Choosing Happy
Samatha Harris
(Madison Square, #2)
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: September 20th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
What it’s about:
Madison Buchanan’s life has imploded…
Her husband left her for his nineteen-year-old intern, leaving her alone and faced with starting over in her forties. With the help of her feisty best friend, Madison reinvents herself, armed with a new look and open to new possibilities.
Sean Taylor is gorgeous, fun, and young—very young…
He hasn’t had the best of luck. Sean’s track record with women is less than stellar, but when he walks into The Den one day, he just can’t help but be captivated by a dark haired beauty with the sad eyes and killer legs. She’s a little older, but he doesn’t discriminate. More than anything, he wants to be the one to make her smile.
Sean personifies the only thing that has eluded Madison all of her life—joy…
It was meant to be a fling, something fun, with no strings and zero drama, but Sean wants something more, and Madison is just not ready. She’s lived by the rules her family, her friends, even her boss have laid out for her, but her new life is not what she expected. Being with Sean opens feelings she never thought she’d experience.
The the demands of her family and her job throw her boring, simple life into chaos, and Sean is no exception…
Madison is left with a choice. Give in to the expectations of the world around her—or choose to follow her heart and be happy.
But choosing happy is so much harder than it seems.
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Review:
☆☆➹⁀☆ 3.5 stars☆➹⁀☆☆
It wasn’t until after I finished the book that I found out that Choosing Happy is the second book in a series. It can easily be enjoyed as a standalone.
Madison is a smart, successful, good -looking woman who should be strong and confident. However, she is anything but that. Her life is ruled by her family, friends, boss, and her ex-husband. Most of these people make her miserable with their expectations and not-so-fabulous advice, but mostly, it is her decision to placate these people and put their expectations ahead of her happiness that makes her unhappy. The shining light of this story is Madison’s growth. It takes the entire book, but she blossoms and decides to live for herself and to choose to be happy.
What does it mean to be happy? For Madison, it is having a career and not sticking with a philandering and patronizing husband. It also means a stylish hairstyle that is the antithesis of everything her mother believes to be feminine. Most of all, choosing to be happy means being with a man who loves and supports you–regardless of his age and regardless of anyone else cattily referring to you as a cougar. Funny thing about that age difference…when the tables are turned, you hear a lot fewer comments about a man dating a woman who is 10-15 years younger.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading a light romance about a mature woman; it was refreshingly different than the usual twenty-something, new adult romances that are popular currently. After all, love and romance don’t end when you turn thirty! The plot is well paced, and the story is told from both Madison and her love-interest’s POV. For the most part, it is a nice, starting-over romance with the little angst provided mostly from Madison undervaluing herself. My one criticism is the extensive descriptions of each outfit Madison wore; I didn’t feel it added much to the story to have a full description of the daily clothing choices. Overall, Choosing Happy is a light, quick read with a nice message about leading a life that makes you happy instead of miserably trying to meet others’ expectations for your life.
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Book 1 in the series:
Author Bio:
Samatha “Sam” Harris lives near Baltimore, Maryland with her husband David and daughter Ava. Born in Florida, she migrated north which most people agree was a little backwards. She has been an artist all of her life, a Tattoo Artist for more than ten years, and a storyteller since she was a kid.
Sam has a slightly unhealthy love for Frank Sinatra, classic movies, and Jazz and Blues music, but her first love will always be reading. From Romance, to Thrillers, to Historical Fiction and everything in between, she loves to become a part of the story. As a writer she tells the stories that she would want to read.
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