Thursday 17 December 2015

Review - Sweet Soul by Tillie Cole


Title: Sweet Soul
Series: Sweet Home #4; Carillo Boys #3
Author: Tillie Cole
Release Date: December 15, 2015


One shy lost soul.
One silent lonely heart.
One love to save them both.

Life has never been easy for twenty-year-old Levi Carillo. The youngest of the Carillo boys, Levi is nothing like his older brothers. He isn’t dark in looks or intimidating to everyone he meets. In fact, he’s quite the opposite. Haunted by a crippling shyness and the tragic events of his past, Levi spends his days with his head buried in his books, or training hard for his college football team. Too timid to talk to girls, Levi stays as far away as possible and completely on his own… until he saves the life of a troubled pretty blonde, a troubled pretty blonde that might just be the exception to his rule.

Elsie Hall is homeless. Or at least that’s all anyone ever sees. Everyday is a fight for survival on the cold streets of Seattle, everyday a struggle to find food and keep warm. Alone in life—a life that’s dangerous and cruel—her will to keep going is an ever-losing battle. In her world of silence, Elsie has given up hope that her life will contain anything but constant struggle and pain… until the beautiful boy she has severely wronged comes to her rescue at precisely the right time.

New Adult novel—contains sexual situations and mature topics. Suited for ages 18 and up.






Bravo, Tillie Cole, just BRAVO!!! When I saw this book on my tablet I could not wait to get home to read it. Oh, who am I kidding?! I started reading at work—I "accidentally" took a two hour lunch, and I'm not sorry about it. Now, with that said, I can't even begin to describe to you how much I fucking loved Levi and Elsie's story! They were the perfect "Hero & Leander" with a happy ending!!!

Tillie Cole, you had me crying with them as they opened up to each other about their loss, fears and secrets! I laughed at their silliness and shyness with each other. I swooned when they showed their true selves with one another without worries that they would be judged! And I fell in love with them as they fell in love with each other! 

At a young age Levi lost the greatest love of his life, and due to that great loss he closed himself off to everyone, even his brothers. Even though he's in college and a popular football player, he is so unlike his peers in regards to partying and getting laid daily. My sweet Levi is shy, reserved, sweet, kind and has such a soul of gold that I was hoping he'd find his princess! And like anything in life that is unpredictable, he finds his princess in the most unexpected way.

Oh, my sweet lovely Elsie! From the first moment I met her (in the men's locker room) I knew there was a BIG story behind her, and my goodness, was I blown away by everything she had gone through in her young life! Elsie's story had me wanting to hug her to death and hunt down the people that had hurt her. 

Levi and Elsie were just utterly perfect for each other in every way you could think about. Their past experiences instantaneously helped them connect with one another in ways they could never connect to anyone else. To see them bond like they did and love like they did was such a beautiful gift. I loved Levi's family, and how they came to care for Elsie, to treat her like a family member despite her insecurities.

This truly was a beautiful love story of two lost souls that found each other, fought for each other and showed the world that true love is stronger than anything out there. It also helped me to see that what I say can and will affect those that have insecurities. What a beautiful ending to the Carillo Boys stories! Maybe, just maybe, Ms. Cole will grace us with a novella on how the Carillo Clan is doing. 

In my opinion, this story deserves 10 stars.

Favorite quotes: 

"I listed the things that he’d brought into my life: safety, happiness and peace. But the best part of all, was that he’d brought me that rainbow after the storm…… he’d brought for me the moon. And I’d brought him the shine."

"And live we both would. One shy lost soul had found one silent lonely heart. We were both no longer lonely. We were both no longer lost. We were found. And we were blessed."

"Just like our little homemade firefly jar that still sat on our window’s ledge, our light would never fade out. And because we had each other, we would never ever drown."
~ Review by Kara




Amazon and USA Today Best Selling Author, Tillie Cole, is a Northern girl through and through. She originates from a place called Teesside on that little but awesomely sunny (okay, I exaggerate) Isle called Great Britain. She was brought up surrounded by her English rose mother -- a farmer's daughter, her crazy Scottish father, a savagely sarcastic sister and a multitude of rescue animals and horses. 

Being a scary blend of Scottish and English, Tillie embraces both cultures; her English heritage through her love of HP sauce and freshly made Yorkshire Puddings, and her Scottish which is mostly demonstrated by her frighteningly foul-mouthed episodes of pure rage and her much loved dirty jokes.

After six years of teaching high school Social Studies and following her Professional Rugby Player husband around Europe, they have finally given up their nomadic way of life and settled in Calgary, Alberta where Tillie spends most of her days (and many a late night) lost in a writing euphoria or pursuing a dazzling career as a barrel-racing, tasselled-chap wearing, Stetson-sporting cowgirl... Ye-haw!



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