Blog Tour: Defining Destiny by Deanna Chase

Released On: February 19, 2014

Defining Destiny

by Deanna Chase

4 stars

I jumped into conclusions when I first read the synopsis for DEFINING DESTINY . It mentioned the heroine's dad dying and the hero being involved in an accident, I thought, "oh he was involved in the accident that killed her dad!" LOL! Thought it would be a cliche, angst-ridden story... but I chose to review it anyway because I thought I might be proven wrong. You know what, that did happen.

Lucy and Seth sure have their respective hang-ups. She with her dad's death and her boyfriend's betrayal, and him with the death of someone he absolutely, wholeheartedly loved. By the time they meet, Lucy is not ready for anything permanent because her career's in limbo while Seth has sworn off women and serious relationships.

As mentioned in the synopsis, Lucy is a singer and songwriter. She seems to live a perfect life: she has a thriving career, fame, tons of adoring fans, and with her soul mate Cadan by her side. It is said that whenever they sing together, it's like magic happens. Audiences become riveted, sucked into the emotions evoked by their songs. They sounded like the perfect recording partners and the dream of music producers.

Unfortunately, that perfection is just on the surface. The truth is that Cadan is a cheater, both in their personal and working relationships. However, although Lucy was hurt by Cadan's sleeping with other women, him stealing her songs angered and hurt her even more. 

Seth... his story is so sad, it's a wonder that he's not completely depressed and dark all the time. Ever since his tragedy he went through women like a person goes through clothes. No emotional attachments at all, just sleeping around. His pain affected his life's passion, which is actually painting. He veered off to becoming a tattoo artist instead. 

The first half of the story seemed to go by very quickly. Deanna Chase wrote it smoothly and the momentum continued on a fast track. I liked it because I didn't get bored and I was quickly pulled into the developing love story between Lucy and Seth. They did fall into bed rather quickly, but the attraction and chemistry was so potent, I was like, oh alright, fine, do what you guys want! =P  Those scenes were steamy and very well-written. There was also one "after" moment that I found sweet and just wonderful. Lucy wakes up to see Seth already up and quietly sketching her. Definitely an "awww" moment!

I loved how their relationship developed. When Lucy lost her dad, she lost her constant, her anchor. Seth lost his love, his passion, his inspiration. Soon though, Lucy became Seth's anchor and he became the one that mattered the most.

Now for the secondary characters.. Cadan was a huge disappointment. He's one of those people that you'd think will be better people if fame and money are out of the picture. Then we have Jax, Lucy's best friend. I really want to congratulate Deanna for keeping things real! She is a knockout and is bestfriends with Seth (while Lucy is away for her career, they grew close), who is also one hot guy. Naturally one of them would be interested in the other, and in this case it was Jax. The author handled it beautifully though! I admit I was nervous at first because I absolutely hated cheating or anything similar, but that didn't happen here! There was a discussion, points were made, and friendships were preserved =D yippee!

I thought it was clever too the way Deanna dropped some background stories and trivia about the secondary characters. She got dumped by him, he had his heart broken, she's looking for love,etc... This book isn't promoted as the first of  a series, but I daresay the author can very well do a series now! She piqued my interest about her secondary characters. She makes you wonder what exactly happened to them before, and what might happen in the future. Even Lucy's parents commanded attention. For me, I'd love to see Jax find her own HEA. Seth's sister and his friends were also intriguing!

One thing I found weird though was the constant use of the word "mate". It means soul mate, but that word alone was uttered several times as a noun and everyone understood what it is. It's like, who is he? He's her mate, period. It's more paranormal than NA/Contemporary, in my opinion.

DEFINING DESTINY is a really very good read. I liked the story, the characters save three, which you'll know if you read the book! 

Synopsis:

When destiny fails…

Singer-songwriter Lucy Moore thought her life was perfect. At just twenty-one, she’s already met her soul mate and together they’ve landed a recording contract. But when her father dies and the love of her life betrays her in more ways than one, she returns home to pick up the pieces. On the shores of Mendocino, California, Lucy has some decisions to make. Should she start a solo career? Or should she leave it all behind for some semblance of normalcy in the quiet town she grew up in? And what about Seth, the tortured artist who always seems to be there when she needs him?

Seth Keenan has demons of his own. Eighteen months ago, he was involved in a horrific accident that he never talks about. His career as an accomplished oil-paint artist has been abandoned, replaced by the buzz of his tattoo gun. And women—well, he never sticks around for longer than a few hours of pleasure… until he meets Lucy. After one evening of listening to her seductive voice, he’s pulled under. But what about the vow he made to never get close to anyone again?

In a world where everyone has one true soul mate, can these two find love in the arms of each other?

Deanna is a native Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern Louisiana. When she isn’t writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans, playing with her two shih tzu dogs, making glass beads, or out hocking her wares at various bead shows across the country. For more information and updates on newest releases visit her blog at www.deannachase.com.

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