![]() My name is Ally Prince and I've always been unlucky in love. I don’t know why, I just always… have. When all of my best friends were falling for their soul mates in College, I was left behind. I was Ally, the pretty cousin of superstar quarterback, Romeo Prince. I was Ally, the best friend to the most amazing group of girls I've ever known—a title I loved, but one I became tired of 'just' being. And I was Ally, the one on which they could all rely. But to me, I was Ally, the girl with the heart no one had claimed... And I was, Ally, the girl, who underneath it all, was heart-breakingly lonely. I LOVE love; the thought of it, the nervous excitement of falling for Mr. Right, the desire of someone becoming my entire world... of me becoming theirs. I’ve always wanted passion, heart-stopping, epic, life-changing romance... I’ve always wanted the fairytale… I’ve always wanted it all. It just never seemed like I would get it. For the past few years I've thrown myself into my career as a museum curator. I’m the best of the best, the person every museum wants to hire, so when an opportunity came up to move to Seattle, I jumped at the chance. My cousin and my best friend lived in Seattle and I needed a change. I needed a new beginning. I wasn't expecting to meet anyone in the Emerald City. I wasn't expecting to work closely with the reclusive new sculptor my all-important gallery design was centered around. And I certainly wasn't expecting to fall for him... heart-stopping, epic, life-changing love... My real life fairytale come true. But, like in every fairytale, there’s a villain, a dark and tortured soul... I just didn't know that the villain and the hero in my story would end up being one and the same. New Adult Romance Novel—contains adult content, sexual situations and mature topics. Suited for ages 18 and up Review by Amanda ![]() Sweet Hope is the fourth and final book in the Sweet Home Series. Please take note that Sweet Hope is not a standalone and Sweet Fall (Sweet Home #3) needs to be read before you can read Sweet Hope. This is the story of Ally and Elpidio and what an emotional journey it is. The secret identity of Elpidio is revealed early on in the book, however, as per Tillie's request I have kept it a secret for early review purposes. Ally is currently an art curator who is trying to make a name for herself in the art world. In an attempt to distance herself from the well known Prince name, in the business world, she goes by Aliyana Lucia. Ally has felt a kinship to an artist named Elpidio since the moment she was first introduced to his work. However, he is a recluse - he doesn't do showings, and honestly not much is known about him. However, her fortune is about to change as Elpidio's mentor convinces him that a showcase of his artwork should happen and that Ally should be the curator of the exhibit. Elpidio, much to the surprise of his mentor, quickly agrees and the plans are set in motion for his first showing in Seattle. Ally knows that in order for this exhibit to be a success the floor plan of the sculptures needs to be perfect, and she works countless hours to make sure that the pieces are showcased to perfection. As she works into the night, she soon discovers that Elpidio comes to the gallery in order to inspect the pieces and just take everything. Their initial meeting is a bust and Elpidio makes a hasty exit. However, persistance is Ally's middle name and she makes sure there are further encounters between the two of them. Ally is wildly attracted to Elpidio and she can sense that he feels the same way about her. They try to maintain a friendship, but as the two open up to each other about themselves the lines are soon blurred and crossed. A passionate relationship develops between the two, however soon all the secrets are brought to the forefront with devastating results. Will they be strong enough to survive the past? Will the secrets they have harbored tear them apart? Is love ever really enough? When I saw Sweet Hope pop up on my Kindle, I literally dropped everything I was doing and secluded myself for hours so that I could enjoy the masterpiece that Tillie Cole's genius author skills had created. Tillie is one of those authors (and they are few and far between) that when she puts out a book, I don't need to read the synopsis to know that I NEED to read it. I have loved everything she has put out, but the Sweet Home Series is my personal favorite. Sweet Hope is the perfect ending to a magnificent series, and for me Tillie absolutely outdid herself on this one. I was absolutely blown away. Ally is still as strong willed and charming as when we first met her in Sweet Home (Sweet Home #1). She is driven in her new profession and has already established a name for herself in the art world. Although, her life is full - Ally is lonely. All of her friends have settled down and are planning to extend their families, while Ally has been solely focused on the success on her career. I loved the fact that Ally was this successful career woman, she was not a pushover but she still was a woman. Sometimes when characters are written as succesful business people they can come across as quite smarmy and shark like, there was none of that in this amazing character. Ally still has the heart of gold and is still someone that puts family and friends first. I loved watching her soften though throughout the book as things developed with Elpidio. You could really feel the incredible connection between these two with the magical web of words that Tillie Cole weaved. Elpidio, my poor broken, Elpidio. Sigh. I cannot express how much I love him. He is broken, tragic, dark and tortured. The emotions seeping out of him literally coloured my soul as I read this book. I felt his pain in my bones and I wished that I could have climbed into the book to comfort him. There were so many facets to his character, he was more than 3 dimensional - he was like an actual living, breathing person. Tillie writes these broken hero's so beautifully that it is impossible not to fall in love with them. As the story progressed, we understood more and more why he became so introverted - although we know that he shoulders a lot of the responsibility of his past (as he rightly should), he is still being made to pay even whilst he is trying to do the right things. His other relationships with the people closest to him, really gutted me. I think what made it so emotional to read is that you could completely understand each character's reasoning - and although you loved Elpidio, you knew why those nearest and dearest to him did not trust him. What a beautiful hero Tillie Cole. I just do not have the superlatives to do justice to this amazing character you have written. We are also reunited with our old friends Rome and Molly, Austin and Lexi, Levi (the youngest Carillo) and of course Cassie and Jimmy-Don. I loved that Tillie bought them all back for this last hurrah and gave us the closure we needed to see where their lives had taken them. It really made the story and the series complete for me. The book is told in the dual view points of Ally and Elpidio and it works very well. I always like to get an insight into the characters heads and what they are thinking, it completes the book for me. Tillie Cole does this masterfully and with ease. The book also switches between the past and the present - however the transitions are seamless and the story line is very easy to follow. Sweet Hope gets 5 RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING MAGNIFICENT stars from me. Tillie Cole, this book has surpassed anything I could have possibly imagined - it made me laugh, cry and cry some more. I felt as if my poor heart could not take much more of what you put it through. This is an epic tale of life, love, family and friendship. A must read of 2015 and definitely my favorite book of the year so far. I am gutted to have to say goodbye to these beautiful characters that I have grown to love and adore, but I really could not have wished for a better way for the series to end. Meet Tillie Cole ![]() 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 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. Having been born and raised as a Teesside Smoggie, Tillie, at age nineteen, moved thirty miles north to the 'Toon', Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, where she attended University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts honours degree in Religious Studies. She returned two years later to complete a Post-Graduate Certificate in Teaching High School Social Studies. She regards Newcastle to be a home from home and enjoyed the Newcastle Geordie way of life for seven 'proper mint', 'lush' years. Tillie, from a very young age has been part of the theatre community and loves nothing more than to entertain through the mediums of cheerleading, dance, drama and singing (sometimes in the rain). She can also be found in nightclubs around the world imitating her favourite artists alongside her crazy BFF's - The Teesside Massive - or, sat on the front row at the theatre bopping along to her favourite musical, 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show ', clad in a only a maids outfit, clutching a bag of rice and sporting a vibrant shade of red lipstick. One summers day, after finishing reading her thousandth book on Kindle, Tillie turned to her husband and declared, "D'you know, I have a great idea for a story. I could write a book." Several months later, repeating the same tired line, she was scolded by her husband to shut up talking about writing a novel and 'just bloody do it!' Immediately she set off on a crazy journey, delving deep into her fertile imagination. Tillie, ever since, has written from the heart. She combines her passion for anything camp and glittery with her love of humour and dark brooding men (most often muscled and tattooed - they're her weakness!). After years of teaching high school Social Studies and following her Professional Rugby Player husband around Europe, they have settled in Calgary, Alberta where Tillie spends most of her days (and many a late night) lost in a writing euphoria or in her dream of pursuing a dazzling career as a barrel-racing, tasselled-chap, Stetson-wearing cowgirl... Ye-haw! website http://www.tilliecole.com twitter username tillie_cole facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tilliecoleauthor?fref=ts
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