Book Description:
Tara has made a promise.
A promise to wait six months for Riley to come home from his tour of duty, so they can be together.
But as secrets and lies are uncovered, it leads Tara to question their commitment, and she is finding it difficult to keep that promise.
The distance between them is growing, and only one person can fill the void, Tara’s best friend Cole.
As Cole tries to support Tara, he is struggling with demons of his own, that threaten to tear him away from the life he has built for himself.
After devastating news is received, who will be there to pick up the pieces?
Our Review:
**ARC received for honest review**
Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 Stars
“Yes, there are two paths you can go by,
but in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on.” Stairway to Heaven – Led Zepplin
This is going to have to be a short but sweet review. It would be a travesty to say too much and spoil it, but this one certainly runs you through a gamut of emotions. I have always been #teamRiley and although I totally and utterly adore him, after reading this book my allegiances are wavering. This by no way means I think any less of Riley but after seeing the friendship blossom between Tara and Cole even I have to admit they may just be the “better fit.” Arggggggghhhhhhhhhh I can’t believe I just typed that…I must erase that sentence…I must, I must, I must…
Songbird Caged starts off where Songbird finished. Riley is absent for this entire book as he is in the army. This leaves Tara with a lot of time on her hands to reflect and also be lonely. Tara has always valued her friendship with Cole, none more so than now and when life throws shit at you, it is your friends that you need and in Riley’s absence, that falls to Cole.
It was great to see more of Cole and by see more, I mean “the real Cole,” there is a lot more there than meets the eye and Tara and Cole have a lot more in common than I ever thought. I do feel that they are incredibly well suited, Cole has made it blatantly obvious that he will do whatever he can to ensure that he and Tara become one, but he also respects the promise that Tara made to Riley, even if he doesn’t agree with it. As much as it pains me to say this, I do think they are soul mates, they have this undeniable connection that Tara will never have with Riley. It makes you question everything you read and believed in Songbird.
“I saw you two together tonight; I mean really saw you together, for the first time. You are so alike in so many ways, it’s scary. You finish each other’s sentences, you laugh at the same silly jokes that aren’t really funny…” – Kelli
Tara promised to wait the six months for Riley, but it is during his absence that Tara starts to analyse everything, they are so different but she can’t deny the chemistry that they have, but is that all it is? Things happen and with Riley stuck in some war torn country there is not a lot he can do about it, Tara makes decisions without him that he doesn’t necessarily agree with, but Tara wants to move on, she needs something to occupy her time. I did think that Riley was a bit old fashioned in some ways, especially about the man being the provider but he needs to get over that and let Tara do something for herself. However, the way that Tara handled it did have me angry and I felt so sorry for Riley being stuck where he was and not being able to be there for her when he obviously wanted to.
This is one of those love triangles where I am at the stage that I don’t really mind who she ends up with. It is funny as usually you have a clear front runner in your head, but both of these guys are really nice guys, so you can’t actually hate one. I am now more believing of “lust” with Riley and “love” with Cole, but whether Tara will actually see that I don’t know. I really am torn and that is certainly a novelty.
There is one particular moment that I could have killed Cole, sometimes the “douche” stills comes to the surface at the most inopportune moment. I could see why, but what he did was so uncalled for. I didn’t think he could come back from that but Lisa managed to persuade me, again!
So, I am on the fence, it is painful (they have spikes you know!) As much as I want her to be with Riley, I can’t deny that she should be with Cole. However, if that is the way the story goes in Songbird Freed, then Riley better get a happy ever after. My biggest torment is that Riley truly believes that he has found his soul mate in Tara, he loves her totally and unconditionally and I really don’t want to see him get hurt, to the point where I wished death upon him. Thinking about it though, I wonder if Lisa can write ménage?
Oh one more thing…#teamPops! So freakin adorable and so cheeky, I love him! The video…gahhhhhh the video!
“Cole, for goodness sake, tell her how you feel before it’s too late.”
“You came to see me…told me you had met someone special…your eyes met, and you felt like you couldn’t breathe, but you’d also never felt so alive.”
“live your life with Cole, and make every second count.”
A fab instalment to what is becoming an amazing trilogy, I cannot wait for book 3 and I really truly need it now! I can’t wait to see what way this is going to go, I just know that the rest of the journey is going to kill me.
but in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on.” Stairway to Heaven – Led Zepplin
This is going to have to be a short but sweet review. It would be a travesty to say too much and spoil it, but this one certainly runs you through a gamut of emotions. I have always been #teamRiley and although I totally and utterly adore him, after reading this book my allegiances are wavering. This by no way means I think any less of Riley but after seeing the friendship blossom between Tara and Cole even I have to admit they may just be the “better fit.” Arggggggghhhhhhhhhh I can’t believe I just typed that…I must erase that sentence…I must, I must, I must…
Songbird Caged starts off where Songbird finished. Riley is absent for this entire book as he is in the army. This leaves Tara with a lot of time on her hands to reflect and also be lonely. Tara has always valued her friendship with Cole, none more so than now and when life throws shit at you, it is your friends that you need and in Riley’s absence, that falls to Cole.
It was great to see more of Cole and by see more, I mean “the real Cole,” there is a lot more there than meets the eye and Tara and Cole have a lot more in common than I ever thought. I do feel that they are incredibly well suited, Cole has made it blatantly obvious that he will do whatever he can to ensure that he and Tara become one, but he also respects the promise that Tara made to Riley, even if he doesn’t agree with it. As much as it pains me to say this, I do think they are soul mates, they have this undeniable connection that Tara will never have with Riley. It makes you question everything you read and believed in Songbird.
“I saw you two together tonight; I mean really saw you together, for the first time. You are so alike in so many ways, it’s scary. You finish each other’s sentences, you laugh at the same silly jokes that aren’t really funny…” – Kelli
Tara promised to wait the six months for Riley, but it is during his absence that Tara starts to analyse everything, they are so different but she can’t deny the chemistry that they have, but is that all it is? Things happen and with Riley stuck in some war torn country there is not a lot he can do about it, Tara makes decisions without him that he doesn’t necessarily agree with, but Tara wants to move on, she needs something to occupy her time. I did think that Riley was a bit old fashioned in some ways, especially about the man being the provider but he needs to get over that and let Tara do something for herself. However, the way that Tara handled it did have me angry and I felt so sorry for Riley being stuck where he was and not being able to be there for her when he obviously wanted to.
This is one of those love triangles where I am at the stage that I don’t really mind who she ends up with. It is funny as usually you have a clear front runner in your head, but both of these guys are really nice guys, so you can’t actually hate one. I am now more believing of “lust” with Riley and “love” with Cole, but whether Tara will actually see that I don’t know. I really am torn and that is certainly a novelty.
There is one particular moment that I could have killed Cole, sometimes the “douche” stills comes to the surface at the most inopportune moment. I could see why, but what he did was so uncalled for. I didn’t think he could come back from that but Lisa managed to persuade me, again!
So, I am on the fence, it is painful (they have spikes you know!) As much as I want her to be with Riley, I can’t deny that she should be with Cole. However, if that is the way the story goes in Songbird Freed, then Riley better get a happy ever after. My biggest torment is that Riley truly believes that he has found his soul mate in Tara, he loves her totally and unconditionally and I really don’t want to see him get hurt, to the point where I wished death upon him. Thinking about it though, I wonder if Lisa can write ménage?
Oh one more thing…#teamPops! So freakin adorable and so cheeky, I love him! The video…gahhhhhh the video!
“Cole, for goodness sake, tell her how you feel before it’s too late.”
“You came to see me…told me you had met someone special…your eyes met, and you felt like you couldn’t breathe, but you’d also never felt so alive.”
“live your life with Cole, and make every second count.”
A fab instalment to what is becoming an amazing trilogy, I cannot wait for book 3 and I really truly need it now! I can’t wait to see what way this is going to go, I just know that the rest of the journey is going to kill me.
Buy Links:
Excerpt:
“I’d like to take you out.”
I looked at Cole, slightly amused. “We go out all the time.”
“No, we go to your place, we come here. We go to the gym, for a run on the beach, or we go to Songbirds. We don’t go out.”
We were sitting on Cole’s couch in his apartment, looking at light fittings for Reds on the Internet.
He was wringing his hands. “Would you like to go out with me?” he asked.
I frowned. “What, like on a date?”
“If that’s what you want to call it. I don’t know, I’ve never been on a date. But if going out to dinner and then a club together is a date, then sure, let’s call it a date.”
I looked at him warily. “You do know I’m engaged, right? You haven’t forgotten?”
He shrugged. “In theory. But there’s no harm in letting me take you out. I mean, officially take you out—on a date.”
I had to think about this for a minute. Was it asking for trouble to let him believe we could actually date when I had made a commitment to Riley?
“You know, even if you pay for dinner, I’m not going to sleep with you,” I said with a smile.
“So what’s the point of paying for dinner, then?” he asked cheekily. He took hold of my hands in his. “I wouldn’t expect you to sleep with anyone on a first date. You’re not that kind of girl.”
I exhaled slowly, weighing up how to respond. “Okay, we can go out on three conditions.”
He nodded.
“Firstly, we need to have other people there, so maybe Marcus and Nicole can come with us.”
“Like a double date,” he said, teasingly.
I chuckled, and shook my head. “Secondly, you have to stop calling it a date.”
He grinned at me cheekily.
“Thirdly, you have to wear your Calvin Klein jeans, the ones that fit your butt really well.”
Songbird, book 1
Book Description:
Every relationship changes you, some for the better, others can shatter your confidence and almost destroy you.
For the musically talented, twenty-four year old Tara O’Connell, her relationship with Stephen almost broke her, until Tara found the strength to leave.
Now she is on the road to discovering that it is never too late to pursue your dreams and follow your heart.
As Tara’s self-belief grows, she meets two men she is instantly drawn to who will change her life forever.
Corporal Riley Hammond is a soldier in the Australian Military Special Forces. With his smiling sapphire blue eyes, Tara falls for him instantly. He is thoughtful and caring, and gives her the support and love she needs.
While Cole Michaels is the overconfident singer in a popular local band. His charisma, emerald green eyes, tattoos and piercing, have girls falling at his feet. But while Cole pushes
Tara’s buttons, he also pushes her to reach for the stars.
Both men couldn’t be more polar opposites, but both offer Tara different qualities that she needs to fulfill her destiny.
As Tara continues her journey, she will discover fate can offer you more than one path. Her fate is in her own hands, and the choices she makes, will shape her life forever.
For the musically talented, twenty-four year old Tara O’Connell, her relationship with Stephen almost broke her, until Tara found the strength to leave.
Now she is on the road to discovering that it is never too late to pursue your dreams and follow your heart.
As Tara’s self-belief grows, she meets two men she is instantly drawn to who will change her life forever.
Corporal Riley Hammond is a soldier in the Australian Military Special Forces. With his smiling sapphire blue eyes, Tara falls for him instantly. He is thoughtful and caring, and gives her the support and love she needs.
While Cole Michaels is the overconfident singer in a popular local band. His charisma, emerald green eyes, tattoos and piercing, have girls falling at his feet. But while Cole pushes
Tara’s buttons, he also pushes her to reach for the stars.
Both men couldn’t be more polar opposites, but both offer Tara different qualities that she needs to fulfill her destiny.
As Tara continues her journey, she will discover fate can offer you more than one path. Her fate is in her own hands, and the choices she makes, will shape her life forever.
Buy Links:
For a limited time, purchase Songbird for only $0.99!
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About the Author:
While Lisa Edward has called Melbourne Australia home for her entire life, she has lived and worked in England, and travelled through most parts of Europe and the United States. She loves nothing more than spending time with her husband and beautiful daughter, or curling up into the early hours of the morning with a great novel. By day, Lisa works in the analytical IT field, so relishes the opportunity to foster her creative side through writing. Her deep appreciation for literature was nurtured from a young age, being taught to respect books and get lost in their stories. She enjoys reading honest and realistic novels that are relatable, thought provoking and leave a lasting impression. She can’t write without music playing, using the emotions from different songs to invoke that of her characters. Lisa takes inspiration from her own life experiences, the people around her and those she has met in her travels. 
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