Thank goodness for this story! I've been in quite the rut lately, not having found anything 'review worthy' in a little while. I found myself kind of depressed and had revisited some of my past favorites to lift my mood. Once again, Amazon came through for me, putting Pulled on my recommendations list. *Thank you Amazon! I've got to admit... The cover is what drew me in first. So classic and beautiful. The title was next.. It suggests something powerful, above control. Add those to the blurb, and I hit "BUY NOW" in a fever, eager to dive in!
**WARNING** While no real info is divulged, this review may be a tad bit spoilerish..... So, where do I begin? What makes this story note-worthy? Well, let's start with EVERYHTING! Hmm... too vague for you? Okay, Okay.. let's just start at the beginning....
The sixth word in the story is 'shit'! Why is that important? Well, I read a lot of YA novels, and as much as I adore them, the truth is... I'm not an adolescent anymore. So, reading a more mature story was really refreshing for me. Pulled revolves around a young woman close to my age. Zombie like, suffering through the day-to-day hell of a loveless marriage. Loveless because when she was still a teenager, her one and only love was ripped away from her. Not only did she lose Daniel at such a tender age, but their unborn child as well. So she's spent the past 9 years living in fear of the abusive bastard Nicholas, whom she married as a way to escape and leave all the pain of her past behind. The catch is, she never left it behind. Scared with the proof that she once bore a child, whom she never got to meet, Melanie could never forget all that she's lost. After all this time, she thought Daniel had moved on, loved another, so she resigned herself to suffer in silence. Little does she know, Daniel never did move on. His heart still belongs to her and he suffers the loss of their child just as greatly as she.
As depressing as all that is, I could kind of relate. Much of the story is told in flashback form. A 27yr old woman remembering the love she found as a teenager. You see, I too was also a teenage mother. I could feel Melanie's pain and fear when faced with the obstacles she and Daniel had in front of them. I remember the terror when trying to tell your father that you've gone and gotten yourself knocked up. Lucky for me, my story didn't have such a tragic ending. I don't know if this is an experience that the author A. L. Jackson had first hand, but one thing's for sure - SHE NAILED IT!
A chance reunion between Melanie and Daniel turns everything upside down. Finally, the chance to right all the wrongs of their past, only one thing stands in their way... the abusive Nicholas who want's what he want's, when he wants it. And what he wants? Melanie. Not to have and hold, but just to HAVE! He'll stop at nothing to keep her down. Infidelity is never looked upon lightly but damn, what choice did she ever really have? Almost as though time is repeating itself, Melanie and Daniel find themselves sneaking around once again to be together.. the way they were always meant to be!
This story touched on so many controversial issues. Teen pregnancy, infidelity, domestic abuse. But while all of those NEED to be addressed, what really stands out is LOVE! 'Pulled' is the most accurate a title there ever was! Melanie and Daniel have the kind of love that never dies. We're talking true soul-mate shit right here! Able to feel each others presence, and always gravitating towards what fate demands to be! The plot thickens oh, so much farther than what I've led on.. but I'll leave you to find all those twists, turns and hurdles. A. L. Jackson played this story like a fine-tuned instrument. She brought it in softly, hit each high and low note, held the crescendo, and wrapped it up flawlessly. Nothing is left to be desired by the time you reach the last page. Thank goodness! I simply would not have been able to sleep until I knew how all the ends were tied. She elaborates when essential and knows just how to get to the gist as to not make the read too 'wordy'. This story ripped my heart right out more than once, and convinced me that I should buy stock in Kleenex. It also warmed me from the inside out! The love-scenes were passionate and fulfilling without being so intimate that you felt trashy or strange for being privy to such intimate exchanges. She has one more story available that I'll be starting on tonight! I don't even know what it's about (that's honesty right there) but after being swept away by Pulled, I'd read an instructional manual that had A. L. Jackson's name on it!
An attraction so great it cannot be denied.
A tragedy so great it rips them apart.
A love so strong it refuses to die.
Will the power that Pulled them back together be enough?
Do your heart a solid, and pick up Pulled today!
And be sure to check out her other available novel 'Take This Regret' ... I know I will!
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What a fabulous review, and I totally agree. I loved Pulled, I couldn't put it down. While I'm not sure about the notion of soulmates, I absolutely believed what Daniel and Melanie were experiencing, and Pulled is the best title there ever was. XX Congrats to AL and thanks Book Snobs for posting this fab review!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback Nicky! I too, am shaky on the soulmates concept, but if it were out there... I think Daniel and Melanie were it! I'm glad you enjoyed my review, and I just hope I did this fabulous piece of work justice :)
Delete--Tyra