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Attainment #2
Atonement
Reese Stanford is off to college at Wake Forest with her loving boyfriend, Tate Justice…or is she? When trust issues arise regarding Tate’s behavior, she turns to none other than her beautiful past - the beach god, John Rider who is conveniently available and still waiting. Will it be enough drama for John to finally have her forever, or will other shocking revelations and dark discoveries keep Reese from becoming his life-long dream? Will Tate ever be able to win her love back? Betrayal, anger, lust, and love fuel the future of Reese causing unexpected twists and turns on her long-awaited road to happiness. Will undying love conquer after all? Can Reese remain true to herself? Find out what surprises lay ahead in the much anticipated sequel, Atonement.
- GenresNew Adult
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2013
1 person is currently reading
290 people want to read
About the author
J.H. Cardwell
3 books125 followersI have spent years in the medical field; the first few as a Cardiac Specialty Nurse, and over the last decade as a Pharmaceutical and Medical Sales Representative. I have gathered mounds of experience both personally and professionally to pour into my long-time passion…writing. After years of power points in the corporate world, I am enjoying working on stories in romance fiction with my first series, The Attainment Series complete. I am now in the process of writing my first stand-alone novel. I live in a small town in NC with my husband and four children. While continuing to work in sales, I am also exploring my writing late at night and in the wee hours of the morning when my children are tucked safely in bed.
I love to hear from readers. I can be reached at juliecardwell75@gmail.com. And please like and share my Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jhcardwell
I love to hear from readers. I can be reached at juliecardwell75@gmail.com. And please like and share my Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jhcardwell
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 3, 2013
When I saw that an email from JH Cardwell in my inbox I was so excited. I was hoping that I knew what was in it. I was not disappointed. Atonement is the second book in her amazing series that started with Attainment and now continues with Atonement.
I am not exactly sure where to start…words cannot describe how much I love this series. Tate, Reese, Elle, and John have all become friends of mine. They are people I need to know what happen to, where their lives are heading, and what they are doing. Tate was not always my favorite, I still am not sure I really like him. He scares me some with his anger and jealousy, but I do like that he recognizes that he has these issues and I do believe he truly loves Reese. I worry about Reese, can she be with Tate and be happy? Is John, her rich “other man”, the right answer? As I read Atonement I was beyond thrilled that JH Cardwell answered so many of my questions and many more that I didn’t know I had. The friendship Elle and Reese have is amazing. I have best friends, some for many many years, but the connection these two have is beyond anything I have. I am envious and maybe a little jealous of their friendship, but so happy that Reese has had Elle with all the trials she has had to suffer through in her life.
I love that decisions were made about the futures of these characters and they were able to move on past their histories and be happy and successful. This book took off where Attainment left off and still left me needing to know more. I am happy to report that the third book, Chloe, in this series will be released in 2014. I know that I already have it on my Must Read Wish List.
All of my fellow readers HAVE to check out this series. I do recommend you start with book 1 so you are familiar with the characters.
I am not exactly sure where to start…words cannot describe how much I love this series. Tate, Reese, Elle, and John have all become friends of mine. They are people I need to know what happen to, where their lives are heading, and what they are doing. Tate was not always my favorite, I still am not sure I really like him. He scares me some with his anger and jealousy, but I do like that he recognizes that he has these issues and I do believe he truly loves Reese. I worry about Reese, can she be with Tate and be happy? Is John, her rich “other man”, the right answer? As I read Atonement I was beyond thrilled that JH Cardwell answered so many of my questions and many more that I didn’t know I had. The friendship Elle and Reese have is amazing. I have best friends, some for many many years, but the connection these two have is beyond anything I have. I am envious and maybe a little jealous of their friendship, but so happy that Reese has had Elle with all the trials she has had to suffer through in her life.
I love that decisions were made about the futures of these characters and they were able to move on past their histories and be happy and successful. This book took off where Attainment left off and still left me needing to know more. I am happy to report that the third book, Chloe, in this series will be released in 2014. I know that I already have it on my Must Read Wish List.
All of my fellow readers HAVE to check out this series. I do recommend you start with book 1 so you are familiar with the characters.
January 22, 2014
I loved Atonement because it was simply amazing.
The story sucked me in from the beginning and with each page I was hooked more and more.
The characters are very well crafted. The plot keeps your attention and focus because a lot of this is going on.
Looking forward to read the next book in the series.
≧◔◡◔≦ 5 ✰ read ≧◉◡◉≦
>>>ARC received in exchange for an honest review<<<
The story sucked me in from the beginning and with each page I was hooked more and more.
The characters are very well crafted. The plot keeps your attention and focus because a lot of this is going on.
Looking forward to read the next book in the series.
≧◔◡◔≦ 5 ✰ read ≧◉◡◉≦
>>>ARC received in exchange for an honest review<<<
July 25, 2016
I received this book as an ARC from the author for an honest review. This is book 2 of the Attainment series. If you have not read book 1, please do not continue as there may be spoilers.
Atonement picks up immediately where Attainment left off. Reese is still struggling with loosing Carter, finding out her truth of her rape, and being torn between John and Tate. John turns into a full blown stalker in my eyes… so many times throughout the book I wanted to hit him. I know there was an instant connection with the two of them but you cannot feel that deeply, that quickly!
So many things go wrong with Reese and Tate’s relationship. Between her hidden feelings for John, Tate’s jealousy, finding out her best friend Elle has been secretly updating John on her relationship status… which adds to his "stalker" status.. Ugh she has Tate, a caring loving guy.. what are you doing?!
I found myself more aggravated with John and Reese in this book. Reese needs to make up her mind and chose which man she wants to be with, stop stringing them both along. At the same time, I wanted to yell and hit John! Just back off man, she doesn’t love you like that! She has a man!
The plot thickens with this group of crazies kids. More heartbreak, marriage, kids, kidnapping, betrayal.. the list goes on. So much happens that you can’t do anything but sit down and finish in one shot. I had a little trouble rating the series as a whole, I did enjoy Atonement a little bit more but I have a tendency to do that with series. I’m very glad I had the chance to read both parts and cannot wait to read the third installment, Chloe.
Atonement picks up immediately where Attainment left off. Reese is still struggling with loosing Carter, finding out her truth of her rape, and being torn between John and Tate. John turns into a full blown stalker in my eyes… so many times throughout the book I wanted to hit him. I know there was an instant connection with the two of them but you cannot feel that deeply, that quickly!
So many things go wrong with Reese and Tate’s relationship. Between her hidden feelings for John, Tate’s jealousy, finding out her best friend Elle has been secretly updating John on her relationship status… which adds to his "stalker" status.. Ugh she has Tate, a caring loving guy.. what are you doing?!
I found myself more aggravated with John and Reese in this book. Reese needs to make up her mind and chose which man she wants to be with, stop stringing them both along. At the same time, I wanted to yell and hit John! Just back off man, she doesn’t love you like that! She has a man!
The plot thickens with this group of crazies kids. More heartbreak, marriage, kids, kidnapping, betrayal.. the list goes on. So much happens that you can’t do anything but sit down and finish in one shot. I had a little trouble rating the series as a whole, I did enjoy Atonement a little bit more but I have a tendency to do that with series. I’m very glad I had the chance to read both parts and cannot wait to read the third installment, Chloe.
November 10, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed "Atonement". The first book was good, but I was really surprised by all the things happening in the second one. So many unexpected things and I was kept on my toes in each chapter. I am anxiously waiting for "Chloe" to be released. Good work, Julie.
January 25, 2014
I loved Atonement... the twist and turns wouldn't let me put the book down..looking forward to the next book!!Keep them coming Julie!!
November 18, 2013
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http://escapeinsidethepages.wordpress...
Well, Atonement picks up right about where Attainment left off. Reese is just starting college and is in a full fledged relationship with Tate. Things are going good for a while, that is until it all goes downhill. Lets just say a lot happens in this book. I felt like I read two books instead of one due to the large time span that is covered in this book overall.
There is plenty, and I mean plenty of romance to go around in Atonement. Between Reese’s relationship with Tate and her confusion she still has over John there are many steamy moments. However, the most frustrating part about this book was that for more than half of it, Reese just could not make up her mind over who she truly belonged with. It was almost like every other page was an emotional switch between the two, her feelings for one would refute the other, and no sooner she would say one thing about Tate, she would turn around and feel the same way about John. There was just very little romantic progress for waaay too long in this book, which is very annoying as a reader. I just wanted Reese to make up her mind, trust her gut, and go with it, no looking back.
I will say though, that yet again J.H. Cardwell found ways to implement unforseen twists and some suspenseful moments. I did not see some of the action coming, and that kept me entertained. Reese has to deal with even more in this book than she did in the first. Though a lot of the side events like what was happening with her friends during the book seemed almost too perfect, I’m sorry but some of the events would just not have worked out so perfectly the way they do in Atonement. I understand that books are never realistic but a reader can tell when you bypass problems that should be there.
By the time I finished reading Atonement, I could easily say that some of it just dragged on a little too long for my liking, but it was romantically satisfying over all. I would recommend this book to those looking for an emotionally taxing book filled with unexpected twists that has a sweet romantic feeling to it in the end.
http://escapeinsidethepages.wordpress...
Well, Atonement picks up right about where Attainment left off. Reese is just starting college and is in a full fledged relationship with Tate. Things are going good for a while, that is until it all goes downhill. Lets just say a lot happens in this book. I felt like I read two books instead of one due to the large time span that is covered in this book overall.
There is plenty, and I mean plenty of romance to go around in Atonement. Between Reese’s relationship with Tate and her confusion she still has over John there are many steamy moments. However, the most frustrating part about this book was that for more than half of it, Reese just could not make up her mind over who she truly belonged with. It was almost like every other page was an emotional switch between the two, her feelings for one would refute the other, and no sooner she would say one thing about Tate, she would turn around and feel the same way about John. There was just very little romantic progress for waaay too long in this book, which is very annoying as a reader. I just wanted Reese to make up her mind, trust her gut, and go with it, no looking back.
I will say though, that yet again J.H. Cardwell found ways to implement unforseen twists and some suspenseful moments. I did not see some of the action coming, and that kept me entertained. Reese has to deal with even more in this book than she did in the first. Though a lot of the side events like what was happening with her friends during the book seemed almost too perfect, I’m sorry but some of the events would just not have worked out so perfectly the way they do in Atonement. I understand that books are never realistic but a reader can tell when you bypass problems that should be there.
By the time I finished reading Atonement, I could easily say that some of it just dragged on a little too long for my liking, but it was romantically satisfying over all. I would recommend this book to those looking for an emotionally taxing book filled with unexpected twists that has a sweet romantic feeling to it in the end.
December 8, 2013
I won a copy from Goodreads First Reads.
Needless to say, I'm endlessly annoyed by the book. Perhaps, I'm sort of different that other readers. (AHHH! What am I saying?)
Atonement should had been an improvement. But instead it brings in John again, which annoys me like crazy because I thought that he's the one (because of what happen in the last book.) I'm going to give a quick numbered list on what should be improved and what I like so far. BTW, I stopped at the 1/3 mark of the book.
1) Reese should be more matured. Hello? She's a rape victim, who is trying to heal. (And it looks like she already healed). I doubt you can heal from a rape in a year or so. It takes a long time before you can build up trust again.
2) The plot. I feel like everything is simply repeating even though it is set in a different place. It didn't surprise me when Reese ended up with Tate (again). (And yes, I did look at the back of the book after I abandoned my bookmark).
3) Characteristics of the character. Especially Reese and Tate. It seems to me that Reese is the freaking frequently-sought-after Princess, while Tate is the crazy beggar boy, who wants Reese's heart. And then, there's John.
4) The beginning of the book isn't attractive enough. I'm not exactly the easiest person to impress. I mean this: If a guy walks up to me and does fifty push-ups for me, I'll be yawning and falling asleep if I had nothing to do. (And yes, some guy did do that for me and I wasn't yawning. I ended up doing my math homework instead while he does push-ups on the floor).
What I did like:
1) Reese moving on. Not a bad place to start.
2) Friends are forever. Elle and Reese sticking together is a good thing. It shows some sanity of Reese. It's good to know that she hasn't given up yet.
3) The allusions. It totally reminds me that I'm in the same world with them.
4) Bringing back the old issues. Issues mainly named John, Lisa, and a whole lot of other ugly people. (John's not ugly).
Rating: One out of Five. Bad outweighs the good. And yawns are on the side of bad.
Needless to say, I'm endlessly annoyed by the book. Perhaps, I'm sort of different that other readers. (AHHH! What am I saying?)
Atonement should had been an improvement. But instead it brings in John again, which annoys me like crazy because I thought that he's the one (because of what happen in the last book.) I'm going to give a quick numbered list on what should be improved and what I like so far. BTW, I stopped at the 1/3 mark of the book.
1) Reese should be more matured. Hello? She's a rape victim, who is trying to heal. (And it looks like she already healed). I doubt you can heal from a rape in a year or so. It takes a long time before you can build up trust again.
2) The plot. I feel like everything is simply repeating even though it is set in a different place. It didn't surprise me when Reese ended up with Tate (again). (And yes, I did look at the back of the book after I abandoned my bookmark).
3) Characteristics of the character. Especially Reese and Tate. It seems to me that Reese is the freaking frequently-sought-after Princess, while Tate is the crazy beggar boy, who wants Reese's heart. And then, there's John.
4) The beginning of the book isn't attractive enough. I'm not exactly the easiest person to impress. I mean this: If a guy walks up to me and does fifty push-ups for me, I'll be yawning and falling asleep if I had nothing to do. (And yes, some guy did do that for me and I wasn't yawning. I ended up doing my math homework instead while he does push-ups on the floor).
What I did like:
1) Reese moving on. Not a bad place to start.
2) Friends are forever. Elle and Reese sticking together is a good thing. It shows some sanity of Reese. It's good to know that she hasn't given up yet.
3) The allusions. It totally reminds me that I'm in the same world with them.
4) Bringing back the old issues. Issues mainly named John, Lisa, and a whole lot of other ugly people. (John's not ugly).
Rating: One out of Five. Bad outweighs the good. And yawns are on the side of bad.
January 21, 2014
Atonement is the second book in the Attainment series by J. H. Cardwell. Reese Stanford is off to college at Wake Forest. She is dating Tate and life is good. Reese and Tate have several bumps as the both grow up and become adults while they are in college. Tate becomes aggressive when anyone looks at Reese. Reese has grown up and is more level headed than in the first book.
Tate is still the hot and sexy man from the first book. He is also still head over heels in love with Reese. Tate’s biggest problem is deciding what he wants to do beyond college is it the majors or what and how to fit Reese into it. Tate also seems to forget to talk to her about what is going on with him and his plans.
John is still around and waiting for Reese to wake up and pick him. John has it so bad he tries to meddle in Tate and Reese’s lives. The one thing that John accomplished was pushing them together. I wonder if John did not meddle as he did, if Tate and Reese would even be together.
I loved how the book ended. I fully expected the ending to be much sooner than it was. I loved that I was kept at the edge of my seat wondering how it was all going to play out. I found this story to be well written. The main and secondary characters were interesting and realistic. Overall, this was a great story and I cant wait for the next book in the series!
Tate is still the hot and sexy man from the first book. He is also still head over heels in love with Reese. Tate’s biggest problem is deciding what he wants to do beyond college is it the majors or what and how to fit Reese into it. Tate also seems to forget to talk to her about what is going on with him and his plans.
John is still around and waiting for Reese to wake up and pick him. John has it so bad he tries to meddle in Tate and Reese’s lives. The one thing that John accomplished was pushing them together. I wonder if John did not meddle as he did, if Tate and Reese would even be together.
I loved how the book ended. I fully expected the ending to be much sooner than it was. I loved that I was kept at the edge of my seat wondering how it was all going to play out. I found this story to be well written. The main and secondary characters were interesting and realistic. Overall, this was a great story and I cant wait for the next book in the series!
January 11, 2015
I literally just finished this book. It started out extremely slow but wound up being really good. I loved the Reese and John line in the first book and was routing for them but I wanted to kill John in this book what a major jerk he wound up being. Tate and Reeses story was really strong in this one.
Once you get about 30% into it the story really flies by and gets good. I can't wait to see if there is a third book and see what happens to this group next. Once again the grammar and formatting were awful but that's expected from an ARC. I would recommend these books to others because the characters and plot are really good and sound.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Once you get about 30% into it the story really flies by and gets good. I can't wait to see if there is a third book and see what happens to this group next. Once again the grammar and formatting were awful but that's expected from an ARC. I would recommend these books to others because the characters and plot are really good and sound.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
March 20, 2014
What a great follow up to Attainment!! Love to see the pieces coming together. This is written so that you feel like you walking with the characters through each chapter. Very captivating! I read the book in less than 2 days. I couldn't put it down!
December 17, 2013
Too much to happen to one person!! Good
Read but unbelievable.
Read but unbelievable.
January 8, 2014
Review to come...
March 23, 2014
Good story
Loved the characters. Loved the story. Have read the other book. Will read more from this author. Wanted to see what would happen.
Loved the characters. Loved the story. Have read the other book. Will read more from this author. Wanted to see what would happen.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews