Series: The Coincidence #2
Published by Forever on July 30, 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Pages: 416
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden comes an emotional new story about two troubled souls sharing one all-encompassing love . . . THE REDEMPTION OF CALLIE & KAYDEN The dark secret Kayden has kept hidden for years is finally out. Worse, he's facing charges for battery. The only way to clear his name is for Callie to speak up-something he'll never ask her to do. Instead, he'll do whatever he must to protect her . . . even if it means letting go of the only girl he's ever loved. Callie knows Kayden is going back to his dark place and desperately wants to save him. But that means facing her greatest fear and admitting her own painful secrets aloud. The thought of breaking her silence terrifies her-but not as much as the thought of losing Kayden forever. Deep in her heart, Callie knows the time has come for her and Kayden to forget the pain of the past. With the help of her friends Seth and Luke she makes a plan to show Kayden the life they could have. But can she convince him they can make a fresh start together-or is she already too late?
***Caution–Mild Spoilers for The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden***
My Thoughts: After the first book, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (my review, Goodreads, Amazon) , ended on a such major cliffhanger, I just had to know the rest of the story. Luckily for me, the second book, The Redemption of Callie and Kayden, was already out in e-book, so I was able to immediately go to Amazon and buy a copy for my Kindle. Within minutes I was picking up right where the first book’s audio left off.
Kayden is in the hospital after being stabbed by his father during their biggest fight yet. Since Callie found Kayden unresponsive and bleeding out on the floor all alone, his alcoholic and enabling mother took that opportunity to turn the story around and make it seem like Kayden had tried to kill himself. Not wanting to make the family look bad and used to keeping quiet about the abuse that he’s suffered for years at the hands of his father, Kayden winds up in a treatment facility while he heals and undergoes evaluation. While he’s locked away, Callie and Luke aren’t allowed to see Kayden. Callie blames herself for not being able to help Kayden more, but Luke and Seth are there for her in so many ways, and it made me smile while reading how supportive they were of Callie during this difficult time.
Finally Kayden is released from the center, and he has to decide where he will stay to recover further. It’s here that the story picks up, and Callie and Kayden really dig deep into their relationship, whether Kayden wants to reveal that much about himself or not. Seth and Luke are along for the ride, lending their unique brand of support and advice.
I really liked a lot about this book. The best friends are even more supportive and interesting in this second installment, and you get a deeper look into the lives of the best friends. Seth’s life certainly isn’t as rosy as it may appear, and their is a definite reason that he’s chosen to spend his Christmas break with Callie and her family instead of his own. Luke has a pretty dark past of his own that is hinted at a bit in the first book, but you get an unfiltered look at exactly how bad his home life was when they all go home for the break. It was nice to see what Callie’s parents are like, and I found it refreshing how they reacted to learning the truth about what happened to Callie when she was twelve and why she’s subsequently been withdrawn all these years.
While I loved much of this book and there wasn’t a nasty cliffhanger at the end like with the first one in the series, there were a lot of questions that were left unresolved. One of the big ones that are left hanging could be in the next book featuring Kayden’s best friend Luke and Callie’s roommate Violet, but there’s also the gaping hole of what happened to Kayden’s parents and Caleb. Hopefully, the author wraps up the series nicely and answers all of these questions.
I give The Redemption of Callie and Kayden a four out of five. Good character development with strong leads, especially secondary characters that really shine. It was a bit slow moving in places, but the narrative and dialogue were completely engaging throughout. I was a little worried about reading this installment since I listened to the audiobook for the first book, but I don’t think that the change in format altered my enjoyment. I’m looking forward to Luke’s novel that comes out in January 2014. Hopefully I’ll get the answers to most of the questions that linger after this book.
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I really want to read this book!! =D
Frannie Panglossa recently posted..NetGalley Reviews: “Endless” di Amanda Gray + “The summer I found you” di Jolene Perry
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The Redemption of Callie and Kayden was a great read. I hope you can read it soon, Frannie!
Heather recently posted..Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost
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Dang. Sounds like Kayden needs to get away from that family of his before they actually kill him, not just come close. If my father stabbed me and mom tried to cover it up, I don’t think I’d be agreeable to just letting it lie. I’d be headed straight to the police!
Mary @ BookSwarm recently posted..Tour, Review and Giveaway: BLACK ARTS by Faith Hunter
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I totally agree that Kayden needs to get away from his family, and something like that does happen in The Redemption of Callie and Kayden, but not in the way that I thought it would.
Heather recently posted..Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost
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I liked the first book, but definitely not as much as I was hoping I would. I’m glad to hear this one doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, even if there are a few unresolved questions. I hope you enjoy Luke’s book! 🙂
Sam @ Realm of Fiction recently posted..Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
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I was glad that The Redemption of Callie and Kayden didn’t really have a cliffhanger too, Sam. But I was definitely frustrated with the lack of answers to a lot of important questions. Hopefully those will be answered in Luke’s book since his sister’s story is now wrapped up in Callie’s.
Heather recently posted..Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost
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