Blog Tour: Saying Goodbye by Abigail Drake

 

Today, I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour and giveaway for Saying Goodbye, Parts One and Two (Passports and Promises #1) by Abigail Drake, organised by Xpresso Tours.

Follow the tour here

Sometimes you have to go a long way to find the person you can’t live without..

 

Synopsis

(Part 1) – Samantha Barnes always dreamed of seeing the world, and only has a few months left before she starts a semester abroad in Japan. Enough time to say goodbye to her friends, polish up her language skills, and maybe even squeeze in a quick fling with handsome fraternity boy Dylan Hunter. All she wants from Dylan is something casual, and perhaps some mind-blowing sex, but things don’t work out as planned. Dylan wants a lot more from her than a hook-up. Before Sam realizes what’s happening, their relationship has become serious, something she never intended. And then she discovers Dylan is hiding a dark secret that makes breaking up with him nearly impossible. Sam is running out of time. She has to leave soon. She has no choice. But leaving Dylan could mean more than just the end of their relationship. It could also mean destroying him completely.

(Part 2) – When Samantha Barnes starts her semester abroad in Japan, she brings along a heavy load of emotional baggage. She’d been forced to make some difficult choices, choices that now fill her with guilt and remorse. She also made promises to Dylan she isn’t sure she can keep, especially when she meets Thomas MacGregor, an irresistibly charming Scottish rugby player. Thomas is studying at the same university as Samantha, and, although she tries to fight it, she begins to fall for him…hard. Life in Kyoto is everything Samantha could imagine, but, when tragedy strikes, it sends her on a downward spiral into darkness. Will she be able to come to terms with what happened, and have a future with Thomas, or will she forever be plagued by regret? Forgiveness is a tricky thing, especially when the person you need to forgive most is yourself.

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About the Books

Genre: New Adult, Romance

Details: 221 pages, publication date 10^th September 2016

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/190424-passports-and-promises

To buy Part 1 click here, to buy Part 2 click here

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My Review

Saying Goodbye is a fun, light read that meets all the requirements for a successful romance novel – attractive heroine, handsome love interest and a good sprinkling of sex (spicy without being anatomical). Part one starts of like a typical college romance novel but it soon ventures into more thought-provoking areas that make for a satisfying read. Sam’s interest in Japanese language and culture provides interesting depth to her character and Dylan proves to be more multi-dimensional than at first sight. The dynamics of Sam’s relationship with Dylan engages with issues such as the balance of power within a relationship, fidelity, secrecy and the unintended consequences that can arise from the differing expectations of two people whilst remaining a very entertaining romance story.

The novel is in two parts but the second part could easily be read as a standalone novel. Part one ends at an important and dramatic turning point in Dylan and Sam’s relationship. Part two sees Sam embarking on her period of study in Japan, weighed down by guilt and regret for her previous actions and for what she has left behind.  She throws herself into her studies and soon she can’t help but think of the future and the possibility of sharing it with someone new – ideally someone she is as crazy about as they are about her. Luckily, along comes hunky Thomas MacGregor who not only shares Sam’s interest in Japan but makes no secret about his admiration for her.  Can Sam free herself from the guilt she carries from her relationship with Dylan?  You’ll have to read the book to find out!  I really enjoyed experiencing different aspects of Japanese culture through Sam’s eyes and I found the relationship she strikes up during her visits to the temple gardens very moving.

Romance is not a genre I read very much but Saying Goodbye confounded my expectations by dealing with more weighty issues whilst never being less than a very entertaining story. I think it would be perfect for romance fans looking for something slightly different and I’m really grateful to the author, Abigail Drake, to read the fun books.

My rating: 4 (out of 5)

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Giveaway (US/CAN only) – ends 23^rd February 2017:

• 10x signed copies of Saying Goodbye

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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 About the Author

Abigail Drake has spent her life travelling the world, and collecting stories from wherever she visited. She majored in Japanese and International Economics in college and worked in import/export and as an ESL teacher before she committed herself full time to writing. She writes in several romance genres and her books are quirky, light, fun and sexy. Abigail is a trekkie, a book hoarder, the master of the Nespresso machine, a red wine addict, and the mother of three boys (probably the main reason for her red wine addiction). A puppy named Capone is the most recent addition to her family, and she blogs about him as a way of maintaining what little sanity she has left.

Connect with Abigail:

http://abigaildrake.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14932644.Abigail_Drake

https://www.facebook.com/abigaildrakewriter

https://twitter.com/drakeabigail