and involving family, not giving up on those we love, and that immense joy can come from tragedy in the end. Simon and Tessa’s story was amazing and I absolutely loved it. I wish I knew more about their futures, beyond where the novel finished, but then again it’s quite romantic imagining my own long list of happy endings for many years to come. 

EXCERPT:

“Who knows you’re here?” she asked.

“You mean, specifically here? In Hong Kong?”

She nodded.

“No one. My family and friends think I’m traveling for work.”

“Ah. So if anything happened to you, how do they know where to look?” she asked, her chin resting on the palm of her hand.

“Well, when they find my phone and the one thousand pictures of you, they’ll know,” he said.

She laughed. Rather uncomfortably. This is what having an affair feels like. It’s you and him and no one else.

“Adrian doesn’t know I’m here.” This time he leaned forward, closer to her. “Does Riley know you’re here?”

“She has to. Even if I don’t tell her directly, Jake knows. He’s very protective that way. Needs to know where I go, who I’m with.”

“You seem so attached, the two of you.”

“He’s the only constant in my life.”

He stayed silent. She hadn’t intended to offend him with that comment. But then she decided that it was too soon to even think of his role in her life.

That was the real crux of the matter, and she wanted to keep it top of mind.

What about you, your parents? Do you see them often while you’re home?”

He laughed. “As a matter of fact, I have dinner with them every Sunday. They don’t live far from my old apartment. I’m moving to Chelsea when I get back which is a little further away, but I know my mum will find every excuse to come and visit. I’ll be too close to the shopping area for her to resist. She likes to get out sometimes. Leave the farm.”

“We’re lucky we have family we can count on,” she said.

“But none of them know we’re together,” he said, his tone lowered, quiet.

“Why does anyone need to know? Who cares?” she asked in defiance. She observed the way he picked up another dumpling with his chopsticks and shoved the whole thing in his mouth. “Okay, let me rephrase that,” she said. “In time, they’ll know.”

He smiled. “Better.”

He looked at his watch. She could tell that he wanted to change the subject. And she didn’t have to try. A round of applause filled the room. Tessa and Simon turned to see a man on one knee with his arms in the air, proposing to a very embarrassed woman.

“At a dimsum restaurant?” Simon smirked.

“Hey! You’ll never know! Maybe this is a special place for them,” Tessa said.

“Must be,” he answered, pulling his wallet out at the same time. He motioned for the dimsum man to bring the check over.

The man counted the different colored plates, each with a code for the food they ordered, wrote with lightning speed on a pad of paper, tore it off unevenly and handed it to Simon.

As he examined the bill, Simon said, “I forgot that your Twitter profile says ‘hopeless romantic.’“

“Love makes the world go ‘round!” she said in response, pausing to follow up with an afterthought. “At least in Romance books!”

Author Bio:

Christine Brae is a full time career woman who thought she could write a book about her life and then run away as far as possible from it. She never imagined that her words would touch the hearts of so many women with the same story to tell. Her second book, His Wounded Light was released in December, 2013.

Christine’s third book, Insipid, is a standalone that was released in June, 2014, and her fourth book, In This Life, released in January 2016.

When not listening to the voices in her head or spending late nights at the office, Christine can be seen shopping for shoes and purses, running a half marathon or spending time with her husband and three children in Chicago.

Christine is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin Literary Management.

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**Giveaway***

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