Blog Tour Romance Review "I Have People" by Taylor Dean

Title:  I Have People

Author: Taylor Dean
Publisher:  CreateSpace
Publication Date:  September 19, 2012
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Format:  Kindle 497 KB  |  Paperback 336 pages

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Missing any memories? 

Holly Sinclair is happily married to the love of her life, Gabriel. Young and in love, Holly hopes to have their first child soon. Of course, Gabriel wants to wait till Holly’s health is restored, much to Holly’s dismay. She feels perfectly fine. So what if she just woke up from an eight-month coma? So what if some of her memories are missing? She remembers Gabe and that’s all that matters, right?

That is, until HE enters her life again . . . she forgot about HIM.

My thoughts on I Have People

Most of you know how big of a Taylor Dean fan I am and this book was no exception and it's totally not because I have a quote on the back of the printed copy!  I loved this book, but not quite as much as Lancaster House.  This is one of those books that I can't really talk about too much for fear of spoiling so I am going to keep this review brief.

At the beginning of the book I had a little trouble with how Holly spoke to everyone.  I felt like she came across as really artificial, but as the story unfolds you realize that there is a reason why she is acting this way. Holly is so naive in the beginning, but she grows tremendously during the course of the story.  There were times that I was so frustrated with her for the choices that she was making, but her situation is so real and as you are reading it you can't help but hurt for her.

This was a hard book to read because of the subject matter, but Ms. Dean does a wonderful job handling these scenes.  Readers should be aware that this book does deal with domestic abuse.  This isn't an issue that I have dealt with on a personal level, but I believe that the issue is handled well in this story.  You feel for Holly deeply and you will root for her to make better choices.  At it's heart this is a love story and has a great element of hope.  It's wonderful to see that moment when Holly realizes that even though she started out alone she really does "have people".

I can never say enough about how great a storyteller Taylor Dean is.  She writes stories that tug at your heart and make you feel no matter what genre.  I highly recommend all of her books if you like wonderful, heartfelt stories with great characters and clean romance.  You can find my reviews of her other books here. 

About the Author

Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense—you’ll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up. 

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Links to Buy 

Amazon  |  Smashwords  |  Barnes and Noble

Excerpt from I Have People:

The first thing that registered in Holly’s slowly awakening mind was the fact that air was being blown up her nose, fast and uncomfortable, whizzing into her in a most unwelcome fashion. The impulse to swipe at the annoying apparatus seemed unachievable. She lived in a dark world where movement was not possible. The second thing that registered was the blast of air on her skin. She heard the low hum of the air conditioner and felt the air as if it was millions of icy needles pricking her skin. The shiver that coursed through her surprised her. It was at that moment that she felt her body come alive. She felt her blood pumping through her body, she felt her heartbeat increase rapidly, she felt goose bumps rise up in rebellion to the icy air. She felt her lungs inflate and deflate with a deep, cleansing breath.

Next, someone was touching her arm, caressing it gently. “Holly, can you hear me?”

Yes, she wanted to scream, I can hear you. Her lips moved, but no sound emerged, only a whoosh of air.

“Stay calm, Holly. Everything’s going to be fine. Can you squeeze my hand? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand.”

Holly immediately squeezed the hand that touched hers. I can hear you, please help me, I’m trapped. Help me out of here, please.

“Excellent, Holly. You’re doing great.”

She fought to form a word, to call out to the one person who she knew could help her. Her breath seemed to stick in her throat, but then made it past the hurdle and whooshed out of her in a small whisper . . . “Gaaabriellll.”

In her next moment of consciousness, someone was speaking to her. “Holly, wake up, sweetie. C’mon, we know you can do it, just open your eyes. Try, Holly, try.”

The words seemed to be coming at her through a very long tunnel. Bright lights made her blink several times. A number of people surrounded her, all looking down on her with smiles. She didn’t recognize anyone. They were doctors and nurses—checking her pulse, listening to her heart with a cold stethoscope, touching her toes and saying, “Can you feel that?”

“Yessssss,” she said, irritated. Then her eyes landed on a familiar face. “Angela?” she whispered.

Angela was crying, tears pouring down her face. “Yes, sweetie, it’s me.”

The doctor was overhead next. “Welcome back. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up. We’ll talk more later. I’ll leave you to visit with your friend for now.”

Everyone left the room except Angela. Dear, sweet Angela. Her best friend in the whole wide world.

Angela continued to cry. “Oh Holly, I’m sorry. I just can’t help myself.”

Why was Angela crying? What was going on? “Where am I?” Confusion gripped her, why couldn’t she think straight?

“You’re in the hospital, sweetie. You’ve been in a coma and we’ve been waiting for you to wake up for the longest time. You’re going to be okay, though, you’re just fine. Don’t worry about anything.”

In spite of the comforting words, Holly felt herself panic. Hospital? Coma? “I’m okay?”

“Yes, honey, you’re going to be fine.”

“Where’s Gabe? I need Gabe.” Her throat hurt. Her voice was scratchy and unrecognizable even to her own ears.

Angela’s sobs stopped abruptly. “What?”

“Gabriel. Where is he?” she uttered with extreme difficulty.

“I . . . I’m not sure.”

“Tell my husband I’m awake,” she mumbled through an irritated throat. Angela was quiet and had gone very still. “Tell him, please tell him.”

Holly wiggled her toes and stretched her legs. She wiggled her fingers and lifted her arms off the bed, proud of herself for being able to accomplish these tasks. She could feel every part of her coming back to life.

“Why isn’t Gabriel here?” Holly asked again, feeling devastated. Angela was silent for several moments, looking at her as if she didn’t know her. Holly’s head came off the pillow, “What is it? What’s wrong? Did something happen to Gabe? Tell me, Angela, I want to know,” she said in a raspy whisper.

Angela rubbed her arm softly. “Holly, please don’t get worked up. Calm down. Nothing’s happened to Gabriel. He’s perfectly fine.”

Holly let out her breath and collapsed onto her pillow. “You had me worried. Why isn’t he here?” She was tiring quickly. It took all of her strength to utter the words.

“We . . . we weren’t sure when you would wake up, honey. Don’t worry, I’ll call him.”

Holly felt fuzzy and her thoughts were jumbled. “Why am I so tired? What happened to me?”

“The doctor said it was best for your memories to come back to you all on your own. I’m not supposed to tell you anything or prompt you. The important thing is that you’re going to be okay.”

“Oh, all right.” I’m going to be okay. I’m going to be okay. The words ran through her mind as if a mantra. Holly closed her eyes and tried to think, tried to command her thoughts to return to her. The only thing that wafted through her mind were her memories of Gabriel. His blond hair. His perfect smile. His brown eyes. His kiss. Her worried gaze met Angela’s wide eyes. “I . . . I can’t remember anything. Except Gabriel, of courssssse. I could never forget my husssssband.” Her words were beginning to slur.

Angela’s smile died on her face.

“Why do you look sssssso upssset?”

“I’m not upset. I just . . . I just wish he was here to see you wake up, that’s all. He’ll be so . . . disappointed.”

Holly’s eyes slowly closed as she whispered, “He’s always late for everything. He’s never in a hurry. Remember that, Angela?”

“Yes, Holly, I . . . I remember.”

Holly quietly fell back to sleep, the conversation, completely wearing her out.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*