Eyes Turned Skyward by Rebecca Yarros – a Review

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Description:
Since her sister’s death, twenty-year-old Paisley Donovan, who shares her sister’s heart condition, is treated like delicate glass by her parents. But nothing will stop her from completing her Bucket List—even if it kills her. And it almost does, until Jagger Bateman pulls her from the ocean and breathes more than air into her lungs—he sets her soul on fire.

Jagger is enrolled in the country’s toughest flight school. He’s wickedly hot, reckless, and perfect for a girl looking to live life to the fullest. Except that Paisley is the commanding general’s daughter, and her boyfriend is Jagger’s biggest rival. Now Paisley must decide just how much to risk for a guy who makes her heart pound a little too hard.

They’re flying through dangerous territory—and one wrong move could make them crash and burn…

Review:

To say that Paisley Donovan has been sheltered is an understatement. She’s finally convinced her parents to let her move into an apartment in town with her best friend, Morgan. They both decided that they’d make a quick trip to the Florida coast (they live in Alabama) for a little R & R before classes began for the fall semester. Paisley knew that her parents, and her boyfriend, Will, would never have allowed it, but she has things to do, as she believes that she will meet the same fate as her sister. So, she decides to live life to the fullest. Unfortunately, when Morgan innocently told one of the guys on the beach to get Paisley in the water, the guy had no idea that she couldn’t swim. And what does he do? He threw her off a pier and into the water……………

Jagger Bateman is on a mission. He’s wanted to do nothing but fly an Apache helicopter since he was a child and he’s bound and determined to meet that goal….no matter what and no distractions. As he’s on the beach playing Frisbee with some others, he hears a girl screaming that she can’t swim and sees some dimwit throw her into the water. Jagger jumps in, and after a few terrifying moments, finds Paisley and drags her to shore, only to discover she’s not breathing. He immediately starts CPR and she quickly responded…..in more ways than one.   When Jagger insists that she see a doctor to make sure she’s okay, she reluctantly allows him to drive her to a local clinic where he waits for her. Thankfully, everything checked out and Morgan arrived just as they were leaving the clinic. Paisley and Jagger are immediately attracted to each other, but they both make their excuses. Paisley has Will and Jagger has flight school and neither has any idea how fickle fate truly is……

I can’t really say too much about this one without spoiling it, but what I can tell you is that Eyes Turned Skyward is a truly wonderful story about two tortured souls who fight tooth and nail to be together. And sometimes, they fight each other. Paisley keeps her condition from Jagger and you can truly understand why. He doesn’t treat her like she’s broken. But, she’s not the only one with secrets, and even though Jagger’s isn’t a life threatening secret, it is HUGE! You think you know what the secret is once a particular part of the story unfolds, and then BAM! Oh yeah……… I knew something was coming, I just didn’t expect it to be THAT!! LOL!!

Eyes Turned Skyward is ultimately a story about learning to trust one’s self in order to trust another. This is such a sweet, sweet love story that you will find yourself rooting for Paisley and Jagger and jeering a few of the secondary characters who think they know better. You will root for them, you will swoon, you will most definitely shed a tear (or several) and you will smile. This is the first story by Rebecca Yarros that I’ve read, but it will not be the last. Well done Rebecca Yarros, very very well done.

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher