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Learning to Live (Learning, #1)

 

(Learning, Book 1)

Synopsis:

 

Being alive and living are not always the same.
 
Trudy Love is used to being on her own and has rarely been shown affection. Between growing up in foster care and her abusive boyfriend she has no idea what life can be. At 19 she goes through something no one should ever experience and is left alone once again. Six months later she moves to Mobile, Alabama where she meets someone whose eyes bring back memories of the one person she misses everyday. Too late she finds herself caught in a storm of emotions that are unwanted, but she's determined to fight them off.
 
Jaxon Coleman has a good life, and for him to attend one of the finest Med schools in the country and follow in his dad's foot steps is a dream come true. However, dreams can change in life and when he meets Trudy he knows his will never be the same. Jax knows she has secrets she is unwilling to share, but he's never given up on something he wants and he wants Tru.
 
Can Trudy stop resisting her feelings and welcome the chance to live a different life than she pictured or will her defiance and haunted past eventually take her out of Jax's reach?
 
After tragedy living is not easy, but with the right person it can be learned

 

 

Review by Abby:

 

 

In Learning to Live, we are introduced to Trudy Love, who from a young age has lived a rough life, making it hard to open her heart to love and trust. After experiencing such loss, she began taking steps to gain control over her life. She wanted to finally have the life she had always dreamed of having. While attending college, she meets Jaxon Coleman, who is determined to have Trudy in his life, and she's determined to keep him at bay. 
 
Trudy starts off seeming weak, battered, and broken, but as time goes on, we watch her grow into a strong, independent woman, who won't let any man abuse her. She learns to open up to new friends and develop a relationship with Jaxon's sister Jazz. For the first time, she feels like she is living and is scared it will come to an end.
 
Jaxon is the fun loving, charismatic, determined sweet heart you can't help but to fall for. He loves his family and lives a good life. Jaxon wants Trudy in his life and unlike a lot of the men we read about, doesn't try to win her over by dominance but with love and affection. He shows Trudy kindness and tries to teach her that he will always put her first.
 
This story really touched my heart.
You can't help but connect with Trudy and Jaxon. You feel for Trudy and all she has gone through and hope she finds her happily ever after. You also can't help but to route for Jaxon and pray he can break through Trudy's walls. 
 
This book will capture your heart, break your heart, and put it back together again. It will keep you page-turning and not wanting to stop until you get to the end. I really love this book and the writing style of the author not only makes it easy to connect with the main characters, but the secondary characters as well. 
 
Learning to Live, touches on a lot of real life issues that I really think a lot of people will truly connect with and love as much as I did. The story between Trudy and Jaxon is such a good one that it will leave you with a book hangover. There is so much I want to say about this book but at the same time I really don't want to give any spoilers away. This really is a book you have to read for yourself. I truly can't wait for the next book to come out and will be sitting here on pins and needles until it does. 
 
Thank you so much R.D. Cole for such a great read and putting yourself out there like you did. I hope you continue with your writing and allowing us (the readers) into your world.
 
I give this book 5 stars and highly recommend this book! 
I think I will have this book on my mind for a long time to come!

 

                               

 

 

ARC provided to ABBY in exchange for an honest review, thanks R.D. Cole!

 

 

 

Release Date:

August 30, 2013

 

 

 

REVIEW by Lisa:

 

I don't even know where to begin on explaining just how much I LOVED this book!!!!!!! It was absolutely AMAZING!!!!
 
I Loved Trudy from the very start! She has a past that completely broke my heart. But despite her past, she has turned out to be true leading lady!
 
On her first day of college she makes a nickname for herself, "Tru Ali." The man that gives her the nickname, Jax Coleman! One hot male specimen if you ask me!!! Totally SWOON WORTHY!!!! He's a total sweetheart and puts all jerks in their places! He's also sexy, charming, and goes for what he wants, but isn't a jerk about it!
 
When Jax meets True for the first time, you can tell that there is an instant connection. Tru tries really hard to deny it, because she has goals in place, like finding herself and graduating college, and thinks that a guy will cause her to stray from her goals.
 
After she meets Jax walking to the dorm, she meets the amazingly funny and sassy, Jazz!!! Jazz also has a HUGE love of PINK! lol Jazz is the epitome of a best friend and I LOVE her and her personality!!!!! Jazz teaches Tru that she needs to let go and LIVE!
 
Jazz, Jax and their friends, Mason and David, become a HUGE part of Trudy's life. Having them constantly around and earning her trust, she starts to open up, especially to Jax!
 
"If you've already convinced yourself of reasons why you shouldn't like me, then it's only fair that I get to argue my reasons as to why you should."
 
Like I said, Jax is totally SWOON WORTHY!!!

 

Tru and Jax's relationship progresses and she starts to let go. She lets people in and is finally starting to let herself be happy again.

 

"I haven't had anyone want to take care of me since Ms. Freeman. I just don't want tot be so dependent on someone that I fall face when I'm on my own again."

 

 

This is such an awesome love story! Makes you wish that the book never ended. It's a story about one girl's struggle to find herself and then finding the love of her life and true friends that show her what true love and happiness is all about.

 

 
Don't pass this book up!!!!!!!!! I'm telling you it's ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!
 
I give this book the full 5 stars!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interview:

 

 

I had the great pleasure of interviewing R.D. Cole for her first book, Learning to Live.
 It was such a pleasure to talk with her about this book. I enjoyed this book immensely, and felt honored to have the chance to write not only the review for the book, but the interview as well.
 
What inspired her to write in the first place was wanting to put her story out there. Sharing herself, some of her real life, some fictional. She had gone through a lot in her life and putting it into words was like getting it out of herself. The idea of the story Learning To Live came from life experience  When she was young she to had gone through similar events that Trudy had gone through and through this, a story was born.
 
The characters Trudy and Jaxon came from her past but mixed with her dream. The life Trudy ends up having with the happily ever after, is what she would hope others would have who have gone through similar things. Jaxon is a lot like her husband, sweet and caring and full of love. Her happily ever after.
 
She hopes with this story, the readers can connect to what the characters in the book go through and can relate and at the same time, enjoy a great read and a HEA.
The character Jazz, she would say is like her other side. The goofy, fun loving, rock that you can count on, but have fun with. The best friend you want in your life that you know will always be there. With David, she wanted someone who could be the normal frat guy, the asshole who sleeps around and has fun, but yet is not a bad guy. The character Jamal was fun to write, he was her Diva and she had to have her Diva lol.  Ashton was the typical bitch that you just wanted to claw her eyes out, the mean girl. With Mason, she wanted that sweet guy, the guy everyone loved, the guy with the big heart that cared about everyone and yet was goofy and fun.
 
A lot of the story stems from real life events however, the story is fiction. She wanted to write a story that had the hard life with the happily ever after. This is R.D. Cole's First book and she hopes you enjoy it as much as she enjoyed writing it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Robin and I live in Alabama. I grew up on an army brat and traveled a lot until we finally settled down along the Gulf Coast when I was 4. My husband is 9 years younger so I guess that makes me a COUGAR. I have a 9 yr old little girl who’s blind as well as autistic. My life is not boring with them two in it. Believe me. 
 
I’ve always loved creating and I would constantly draw on my walls. My two hobbies growing up were painting and reading. Writing is something I wanted to do but didn’t think I could, until I woke up at three a.m. a few months back and started.
 
After that, the story took over. Even though some pieces of my life experience are within it, it is Tru and Jax’s story now. I have truly fell in love with this story and hope you all do too.

 

Thank You R.D.Cole!

MY. GOD.

WOW.

 

This story had my heart breaking right from the beginning. Tru has been alone all her life, when she has had people around her, they never really cared. One person in all her 19 years, one person is all she can remember caring about her. After losing the one person that she knew would love her in return Tru goes off to Alabama to make a better life for herself, what she wasnt counting on was meeting someone who would make her life better.

 

Tru has always been a loner, with no money behind her, how does a scared 19 year old earn money to get by? Tru has done some things she is ashamed of but doesn't everybody?

 

When Tru first arrives on campus she is overwelmed by it all, wanting to escape and get to her dorm, she puts her head down and heads for her destination, only to be stopped in her tracks when someone grabs her ass. Tru is a bad ass and lays that guy out, but just as shes going in for the kill a handsome strange sweeps in and 'saves' her. I know I know what you thinking 'Urgh prince charming, now they'll live happily ever after' but just wait. When Tru looks up and meets this strangers eyes she taken back to a place she doesn't like to be, well not infront of this handsome guy. This guy has the most beautiful eyes you can think of, but the thing is, they remind Tru of something she lost that was close to her heart...

 

"I just want you to know that whatever happens in life helps make up who we're meant to be and leads us to people we're meant to meet."

 

When tru finally arrives at her dorm room she is assulted with girly hugs and girly screeching... not something Tru is used to. Meet Jazz Coleman. Jazz is Tru's dorm neighbour and bathroom buddie (don't ask). Jazz turns out to be a very good friend to Tru, something Tru has never had.

 

So anyway the stranger with the beautiful eyes, who we now know as Jax Coleman.. yes you guessed it ;) Tru isnt in Alabama to find a man, or to date, she just wants out of the shitty hand she was dealt. Will Tru find comfort in Jax? Is Jax just a typical frat boy player?

 

Can Tru and Jax truely be happy together? Two complete strangers, from two completly different backgrounds... but are they as different as you think? Jax will do anything to get the attention of the Beautiful, Shy, Timid Tru but she doesn't want his attention.. or does she? How long can Tru fight off her feelings for Jax? Tru maybe all these things but she is also Strong & Passionate ands lets not froget Broken... VERY Broken. Is Jax the guy that can help put all the pieces back together, I for one hope so. I love this couple.

 

When Tru's past comes knocking, I'm not sure whos more scared. Me as the reader or Jax knowing something is wrong but isn't sure what. This is the part of the book i fell completely and utterly in love with Jax Coleman. Let's say he's selfless and got such a big heart, but then we knew that anyway ;)

SJ's Review.

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