When Time Stands Still Author Book Tour, Review, and Giveaway

Love comes in many forms. Through the love of a parent, a good friend, or a sibling. It even comes in the form of unrequited love. But the love between two partners can be quite unique and magical and thus is the story of Elle and Luke, two young innocents in When Time Stands Still.

The path to true love and friendship can be a hard one even for those falling in love for the first time. For Elle, growing up in a desolate home with an alcoholic mom and absent father should have set her up to doom and fall. But because of her circumstances, she chose to arise above it all and desired to be something better than her mom will ever be or want her to be. Along the way comes Luke, a guy so sweet and kind that Elle couldn’t help but fall for. Although she had a daunting past, Luke’s kindness and gentleness made it easy for Elle to open her heart up for him.

In Sara Furlong Burr’s contemporary romance, When Time Stands Still is a story of acceptance and forgiveness and fighting for who you really are. Obstacles can get in the way to the path of true and everlasting love and it’s how you overcome those obstacles to come out on top that really matters. For Elle, she never imagined she could be truly loved by anyone. For Luke, love at first sight really was a thing. When they’re both together, it seems that their insurmountable obstacles are nothing compared to how they love each other and support each other. Luke was the impeccable boyfriend that every girl wish they had – smart, handsome, and pure of heart.

My personal review of When Time Stands Still:

In When Time Stands Still, you get the immediate sense that Elle has self doubt and loss of self worth. In a marriage that isn’t quite perfect nor ideal, Elle receives a call about a past boyfriend who desperately needs her help. Does she leave her husband and job for a few days to help out this old boyfriend? She does indeed, and we sort of wonder why she would if she is supposedly happily married and has a good life.

But everything on the surface isn’t always reflected beneath. Elle doesn’t have a husband who is madly in love with her and we get insights of their imperfect marriage. In fact, her husband seems to be quite a jerk. As Elle confronts the ghosts of her past, so does she reflect on her current life with her husband. Not that Elle does anything to jeopardize her marriage or anything, but as the chapters go back and forth between the past and the present, we see how wonderful Luke is and how truly great he is to her and with her. For me, Elle and Luke seemed like the sweet, young couple that every relationship should feel. A love so clean and pure that you can’t help but fall in love with the main characters as well.

Elle’s reflection of her past is truly sad. She had some traumatic events happen upon her – one whom Luke was able to save her from, the other she still had scars hidden deep within her soul and psyche. But the greatest defeat of Elle was her mom. Her mom, who should have helped her rise from the ashes instead constantly pushed her down, belittled her, and made fun of her choice of major in college. It was in college where Elle met Luke, and that saying about love at first sight was described so sweetly between the two. Luke’s steadfast friendship and support helped Elle believe in herself but as with any tragic love story goes, there is always someone or something getting in the way.

In the story, both Elle and Luke have two great best friends. Snarky, funny, but loyal to a fault, Mena and Monroe are their backbones and “devil on the shoulder” if you may. They are big supporters of Elle and Luke’s relationship and only a most dire situation pulls Elle out of all of their lives for good. Thus began the mystery between Elle and Luke’s breakup.

As Elle helps Luke return to his normal life after the near death accident, she realizes that her heart had never let Luke go. She was still unequivocally in love with him and had only lived a half life after their breakup. We find out that Luke never moved on either and the details about Luke’s amnesiac love for Elle and Elle’s struggle to help him without guilt was beautiful to read. While at parts I would have liked to shake Elle awake to make her see that she was truly deserving of Luke and his love, Elle alas, had to discover it on her own. Was it too late for her and Luke? Or will Elle return to the mediocre life she was currently living in? You’ll have to read the story to find out.

Synopsis of When Time Stands Still:

It’s been nearly a decade since Elle Sloan last saw Luke Hutchins. Close to ten years since she broke up with him over a single phone call, providing him with little explanation. Since the end of their relationship, Elle has done everything she could do to move on, marrying, proceeding forward with her life, almost allowing herself to completely forget about Luke.

Almost.

Out of nowhere, Elle receives a phone call from Luke’s mother. Luke has been in a horrific car accident and, a month later, has just awoken from a coma. However, instead of celebrating, his family is stunned to learn that Luke is suffering from amnesia and only remembers his life as it was before his breakup with Elle. Not wanting to tell Luke that he and Elle aren’t together anymore for fear it may compromise his recovery, Elle is asked by Luke’s family to come to the hospital to see him. Their hope is that she will slowly be able to jog his memory and cushion the blow.

Guilt-ridden over how their relationship ended, Elle readily agrees, finding herself transported back in time with Luke to the life they once shared and the future they could have had together.

Author’s Bio:

Sara Furlong Burr was born and raised in Michigan and currently still lives there with her husband, two daughters, a high-strung Lab, and three judgmental cats. When she’s not writing, Sara enjoys reading, camping, spending time with her family, and attempting to paint while consuming more amaretto sours than she cares to admit.

When Time Stands Still is a contemporary romance novel by author Sara Furlong Burr and can be purchased on Amazon. Blog tour dates run from August 13-17 with further info found on the Xpresso Book Tours website: http://xpressobooktours.com/2018/05/24/tour-sign-up-when-time-stands-still-by-sara-furlong-burr/

Author links:

https://www.facebook.com/EnigmaBlackKindle

https://twitter.com/sarafurlong

http://sarafurlongburr.blogspot.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590097.Sara_Furlong_Burr

Be sure to also enter in the giveaway for a signed copy of When Time Stands Still and a $20 Amazon Gift Card here:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251232581/

You can also purchase When Time Stands Still on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/When-Time-Stands-Still-Furlong-Burr-ebook/dp/B07CW9RF3T/

*Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and Sara Furlong Burr for the ARC and tour opportunity.

Disclaimer: The product(s)were sent to the author for review by the manufacturer/PR. All reviews on “Happymomblogger” remain unbiased and unpaid and are the sole decision of the author. The opinions of these product(s) were not influenced in any way, shape, or form. As always, please read the ingredients carefully when trying new products.

Please read the labels and ingredients carefully and follow all manufacturer’s instructions (if any). The products selected for the giveaway were generously donated by the companies/PR to help readers learn more about their products. The winner’s choice in using/consuming these products are entirely up to the winner and will not hold the author and her family liable nor the companies/PR liable. These products are made with non-toxic ingredients but always be safe with what you use and consume.

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