Sol (Love in Translation Book 1)

***Arc provided in exchange for an honest review***

I had a hard time connecting with the story because it was very character driven and I couldn't connect with them. I found that I didn't really care about the characters. I found Trent bland. There didn't seem to be anything about him that was special or unique. He just seemed like a another sweet, alpha soldier that wouldn't stop until he got his woman. Danika was a whole other story. She was not bland at all and immediately gained my attention. It was too bad that she didn't gain my attention in a positive way. I try to be open-minded when it comes to other peoples beliefs and stances on issues which was not a quality that I found in the character of Danika. She seemed to be the type of person that attempted to force her beliefs onto others which were being a yogi, peace and love, fly by the seat of her pants type of woman. She was not dependable and seemed to be extremely selfish. I just didn't plain like her. It felt as if I wanted to slap her for the majority of the book and tell Trent to run away while he still could.

I wasn't drawn into the story. Events happened so quickly in the beginning that I wasn't able to get a handle on who the characters were and how they interacted. I also wasn't able to quite grasp how they handled trials in order to establish depth on each of them. This also continued to happen throughout the book where characters would make decisions and then flip flop very quickly. I felt like I was getting whip lash. The story was predictable so I felt that I knew what was going to happen throughout the story and I turned out to be right. This made it hard to pay attention to the story because I was bored. It seemed as if the author was talking at me but not making me feel something.

I crave books that inspire soul shuttering emotions and eloquently paints vibrant verbal art.

I want a book to be unforgettable because it presents original characters with quirks you can believe.

This story has all of that and so much more. This is a book you read to reconnect with your love of reading.

This is a book worth making time in your busy life, to read.

I appreciated a lot of things about this book. The unique location, Trent’s devotion to Dani, his very understandable survivor’s guilt. I just couldn’t connect with her. I wanted to like her, especially with her hippie outlook, but she was incredibly narrow minded and selfish. The two parts of her personality never meshed for me, and I just couldn’t warm up to her. Her peace in my outlook made some of her actions appear cruel and I found myself skimming past her POV. That said, Trent made up for a lot. Every girl should be soon lucky as to have a man like him in her life.

Leslie McAdam’s Sol was nothing that I had ever expected. Trent and Degan are lifelong friends who join the military together, leaving Degan’s sister Dani behind. Trent has loved Dani from day one but has never let her or Degan know. Four years later, Trent is trying to find Dani to break horrible news to her but she has fallen off the grid. When Trent does finally find Dani, all bets are off. Sol is a wonderful story of heartbreak, learning to forgive and most importantly, love. The relationship between Trent and Dani was heartbreakingly beautifully and the way they complimented each other was simply amazing.

I received and voluntary reviewed an ARC of this book. This book was read and reviewed by Stacy Aube for Cutting Muse Blog Review.

A free spirit and a soldier, one likes freedom and the other more structured. When the two share a kiss feeling are let free but at the wrong time in life. Will there ever be a right time for these two amazing people?
A well written enjoyable story with a lot of heartache.

WOW!!! This story blew me away!! I was captivated by this story from the first chapter. I fell in love with Trent and Danika right away. Their story reminds me a lot of how life really is...emotional, heartbreaking, happy, sad, etc...Danika and Trent are childhood friends and both have experienced loss and are grieving the best way they know how. This is an amazing story and it's written with lots of emotion.

This autuor grabs you with this beautiful hot cover. Looking good Taylor!! But this story is so much more than it seems. This book ripped me apart and as I read it slowly put me back together better than I had bedn before. Yes a book can do that because this obe did. Trent was a gorgeous tragic soul who needed to fix wrongs and find that girl and see were it could go. Dani was a lkst beautiful soul both these two needed the other so much i believe. This story made me cry and swoon but good it was worth it so very very much. This book was everything.

Sol is an incredible story of love, loss, guilt, and forgiveness.
This book makes you go through so many emotions.
It's more than what I expected. I went in thinking this was a student/teacher romance, but it surprised me by not being anything I thought it would be.
I absolutely loved Trent & Dani!!!
Definitely recommend! You won't be disappointed!

Sol by Leslie McAdam is a beautiful story about love, living, and moving on, but it is so much more. Sol deals with being human, war, pain, grief, guilt, love, and lust. The story felt real, the emotions raw. Trent and Dani's story isn't for those looking for a fluffy and sweet love story because that isn't what they are going to get. But if they choose to read this story, they will get a love story that entrenched in reality, full of emotions, and characters that are deep. 4 stars!

"His low voice soothed me. His brilliant eyes caressed me. He was the sexiest guy I'd ever known. And his heart? His heart opened to me, always."

Equal parts sweet and hot, yet went deeper, both characters polar opposites fighting to pick up the pieces after tragedy strikes. Introspective and feel inducing, made me smile throughout!! Fresh, fun, and sexy!!! I thank the Author for providing a copy to review!

~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog

This book was amazing with so much feelings that are real.Dani being the care free spirit she was and living life to the fullest and Trent with so much baggage haunting him after coming back from the war.I enjoyed their journey of loss grief and forgiveness to find life and reconnect in a way most people don't get the chance to.The writing is so detailed and the characters are so real ,it just sucks you in and I loved it.I voluntarily read a readers copy of this book

This story is gut-punchingly real, it makes your soul ache in a good way.

The characters are beautifully written and has lots of depth. Trent and Dani could not be more different yet they are united in their love for Dani's brother, who is Trent's best friend. Issues like PTSD are not glossed over, they are woven into the story and brings out emotions in readers, unless you are made of stone.

Would definitely recommend this story.

Kindle Copy for Review

They fell in love while in a foreign country. He lived a strict military existence while she was a nomad traveler looking for something after her brother dies. He served with her brother.

It is about long lost love and finding it once again then losing it before it comes full circle. .The bitter sweet emotions that are played out.

This story is very simple in some aspects. It has very few characters and takes place in a small area. But what simplicity there is, the story is filled with lots of emotional and serious issues that so many people deal with. Trent is an amazing guy. I'm not sure how anyone could read this book and not fall in love with him. He is loyal and protective. Dani is a free spirited, peace loving gal who blows wherever the wind takes her. They have such conflicting views, but Leslie Mcadam does a great job of sewing them into a cohesive tapestry. There is some angst in terms of the teacher/student aspect but I didn't feel that it was a strong antagonist to the chemistry and history that they had together. This story is a reminder of how many ways PTSD can affect people for a variety of reasons and calls for more sensitivity to people's response to situations that we might not understand. I could feel the connection between Trent and Dani while reading this story, it dripped right off the pages. Definitely a different story than I'm used to reading which was why I enjoyed it so much.

WOW! I just finished reading this and that about sums up what I am feeling right now. I had two brothers who went in the Army and know how Dani felt when both her brother Degan and their best friend Trent sign up! Not an easy thing when you know they will go to war torn areas. So when Trent gets out he has to find her to let her know how he feels and to deliver something from her brother to her! Leslie did an amazing job of allowing you the reader to not only read her word's but to feel them! You will laugh, cry, and cheer for these two as they find their way. Thank you for the opportunity to get to know them and the friends they make along the way!

Trent Milner has been in love with Danika Anderson his entire life. The one stolen moment he has with her before he leaves for the military is one he would carry with him for the next four years. Only days before his enlistment is up he and his best friend, Degan, Dani's brother, are to head stateside, Degan takes the full impact of a bomb, shielding his team from harm, then dying in Trent's arms. Now Trent is left with the images of his best friend dying along with the responsibility of telling the one woman he loves, Degan's sister, that he's gone.

"I was pretty damn sure she defended her personal freedom as fiercely as I defended that of our country."

Dani is a free spirit living wherever her mood takes her never staying in one spot for long. When Dani sees Trent sitting in her classroom after four long years, she sees a man living in the body of where the boy used to be. She always admired the boy, but the man before her now takes her breath away. Unfortunately Trent isn't there to sweep her off her feet, at least that isn't his main objective, and she has to come to grips with the devastating news he came to deliver. Dani struggles with an unresolved fight she had with her brother before he enlisted and left, but more than that, she also struggles with Trent represents. Will she be able to look at him and not see Degan and all that she's lost?

"The man who made me feel like I was home when I was with him. No matter that I didn't have a home anymore, if I ever did."

Dealing with PTSD and unresolved feelings both Dani and Trent have a lot of healing to do, but together they need to realize that they are stronger together than apart. They need to decide if they have a future that works where their past doesn't block out their sun.

"You can live your life in the sun. Buy that ticket. Or you can buy a ticket to stay in the shade. But it's your decision. It's not for you to complain about sitting in the sun if you buy a ticket there. You're the one who chose that course of action."

Sol was not only a sweet love story about two opposing people struggling to overcome a devastating loss, but also a love story that showed how two people can help one another heal when you stick by during the hard times and work out problems instead of always running away from them. I enjoyed the fact that there wasn't a lot of unnecessary drama intermixed with the storyline. Instead Leslie focused on two people dealing with their grief in very real life ways, yet at the heart it was still a love story. Their journey was a delight to read.

This book by Leslie McAdam does many things. It shows you the soul of returning soldiers, it shows the heart, dedication and the aftermath of soldiers and war. This book is filled with grief, angst, love, triumph, and finding that one true soulmate. This story between Trent and Dani, was tragically beautiful, and heart wrenching. There were times where I want to stab Dani in the eye with a fork, but her feeling had a place, and her anger was misplaced and she realized it. Trent...That poor boy, he was left with so much guilt, and grief, yet in his heart bloomed the seeds of love for Dani.
This book set in Spain mostly was gorgeously told. The descriptions of places and people made me feel like I was right there. The characters leapt off the page and into your heart. This is a story of one man's grief and guilt, and his redemption found in the love of a good woman, who happened to be his polar opposite. This story is told in dual POV.

As a huge fan of the student/teacher romance genre and also of Leslie McAdam, I jumped at the chance to read Sol. While it was good, it was definitely not what I expected at all. It wasn't exactly the angsty, forbidden student/teacher storyline that usually grabs my attention. However, Leslie definitely did a good job at creating two broken characters that reconnect at the perfect time and help to heal one another and you can't help but to fall in love with them and their story.

Trent & Dani have known one another since they were young, with Trent being Dani's little brother's best friend. Trent and Degan knew that they wanted to enter the military the second they turned eighteen while Dani has always been the free spirit, letting the world take her wherever her heart desired and loving her freedom.

Four years later when Trent exits the military, the first thing he does is search out Dani. He finally finds her half way around the world and then finds himself in her classroom. She is surprised and excited to see him after not having seen him or really talked to him since he entered the military. But he is there under extenuating circumstances and the news he has to give Dani threatens to tear her perfect world apart.

Throughout Sol, I wasn't feeling a ton of chemistry between these two and felt like it seemed forced at times. There was quite a bit of them talking about their feelings but very little of actually doing anything about it. This book was very well written but just wasn't the book for me.

This is probably one of the most emotional Military(although in not the most prominent feature) Romances i have ever read.
Its a story about life, grief, loss and the unbreakable bonds of 3 friends.
Trent has been best friends with Degan and his sister Dani all his life, infact he’s never not been in love with Dani his whole life. Their life together separated when Degan and Trent left to become soldiers, and Dani left for a more bohemian lifestyle. Now Trent, Fresh out of the army is on a new mission… to find Dani to give her news no one wants from a war zone, and also with hopes of finally claiming the only woman he will ever love. So he ends up in Spain at a language class being taught by Dani.
Omg i cannot even go into detail of the emotions that flooded me reading this book. I took a journey with two beautiful souls. Trent is a man full of honour, never mind being hot !!! Dani is a girl that really doesn’t want to have to deal with the harsh of life preferring to say in her safe zone where everything is light and fluffy, but yet those things she avoids the most is what she does best when Trent needs her. They travel though grief and loss, they bring us with them on finding their strength in their love, and it just touches your soul. This book will touch every single emotion you carry in the deepest part of your heart and gives you characters you will carry with you always !!

Danika is a free spirit, traveling all over the world with nothing and no one holding her back.

Trent just got out of the Army after returning from Afghanistan. He is now on a search for the girl he has known and secretly loved since he was a kid.

What happens when Trent shows up in Spain to take a class and Danika is the teacher?

Wow! I'm completely amazed and awed by this story. It was sublimely beautiful, sweet, hot and heartbreaking, yet heart healing all wrapped up in one stunning package. I was utterly captivated from the start to finish! Exquisitely written. This is a MUST READ!! 5 stars!

WOW!!! This story blew me away!! I was captivated by this story from the first chapter. I fell in love with Trent and Danika right away. Their story reminds me a lot of how life really is...emotional, heartbreaking, happy, sad, etc...Danika and Trent are childhood friends and both have experienced loss and are grieving the best way they know how. This is an amazing story and it's written with lots of emotion.

Sol by Leslie McAdam is a beautiful story about love, living, and moving on, but it is so much more. Sol deals with being human, war, pain, grief, guilt, love, and lust. The story felt real, the emotions raw. Trent and Dani's story isn't for those looking for a fluffy and sweet love story because that isn't what they are going to get. But if they choose to read this story, they will get a love story that entrenched in reality, full of emotions, and characters that are deep. 4 stars!

"His low voice soothed me. His brilliant eyes caressed me. He was the sexiest guy I'd ever known. And his heart? His heart opened to me, always."

Equal parts sweet and hot, yet went deeper, both characters polar opposites fighting to pick up the pieces after tragedy strikes. Introspective and feel inducing, made me smile throughout!! Fresh, fun, and sexy!!! I thank the Author for providing a copy to review!

~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog

Loved this story of young love that grows over the years. Through the time and distance one things stays the same, or quite possibly becomes stronger. Their feelings for each other grow deeper and more passionately. Throw in some unexpected events and a no roots necessary hippy sister and you’ve got a great story!

A smashing hit from Leslie McAdam

If you haven't read her before, this is the book to pick up.

Heartbreaking, beautiful, and unforgettable.

Trent and Dani are the story you've been wanting to read.

Sweet. Moving. Often amusing. Brought tears to my eyes and made me laugh.
Very deep at times. Spoiler: I love that the heroine encouraged the hero to seek counseling for his PTSD, and that he did. Thank you for that! I also loved the emphasis on forgiveness.

I really thought I would enjoy this story more than I did but to be honest I didn't care for Dani's character at all. I did like Trent but it just wasn't enough for me to love this story. I found it slow and boring a lot and to be honest with me not liking Dani's character, I found myself uninterested in this story. I'll just say that this one wasn't for me.