The Thing About Love... Book Review

The Thing About Love... Synopsis

Los Angeles 2017 – In The Thing About Love... young Ellie Valencia is a shadow of herself, after the man she loves leaves her without an explanation or goodbye. She's lost in sorrow and self-pity. But the universe has plans for her, and she unexpectedly meets the charming and sexy Jack Milian, the antithesis of her ex. There's only one problem, Jack is her ex's best friend. Despite destiny's cruel joke, Ellie is willing find herself again, to heal and give love a chance. But will Jack fight for her against the innate obstacles that arise from falling for his best friend's ex? The turmoil and passionate romance Ellie and Jack find themselves in is The Thing About Love...   Set in Los Angeles, The Thing About Love... is coming of age contemporary romance that is engaging, sexy, and inspiring. More than a story of love and passion, the author created complex characters that grow as the story develops. As a reflection of the people who inspired them, the characters are Hispanic and the author pays tribute to her Mexican heritage throughout the story, without making it overtly glaring to the reader.

My Review

The thing I love about this book is how relatable it is. At least once in everyone's life they experience this sort of heart ache. It is almost like a rite of passage. A horrible rite of passage, but something that needs to happen for us to see more clearly. To love someone so much, or the idea of what could be that it guts you so deeply. Making ourselves sick over someone who was never supposed to be ours in the first place. Two people that just weren't meant to be anything more than a lesson. Ellie wasn't exactly lucky in love the first time around. It took her 5 long months, her best friend Marie, a book, and a workshop on self-love to bring her out of her stupor. Then she meets Jack. Jack is the it guy. This is the type of man that women stop in their tracks for an stare at, and then proceed to throw themselves at shamelessly. Ellie and Jack's first introduction wasn't very successful. She was slowly making her way back into reality, but still stuck in her own head. The second meeting is when she realizes how lost she was. How in the heck did she not realize this beautiful man's bluish grey eyes? His touches transport you into another universe. His kisses steal your breath away. Being with him is more than just exciting... Being with him is realizing that you never want to know another day without him in your life. 

Ellie went through so much heart ache and self-hate. She lost something she never really had in the first place. I believe this book is a revelation for any woman/man going through a similar situation. Maybe they haven't met their Jack yet, but are stuck in lust with the wrong man/woman. It shows women/men that you can be with someone for 3 long years and not realize how wrong that you are for one another. Love should never be a one-sided road you travel down. In life and in love everyone who is participating should be present! Ellie is fortunate to have her friend Marie throughout this awful lesson. At least she had someone to keep her checked into reality and forced her to think about what she was doing to herself. Ellie became this unrecognizable shell of a women she didn't even know anymore. This wasn't how she seen her life turning out. So, she did what we all do in desperate times. She poured herself into her work. Slowly coming back to reality is when she notices this wonderful man, whom she may never have met if she stayed in that horrible state of mind.  We all have had a Mike in our lives that has hurt us in some deep way. Everybody has their own way of dealing with heartache. Yes, he (Mike) started out as a dochebag, and it ended with him being the same way.  The thing is when you are attracted to someone who may have what you are looking for you go into a state of denial.  He will change, so you tell yourself, and he will love me, I just have to give it time… Let Ellie be an example to anyone who hasn't gone through this. I think the author was trying to show women what not to be like. Showing us that we deserve so much more if we only get out of our own way. We are our own worst enemy! To learn to love yourself and figure out what you want from love and from life. It is so easy to lose yourself in throw of things. Especially with a hot guy that makes you feel so good. Even if it is only for little bits at a time. You become so dependent on getting those little displays of affection each time you see each other. Open our eyes women, and when you do, and are able to truly love yourself, you will find what you are looking for. Sometimes you'll find things you never knew you needed. Maybe you'll find your Jack. Not only was this book about finding love, but finding yourself. Thank you for gifting me this beautiful story about love and self-discovery. This was exactly the sort of book I needed. A book to remind me not to forget to love me first. I had my Ellie moment in life. I have my Jack. I was able to relate to her on such a personal level and that was what drew me in.

About The Author

J M Raphaelle boasts a very successful career in publishing. She was editor-in-chief of the nationally distributed radio and music industry magazine Radio y Música. She later became the Latin Formats editor for the also national radio and music industry magazine Radio & Records, "the bible of radio," until it closed its doors in 2009. J M Raphaelle currently works in the
entertainment industry. The Thing About Love... is her first novel in the contemporary romance genre, a work of fiction inspired by true events of her life. She translated the novel to Spanish, and is available as, A Veces El Amor... She has a B.A. from Columbia College Chicago, is Mexican-American, bilingual, and resides in Southern California. 

The Thing About Love… is available on Amazon, CreateSpace, iBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble or by visiting www.JMRaphaelle.com 

  

Love,

Annie.