It's currently 2:18 AM and here I am writing this review while I still have happy tears in my eyes. The Scars Between Us is absolutely blew me away! It was so much more than what I expected it to be when I picked it up. A heartbreaking tale of hardship and loss with two people finding their way to each other, with a touch of the beauty that is the love we get from animals. As someone who has spent most of her life helping in animal rescue, and for the past few years helping particularly with pitbulls I want to take a moment to thank MK Schiller for the very realistic way she showed what these dogs go through, and the emotions that rescuers truly deal with. Emma and Aiden's story is filled with many twists and turns, but even with so many things coming at them I loved their ability to hold strong and continue forward together. Aiden's life was filled with so much devastation and despite all of that he became an amazing man. I adored Emma's devotion even when she herself was lost. Seeing them overcome and reach their happily ever after was the greatest gift of this story. I'm definitely now a lifelong fan of MK Schiller.

“She told me to find Aiden Sheffield and ask for his forgiveness on her behalf. She said you were her greatest regret. She wanted you to be present when I laid her ashes to rest at this river in Linx, Texas.”

Emma Cooper is on a mission to fulfil her mother’s last wishes but she never expected Aiden Sheffield – or her attraction to this prickly man. 

“This girl comes into my life, uninvited, bringing with her all the turbulence of a hurricane, unearthing all the demons I buried a long time ago.”

Aiden is taciturn and shrouded in mystery. He never expected Emma Cooper or his reaction to her. He behaves out of character where she’s concerned. He never planned to ever go back to the town where he grew up, but the more time he spends with Emma, the more he realises that there’s no way he’d let her go to that town on her own. However, her appearance dredges up unwanted, horrible memories, which he refuses to discuss with her. 

This was a fantastic, moving story! It was kinda beautiful but also kinda harrowing. It was a pretty emotional read with some really surprising and shocking twists and turns in the storyline. I found it hard to put down. It was riveting and also heart-stopping. 

“She smells of sweetness – honey and vanilla and innocence. I don’t want to do anything to ruin all those special things.”

I loved watching Emma and Aiden fall in love during their road trip. I loved how Emma’s goodness seeps into Aiden’s life, making it brighter and happier. I loved how she lights up his life and makes him laugh. This book was such a big mix of sexy and heartwarming, mingled with some disturbing stuff. Such beauty entwined with such ugliness. The attraction between them is undeniable and my heart ached for Aiden and his belief that he was no good for her. He didn’t want the darkness inside him to touch her. I absolutely adored how well Emma saw through to the heart Aiden.

“She is the girl who lost everything. I am the boy who never had anything.” 

Oh, the feels! Thoroughly recommend this book!

The Scars Between Us is a great read! This story will draw you in from start to finish, and there twists you never saw coming. It was well written, and it flowed well. This book put me through all the emotions. I liked the characters Ex Military turned MMA Aiden, who at times was a butthead, and sweet Emma who's alone in the world. They were genuine and they showed raw emotions. 
Finding love when you least expect it.

I just fell in love with this book. Something just sparked with me and totally pulled me in.

While the subject is familiar, an ex-military guy with many pains and anger in his life, and a young girl who has no one in the world, this could have very well been a poor me, I am angry at the world book. But instead the author chose to bring these two together through respect, enjoyment, and protectiveness. 

This book is full of growing heat, sexy passion, fun, loyalty, and a huge twist that you do not expect at all. I have never read this author before, but this will not be the last book by her that I read. The Scars Between Us is unique and one you will want to read over and over!

Aiden is awesome, the writing is awesome, and this book is going on my Best of list, because I just loved it that much!!

The blurb for this book really enticed me. The secrets kept by someone but how they ripple out into the lives of others. Not an easy book to read at times, but then that is fine by me, sometimes you need something that gets under your skin in a none creepy way to read. And this book certainly did that, i loved reading the story and learning about Aiden and who he is and how Emma and Aiden can help shape each others lives to something more

review on goodreads under the name kimothy

M.K. writes THE BEST heroes!!!

She also writes some of THE BEST books I've ever read.  I'm a HUGE fan, and I don't even read the synopsis of her books before I start reading; I know that if she wrote it, it's going to be absolutely freaking AMAZING.

This book was absolutely freaking AMAZING.

In addition to writing the best heroes, M.K. has a talent for writing love.  The feels-like-you-got-hit-in-the-chest-your-heart-hurts, I'll-never-forget-this-part-of-this-book-EVER kind of love.   Each one of M.K.'s books has parts like that, and I can recite each and every one from her books that I have read.  And some I've read months, maybe years ago!

The love Aiden and Emma had for each other was nothing short of unconditionally beautiful.  I can't even put into words how much I loved each of them, but especially Aiden.  You want a tortured hero who knows exactly what unconditional love is?  Who fights and sacrifices for the woman he loves?  Aiden.  You will LOVE Aiden.

And holy plot twists!  This story was CRAZY!  I was absolutely NOT expecting so many "But wait!  There's more!" moments, and I NEVER saw them coming, but WOW this book is fantastic.  You'll be SHOCKED at how this plays out!

I LOVED this book and I just know you'll love it too!

(I received a copy of this book in consideration of an honest review)

M.K. Schiller - a new-to-me author - delivers an almost perfect New Adult romance with The Scars Between Us.

Emma Cooper's mother has passed away and left her a rather cryptic set of instructions: find a Mr. Aiden Sheffield, and convince him to come to the small town of Linx, Texas, to scatter her ashes. Intriguing, no? Well, I thought so, and it only gets more intriguing as you read and begin to wonder just what exactly is the connection between Aiden and Emma's mother...

I really enjoyed this book. If it weren't for that pesky needing to sleep thing, I'd have read it in one sitting. It immediately draws you in with the question of who the heck is Aiden, and once you actually meet Aiden and see the instant chemistry between him and Emma, you just won't want to stop reading until you find out everything there is to know. 

Physically, Aiden sounded absolutely divine, and the swoon factor in this book is pretty darn high. Also, the fact that he rescues dogs was an instant hit with me - love dogs. I wasn't really fussed about the cage fighter aspect, but since this book only covers a few days, that wasn't really a part of the story anyway. 

Character-wise, at first glance Aiden appears to have the stereotypical brooding hot guy with a back-story thing going on, but as I read on, I found it was all done really well and didn't seem at all contrived. Once you actually know Aiden's story, you'll definitely accept he has every right to brood and be a little Negative Nancy now and then. His problems are not superficial, and I thought this part of the story was tragic but fascinating.

As for Emma, she was fun. It might seem as though her characterisation wasn't as detailed or as interesting as Aiden's, simply because she's generally just a nice girl who's lived a happy, normal life. We, as readers, live through her rose-tinted outlook and experience each new revelation in this book as yet another blow to the happy bubble she's previously existed in.

The romance I thought was pretty perfect. Although the attraction for both was instant, they don't hop to it so soon you're not emotionally prepared for it (hate it when authors do that). No, I was definitely invested in them both by the time the first kiss happened. I did lots of grinning and even laughed aloud a few times at the dialogue. 

So cute.

I'm now going to explain what I meant when I said it was almost perfect, and because this is quite subjective, I thought I'd leave it until the end. 

So, having read a few NAs, I've come to expect them to be intensely emotional, and for there to be at least a section of the book that completely emotionally destroys me. That has me lying like a quivering pile of heartbroken goop on the floor, unable to process all the feelings. I'm sure if you're interested in reading this book, you've probably already read a few of them yourself. In fact, since the cover art keeps reminding me of Travis Maddox, we could easily use Beautiful Disaster as an example of a New Adult book that gut punches you repeatedly until you're crying out for mercy. Now, you see, I like that. Love it, in fact. And in this genre, I kinda expect it, too. That's not to say this book didn't produce feels, it did. But just not to the degree I crave. Schiller instead opted to keep it more tense and action-y, which is her right to do so, of course. I guess what I'm saying is, I have no actual complaints about what was in this book, but for me, there was just a little something missing that kept it from being a 5 star read. Because I'm apparently a masochist.

Still, if you're an NA junkie, maybe a book that's not quite so emotionally draining could be a welcome relief every now and then!

Overall, The Scars Between Us was wonderful book, and I'll definitely be checking out this author's future reads.

4 Stars ★★★★ A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The story starts with Emma Cooper losing her family home after the death of her mother. Her mother's dying wish is to have her remains scattered on a Texas river by herself and an acquaintance of her mother's, Emma has yet to meet, and that leads her to a real adventure of a road trip and learns a truth she hadn't expected.
Aiden Sheffield has had a difficult past, he was a marine, he's now a MMA fighter and he works with dogs, rescuing them. When Emma shows up with her request, his past comes back with a rush, and Emma is part and parcel to his sad tale.
Written in duel POV, the story unfolds with emotional drama's that had me misty eyed right from the start, moving, fun times as their friendship grew and developed into passionate love scenes and gruesome encounters as tense suspenseful horrors unfolded. I loved this book, extremely entertaining. I highly recommend it!

If you want all the feels, read this book. Wow, so freaking good. I was not at all ready for the emotional rollercoaster that was Aiden and Emma. I loved the intensity between them from the moment they met. I couldn't help but cry for Aiden. I loved that Emma made him face the hard things he had been through but was there to heal him at the same time. They're both such strong characters and they complimented each other beautifully. This story is so complex and real. It's gritty and heart-warming but extremely sexy. I absolutely loved this book.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars!

A beautiful story of healing and love!  This is one of my favorite books of the year!  

The Scars Between Us is a story of two people who are loosely connected by a person they were both close to.  After Emma's mother passes away from cancer, Emma embarks on a journey to fulfill her mother's last, dying wish.  The wish includes finding Aiden Sheffield, someone Emma had never heard of before.  Whens he locates Aiden at a farm in Orgeon, she is shocked at what she finds.  Aiden is a broken young man who suffered a terrible childhood.  Now, he is angry and isolated, finding comfort in the broken dogs he rescues and rehabs. 

This story is much more complicated than I summarized above with twists and turns around every corner that leads them straight into danger.  But, at it's core, this is a beautiful love story between two people who find acceptance, healing and love in each other.

You must read this amazingly beautiful book!

***5 ‘In Between Moments’ Stars***

My whole reason, not WHOLE, but the main reason I took a closer look at The Scars Between Us was the cover, I loved/love the look and tone of it and then I read the description. That was the hook. I needed to find out what the deal with Linx, Texas was and the little mystery of how Emma’s mom knows Aiden and from the first page I was hooked. I did the “I’m just gonna peek at it” Peek...yeah. I ended up reading about 5 or 6 chapters. This book had it all for me: Characters I cared about, moments that brought out all kinds of feels and a nice little mystery that kept me turning the pages until the very end.

I adored Emma. This woman has been dealt so many emotional gut punches in a short span of time that it’s a miracle she hasn’t just curled up in a corner and shut the world out. This isn’t to say that she has a handle on everything, because she isn’t, but she hasn’t allowed her grief to consume her. I loved her strength, determination, sass and compassion. 

Aiden. It was hard not to love and then adore Aiden. He’s curt, something of an a&%hole and definitely gives off a ‘don’t come near me’ vibe, but much of it has to do with his past, which was quite heartbreaking. But under all of that is a man with a gentle, genuine and compassionate heart and soul with a slightly quirky sense of humor and takes protecting those he calls his own very seriously.

I really enjoyed watching their relationship evolve from strangers to sort of friends to lovers. There were the ups and downs, but for the most part the angst was low and the way everything played out felt natural. As much as I loved Aiden, and believe me there is a lot to love about the gruff man, Emma took center stage for me because she was full of surprises and really brought out the man that Aiden was always meant to be without realizing it. The smexy was hot, but it was watching as they got to know each other and became more intertwined on an emotional level that really did it for me.

This is my first book by M.K. Schiller and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The writing was engaging, the book flowed well and at a good pace and the dual 1st person POV was excellent. The twists and turns throughout the book were done very well, some I saw coming, while others were total surprises, so it was a good mix. There are things in this book that will be triggers for some, but they are handled well and are necessary to the storyline and character development. The secondary characters were all well written. I loved Mac and I’m keeping my toes crossed that Carson may get his own book in the future. But regardless, I’ll be keeping an eye on Ms. Schiller and what books she’ll be putting out in the future.

when emma meets aiden in the scars between us everything changes. her plans. her feelings. her expectations. because she was imagining she'd meet some old, spurned lover. but instead, this guy is in his twenties. and he's not happy to see her. but she promised her mother she'd ask him to release her mother's ashes at the river in linx, texas. and you can't go back on someone's dying wish. 

emma isn't what aiden expects at all. they are connected in ways that emma has no idea about, and aiden hesitates to tell her because he figures it would do her no good to know the truth. he's survived a childhood filled with trauma and torture and then joined the marines and saw things that reaffirmed his sense that the world is filled with dark, unpleasant things. 

but now they are on this road trip that will take him back to the place where all the pain in his life began and he knows that he has to find a way to protect emma from it. he'll do anything for her. he'll die for her. incredible that meeting her would bring light back into his world. but she's an optimist at heart, even when she's lost everything in her world, she still expects things to get better. there's no way he'd ever shatter those illusions. 

and what's amazing in this romance is that it doesn't matter. secrets like the one's aiden is trying to keep never stay buried. eventually he has to tell her everything and turn her world upside down. but even in those moments, these two never let go of each other. the connection between them only gets stronger as the walls come down. because they may have not spent much time together, but they still know who the other person is down to their bones. their need for each other, to love and protect and save each other will keep them going. i loved it. i loved their relationship. i loved how there wasn't a big blow up or grand gesture required to prove their love. 

what they go through is bigger than that. it's horrifying and devastating and deeply traumatizing. but it's about how they survive. it's about how they find a way to love each other. it's about healing and moving on from the past. it's emotional and oh-so-beautiful to find something to hope for after so much pain.

4.5 stars!

This is my first read by this author, and I am so glad I picked this book up! The blurb intrigued me, and I am happy to say that the story was everything that I was hoping for and more. A raw and emotional character-driven story that is both deeply profound and so much fun, with the different aspects balanced perfectly to create a read that had me laughing, swooning and falling in love, at the same time breaking my heart with its dark and gritty drama. It was a wonderfully immersive story, and I loved it!

After tragically losing both of her parents in the space of a year, 20-year-old Emma Cooper is carrying out her mother’s last wishes by seeking out a man named Aiden Sheffield, and travelling with him to the small town of Linx in Texas to scatter her ashes. She has no idea who Aiden is or how he is linked to her mother, but she is determined to keep the promise she made. When she travels to Oregon to find Aiden, he is far from what she was expecting. She assumed he would be a past love of his mother’s, but instead he turns out to be a handsome young man that instantly sets Emma’s heart racing. But far from being welcoming, he is a broody asshole who appears to want nothing to do with her.

Aidan is the hot-guy-romance-hero trifecta – he’s an ex-SEAL, an MMA fighter, and he runs a dog shelter (*swoon*). So from that alone we know he’s tough and strong with a heart of gold. His attraction to Emma is as immediate as hers is for him, but he resents her coming into his carefully constructed life and reminding of a past he has worked so hard to overcome. But he shares some of his past with her, and after she ends up staying at his ranch with him for a few days and he spends some time with her, he knows there is no way that he can allow her to return to the town that almost destroyed him, so he agrees to go with her.

    His smile is sad. “You've been carrying it for a long time, Emma. Let someone else carry it for a while.” 


Road trip! I freaking love road trip books! There is something about the experiences of travelling, and the intensity of two people being together all day every day that creates a wonderful set up for a romance. Add in the ridiculous chemistry that sizzles between Emma and Aiden, and the stage is set for some awesome fireworks!

I absolutely loved the relationship between these two. Yes, there is darkness and drama, but there is also a fantastic sense of fun, and the teasing, flirting and banter is sensational!

    “Do you really think I’d risk my lovelies being strewn all over the internet?”
    “Well, no. Wait what do you mean by lovelies?”
    The pretty blush crawls across her collarbone. “Shut up. Don’t make fun of my euphemism.”
    “You can say a word like euphemism, but not vagina.”
    She makes a disgusted face. “It’s an ugly word.”
    But it’s such a beautiful thing.
    “I prefer to call my stuff lovelies. The bottom line is my lovelies are for my own private enjoyment not public consumption.”
    I nod slowly. “Uh huh. How about you replay that sentence in your head again, Cooper.”
    “What I said…” She face palms herself. “Shit, it makes me sound like I masturbate a lot.”
    “Yeah, it does, but there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s nice we have so much in common.” 


The story is written in dual POV so we get to see where both of them are at, and I loved the opportunity to get inside of their heads – experiencing the light and the not-so-light moments right along with them.

    I buy us hot dogs and try not to watch Emma eat hers. I’m must full of great ideas these days. Yeah, buy her some phallic food and dare your dick not to jump. What a fun game this is. In fact, why stop here? I’m sure she could go for a banana or, better yet, a Popsicle. Shit, what the hell is wrong with me?

    I don’t want to care for her. I want to be indifferent, pretend she does not affect me in any way, but she makes it impossible…because she affects me in every way. 


The emotion between them builds quickly but realistically, and I could feel each little shift in their relationship, and I loved every fun, sexy moment of it! From reluctant allies to friends to lovers, their open acceptance of each other, and of all that happens between them, is absolutely beautiful to read.

    “There is nothing in the world that can make me forget you. There is no ignoring what I’m feeling. There is no letting you go.” 


But their road trip is leading them down a dark path, and as they slowly fall for each other, Aiden starts to open up about his past and all that he has been through, and it is absolutely heartwrenching. This book has some incredibly dark themes and it’s not always an easy read. It’s graphic and disturbing, and there are definitely some triggers to be aware of (physical and emotional abuse of both children and adults), but it’s written with heart and emotion, and it really allows you to understand all that Aiden has been through and how much he has overcome. My heart ached for him, and it made him all the more incredible for being able to open himself up to Emma so completely.

    Cut me a break, Emma. I’m in new territory with no map or compass. Give me a second to find my way to you...please. 


And that darkness that haunts Aiden so deeply becomes all too real as they reach their destination. Will they be strong enough to face the horrors of the past head-on, or will it destroy them and all that they have managed to build together?

    I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Don’t let me lose you.”
    “You won’t.” 


I loved this book. It’s a heart-pounding ride, and the blend of dark drama and sweet, fun, chemistry-filled, sexy romance is really well done. Emma and Aiden are wonderful characters, and their journey – both literal and figurative – is beautifully written. My heart ached for them and all that they went through, and I feel like I experienced it all alongside them as they deal with the past, experience the present, and move towards their future.

I wasn’t ready to let these characters go, but the book ends in a great place, and I finished this book with a huge grin on my face.

Absolutely beautiful – 4.5 stars.

A deeply emotional story of two people who have a deeper connection than they realize at first glance.  In fact, Emma has no idea why her mother wanted her to include Aiden when she spread her mother's ashes or why they had to  spread them in Texas. 
The scars that are revealed are both literal and metaphorical. Aiden has multiple visible scars, while Emma has internal, emotional scars.  The journey these two go on while discovering not only themselves, but each other, as well, is poignant. 
Can two people who never met and have a shared connection find a way to build a future together? Or, will the scars of the past keep them apart? 
The Scars Between Us delves into the topics of abuse, family and trust.  I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

After making a promise to her dying mother, Emma finds herself driving to Texas to find Aiden Sheffield. Why? She has no idea. Who is Aiden? She doesn't know that either. But while Emma isn't sure what to expect of Aiden, what she definitely DIDN'T expect was a twenty something MMA fighting ex-marine who works with rescue dogs. While affectionate with the dogs, Aiden is downright hostile to Emma to begin with, keeping firmly fixed behind his walls. 

A brooding bad boy?? A brooding bad boy who loves dogs???? Pick me up off the floor because I am SWOONING. 

Apart from having a brooding bad boy (who loves dogs - did I mention the dogs?) this book has a sassy-ass female lead. GodDAMN she owns Aiden so many times I'm surprised she doesn't give him a complex. And she's strong, too. Despite Aiden pushing her away, she never lets him. Not because she's a Bella "I can't live without him" Swan, but because she KNOWS how he feels about her. She knows he cares about her, and therefore she doesn't let him push her away. 

This book is emotional, but it's also funny and heartwarming - and it has DOGS. And it is also one of my favourite reads of the year. 

*thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book*

Thank you to the Publisher and the author for allowing me to read THE SCARS BETWEEN US via NetGalley. 

THE SCARS BETWEEN US touched me in ways I least expected. I wrestled with a myriad of emotions while reading this book. At first blush, the beginning bothered me - I struggled with the way Emma spoke with her mother and the manner in which things came to light. But then, I turned a page. And another. Suddenly, the whip-smart dialogue and the way Emma and Aiden came together held my interest. Sometimes you come across a person and without a shred of doubt, the world just stops and divides into before and after meeting this person. I knew about three-fourths of the way through the story that there had to be more layers to their journey than the insta-attraction between Emma and Aiden. I suspected a deep secret lurked below the surface, and I felt compelled to read more even though I worried about what I'd find. There was a twist, and then there was another. Holy moly - I wasn't sure I could go on reading.  But, I reveled in the strength of Emma and Aiden and just like them, I faced down my fear of what would happen next. 

THE SCARS BETWEEN US isn't just another new adult love story or a story about traveling across the country to fulfill a sworn duty. It's a journey full of both wonder and pain; but more than that, it's a story about forgiveness. So much so, that in the very end, your heart swells with hope. Highly recommend.

This is my first read by Ms. Schiller and I really wasn’t sure what I was getting into with it, but I thought it sounded a bit mysterious, so I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, I was really bored with most of the book, to the point where I had to force myself to keep reading it.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters overall, which wasn’t helped by the alternating point of view. I got confused about who was speaking more often than not! I did get a good connection out of the animal rescue scenes more than any other part of the book, which I don’t think was the author’s intention! Emma seemed more like a high school student, than a former college one, so I kept having to remind myself of her situation. Aiden’s mystery just didn’t captivate me like it should have.

All things considered, I’m not that impressed by the author’s work and will likely avoid it in the future.

M.K. Schillers latest release is about forgiveness, the kind that changes everything and shapes you into someone new. It's heartbreaking, but hopeful, a book that will put a smile on your face right after you wipe the tears away. Told from the perspective of main characters Emma and Aiden, The Scars Between Us is a complex story that features a well-developed story line and engaging dialogue. It does focuses heavily on some serious subject matter, including emotional and physical abuse, and some readers might find that Schiller's descriptive writing could be a trigger. I found myself aching alongside the characters as their past hurts weighed heavily on them, as they pushed through a sad trip that took them into a life one never wanted to revisit and one never could have imagined.

"His smile is sad. 'You've been carrying it for a long time, Emma. Let someone else carry it for a while.'"

The Scars Between Us was such a fantastic read, it was character driven, and Emma and Aiden have some significant development as the novel progresses. I really enjoyed that the events of the book didn't carry the story, but rather how the character reacted to those events did. Oftentimes a book has just too much going on, but each time a bit of Aiden's past was revealed Schiller focused on how he overcame it, how he used it moving forward, and how Emma had to process it to truly understand how the events affected her life without her even knowing it. Emma's attitude about her mom's true past felt so accurate, though I have never been in a similar situation the writing gave me a sense of what it might have been like. Aiden, on the other hand, is so kind and giving, despite his prior struggles. His wisdom about life is based on a life no child should ever have, yet he makes it through and fights each day to be better. Emma and Aiden's connection is unusual, he's so much more than just the guy her mom asked her to take along when she scattered her ashes. The twists this novel takes, the ugly truths it reveals, only make the book that much more beautiful. As the two face the past they find comfort in each other and they find that trusting another with their story can open the door to love.

"What I want is him. He knows it. I hate him for it."

The events that unfold in the novel are hard to read, they're ugly and raw, things we don't want to imagine, and M.K. Schiller makes these overwhelming scenes come to life. I loved being in the moment, even though it broke my heart to read it. I did find, however, that some of the overly descriptive writing was also a negative. Some of the adult nature of the book was a detriment to the overall story. While the characters are adult, the story feels more coming-of-age than adult, contemporary romance and the smut scenes did feel like a bit too much. Overall though, it is a read that won't leave me anytime soon, I felt like it lived it too.

"It's time to forget the broken roads of the past, and look toward the bright horizon line. 
I should know better.
i learned a long time ago, you can't outrun darkness."

The Scars Between Us is my first M.K. Schiller novel, but it won't be my last. It was well-developed and held my interest from start to finish. Contemporary romance fans will love this thought-provoking release about love, loss, and life.

Gahhhhh. I'm trying to catch my breath and sound coherent at the same time. This book was amazing!! So so fantastic. It had humour, passion, love, a broody alpha male (THAT WAS EVERYTHING), a sassy heroine that took all the names while she handed you your ass and SO MANY SECRETS. Lord. The revelations in this book will blow your mind until the very end. It is honestly one of the best books I have read this year because at all times my heart was racing, my nerves were on edge or I had a smile on my face from ear to ear. It was such an incredibly emotional and poignant book that I had to take deep breaths at some points to continue. I could not get enough! 

When Emma Cooper decided to go on a roadtrip to fulfill her mother’s dying wish to scatter her ashes with Aiden Sheffield in Linx, Texas, she never knew it would change her life. She had no idea who this damaged and broody stranger was or the connection he had to her Mother but already on edge and grieving from losing both her parents, she was hellbent on finding out. But what happens when she learns that the secrets and torments from this young Marine's past and his connection to her mother will undoubtedly crush her and change everything?

I absolutely loved this novel! While not being a light read by any means, this novel was filled to the brim with light hearted moments that had me laughing out loud many times. It perfectly balanced the heavy and intense moments with witty, sarcastic and fun back and forth banter. I absolutely fell in love with Emma and Aiden and never wanted their story to end! It was so emotionally captivating that it completely won me over. I felt like I was on a magical journey of two people falling in love, coming to terms with the past and discovering shocking revelations that refused to stay in the dark. All in all this was a breathtaking read as I quite literally am still taking deep breaths upon finishing this book! I know it will stay with me for a long time. Bravo! 4.5 stars! ~Ratula

I would like to thank Entangled Publishing for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review!