Tough Love by Marcie A. Bridges - Review

Tough Love

Janessa knows she should run in the other direction when Brendan enters her life. Her squeaky-clean upbringing is in direct opposition to his piercings, a myriad of tattoos and the rumors that surround him. But she doesn’t run. Love, betrayal and lies become the foundation of their lives, but one heartbreaking confession makes Janessa question everything. After a devastating diagnosis, Janessa’s world crumbles around her. When she can no longer ignore the reality of who Brendan really is, she must choose between those who love her and the only one she has ever loved. Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Smashwords  





My Thoughts: Tough Love caught me by surprise. I was expecting a good girl, bad boy, drama filled romance. While Janessa was a good girl, and Brendan is a bad boy, the issues were not actually what I was expecting to find. There are a lot of tough issues dealt with in this book, especially considering the time frame that it was set in. Things many authors would avoid, Marcie A. Bridges tackles in a brave and moving way.

The characters in this book are very believable. Janessa starts as a 13 year old girl and I love how well Bridges writes about her. She is a typical angst filled little girl, spotting a cute boy and being shy about it all. I even found her progression throughout the relationships to be believable. As a former angst filled teen I could relate with her. I could also see what she was doing wrong, and I kept hoping she would change things.

Brendan is a user. I hope that isn’t a spoiler, but I just felt that he used people for everything; financial, emotional, and physical support. It made him a very unlikable character. Again, though, I found him believable. There are plenty of people like him out there in the world. The secondary characters are great. They had very typical responses, not boring, but definitely what I would expect from them as Janessa and Brendan’s relationship progressed.  

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like I was being told a good friend’s hard past. I felt for Janessa, and even by the end Brendan a little bit. I think that this was a beautifully written story that shows how love can be blind, and that you can overcome your past. I may not have gotten exactly what I was expecting, but I was not disappointed in what I did read. A wonderful first book for budding author, Marcie A. Bridges. 

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Marcie Bridges has always wanted to be a writer, from the time she started keeping a diary in seventh grade. Since then, she has earned a master’s degree in education from Cumberland University while teaching some wonderful children with special needs in Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky.

While she will always bleed scarlet and gray (GO BUCKS!), she now lives south of Cincinnati with her husband and daughter. When Marcie isn’t writing, she can be found reading, watching her favorite TV shows, listening to music, or browsing her favorite websites. Follow Marcie Bridges Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MarcieABridges Twitter: @marcie_ann Blog: http://marcieshrinks.blogspot.com/ Pinterest Personal: http://pinterest.com/mabridges2/ Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/109921896394674548677/posts/p/pub a Rafflecopter giveaway Follow the Book Tour

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.