Songbird Caged Tour Stop!

Tara has made a promise.

A promise to wait six months for Riley to come home from his tour of duty, so they can be together.

But as secrets and lies are uncovered, it leads Tara to question their commitment, and she is finding it difficult to keep that promise.
 

The distance between them is growing, and only one person can fill the void, Tara’s best friend Cole.

As Cole tries to support Tara, he is struggling with demons of his own, that threaten to tear him away from the life he has built for himself. 

After devastating news is received, who will be there to pick up the pieces?

Songbird Caged is the second book in this trilogy.  The first book Songbird introduced us to Tara, Riley and Cole, along with a host of others.  Tara is in love with one, and loves the other, in this book the time to make a decision is upon her but there are many obstacles she will encounter till she gets to her happy ever after, or does she?

Tara has recently become engaged to Riley just as he was leaving with the military for six months.  His only request was for her to wait for him.  Cole who Tara has feelings for but considers him more of a friend is not happy with her choice.  He loves her but he also respects that she made a choice to marry Riley.  Tara questions if she accepted Riley’s ring out of guilt or because of the fact he was leaving to go fight for their country.  Is he the one she is in love with or does she just love him and will do what she needs to do so he won’t be hurt?

Cole sets out to prove to her that this was rushed and not what she really wants.  Her feelings for Cole runs deeper than friendship and he intends to prove that to her.  While she is having her friend pregnant friend Kelli stay with her while Kelli’s fiancé is off in battle with Riley, things happen at her apartment that leads them to need a place to stay.  Cole is off to the rescue but Kelli isn’t going to make it easy for him.  Kelli knows of Tara’s confusion but she also knows her man Cooper is friends with Riley so she must do what she has to in order to protect what Riley feels he has with Tara.

When news comes from the military that shatter Kelli and Tara’s world, it is Cole and their other friends who rally around the ladies and help them find their way through the darkness and seek the answers they need to find.  Just when we think Tara has gotten through the darkest part and found the will to seek her happiness again, the world offers her a new set of shocking developments that leaves us in a cliff hanger that will spin your head. 

Now I am not one who minds cliff hangers usually but this one did a number on me.  I thought I had this story figured out and was going along comfortably when all of a sudden the rules changed and we have a whole new story on our hands.  The author does a great job with giving us characters we can relate to and understand.  The only issue I had with the book is during the middle part it became a bit predictable and boring.  It was at the point when the voice from the dead gave a clear insight to Cole and Tara as to how stupid they were acting that things picked back up and it was a whirl wind of emotions from there till the end. 

I think you could read Songbird Caged alone and get the whole point of the story, but I strongly recommend you read Songbird first, just so you can really understand the depth of emotion and confusion and pain of Cole, Riley and Tara in this book.  I look forward to reading Songbird Freed coming in the fall of 2014 

I just finished Songbird Caged and WOW.  What a follow up and man it didn’t disappoint.  For this to work, you have to read Songbird first for this to make any sense.  Here is what we have.  Tara is in love with two guys.  Riley who is sweet and sexy and is currently deployed and then there is Cole who is also sweet and caring but was a man whore and is trying to change his ways.   Tara makes her decision.  She promises to wait for Riley but still continues to be friends with Cole.  Here is the thing.  Absence should make the heart grow fonder but there is also distance between them that has been growing so with that being the case, she spends her time with Cole and she is still fighting her feelings.  What is a girl to do?    You will have to read to see how this is turning out…

What a great follow up.  I really enjoyed the story and still think that it flowed really well.  I just cannot believe the turns that this story makes.  To be honest, I still love them both and for me it is still a hard decision and I am not sure I could even make one.  Cole is changing and can still make some bad decisions but for me no one is perfect.  Riley is a good man and lord he is fighting for our country but some of the things that he says infuriated me but it is was it is.  They both are men, can we blame them???!!!!  I liked Tara but for me I think some of the decisions that she made were not the right ones.  I think she chose the easy way out and doing so sometimes can come back and bite you making you wish you didn’t choose that to begin with.   Choose what you want not what you think is right.

I was on such a roller coaster with emotions on this one.  I would be happy one minute to angry the next.  I couldn’t tell if I was coming or go but what a ride that it was.  This is far from over and I think that it will be interesting to see what happens.

                

“I’d like to take you out.”

I looked at Cole, slightly amused. “We go out all the time.”

“No, we go to your place, we come here. We go to the gym, for a run on the beach, or we go to Songbirds. We don’t go out.”

We were sitting on Cole’s couch in his apartment, looking at light fittings for Reds on the Internet.

He was wringing his hands. “Would you like to go out with me?” he asked.

I frowned. “What, like on a date?”

“If that’s what you want to call it. I don’t know, I’ve never been on a date. But if going out to dinner and then a club together is a date, then sure, let’s call it a date.”

I looked at him warily. “You do know I’m engaged, right? You haven’t forgotten?”

He shrugged. “In theory. But there’s no harm in letting me take you out. I mean, officially take you out—on a date.”

I had to think about this for a minute. Was it asking for trouble to let him believe we could actually date when I had made a commitment to Riley?

“You know, even if you pay for dinner, I’m not going to sleep with you,” I said with a smile.

“So what’s the point of paying for dinner, then?” he asked cheekily. He took hold of my hands in his. “I wouldn’t expect you to sleep with anyone on a first date. You’re not that kind of girl.”

I exhaled slowly, weighing up how to respond. “Okay, we can go out on three conditions.”

He nodded.

“Firstly, we need to have other people there, so maybe Marcus and Nicole can come with us.”

“Like a double date,” he said, teasingly.

I chuckled, and shook my head. “Secondly, you have to stop calling it a date.”

He grinned at me cheekily.

“Thirdly, you have to wear your Calvin Klein jeans, the ones that fit your butt really well.”

 

 Every relationship changes you, some for the better, others can shatter your confidence and almost destroy you.

For the musically talented, twenty-four year old Tara O’Connell, her relationship with Stephen almost broke her, until Tara found the strength to leave.

Now she is on the road to discovering that it is never too late to pursue your dreams and follow your heart.

As Tara’s self-belief grows, she meets two men she is instantly drawn to who will change her life forever.

Corporal Riley Hammond is a soldier in the Australian Military Special Forces. With his smiling sapphire blue eyes, Tara falls for him instantly. He is thoughtful and caring, and gives her the support and love she needs.

While Cole Michaels is the overconfident singer in a popular local band. His charisma, emerald green eyes, tattoos and piercing, have girls falling at his feet. But while Cole pushes
Tara’s buttons, he also pushes her to reach for the stars.

Both men couldn’t be more polar opposites, but both offer Tara different qualities that she needs to fulfill her destiny.

As Tara continues her journey, she will discover fate can offer you more than one path. Her fate is in her own hands, and the choices she makes, will shape her life forever.

I just finished Songbird and I really loved it.  I typically do not read love triangles but once I read the synopsis I just couldn’t turn it away and trust me, you wouldn’t either.    Tara is finally out of an abusive relationship and is trying to get her life back.   She moves in with her friend Kelli.   Kelli boyfriend Cooper brings home Riley on a visit (both in the army).  Instant attraction.   Riley is a good man, he is sweet and caring but here is the thing.  He ends up being deployed.  Long distant relationship here we go….Talk about that being hard.   Trying to stay busy she goes to a bar and ends up being a performer there.  Here comes Cole.   He is sweet and caring too but he is a man whore and she is trying to be loyal to Riley but talk about adding a chink to your chain.  Holy moly.  What is a girl to do?    You will have to read and see….

I really loved this book.  I thought that it flowed really well and was surprised how hard it was for me on this book to be on a team.  You all know how it is.  You are choosing one guy over the other.  This was hard.  I just couldn’t choose between Riley and Cole.  They both had pieces of my heart.   GRRR, tug on my heart strings why don’t you!!!!  I totally understand how Tara felt; I wouldn’t want to be put into that situation.  My heart was torn into some many places I honestly don’t know what I would have done.  She makes hers but what would it have been your decision?

I cannot wait to see what happens.

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While Lisa Edward has called Melbourne Australia home for her entire life, she has lived and worked in England, and travelled through most parts of Europe and the United States. She loves nothing more than spending time with her husband and beautiful daughter, or curling up into the early hours of the morning with a great novel. By day, Lisa works in the analytical IT field, so relishes the opportunity to foster her creative side through writing. Her deep appreciation for literature was nurtured from a young age, being taught to respect books and get lost in their stories. She enjoys reading honest and realistic novels that are relatable, thought provoking and leave a lasting impression. She can’t write without music playing, using the emotions from different songs to invoke that of her characters. Lisa takes inspiration from her own life experiences, the people around her and those she has met in her travels.