King of Nothing by Aurora Rose Reynolds is live!
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Blurb
I met him when my ship was sinking, and I clung to him through the storm. Little did I know he needed me as much as I needed him.
The first time I saw Roman Dante King, he stuck out like an odd puzzle piece that got mixed up in the wrong box. It wasn’t his blue eyes in the dim light of the bar, the tattoos that covered his arms and hands, or even his arrogant personality. It was something else—something I couldn’t see—that told me he didn’t belong in our small beach town on the Oregon coast.
Elora Mazie Barlow reminded me of a hummingbird zipping from one flower to another, never stopping, never allowing anyone more than a glimpse before she was gone. Never letting anyone in… until me. Then she gave me her smiles that were more valuable than anything I ever owned and wrapped me in her peace without asking for anything in return.
Her tragic story sounded achingly familiar to my own.
Our connection is knotted up in loss. The journey we’re on together will eventually come to an end. But will we be able to untangle the mess of strings that have tied us together?
Will we even want to?
Review
4 stars
This is a beautifully emotional story of two grieving people sharing a journey of healing and finding unexpected love along the way. A standalone story with lots of heart, I loved this one.
Roman and Elora meet while they’re both visiting a small coastal town. They have both been shattered by grief, and have left their lives behind as they try to deal with their losses. While Roman is dealing with the recent death of his brother, Elora is trying to move on after the death of her mother, and she’s about to embark on a road trip to scatter her mother’s ashes at special locations across the country. Both experiencing the same gutwrenching emotions, they form an unexpected connection, and when Roman invites himself along on Elora’s road trip, their journey will change both of their lives forever.
He’s just as lost as I am, maybe more so, and that makes me feel connected to him in some twisted way.
Though the book starts off with the characters in a dark place, making us feel their desperate sense of loss and loneliness, their trip together is one of healing as they come to terms with their losses and start to find happiness again. They grow close, leaning on each other to get them through such a difficult time, and they easily, naturally, and quite unexpectedly, fall for each other.
“You’ve given me more than you realize, Elora.” He presses his lips against my ear and continues in a quiet whisper, “And one part of that is a feeling of happiness that isn’t mixed up with money or things. It’s pure and good, and everything fucking normal I didn’t know I was missing out on until you.”
This is such a beautifully written story. There’s so much emotion, and it’s written in a way that is real, and respectful of the depth of emotion that the characters are experiencing. Their recovery is slow but realistic, and their support of each other through their healing is really sweet. In addition to their grief, Roman and Elora are also dealing with some complex family dynamics, which adds an extra layer of intensity to their story.
The romance is gorgeous. Roman and Elora are honest with each other, they don’t hide anything, they are functional together, and their love story feels so real. They are there for each other, they care for and support each other, the feelings are heartfelt, passionate and intense, and I loved watching them fall so deeply in love.
“I’m in love with you, Elora,” he bites out, and my lips part in surprise. “So, you can have all the time you need to figure out what you want to do with your life, but you’ll do it going to sleep next to me every night.”
It’s a great journey, and there is some unexpected drama along the way, but I loved seeing these two stay strong, have each other’s back’s unquestionably, and figure out their future together sensibly, honestly, and without unnecessary angst.
Such a gorgeous read – 4 stars.
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About the Author
Aurora Rose Reynolds is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author whose wildly popular series include Until, Until Her/Him, Underground Kings and Shooting Stars.
Her writing career started in an attempt to get the outrageously alpha men who resided in her head to leave her alone and has blossomed into an opportunity to share her stories with readers all over the world.
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