Book Hangover Wednesdays -- The Last Summer with Guest Blogger Trisha Robertson

Today's book hangover is...

The Last Summer
by Brandy Bruce

with guest blogger
Trisha Robertson.

GOODREADS | AMAZON

A snippet from the book...

They all exchanged looks around the table. I felt like they were having this private conversation and hoped the conclusion would be that they wanted me. Because there was something special about the people at this table. The way they kidded and joked and touched each other and moved like one breathing organism. The way they did seem like a family. Six people connected to each other. I wanted to be the seventh.
“I have a feeling, Sara Witherspoon,” Addison said, tilting her head to the side and studying me as though she could see all the way to my heart, “you belong too.”
I don’t know how she knew, but she did. Like I said, Addison is the leader. She’s the glue. Once she said those words, all tension melted away, and I was included. If Addison said I belonged, I did. She reminded me of Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind. If Mrs. Wilkes was the cool-headed voice of reason that could settle the chaos around her, Addison was that same strong, trusted constant amid these six friends. Her word was law. And from that day forward, the six people around that table at Isabella’s became like six extensions of myself.
We were a circle. Within a month, Jason asked me to go out to dinner with him. Luke hadn’t shown any romantic interest in me, and there was Jason, with that thick, dark hair and playful personality and handful of tattoos on his olive skin—how could I say no? We started dating. A year after that, we broke up. As much as I truly liked Jason and couldn’t help feeling attracted to him, I hadn’t fallen in love. I couldn’t picture us married and having babies. We were better as friends. I know Jason didn’t agree, but he and I both refused to let our break up damage the circle. Eventually, things between us returned to normal.
During my dating-Jason phase, Sam and Lily got married, which didn’t really change anything since they were already such a unit. I realized early on that Luke and Debra were never an item. I’d mistaken Debra’s warm and friendly demeanor and Luke’s tendency to be protective and kind as the traits of a dating couple, but those endearing qualities of both of them extended to all of us. My crush on Luke diminished as Jason and I dated and then shifted to ‘just friends.’
Sort of.
And somewhere along the way, painfully, Luke and I became best friends

Check out Trisha's review of the book HERE. And her interview with the author HERE.

About Trisha Robertson

Trisha discovered a love of books at a young age. Growing up in Appalachia, stories have always played a central role. As a devourer of historical Christian fiction, Christian Romance, and Cozy Mysteries, she finds joy in sharing the love of the stories she reads with others. She loves her family and spending quiet time with God. When she’s not busy taking care of her family, or at work, you can find Trisha curled up with a hot beverage and a good book, traveling to historic locations, and making new friends. Trisha enjoys connecting with authors and readers alike and aspires to one-day publish her own stories.

​A few questions about the blogger and blogging...

1. How long have you been blogging? I began blogging in February 2017

2. What got you started blogging?
I have been reviewing books for quite a few years actually. Leaving reviews on first Amazon, and then on Goodreads. I started following favorite authors and making connections. I was on the launch team for “Forest Child” by Heather Day Gilbert. She had let us know that she had written a short story in the soon-to-be-released compilation book “Message in a Bottle Romance Collection” and that it was up on NetGalley if anyone was interested. I quickly went to NetGalley and created an account and was approved. This lead me to apply for other books, but often I was not approved, and it was stated that I needed a blog.  After visiting several blogs of friends I’d made from the various review teams, I started my blog Joy Of Reading in February 2017.

3. Who are some new authors you have discovered since you started blogging?
Brandy Vallance, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Laurie Tomlinson, Stephenia H. McGee, Becky Wade, Susanne Dietze, Naomi Rawlings, Karen Barnett, Kate Breslin, Renee, Rawlings, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Heidi Chiavaroli, Pam Hillman, Carly McAdoo, Andrea Boeshar, Brandy Bruce, Angie Dicken, Janell Butler Wojtowicz, Debra E. Marvin,
 
4. What author and/or blog tour group have you been blogging for the longest?
For tour groups: I think it’s been equal. I have joined a tour with LitFuse & Singing Librarian.
For street teams: I didn’t have a blog when I joined Dawn Crandall’s team back in 2014 for her debut release of The Hesitant Heiress. I have remained on Dawn’s team ever since.
Dawn introduced me to Pepper Basham, back before The Thorn Bearer was to release in 2015, and I joined her team at that time, and have remained on Pepper’s team.

5. What is your favorite thing about being a blogger?
If I had to narrow it down to only one thing, It’s the relationships I’ve made with authors and fellow bloggers, as well as knowing that I’ve helped bring a smile to someone’s face. Recently, I came across a fellow bloggers’ post that touched my heart, and I just knew that the author needed to see this review. I was so very happy that I was able to help make the connection between this blogger and the author and to know that so many were touched by her blog. I feel it’s important to build each other up. Not just build up authors, but build up fellow bloggers and even fellow readers. We all have something we can learn from one another.

Follow Trisha here:
GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | BLOG