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Blurb
I fell in love with Thomas Wells and knew he was my forever.
I was sixteen when I gave him my heart.
Our love was the kind to last a lifetime.
But Thomas was broken.
The first day we met he told me he was going to become a Navy SEAL.
At nineteen he enlisted.At twenty he married me.
At twenty five he left me pregnant and didn’t turn back.
I knew he was suffering….
I also knew I couldn’t save him.
He left me broken.
I was scared and alone.
Until I met Ryder St. John a wounded soldier…
He was lost.
I was lost.
Together we made sense.
I fell in love again…
What Ryder forgot to mention was that he held a secret so explosive that it could shatter both our worlds.
Review
“I will always love you. You are the light in my darkness”
4 stars
I was intrigued by the blurb of this book when I first read it, the beginning hooked me in, and I was completely caught up in the heart-felt journey of these characters.
Halo and Thomas were teenage sweethearts. Her home life was loving and supportive, whereas his was violent and desperate, yet they connected instantly and fell in soul-deep love, determined to be together forever. They survived disapproving parents, loss and devastation, and years later they married and Thomas fulfilled his life-long dream of becoming a Navy SEAL and fighting for his country.
Years later, again, and Halo is on her own, pregnant and divorced after Thomas survived a deadly attack, lost himself to PTSD and sent her divorce papers from Afghanistan. It is in hospital after giving birth to their child that she meets Ryder St. John.
Ryder is a soldier on medical leave after being brutally burned and scarred. He has no memory of who he is, or his former life and is facing a long-term hospital stay at the VA until Halo steps in. The two of them talk and share with each other, and when he is due to be discharged she offers him her garage apartment to stay in, which he gratefully accepts. Her friends tell her she is crazy, she knows she is crazy, but she is lonely and grieving for Thomas, and Ryder is lonely and trying to figure out his life. The two of them share a bond that draws them together and they lean on each other, enjoying the comfort they bring to each other and growing closer each day.
We are in a complicated position with our pasts dictating our present.
There are feelings there, but Ryder respectfully keeps his distance from the heartbroken single mother while Halo is trying to move on from the past and go on with her life. It’s a slow burn and a beautifully developing relationship as these two lost souls find solace in each other and fall hard.
We may not have a past to share but we have a future we can create.
But Ryder’s life is a whole jumble of secrets. The only thing that is solid in his life are his feelings for Halo. He knows he wants a future with her, and he is determined to be a man who is worthy of her, and he is absolutely beautiful about it.
“When I say the words, you’ll want them coming from a man who is whole. A man who knows who he is and what he wants. I’m trying to get there.”
But just when it seems that they are poised to finally take that step, their whole world shifts in a way that neither of them ever saw coming.
You’re my halo. I will find my way back to you even in the darkness.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Halo and Ryder as characters, I could empathise with what they were going through, and I was invested in their journeys individually, and as a couple. The romance was really sweet with lots of emotion and a nice amount of sexy time, and the added intensity of everything that was going on in their lives tied into the story really well. Parts of this book had me clutching my kindle with excited anticipation just waiting for it all to unfold, and I was really happy with the way it all played out. I finished it with a big grin on my face.
This is my first read by R.C. Stephens, and I’m definitely looking forward to checking out more of her work.
4 stars.
An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author
R.C. Stephens was born in Toronto, Canada. She graduated from York University with a Master’s Degree in Political Science.
Her debut Novel Bitter Sweet Love is book one of the Twisted Series. Followed by Twisted Love to be released May 31st 2015.
R.C. is an avid reader, so when she isn’t cooking for her clan or on her laptop writing, she’s snuggled tight with her Kindle devouring any romance novel she can. Okay, with the exception of Thursday nights. She makes time for Scandal and Vampire Diaries. She’s a fan of drama and suspense but she’s also a sucker for a happy ending.
Her husband was her first teenage love. They live together with their three children in Toronto. Loving Canadian winters she could never think of living anywhere else.
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