READ: REVIEW – Finding Eden by Mia Sheridan. PDF, EPUB online free reviews.

Title: Finding Eden
Author: Mia Sheridan
Series: Sign of Love #6
Release Date: October 5, 2014

When the world as you know it has ended, when all that you love has been washed away, where do you find strength?

When the new world you’ve stepped into is as isolating as the last, when your heart is broken, and your future is unclear, where do you find hope?

Finding Eden is a story of strength, discovery, forgiveness, and undying love. It is about believing in your destiny and following the path that leads to peace.

THIS IS THE SECOND PART, AND CONCLUSION, IN A TWO-PART SIGN OF LOVE SERIES INSPIRED BY AQUARIUS (BECOMING CALDER SHOULD BE READ FIRST).

Mia Sheridan delivers the heart-stopping conclusion to Calder and Eden’s story in Finding Eden, a breathtakingly poignant and utterly romantic tale that will leave you irrevocably altered. Having been left emotionally devastated by Becoming Calder, I had no choice but to dive into this book immediately. From the very first page, Mia Sheridan had me addicted all over again and I was a goner, absolutely devouring this story. Overflowing with intense, raw emotion, Finding Eden broke my heart and put it back together repeatedly before all was said and done. Eden and Calder’s worlds are vastly different and years have passed since we met them as kids in Acadia, but their love beats even more strongly in the face of all that they had endured. Mia Sheridan perfectly captured the depth of this connection, making me feel every piece of Eden and Calder’s relationship as I continued on their journey.

“I know what it feels like when the person who’s your whole life is stolen from you and each day bleeds into the next in a blur of misery and longing.”

I honestly couldn’t imagine a more resilient and patient character than Eden. After everything she had experienced with Hector, she still exuded incredible strength while holding onto extraordinary hope. I absolutely adored the growth we got to see with this character over the course of this novel. Mia Sheridan did an exquisite job at transforming Eden through her various relationships and taking the small, unsure girl and turning her into a woman whose courage, intelligence and unfailing kindness burned bright. I especially adored Eden’s relationship with Molly. The more she acted like a typical twenty-something woman, the higher my heart soared. Seeing Eden thrive, working at something she was passionate at and surrounded by people who understood and loved her, filled me with a much-needed contentedness. Her grief lingered and her fears and insecurities were always just beneath the surface, but these qualities only served to make Eden that much more relatable and lovable.

“I was trying to live, I was. But, now you’re back, and I’m alive again.”

Mia Sheridan definitely put me through the wringer when it came to Calder in this book. If I thought he harbored hidden pain before, I really had no idea. Guilt, betrayal and grief made him into the kind of character that you just want to reach into the pages and hold onto. My heart bled for him as he dealt with the loss of Eden, the loss of the only home he’d ever known and the secrets Hector had revealed in the end. However, I have to applaud Mia Sheridan for the careful way in which she handled Calder’s emotional turmoil. While it was so completely devastating, he took that pain and turned it into something beautiful. I loved that he found a way to harness all of those feelings and it filled me with a sense of pride that he was able to find success in doing so. In addition to all of the angst, Calder also demonstrated an unexpectedly romantic side that swept me clear off my feet. His proclamations of love for Eden, his grand gestures and the genuine way in which he cared for and cherished her left me in a giant puddle of mush. Calder was every bit the tortured hero in Finding Eden and it was definitely a swoon-worthy look for him!

“Someone tried to tell me what my destiny was once. I knew in my heart it wasn’t true. It felt wrong. I don’t think other people get to tell us what our destiny is, Calder.”

This book… what can I say but that the overall storyline simply steamrolled me. Mia Sheridan is absolutely at the top of her game with this novel and the moment I finished reading, I wanted to start all over again. Every question I had, each piece of the puzzle fell into place over the course of Finding Eden. This book was everything Eden and Calder deserved in a happy ending and then some. Plus, Xander! Talk about an epic best friend. I think I fell in love with him as easily as I did Eden and Calder. Xander, Molly and the rest of the secondary characters rounded out this story perfectly, bringing a much needed lightness and sense of humor to this otherwise emotional rollercoaster of a journey. Paired with all of the unexpected twists and Mia Sheridan’s absolutely phenomenal writing and this is far more than a five star read. Finding Eden sparked such intense, visceral reactions in me that it became a one-of-a-kind reading experience. Mia Sheridan has an unparalleled gift with words and Finding Eden is the perfect example. This epic love story is an adventure from start to finish, a brilliant commentary on the power of finding love, family and a place to call home. Finding Eden is an absolutely must read!

I’ve just finished Finding Eden and I have to say that the conclusion to Calder and Eden’s story was absolute perfection. Mia Sheridan has a knack for breaking your heart, filling each crevice with joy, and then finding ways to break it further. It’s a wickedly delicious cycle that I’ve come to expect from Sheridan and I honestly would not have it any other way. With each book I read from her, I fall more in love with her style, her characters, and the way that her mind translates emotion to the pages.

“Our souls clung to each other as much as our bodies did. And yes, there was healing.”

I have rode such an up and down rollercoaster while reading Finding Eden, and even Becoming Calder, that I’m having difficulty putting the experience into words. Sheridan forces you to immerse yourself in this world with no desire to remove yourself. Her imagery pulls readers in and truly envelops, enabling readers to see the scenes the characters are in, to smell the environment, and to feel every gentle caress or harsh shove. The book becomes a life of its own, which made for such a surreal romance. Even if a reader wasn’t captivated by the incredible plot, there is no doubt in my mind that he/she would be blown away simply by the phenomenal way this writer puts her thoughts to paper.

“Whether we’d been two college freshman, two farm hands, two gypsies— two anything— the falling in love part of our story would have been the same.”

Not only do Sheridan’s descriptions bring Finding Eden to life, but these personalities sneak up on you, and burrow into your veins, leaving pieces of their essence in your soul. They become those best friends who turn into family, people you care about and can’t help but invest in. I couldn’t imagine going through any one thing they went through, let alone the series of events that happened, and it truly made me not only love them, but admire them and root for their successes.

“You were victims. But don’t live like victims. Live like survivors.”

With each new novel I read from Mia Sheridan, I find myself falling more in love with her writing due to her immensely growing talent. I’m enjoying being transported to new worlds with new encounters and even having my heart get put through the wringer time and time again. Finding Eden was the end of Calder and Eden’s story, but because of the way they became a piece of me, their story will stay with me for quite some time. There was something about their friendship with Xander, the love they had for each other, and the devotion that they exuded that I found reassuring and illuminating. I can’t wait to see where Mia Sheridan will take readers next or how she’ll surprise us, but given what I know of her already, I have no doubt that I will be astounded, just as I was with Finding Eden.