Favorite Quotes:

The room narrowed to the width of his smile, and Kerris felt herself leaning toward him, on the verge of toppling.

Walsh’s eyes held hers for an extra beat of her heart. That same jolt struck right down the middle of her soul. The intensity of that stare left her insides crackling.

Skepticism twisted Jo’s mouth, lifting one side and not bothering with the other.

Meredith tilted her head, studying Kerris with telescopic intensity. Kerris always felt like the edges of her soul had been peeled back under that look.

Kerris felt like a mouse lured into a trap by fake cheese.

Sanity was a fugitive on the run from reason.


My Review:

I fell right into this one and resented having to tumble back out for pesky things like eating and sleeping. I adore this crafty wordsmith’s phrasing and word skills. Ms. Ryan’s word voodoo is strong and alluring and held me entranced, even when I was so deeply annoyed with her characters that I wanted to give them a swift kick to their nether regions to dislodge their gray matter from their colons.

I decided to DNF this one at about 40%. I’m not happy about a cheating storyline and honestly didn’t get the draw. This just wasn’t a good fit for me as a reader. On to something else.

Wow. What a complex, deep, and emotional love story. It was so raw, beautiful, and utterly sad. I very much look forward to the next book in this series.

I think this was Kennedy's debut novel and I also apparently got this from Netgalley YEARS ago and never read it (OOOPS!) so that's why I picked this one up.

It was slow and wordy and I skimmed a lot of the internal dialogue because it was repetitive. The author never convinced me of this instantaneous connection between Kerris and Walsh. It seriously sprung from very little IMO, but now that they've made a mess of things I'm interested to see how it plays out, although I have a pretty good guess. Her writing has definitely improved since this novel but it wasn't a bad start, especially since she tackled something as controversial as a love triangle (which I happen to enjoy.)

Sadly this just really didn't work for me. The writing was lovely but the issues and actions of the characters was just a bit much for me to swallow.

I have read so many books from Kennedy Ryan and I decide to pick this one too!It's different from what I have read from her yet so good!It's easy to read it, refreshing and emotional!Kerris and Walsh's connection and chemistry gave me goosebumps.They were intense and full of tension!

The 3 stars for this book are more about me and my tastes than the book itself. I have decided that I don't really like the love triangle trope. Too much angst for me because, invariably, it's going to be difficult for someone, if not multiple someones, and I read romance for the HEA. Also this is book one of a two part story, so there's that.

This should be a great book for people who like the angst of a love triangle- especially when best friends are involved and it almost comes down to who saw the girl first. There's also a few dramatic events that will definitely tug at your heartstrings. I'm perfectly happy with slapstick (often unrealistic or over the top) comedy in my romances, but, somehow, the drama doesn't do it for me.

This book has lots of great reviews, so I know it is for some. If this is your style, go for it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I will be the first to admit that this story isn't my usual cup of tea. I'm not a huge fan of love triangles or heavy angst, but I am a huge fan of Kennedy Ryan's writing. Just a few pages into it, I was hooked and needed to know how the characters had gotten to that point. It was like a train wreck that I couldn't pull my eyes from. This one pushed me emotionally and though I don't personally agree with some of the decisions these characters made, I can understand them. There was a lot going on in this book, and some topics that readers may have a problem with, including past histories of abuse, infidelity, death of a loved one, kidnapping, and more. I'm not a fan of cheating (physical or emotional) in books, but I will say what occurs did hurt, but was relatively mild and written in a way that felt honest. These characters are not perfect and stumble along as they try to make the best decisions for those that they love and themselves. Sometimes those decisions are destructive. Sometimes they're gut wrenching. At the end of the day though, I appreciated that each character was finding their way and growing throughout.

This one was frustrating with the amount of miscommunications and assumptions, but at the same time, it made these characters more real and relatable. Haven't we all made rash decisions based on incorrect assumptions? Sometimes those decisions have very lasting and far reaching consequences. I do want to note that there is one scene in the book that occurs in the aftermath of a confrontation, that I found very unsettling regarding consent. I wanted to slap or throttle pretty much everyone in the book at one point or another and don't even get me started on Sofie. I *may* have screamed and wanted to throw my kindle at the end of chapter 18 and start of 19.

When You Are Mine is part 1 of the duet, but thankfully there isn't a terrible cliffhanger. Things are still quite a bit up in the air though, and I'm invested enough in these characters to want to read the conclusion.

Wow, I was not expecting this to be a triangle and or for this book to ended the way it did! From what I read at least their story continues on in book 2. This was really good!

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I didn't really feel for the characters until about halfway through. I started to see Kerris & Walsh's connection and feelings toward each other. Am I suppose to ship Jo and Cam because they have about zero interactions with each other? The story does end abruptly so if you want to know what happens the next book is a must.

This book wow'd me for sure. Fell in love with Kerris, Cam and Walsh. I am totally team Walsh at the moment, but am told that could change during this series. Love triangles can be difficult and touchy but this one I have enjoyed because it really could be more than just a triangle. So many subjects are touched in this one book, it will make you laugh, cry and warm your heart. Can't wait to read Loving You Always.

This book exquisitely and thoroughly both ripped my heart to shreds and shattered my very soul. Not just any book can be so complete in its annihilation of that thing which beats in our chest and forces us to feel. Throughout each blessed yet cursed page you felt a low, simmering burn that refused to fade even past the point of decency. I was left helpless to stumble in the fading light while trying to find the right footing, but when none was found, I allowed myself to tumble and fall into a beautiful prison for the heart. With each beat I felt both pain and exhilaration to the point where the pain was all that I knew and it became both my salvation and my demise. The power and the passion play with this story will leave you gasping for breath while knowing that your world will never be the same.

Walsh and Kerris’s story is not for everyone. It is not one that can be taken lightly. You can’t walk into it with a misplaced hope for their world is no different from yours. This is real and so very raw. This is life personified to a sharp piercing point that is then pushed into the center of your heart. What it releases is not light but a dark sucking feeling that crushes your heart in on itself. This is for those among us who walk each day with deep scars that are worn as badges of love and honor. This is life in its truest form.

Kennedy Ryan is a fantastic author who can weave your heart directly into the story as if feeling that it was written to both wreck and revive the last vestiges of humanity in our very being. Her words are a raging hurricane that will destroy everything in its path in order to bring to light the very best and the very worst around us to encourage hope where none should flourish. She has written a breathtaking parable of life at it most basest and rawest form that shows us that pain and adversity can either make us shine or make us just like the evil that touched our life. Only we can make that choice.

a vert heart warming book from ms. kennedy ryan. truly a great read!