This is only my second series by Winters, the first being her Monsters in the Dark. I'm so glad to see her writing style can be so diverse and flawless. I am equally in love with this New Adult romance as I am her darker material. This complicated, emotionally charged, taboo love story was one I won't soon forget. This is one of those books you know you will read again one day.

This book was brilliant and incredibly suspenseful. The pacing was perfect and the author took the time to develop her characters and her storyline. I loved it!

Whoa! This one is entirely different from what I read. He was sold a boy to a family where he met a girl (her parent bought him). He hated her at first but they became her protector and so much more than any of them could have expect. I feel this book is quite long and expand over many years following the two main characters from childhood to grownups. This love story is definitely unique, unconventional, heartbreaking and beautiful. Not the end yet – the conclusion will be The Girl and her Ren.

This book was simply brilliant, incredibly suspenseful. The pacing was perfect and the author took the time to develop her characters and her storyline. I loved it and will definitely read the sequel.

I must say this wasn’t what I was expecting, but none the less, it was enjoyable. The story was intriguing and held your attention. The characters were easy to relate to and connect with. Fans of the romance genre will find this very enjoyable!

This was one of my favorite books this year. I have been telling everyone at work to give it a try, even if it's not normally there genre.

This story is not your usual love story but is something more. It is one of extreme emotions that will take you to dark side of humanity. Ren and Delilah's story is filled with suspense, angst and love. This book is a rollercoaster of emotions but ultimately well worth reading.

This story requires you to suspend your disbelief quite a bit, but the characters make it so worth it. I loved Ren - how serious and determined he was, how he sacrificed to take care of Della. I liked Della, too - the way she just rolled with all of the crazy uncertainty of their lives and how kind she often was to Ren. Their relationship throughout their lives was sweet, although extremely codependent. I'm interested to read the next book in the series to see if they find their way back to each other.

Ok, so I’ve been scared to read this book because I’ve heard how emotional it. While I did see why readers would have such a hard time, at times it was trying, beautiful, and crazy, I really enjoyed it. I can’t say that it broke me, or made me cry but I really loved the forbidden taboo aspect. Two children running and surviving was hard to read but it was also a beautiful concept. I’m not really sure how much to divulge but I will say Della and Ren are amazing characters. The writing was amazing with past and present, the settings were unique and descriptive, the relationship with the different characters not only just Della and Ren were all plotted out and necessary. I really look forward to seeing what’s going to happen in the next book. I must be broken and that’s why I didn’t find it more emotional then I did. 4 stars #2OCCJD

Ren was only ten years old when he escaped from a hellish existence of servitude and abuse. He had his freedom – but discovered he wasn’t totally free. He had unknowingly taken the daughter of his abusers. And he hated her for slowing him down, for the added responsibility. But those feelings changed and Della became everything to Ren. Uneducated but resourceful, responsible and wise beyond his years, Ren creates a life for the two of them that is unconventional but surprisingly stable.

"I often found my heart swelling with warmth for my young, tiny friend and cracking in pain knowing this life we shared couldn’t go on forever. She would eventually need more. She would eventually outgrow me." - Ren

Ren was a complex character. Selfless, protective, willing to do anything to provide for Della and do his absolute best by her. But he is also a product of his past – sold by his mother for a paltry sum, bought by a sadistic man for labor, forced to fight for his very survival – and that past has left its mark on Ren. Knowing he was unwanted and unloved, experiencing only cruelty and abuse, he understandably trusts no one (beyond Della), is suspicious of everyone, and feels unworthy of love or even simple kindness. Ren was always happier removed from society, away from people, surrounded by nature in the woods. But for Della, he sacrificed even that.

"She might have upset me, messed up my mind, and ruined my trust, but nothing could change the fact that where she was, I was happiest, and she was all I needed." - Ren

Told in dual points of view, The Boy and His Ribbon spans more than 15 years and follows the evolution of Ren and Della’s relationship from children to young adults and, in Ren’s case, adulthood. Their bond is close, their loyalty is unmatched, and their feelings change over time and morph into something beyond friendship, beyond companionship and beyond innocence. The boundaries of their relationship are tested and stretched - and they both suffer for it.

"How many times do you think a person can survive a broken heart? I would like to know because Ren has successfully broken mine, repaired it, shattered mine, fixed it, crushed mine, and somehow glued it back together again and again." - Della

Ren and Della’s story required a certain suspension of disbelief. (Because really, could a 10 year old boy really single-handedly care for a baby and raise her on his own? Could he provide food and care by himself year after year?) And at times the prose drifted into melodrama. But neither of those things stopped me from falling for their story. Whether the focus was on their day to day existence in the woods or in an abandoned building, or on their ever-changing dynamic and how it was impacted by other people in their lives, I was hooked. Ren and Della are not ordinary characters and their story is not a typical story. It was emotional and angsty, sweet and heartwarming, forbidden and heartbreaking. Winters never took the easy way out, didn’t hesitate to make her characters hurt, and when I thought I knew what direction the story was going to take, she threw in a twist that I didn’t see coming.

"How could you not fall in love with a boy like Ren Wild? How could you not fall in love with a boy who puts you first in everything, protects you at all costs, worships the ground you walk on, gives you things you didn’t know you wanted, who can hear your thoughts and see your fears? A boy who sacrificed so much without even telling you, leaving you heartbroken when you’re old enough to figure it out for yourself?" - Della

The Boy & His Ribbon is a different kind of story. It doesn’t follow the usual tropes and conventions. But I liked the differences and the unpredictability – even while the angst was doing me in and hurting my heart. Even while the cliffhanger left me heartsick and desperate for answers. When you’re in the mood for something out of the ordinary, something emotional that will captivate you and have you questioning what’s right and wrong, pick up The Boy & His Ribbon and experience Ren and Della’s story for yourself.

This book really intrigued me. I was hooked from the start and was not able to put it down. I'm now very ready to read the next book in the series!

Emotionally intense read that pulls at your heart strings and leaves you feeling raw. This is not a stand alone book. I liked this book and will definitely read the next one.

The Boy and His Ribbon is the first Pepper Winters novel I've read and I am not disappointed whatsoever. Winters is an incredible writer and this story exceeded all the expectations I ever had for a book with this description. I began reading and was honestly expecting a romance but this book was so much more than that – it was a coming of age story that explored relationships in a deeper aspect than romantic. Sure, there was some romance throughout the book but it was pretty unique how Winters takes the story and moves it forward.

The story follows Ren and Della over 18 years of their life – which gives the book this unprecedented feeling that it's going to be insanely long but with cleverly placed chapters, each chapter keeps you wanting to keep reading. The story itself is about the relationship between our two main characters, how the two build a bond through their struggle to survive and how they grow together. This is the first book, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what changes come about in the next book.

I really enjoyed watching these two grow up together from children to adults. Winters shows a unique relationship which is both gorgeous and heartbreaking at the same time – the bond between Ren and Della is a layer of intricate feelings. Ren is the elder of the two, who I found that I enjoyed reading about more than Della (though Della was just as interesting to read about, I'll get to her!) He was really great to read about, with a heartbreaking origin story as a child but still sacrificed more and more to raise a child. He suffered like no one should but still managed to push through into adulthood and beyond as a truly good man. I'm really looking forward to reading more about him in the next book.

Della, oh sweet Little Ribbon. Honestly, she's only human. We saw her as an infant grow into an adult, with all the reality of being a child and a teenager in between and I think that helped a lot when it came to realising that she was a child who really didn't want for anything. Whatever she wanted, Ren sacrificed to somehow appease her. At first, I placed it down to the fact that she was a child – and Ren wanting to set boundaries while raising her was a really good thing to see. Of course, as Della grew older, her want for everything kind of made her seem like a brat and the only reason I still liked Della in those particular scenes of extra brattiness was because the present day point of view from Della understood that she was being a brat. I think this awareness for present day really impacted on how I read about her when she was younger.

The bond between Ren and Della was possessive bordering on forbidden (actually sometimes falling into that "why am I reading this" category) – but I still really enjoyed it anyway. The entire story was incredibly written and epically emotional, and Winters does an amazing job in getting the reader to want to keep reading. And to want to read the next book, as the ending fell off an edge and tumbled into this abyss of "unfinished but to be continued."

This book was an emotional roller coaster, with moments of heart-pounding and moments of heartbreaking – honestly, I recommend this to anyone who wants a unique look on relationships, platonic or romantic, and the way we survive.

I think one of the things I loved most about this story was how ‘real’ it was. The background, the main characters, the side characters, the emotions, the hurdles, the triumphs, their story… everything felt so genuine and authentic, almost like I was reading the entries of a diary. My heart felt gutted for Ren right from the start. With what this young man had to endure, it was no wonder that he was suspicious, wary, and extremely averse to people in general. He’d never had the chance to know kindness and was instinctively distrustful of people who offered it. However, when it came to Della, he was always willing to sacrifice his own comfort for her happiness. His love for her far outweighed his natural urges and he would do anything to make her life better.
The way Ren looked at you made you suffer beneath his expectation and glow beneath his praise. He touched you deeper than any hand could read. He affected you harder than any spoken word ever could.
He cared with his entire soul and committed with entire being.

Everything Ren did was for the sake of Della, his ribbon. She was once everything he hated and became his very reason for existing. She was his world. He raised her from infancy and protected her from all perceived dangers. Somehow, despite his own ignorance, he was able to help her become the beautiful young woman she was. They survived the wilderness together and flourished from the generosity of a family that they couldn’t quite call their own. Through everything, his love for Della and hers for him grew deeper and their bond grew stronger. No matter what or who got in their path, it was always them against the world and no one and nothing could take the place the other had in their hearts. Well, except for each other. What happens when love becomes love and no one is equipped for the repercussions? The Boy and His Ribbon was a love story, but not in the traditional sense. It wasn’t romantic. It wasn’t pretty. And it hurt so bad while hurting so good.
I’m living proof that a heart can be broken a thousand times and still function, still keep you alive - desperately hoping that it won’t happen again, all the while knowing it will.

While Della was a little harder to understand because she started off as a baby and this book ended with her as a coming-of-age adult, her intentions and feelings were clear. Well, clear enough. It was Ren who absolutely owned me though. He was humble, sensitive, wise, and so loving. The ways he loved Della left me in awe. He was selfless and generous, thoughtful and considerate.
He carries this melancholy melody inside him that just makes me want to protect him and have him protect me at the same time.

The Boy and His Ribbon was proof of why Pepper Winters will always remain at the top of my must-read list. It’s books like this that make me drop anything else I’m doing to get my eyes on them. It’s why her books are always deliberate purchases for me. Her writing for this story was not only flawless, it was eloquent and evocative. It had me swinging from bouts of happiness and despair and right back again. The authenticity of her characters and her arguments have me completely devoted to learning how this story will turn out. I really need The Girl and Her Ren asap!! Now that the secrets are out in the open, I can’t wait to see how Della and Ren stitch themselves back together again. That cliffy damn near broke my heart and I’m ever hopeful that somehow these characters will give me the happy ending I’m looking for.

♡Unrealistic Wild Forbidden Romance♡
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[ I wanted my freedom , and she was just another form of imprisonment.]
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This book..
My heart had literally clenched when I read this book. My feelings became so powerful, it was pure wilderness and magical.
There were parts where I literally shivered, I had gone in an ecstatic bliss.
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[Life away from people was the easiest path I’d ever chosen, and I wouldn’t give that up.]
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You may wonder that this might be a tad bit of exaggeration but no it's not. Everything in this story was too much overpowereing but that too much was not a bad thing that was THE BEST thing.
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[ I buckled under a different type of hunger. A hunger for something that offered safety even if everything around us was dangerous.]
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I was cursing and talking like a madman when I reached the end. That cliffhanger was a trauma
I was unable to form words..I still am unable to speak clearly to show my appreciation & make you all see what a PURE JEM this book is.
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[ He was my entire universe, and he treated me like I was his in return.]
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In this Jem of a story a diamond has shone itself & stole my heart just from a glance.
Ren Wild is THE BOOKBOYFRIEND.. no wait.. he's your THE BB and my EVERYTHING!!
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[Even as a boy, he was beautiful. Too beautiful to carry the depth of suspicion and guardedness he never fully shed]
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You'll fall for him.. your mind will spin when you read his story, you'll feel his pain & a glance to his tortured soul will want you to bear his scars & coccon him from this poisonous world.
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[I knew I would never let her down again.
I would die for her. I would live for her.
I would kill for her.]
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But in all of his pain there was this huge fucking ray of sunshine that brighten up his whole being. Who made him see the worth of his existence.
Della Ribbon was a mistake but she was the kind of mistake that he was thankful for.
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[ She was my one constant, and this was unknown, scary territory.]
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Pepper Winters you're THE QUEEN! You write words that just doesn't whisper to your heart but is a punch to the soul.
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[Something physical slammed into my chest. Something unmentionable and powerful and so damn pure, I’d never felt anything like it before.]
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She'll break your heart into pieces with a smile on her face & you'll be left with a dying soul and a shattering heart, with your eyes crying out but still a small smile would be edged on your face because it was all fucking worth it.
Every tear,
Eery heartbreak,
Every gasp that left my mouth,
Totally WORTH IT!
& That my lovely friend is The best part of this forbbiden romance story of The Boy & His Ribbon.
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[He made my entire life a jewellery box of special, sad, hard, happy, incredible moments that I want to wear each and every day.]
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This book ends with a massive cliffhanger so I don't want to blind you.. & that cliffy was a teareyed one.
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[Ren is my favourite word. I love every history attached to it. I love every pain lashed to it. I love the boy it belongs to.]
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I.. I want you all who is reading this review to READ THIS BOOK... Seriously if you want a push.. just message me.. BUT READ THIS BOOK...
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[ Trees couldn’t lie to you. Bushes couldn’t hurt you. Humans were complicated creatures, and smiles were full of poison.]
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As a fellows romancer reader..we always try to search a story that's out oftheboxhas angst and has the capability to just lure us right into the book... Well search no more because THIS IS THE BOOK YOU'RE SEARCHING FOR.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Boy and His Ribbon is a good coming-of-age story. It's about Ren Wild, a boy sold into slavery at the age of 8 and escaped his captors two years later. He longed for freedom but his life changed when he accidentally took his captors' infant daughter, Della Mclary.

It was a depressing start for Ren and Della. I pity them for experiencing hardships at a young age. Being homeless kids, they have no choice but to survive by scavenging whatever they can. Ren almost resented Della for being his enemies' daughter but his fondness on Della prevails and he'll do everything to keep her from harm. Taking care of a child was a huge responsibility for a ten year old kid. He was a selfless boy throughout the book and I admire him for that. They have a solid familial bond and friendship but when Della gets older, it gradually develops into a taboo relationship.

The progress of the story was pretty slow and at one point it became boring and routinal. It takes a lot of patience and I'm glad I finished it. Ren and Della's relationship was thought-provoking by the time they've become grownups. I like Della's point of view, telling her story has a raw punch. She's intelligent, bold and always on point. Things got interesting on the last 30% of the book and I need to read the sequel the soonest. Overall, this is a good book. I wish some unimportant parts were cut off.

WHYYYYY did I wait so long to read this? I didn't even realize it was a duet at first. Now I need the next one!
This book is so good! It's heartbreaking and real. This book will rip you apart, have you flying through the pages dying to know what is happening! How it's going to go. Obviously, you can't find out in this book, but a girl can hope for a sliver of information!
"What do you do when you meet your soul mate? No wait...that's too easy. What do you do when you meet your soul mate and have to spend a lifetime loving him in secret?
I'll tell you what you do.
You lie."
That statement could not be more perfect for this book. Two people growing up so closely together, knowing they can't cross that line, but being in love and never being able to act on it. You just lie. You lie to yourself, you lie to everyone around you and you lie to the one you love. The ONLY person you love. The only person who knows the real you. Wow.
Della and Ren are thrown together in the strangest way, but Ren has a heart of gold and would do anything for Della, so he does. Over and over.
This book truly broke my heart. I love that Pepper (that's my niece's middle name) can make this amazing story that leaves you needing more, but pondering all the pages before. I sit here and wonder could this possibly happen? Is it?
I cannot wait for the next one!

This title was archived before I had a chance to send the file to my kindle. I am unable to review at this time.

First 5 Blush Review

Okay, I’ll start this review with the obvious. 4.5 to 5? What’s that about?? I set the book down a lot and then came back to it. It might just be because stuff was on my mind, but usually, that is a determining 5-star factor. For a 5 it’s usually un-put-down-able. But like I said, I had stuff, so who knows.

What I can tell you, without a doubt, is that Pepper’s writing is flawless.

Did you guys read Unseen Messages?

Man oh, man, did I love that book. It’s a Pepper Winters book that wasn’t as popular as her brilliant Tears of Tess,but in many ways, there was something magical about that book.

Why am I bringing up other Pepper Winters books, instead of talking about The Boy and His Blue Ribbon? It’s because in The Boy and His Blue Ribbon, Winters takes everything that is perfect about Unseen Messages and Tears of Tess and she created this book. There is taboo, but there is also this striving to survive in desolate situations, that you get in Unseen Messages. This had a perfect blend of those elements.

Oh, snucks!

I think I just talked myself into this being a 5. Yep, definitely, was my own stuff going on. This book, now that I’m mentally going over again the details, and the journey and the way Winters grabbed me and made me think about surviving in the forest and the feels. Oh, the feels!

I watched a blogger, whose VLOGS I used to enjoy, go on about this book the other day, and I was in the middle of reading it and I was like, yeah, Molly is right!

This book is the shiznuts. (Yep, I just typed that!)

If you are new to Pepper, or you thought she was too dark, wait no further, to read her, for, in this book, you will get dark, but light too. It’s such a perfect blend of everything I’ve read from her that I think you will fall in love with it.


Second 5 Blush Review
Unconventional love. Coming of age. The Boy and His Ribbon is the first of this duet. It’s told in a dual POV.
Fate brought them together.
Ren is a 10 year old boy who is running for his life from the terror he has endured. He has no money, food or shelter. The only thing he’s got is his backpack. Will he survive? He’s struggling within the depths of the unknown. Della is someone Ren is responsible for. But how can he protect her when he doesn’t know what will happen to him?
Pepper Winters has written a book that I have never read before. She has you so engrossed in these characters and this plot that you don’t want it to end. It’s written as past and present. You see a lot of character growth throughout. Ren and Della are incredibly in-depth characters. This is about sacrifice, friendship, and survival. It’s an emotional story of love. I enjoyed how different it was. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Third 5 Blush Review

This is the first book of Pepper Winters that I have read. And it definitely will not be the last.
Where do I begin? There are some books that stay with you. Have an impact on you. The characters wiggle their way into your heart, and they grab hold and vow to never let go. The Boy & His Ribbon is one of those. This book..... it EPIC.

Ren and Della take you on a journey of survival, sacrificing, trust, friendship, and love. Ren's story broke my heart in the first chapter of the book. So when he took me on his journey, I loved his determination, his protectiveness, and his values. When faced with an obstacle when he discovers he took something from the farm when he ran, he had choices to make. Choices a ten-year-old never should have to face.

Lets fast forward... I will not give any spoilers, so I can't go into too many details in my review. But TRUST ME.... You want to read this book.

As the years go by, Ren and Della become each other's world. They are both faced with difficulties as they grow into themselves. As they try to find their way in life. There is a ten-year difference between the two. Ren always the protector, Della always the child. But what happens when Della is no longer a child? Will Ren be able to control her? Discipline her? Will their past come back to haunt them? Hurt them?

When you love someone, that has the power to destroy you. The power to cripple you. That's exactly what love did to Ren and Della. Sometimes you love someone who you shouldn't. There is a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone. Do Ren and Della know the difference between the two?

I devoured this book. I never wanted it to end. I went on this journey with Ren and Della and I hurt for them. My heart literally hurt for the two of them. I have to say the only thing I am mad about is... I have to wait for The Girl & Her Ren to release. I wish I could read them back to back.

DEFINITELY, A 5 STAR READ