Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream (The Gastien Series) [Kindle Edition]

Caddy Rowland (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Full of emotion...hard to put this book down."
-Crystal Trent Dotson of crystaltrentdotsonreviews.blogspot.com

"Unbelievably amazing read! This book quite literally took me for a ride. A very impassioned ride on a rather large roller coaster of emotions...I have never felt so much emotion from reading one single book before."
- Chrstina Irelan, Intoxicatedbybooks blog.

"...very well thought out and detailed story...romance, good supporting characters and wonderful storytelling...a good read"
-Lady Raven Rave Romance Novel Junkies.

" I was absorbed into this book from the very first chapter, loving and feeling along with the characters. It is a testament to the author that the storyline flows so well, with well placed and in depth sex scenes that are not for the faint hearted."
-Jennie Bookaholics blog.

"...a very dark and emotional masterpiece...many writers struggle with conveying emotional complexity, but Caddy Rowland draws you in with it...I laughed, I cried...you will not want to put this book down."
-Misty Rayburn, The-Top-Shelf website

"..had no idea it would be so emotionally profound. Caddy packs no punches for politcal correctness in this book...the question of what you would do to achieve your dreams. If you are a reader willing to push beyond your boundaries, I would strongly recommend getting this book."
-Beccie Weaver, Bookies facebook booklovers site.

Product Description

In this first book of the Gastien series, young Gastien Beauchamp begins his journey from the farm to Paris with two goals in life. The first is to become an artist with his own studio, following his own rules. That is an almost impossible dream for a peasant with no money or formal training. Paris spits out talented men into the gutters every day. “Good” gets you nowhere. “Great” maybe gets you a bowl of soup.

The second is to become the greatest lover in France. That should be easy. With his stunning looks and willingness to learn, the women of Paris are about to be awakened in a way they have only dreamt about in the nineteenth century!

Gastien also has focus, drive, and raw, natural talent. With the dream burning inside of him, he is determined to succeed at any cost. Poor Gastien. If he could only know in advance what brutal struggles await him, he might turn around and go back home.

Sometimes the “impossible” is possible. But the cost can be extremely high.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 648 KB
• Publisher: Caddy Rowland; 1 edition (August 1, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005FI62BS
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,976 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Caddy Rowland grew up in the Midwest with a stack of books that almost reached the ceiling before she was five. Books, along with her vivid imagination, have always been her closest friends.

She lives in Minnesota with her husband, who was her high school sweetheart. They are owned by two parrots. Yes, they can talk, and yes, they can bite! Melanie, the African Grey has such an extensive vocabulary that Caddy sometimes thinks Melly is preparing to become an author.

After over 20 twenty years in advertising sales, Caddy decided to pursue her childhood dream of becoming an author in 2011. There are four books planned for the Gastien series, and many other books in her head. Now, if only she can learn to type 2000 words a minute...

Her goal as an author is to make readers laugh, cry, think, and become intimately connected with her main characters. To her, a good main character stays in the mind long after the story has been read. They should become as real in the mind as the person next door.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much more than I expected, August 9, 2011

By 

W. Parker (New York NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream (The Gastien Series) (Kindle Edition)

Unfamiliar with this author and not ordinarily a reader of this genre when a friend of mine loaned me this book I admit I had fairly low expectations. So after half expecting to read a bit and then get bored, instead I found myself completely drawn in to the story. Set in 19th century France the story is of Gastien, the son of a fairly prosperous yet abusive father. Gastien dreams of a life where he can freely live the life of an artist but despite his raw talent the fates have not been kind, putting many obstacles in his path including poverty and lack of formal education among others. Gastien's stunning good looks get him noticed and open many doors, sometimes the wrong ones. Focusing on his art and with trust issues from his abusive past, his relationships are rarely deep, often superficial and sometimes dangerous. The book has a contemporary feel to it in the dialogue and sexuality, but there is enough of 19th century France in there to keep you grounded in place and time. The book has some fairly graphic intense moments but they contribute to the story rather than detract from it. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to pick up a story to get lost in for a couple of days.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Gastien Part 1., February 2, 2012

By 

A. Rosenberg "avid reader" (Kenosha, WI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream (The Gastien Series) (Kindle Edition)

Review by Ashley Rosenberg from limerencemag.com

In Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream by Caddy Rowland, we are introduced to Gastien, a young worker on his father's farm. It is soon realized that Gastien has lived a very hard life under his father's constant abuse, both physically and emotionally, that his mother is powerless to stop. Through the terrors and beatings that Gastien endures, he finds the time to sneak in his love of drawing and painting. As Gastien comes of age, he leaves his family's farm and ventures to Paris and follows his dream of becoming a successful artist. Once in Paris, Gastien experience problem after problem, but he is determined to reach his goal and overcome the many obstacles that stand in his way. But at what cost? Will Gastien be able to achieve his dream or will he lose himself along the way?

Not only was this book written very well, it was written in a way that I felt transported back in time. The amount of description in every aspect of Gastien's world was mesmerizing and had me turning the page until the early hours of the morning. There were a couple editorial mistakes, but nothing major that took away from the reading experience. Overall, this book was a good read and I am looking forward to reading the second book after I read the ending to this story.

When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure if I would like it. Let my clarify. The book has a lot of brash and to-the-point dialogues when it comes to sexual matters. In fact, when I was reading the book I was hoping that the focal point of the book would switch back to the art aspect of the story. Sex was a strong focal point in this story, and to me, this wasn't the type of romance book that has women swooning. Don't get me wrong, I like reading adult romance books, but these scenes had a very perverse feel to them. While I was reading the book and came upon these moments, I was actually trying to read through them as fast as I could because they just seemed very perverse. This may be the case because the story is told from Gastien's point of view, of whom is a man just discovering the body of a female and his desires. Maybe if it were coming from the women's points of view it may have been better to read, but this aspect of the book would be one that knocks down the rating. I felt that these scenes were incorporated just a little too much and took away from the focal point of the story; Gastien and his dream to become a successful artist in Paris. There is one scene in particular near the end (I don't want to give anything away) that I had a difficult time reading because it felt so wrong. Which I know was the point, but a fair warning to all, this book should not be intended for anyone younger than an adult. Other than this though, the book was a joy to read. I loved "experiencing" Paris in that era, and I especially loved the scenes of Gastien working at the restaurant and being with his friends. I loved reading about Gastien's struggles, his artwork, and the relationships he established along the way.

**Please note: This book is intended for mature audiences only. Extremely graphic**

Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream by Caddy Rowland has received 3.5 out of 5 stars.

*For this website and its inability to post half ratings, the rating has been posted as 3 stars.*

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of Emotions, November 16, 2011

By 

Crystal Trent Dotson (West Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream (The Gastien Series) (Paperback)

This story really takes you on a journey, starting with Gastien as a young boy being abused by his father, who thinks Gastiens dreams are feminine. But his mother does try to help him, and she wants him to follow his dreams. Gastien knows he doesn't want to be stuck on a farm forever. As he goes into adulthood, he finds it hard to let anyone close to him, all he wants is to become an artist in Paris and be a great lover. With so many ups and downs and so many emotional rides, it's hard to put this book down. I really look forward to more from Author Caddy Rowland , she really dedicated herself to this story, and I am ready for more Gastien.

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