Review ~ Harley & Rose by Carmen Jenner

eARC received via a our company in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: October 18th 2016

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
Ever since she was a little girl, thirty-year-old Rose dreamed of the day Harley would carry her across the threshold on their honeymoon. So what if this isn’t her actual wedding day, and that she’s only here because Harley was left at the altar just a few hours earlier?

Trading San Francisco for paradise and swapping her bridesmaid’s bouquet for a Blue Hawaii, Rose hopes she can finally escape the friend zone.

Once upon a time they had been more than friends, but life got in the way. She’s spent every day since wishing Harley would get a clue.

She’s always been his best friend.

He’s always been hers.

She’s in love with him.

He’s … not in love with her.

He’s … marrying someone else.

He’s … hiding something.

He’s … well—it’s complicated.

My Opinion

I don't like this author right now. Like seriously ... she broke me with Toward The Sound of Chaos earlier this year, but that was nothing compared to Harley & Rose. Worst of all, I wasn't even expecting it for this book. So yeah ... she's my not my favourite person in the world right now.

Like I said, this book broke me. I won't go into a details so as not to spoil this read for you, but it took me on a journey filled with plenty of emotions. It had its ups and downs, and it broke my heart. I didn't expect the story to follow the path it did and that made it all the worse because I couldn't prepare and I couldn't protect myself.

Honestly, right now this book hit a little too close to home. It moved me to tears, which is an achievement of its own since only 4 books have done that in the past. I couldn't stop reading and it was a beautifully written story.

This is only the second book I've read by this author, but it won't be the last--even if she writes soul destroying stories that leave me in pieces.


If you haven't read anything by this author you need to check this book out. If you have heard of her, you'll definitely want to read this. Toward The Sound of Chaos is still my favourite, but this is a great read.

4.5

Review ~ Toward the Sound of Chaos by Carmen Jenner

ebook purchased by myself

Release Date: May 18th 2016

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
Jake Tucker is broken. At twenty-two, he went in to the Marine Corps a naïve, troubled youth. Nine years and four tours later, Jake finds himself back on US soil, though his mind remains firmly planted in the sands of Afghanistan with the men he left behind.

Wounded, chewed up and spat out by war, Jake has only his dog, Nuke, PTSD, and survivor’s guilt to keep him company. He’s lived every day for nine years wondering when it will be his last, but there’s little comfort in the fact that he’s still standing when his platoon isn’t.

Ellie Mason doesn’t have time for broken. She’s too busy trying to put food on the table. And keeping up with the demands of her autistic son, Spencer, is sometimes like fighting behind enemy lines. As if navigating the minefields of single parenthood isn’t enough, Ellie finds herself drawn to the quiet Marine who’s just as lonely as she is. But she’s loved damaged men before, and it left her wounded.

Set against the picturesque backdrop of Fairhope, Alabama, Ellie and Jake find themselves running toward the sound of chaos.

Love is war.

Only the strong survive, and surrender is inevitable.

My Opinion

This is the first book I've ever read by this author. I had to pass over the tour due to the dates classing with other commitments, but seeing it on sale for 0.99 I couldn't resist, and I'm so glad I did.

Toward the Sound of Chaos exceeded all of my expectations. I didn't really know what I was going to get going in, but I was pleasantly surprised and the book sucked me in to the author's world for the few hours it took for me to read it.

One thing I really liked about this book was that the characters were far from perfect. The author dealt with some serious and real disorders in Toward the Sound of Chaos and I thought she portrayed each one brilliantly. There was autism, PTSD, abuse, and usually I would be saying there were too many and things needed to be cut down. That wasn't the case with this book. The balance struck between issues was great and the characters felt real. They had depth, personality, and I engaged with the extremely well. I felt for them every step of the way as they recovered and pieces themselves together.

The romance is pretty subtle in this book. It was a nice change from the possessive alphas I usually read about. Jake was a broken ex-marine who'd been through a terrible ordeal. He was in no state to play the possessive alpha male, but I liked how he slowly fell for Ellie and her son. They healed each other and the bond between then felt real.


I won't say any more, but I'd highly recommend this book. It exceeded my expectations, was beautifully written, and I loved everything about it.

5