Book Review and Giveaway: Safe Haven

By Melissa Amster



**Giveaway is now closed**

As you may already know, I am a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks. When I found out that "Safe Haven" was going to be released this fall, I knew I had to get a copy and I also knew that I'd want to share it with one of our loyal readers. Thanks to Brad Parsons at Hachette Group, I got to do both.

When "Safe Haven" arrived on my doorstep, I wasted no time in reading nearly 100 pages in one day. Even after that, I didn't want to put it down and kept thinking about the story when I wasn't reading it. Though different from most of Mr. Sparks' books, "Safe Haven," deals with an issue that is real to many women and should not be overlooked....domestic abuse. The story is about a woman who is beaten constantly by her controlling husband and finds a way to change her identity and escape to a place where he'll never find her again. In doing so, she meets four people who become important in her life: Jo, her next door neighbor and Alex, a potential romantic interest who has two kids to whom she becomes attached. In the meantime, her husband is slowly spiraling downhill and trying to find a way to track her down.

I liked the different perspectives throughout the story: Katie's (the main character), Alex's (her romantic interest) and Kevin's (her husband). Mr. Sparks found a way to combine them so that they fused together in such an intense way that the book was impossible to put down and completely unforgettable once it was finished. The only criticism I had was that this story hinged upon fantasy at one point, but I won't give details as to not spoil anything. I liked how it fit into the story, but also didn't buy into it that much. "Safe Haven" has a similar feel to "The Guardian," one of his previous novels. It also had some emotional moments, as most of his books tend to do. (Have some tissues nearby!) I definitely would rank this on my list of my favorite Nicholas Sparks novels.

Special thanks to Brad Parsons from the Hachette Book Group for the review copy and for providing one book to give away to a lucky reader in the US or Canada.

How to win "Safe Haven":
Please comment below with your e-mail address.
(Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page if you can receive messages there.)

1. Please tell us: What is your favorite Nicholas Sparks book (or which of his books are you most interested in reading aside from "Safe Haven")?
2. Please tell us: What (or where) is your safe haven?
3. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
4. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
5. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)

US/Canada only. No P.O. Boxes. Giveaway ends Thursday, October 21st, at midnight EST.