Love Madly by Tracey Hooker | Book Review ~ Guest Post from the author ~ $25 Starbucks Card
Love Madly by Tracey Hooker is on a book blog tour with iRead Book Tours. I hope you enjoy my book review and a guest post from the author. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a $25 Starbucks card!
Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour. 
Book Details
Love Madly by Tracey A Hooker
Published by Independent on May 22, 2021
Genres: Adult Fiction 18+, Contemporary Fiction, Women's Literature
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 281
One afternoon Jamie is so bored she forms lips with her left hand and kisses it. She is missing passion in her life. Her husband, Joe, always ready with a snide remark, catches her in the act. This time he's speechless when Jamie quips that she's "having an affair."
The story is told in Jamie's irreverent voice and blends two timelines--that of Jamie's young years with her teenage soulmate, then her troubled marriage and ensuing Hollywood affair.
Source: iRead Book Tours, Kindle Unlimited
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Purchase Links for Love Madly
Amazon-OneLink for all countries
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My thoughts on Love Madly
Love Madly by Tracey Hooker is a poignant tale of youth and aging, along with all the complicated bits life throws at us in between.
Jamie narrates this story of young love, lost opportunities, second chances, and the fickleness of life. We follow her from her teen years in the early 1970s through to the present day. Life has dealt young Jamie a tough hand, but with the help of her soulmate, she perseveres.
As life happens, they drift apart and go their separate ways. What follows is a tale many women will relate to. The author tackles tough subjects like gang violence, the death of a parent, and overcoming challenges. As Jamie ages, her troubles become even more complicated by verbal spousal abuse, infidelity, and depression.
But the one thing saving this book from heaviness is the irreverent humor Jamie possesses. The story tugs your heartstrings, and just when you reach a breaking point, laughter saves the day.
The descriptive prose fills each scene with color, smells, and emotion. There are very few typos in the book. The pace is quick, sometimes a bit too quick for me. I needed to stop and process my feelings about the characters and plotlines.
Being of an age with the main character, I enjoyed remembering how different coming-of-age was in those days. Many references brought a smile to my face.
If you like contemporary women’s fiction with a solid recent history story arc adding humor and angst, this book is for you.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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I love to read books through my Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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About Tracey A Hooker
Tracey A Hooker is a creative thinker, writer, and doer. She has a master’s degree in health administration and spent 16 years educating state legislators across the United States on critical public health issues.
Tracey practices yoga, hikes in the Rockies, dabbles in watercolors, writes rap songs, and donates blood. She has lived in California, Spain, and Arizona, and now lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and her dog, Winnie.
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Guest Post
Coming up with a book title
The title comes from the chapter, A Warm Breeze . . . October. It is a reference to The Doors’ song, Love Her Madly. At the end of the chapter Jamie says, “I felt giddy as I made my way up the stairs and removed my clothes, piece by piece, while I sang The Doors’ Love Her Madly.”
There are music references throughout the book, such as, Truckin’, Clair de Lune, and Moon River, that become more obvious as Jamie reconnects with music producer Paul.
In the October chapter, for the first time, the Paul character is expressing his love, but by email. Jamie is skeptical. He emphasizes the point by responding, “Jamie, I’m Madly in love with you.” Still, Jamie is not confidant about whether Paul is genuine, but she is feeling the love.
The title conveys action and sends a message to anyone who sees it. Originally the book was called, Primrose: A Chronicle of Love Lost and Found. That was too long and arduous.
The following is a bit of the October chapter:
“I want love,” Paul suddenly wrote me. “That was something!” I said to myself. “Where did that come from?” Curious to see what happened next, I wrote back. “I do, too.” He wrote, “No, I want love and I need love.” “Is that a song? Or are you confessing your affection?” I replied. “What do you think?” wrote Paul. “Damn it, I don’t want to think,” my fingers responding as quickly as his comments appeared.
“I can tell you have a buzz on, so how serious do I take this conversation?” These emotions are better expressed in person or by phone. Not emails. Emails lack inflection. “We could get this all wrong.” I said out loud.
And then this message came: “Jamie, I’m Madly in love with you.” He capitalized and italicized ‘madly.’” I liked the idea because I craved affection: Love Parched East of the Rockies.
But had any man I cared for, ever said that to me? Especially the madly part? “Madly,” meant his love for me was passionate and out of control. It must be a product of the full moon. And he hadn’t said it to me. Email was too easy, so it didn’t count. But I wanted him to love me madly.
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Easy Amazon Links
Amazon-OneLink for all countries
If the above link does not take you to your country, here are a few more:
Amazon – Canada
Amazon – France
Amazon – Germany
Amazon – United Kingdom
Please send me a note if your country isn’t listed and you would like to purchase using my links. Using my link does not change the price you pay. Amazon pays me a minimal amount out of their share.
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Giveaway!
Win a $25 STARBUCKS Gift Card, courtesy of the author of LOVE MADLY (USA only) (ends Mar 17)
Please visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for Love Madly
Full Tour Schedule:
Feb 20 – Jazzy Book Reviews
Feb 21 – Cover Lover Book Review
Feb 22 – Liese’s Blog
Feb 23 –fundinmental
Feb 24 – Novels Alive
Feb 27 –Gina Rae Mitchell
Feb 28 – Viviana MacKade
Mar 1 – Honey Can Do It
Mar 2 –Stephanie Jane
Mar 6 – Splashes of Joy
Mar 7 – Celticlady’s Reviews
Mar 8 – Books and Games
Mar 8 – 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS
Mar 8 – Book Corner News and Reviews
Mar 9 – Locks, Hooks and Books
Mar 10 – Adventurous Jessy
Mar 10 – Reading Excursions
LOVE MADLY by Tracey Hooker Book Tour Giveaway
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Sounds like a good book.
Love Madly by Tracey A Hooker sounds like a book that will enchant many readers.