Review: The Stillness of You by Julie Bale

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
 
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Bale had a huge challenge on her hands, and in the end, I felt that she did a good job of keeping an accurate portrayal of the disorder while making it an entertaining read as well. ~ Under the Covers

There were a couple of reasons why I wanted to read this:

First thing is that Julie Bale is the other pen name of Juliana Stone and as a Canadian author, I definitely wanted to support fellow Canadians. It was also nice to see Bale make the hero, Ben a Canadian and a hockey player.

But perhaps the big reason why I wanted to read this was because the heroine, Georgina has bipolar disorders. Mental illness has always fascinated me and that’s why I did my undergrad in Psychology. This book fit my interests to the tee and I wondered how Bale was going to face the stigma of mental illness and create a heroine that stayed true to the disorder while also making her likeable. Bale had a huge challenge on her hands, and in the end, I felt that she did a good job of keeping an accurate portrayal of the disorder while making it an entertaining read as well.

Bipolar is a hard disorder to give your characters because emotions are so intense and vivid, resulting in manic episodes and depressive states. It’s hard to keep those characteristics there while keeping the attention of readers. I thought Bale did show some good symptoms of the disorder, but I also noticed there was a lot of telling, rather than showing. Most of the hard times have passed for Georgina and she feels as if the worst of the storm has passed and she is recovering, so readers only get what is being shared with Georgina. In the present, we don’t actually see too many of the symptoms of bipolar as G falls in love with Ben.

I also felt that there was a lot of emphasis on the lust aspect than the romance in the beginning. Being flirty and coy is part of the disorder but I didn’t start believing in the romance until more than halfway through the book when Ben remained persisted. The lust in the beginning wasn’t enough until I knew that Ben was there to stay. I loved how unchanging and steady he remained for Georgina. He is definitely what he needed.

I’ll be looking forward to reading THE CHAOS IN ME, the second book in the Beautifully Damaged series to see where Bale takes her stories next.

*Copy provided by author

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Annie

Blogger/Reviewer at Under the Covers Book Blog

I’m an obsessive makeup junkie and a compulsive reader. I like to call Under the Covers Book Blog my stomping ground, but when I’m not talking about books with my girls, I write New Adult Dystopian and Contemporary Romance under the pen name Ana Jolene (http://www.anajolene.com). I also work as a virtual assistant for authors. You also can find me as a reviewer and columnist for FreshFiction.com.

When it comes to books I’m pretty adventurous. I read everything from Paranormal Romance to Urban Fantasy, New Adult, BDSM, LGBT fiction, Cozy Mysteries and even YA. If it’s got the littlest trace of romance in it, then I’ll probably read it. That being said, my all-time favorite authors are J.R. Ward and Karen Marie Moning.

When I’m not submerged in a good book, you can find me musing about makeup and planners or dreaming about Kpop boys and beaches. Until then, check out my reviews and let’s talk books!

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