Deceptive Cadence - Katie Hamstead (Book Review)

Deceptive Cadence by Katie Hamstead 
Series Cadence #1
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Romance
Publication date: June 30, 2015
Publisher: REUTS Publications, LLC.
Format: ebook, 399 pages
How I got it: YA Bound Book Tours for an honest review
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5
 

Cadence Anderson has the perfect definition of happily ever after . . .

Until she doesn't. A freak earthquake shatters her life as surely as her home, taking away everything she holds dear. She wakes in a hospital to find that her beloved husband and infant daughter have been killed, crushed by the earthquake's wrath. Disoriented, injured, and alone, Cadence refuses to accept the loss. So when a man claiming to be her guardian angel appears and offers her a chance to go back in time to save her family, she doesn't need to give it a second thought. She accepts.

Thrust back eleven years, she now faces the ordeal of high school all over again. But this time, she's armed with all the knowledge of her adult life and the determination to do everything better, from preventing the loss of her best friend to avoiding her original, drama-inducing boyfriends. She's focused solely on Austin, her future husband, and is content to bide her time until she meets him again.

But then James Gordon crosses her path. Cadence wants to remain single, but James has his sights set. He is determined to win her over, and he's very hard to resist. As Cadence starts to develop unwanted feelings for him, she realizes he threatens to disrupt everything, changing the future and distracting her from her original goal. Now, Cadence must choose: deny the unpredictable and exciting path James offers her, or stay true to the life she had and is trying desperately to resurrect. Second chances are more complicated than they seem.

Deceptive Cadence combines the soaring emotion of a heartfelt romance with the innovative storytelling of magical realism, crafting a uniquely moving, intricate tale about love and loss that asks: what would you do if given the chance to right all your wrongs?

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My thoughts:

Have you ever thought about life and wanting to go back and make one change; especially after something tragic? Than this is the book to read! The book starts with Cadence in the hospital and her husband and child has passed away.  She gets a guardian angel to allow her to go back in time and this changes her whole life.

Cadence's whole world starts changing just by making different decisions with her life.  It made me really think about high school again and the relationships with my friends now.  They are completely different from what they were a few years ago and completely different from high school.  It really puts life in perspective if you got a chance to go back and redo everything, what would you do differently? How would you present yourself? Would you make changes in your relationships with family and friends?  Also, what opportunities did you miss? The book opened up so many questions, especially when Cadence looked back each year on the changes she made to get to the point she is at now. 

I loved the character development in the story.  I felt as a reader you really got a feel to what the characters look like and how they interact with one another.  I love the Cadence relationship with James.  The romance and chemistry are undeniable and come through the reader loud and clear.  The work that James put into the relationship and changes that he made in his life show just how much he truly cares about Cadence.

Another relationship that I love is Cadence's Dad, he is so strong and compassionate about his children you can see by his over exaggeration of the situation how much he loves his children and he would do anything for them.  It really shows the importance of family that comes through the entire book.   

Another topic discussed is bullying, which is a big topic today.  I love how the author approached it, she started with James trying to fix it, but eventually elevating it to his parents who than elevated it to the school.  The whole topic of bullying is one that needs more attention to it because it more common than anyone things.  I feel it is important that the author showed the importance of elevating bullying the correct party. 

The book is a quick read since the story moves along in a nice timeline manner.  It sets it up well for the sequel.  The author gives just enough details for the book to keep going on and doesn't feel like it is dragging.  

I suggest reading this book when you have a lot of time on your hands because once you start reading you are going to want to know what happens and there is a squeal, which is a MUST READ right after! 

I was received this from the YA Bound Book Tours for the purpose of providing an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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About the Author

Born and raised in Australia, Katie's early years of day dreaming in the "bush", and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.  After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing.  When her debut novel, Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh, climbed into bestselling status, she believed she was onto something, and now has a slew of novels now available, and is published through Curiosity Quills Press, Soul Mate Publishing, and REUTS Publishing.  Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports, and be a good wife and mother. She now works as an Acquisitions Editor to help support her family. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

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