My life was adrift…Until I found her.Broken and bruised from an accident that nearly took my life, Cora was the nurse who cared for me. She not only tended to my wounds, but for a brief time, she healed my heart as well.But, our lives were destined to take different paths and I never thought I’d see her again.Three years later when she moves into my small town, I can’t help but wonder if the … my small town, I can’t help but wonder if the universe is trying to tell me something.
Cora is seeking a new beginning. For years, I’ve been wandering the streets of this town, searching for something too.
Maybe she’s the answer to my prayers.
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Such a beautifully heartwarming story about two star crossed people with a second chance at love.
Cora was Dean’s rehab nurse. His crush on her is unrequited when he finds out she is married. Now years later, Dean is still floundering after a terrible incident causes him to wallow in self pity instead of trying to move on. Cora, meanwhile, is moving on with her life by escaping her ex-husband. Now living in the same town, Cora and Dean try to fight the attraction they feel for each other.
This story is filled with sad moments followed by wonderful moments. I love how Cora’s daughter Lizzie is her mom’s matchmaker. So sweet. This story is part of a series but it could be read as a standalone.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.
The Choices I’ve Made (By the Bay #1) GUTTED me!! So, when I knew that Dean & Cora were getting their own book, I knew that my heart was going to be on a rollercoaster that I would love/hate. I was so right!
We first met Dean & Cora in The Choices I’ve Made. In all honesty, I feel like you need to read The Choices I’ve Made to fully appreciate Dean & Cora’s story. In The Scars I Bare, you are taken through their journey from Dean’s time in the hospital to three years later when he and Cora meet again.
Cora meets Dean as his nurse after he suffers a horrific accident in The Choices I’ve Made. During his time in the hospital, Dean falls in love with Cora. Although he is not in love with himself. The Scars I Bare take you through his journey.
Just writing this review makes me want to cry! So, I am going to leave it at this… If you love emotion and watching characters take a journey, you will love this entire series. You will cry, you will laugh, and you will fall in love with J.L. Berg’s writing.
“A well crafted romance filled with characters youll love in a place you’ll never forget.”
After a devastating accident Dean Sutherland is left a shell of the man he use to be, struggling to re-find his place in the world, and it’s a battle that takes it toll on him day in and day out. He has a good support system that tries to help him readjust, keep him thinking positive, but he still feels like something is missing. Then a beautiful soul unexpectedly wanders back into his life, and instantly his outlook on things start to look up, he’s hoping together they can conquer their demons and find some common ground… but will their deep rooted scars let that happen?
Cora Carpenter has been dealt a crappy hand of cards, ones that have left her a single mother, with a load of baggage to deal with, and a wounded heart. Closing a chapter on her life and starting fresh in Okracoke holds a lot of promise, and hope that she can re-discover a happiness that has been missing from her life for so long. She wants to put the past permanently behind her, and create a new life for her and her daughter on the island, but she soon discovers that putting her past behind her is going to be a lot tougher than she originally thought. Then she runs into an old friend, with similar demons, and she beings to realize maybe she doesn’t have to do it alone, maybe, just maybe, he is the answer to her prayers, and her second chance at happiness.
The Scars I Bare is a beautifully crafted second chance story that will tug on your heartstrings and leave you moved beyond words! Between the pages of this one you will find an emotionally rich story line, and well crafted characters, that will take you on their painful journey to re-discovering happiness and love. It’s a bumpy road, riddled with gut-wrenching choices, and old wounds, but there is a light at the end of the dim journey, and it shines brightly and will leave your heart happy. I thoroughly enjoyed settling down with this one, it spawned a serious case of the feels, made me swoon, and left me smiling… highly recommend you give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed with what you find!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and voluntarily read and reviewed it
* A review copy was provided by the author *
I knew going into Dean’s story that it was going to be an emotional one. My heart broke for what he endured in the first book (The Choices I’ve Made) when we met him. And I wasn’t wrong. JL Berg brought out all the emotions in this story.
As always with a JL Berg series, I am loving this one!!! I love the characters she has given us and the storylines are unique and emotional. Her writing style always sucks me in and this was no different. This is a fairly quick read because you don’t want to stop reading it.
What I wasn’t expecting but that totally worked for this book, was how many scars Cora had also. Even though you couldn’t see hers they were there. I think that was what made Cora and Dean a perfect couple. They learned to grow together and both had to overcome trust issues. I liked that this story was overcome with excess Drama..she added just enough to keep you turning the page. But this is truly a story about healing.
The Scars I Bare is a standalone novel, but I would definitely recommend reading The Choices I’ve Made first. You will get a better appreciation for the characters and what Dean had to go through before reading his story. Also you see more of Jake and Molly in Dean’s story, so you don’t want to spoil their story by reading this book first. This books is told in Dual POV and I thought everything flowed well. This was a well written story that will have you feeling all the “feels”.
I loved meeting Dean, Cora and Lizzie (Cora’s daughter) Dean and Cora are both flawed and broken but for two completely different reasons, but through their tragedies they have both lost the ability to trust. Trust in themselves. I loved watching both of them learning how to trust and love again. These are characters you will want to meet and will fall in love with.
I would 100% recommend this book to everyone who likes a love story that makes all your emotions come alive. If you are a fan of JL Berg’s books then you don’t want to miss out on this series. I look forward to the next book in this series to come out.
The Scars I Bare is an interconnected standalone in the By the Bay series. This is a beautiful story about two deeply scarred and flawed people — my fave! They need to learn how to heal themselves so that they can bare their scars and find their HEA. I loved seeing Dean struggle to find his “new normal” after the accident. This was just so real to me — and as I can attest to, not always an easy process. And I have to mention Cora’s daughter!!! I adore when we get to see children in a book, they bring such a different dynamic to stories, and show a lot about the characters they interact with. And Lizzie was an AMAZING child character, her parts were just a delight to read.
Dean, Dean, Dean!!!
It hurts to have waited for your story. I know it was my fault but I was so worried I wouldn’t get what I wanted. I’m sorry. I should have known better. J.L. Berg clearly wants going to leave me hanging. I just didn’t trust myself to be happy with what came after.
So Dean, accept my apology and let me tell everyone about you!
The Scars I Bare can be read as a standalone but please, please, PLEASE…don’t. The relationships, the timeline, and the entire feel of the characters, setting, and situation are best understood with a firm knowledge of all the shit that goes down. So please!!!!!!! Please, read them in order!!
You learn all about the wonderful, gorgeous, and unlucky Dean Sutherland in The Choices I’ve Made. But Dean’s time to shine is now!! His romance is definitely worth the wait and true to Dean’s nature! He will steal your heart. The silent, slightly damaged fisherman will catch you off guard. He will warm your heart and melt your soul one smile at a time.
I love JL Berg. Her stories are sweet yet emotional, deep yet low angst. She’s an author you can count on for solid, alphahole-less romance. The Scars I Bare represents everything I’ve come to expect from this talented lady.
First of all, if you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Choices I’ve Made, you can jump right into this book without feeling lost. Although, I have no idea why you wouldn’t read The Choices I’ve Made. Haven’t I mentioned that this author is delightful?
Second of all, Dean is a shining star among book boyfriends. He’s strong and protective without being an alphahole, which I love. He’s also a survivor who is a little emotionally and physically broken, but not beaten. He could’ve used his injuries as an excuse to wallow in self-pity, but he doesn’t. He has some self-doubts, but he doesn’t let them hold him back from going after what he wants—and what he wants is Cora and her daughter, Lizzie. (Dean is all kinds of cute with Lizzie, too. I’d read a whole book of nothing but those two going to lunch together and talking about weird random facts.)
I had a little harder time warming up to Cora. Sure, she’s smart and beautiful and has all the other requisite romance heroine traits. But I didn’t like how she lied to her parents for so long (for no reason, really), or how she felt the need to point out a difference between a husband who “beats” his wife versus “slapping her around.” (There’s no difference in my humble opinion. A weak-ass douchebag who would raise his hands in anger against a woman is a wife beater, plain and simple.)
But overall, this was a sweet, emotional, sometimes sexy tale of a GREAT guy finding the HEA he deserves. It’s highly 1-clickable.
Full disclosure: We received an ARC from NetGalley, free of charge.
I already start by saying that Dean is a character I love from the first time I saw him, gorgeous, kind, hardworking, good son and brother, a fairy-tale Prince. I really suffer with everything that happened to him in the previous book and was already eager to read his love story, because I know for sure that regardless of his pain and scars, he would be a man devoted to the woman he loves.
OMG! It was nothing different from what I imagined. He really proved all I thought of him. If before I was already in love now then he is engraved forever in my poor heart, I don’t know how I will overcome this book.
Cora after annihilating herself gets the strength to change her life and raise her daughter the way she imagined being right. Fleeing from a complicated past, she goes to the island of Ocracoke to try to forget her scars and erase her lies. But not always changes are simple and easy to face and she will discover this when she meets Dean.
Dean is a man marked by tragedy that has changed the whole route of his life, today he is just the shell of a man, unwilling to do anything to move on and not accepting his pain. Upon meeting Cora, a nurse who cared for him with much affection in the hospital, he feels a glimmer of hope that he can find a new purpose for life even if Cora is so closed
.
A story of resumption, struggle, overcoming, and much, much, much love plus a touch of humor from Cora’s amusing daughter, Lizzie. Lizzie is like a ray of light in everyone’s life and will help a lot to take care of the scars of this couple. She simply steals the scene at various times.
I loved all the plot, the way it was built, the sexy moments and the moments of confrontation, I loved the chapters with Dean’s journal, and the ending that was simply amazing with a Cora rising up strong and determined after irritating me at some point.
5/5 stars
If you haven’t read J.L. Berg before, I am here to offer you a bit of reassurance. Although ‘The Scars I Bare’ is the second book in the By the Bay series, it is easily read as a stand alone novel. Please don’t let that #2 scare you away from giving this second chance romance your immediate attention.
This is the story of Dean Sutherland and Cora Carpenter, two people who are struggling to adapt to all that life has thrown at them. Dean meets Cora after a harrowing ferryboat disaster. He is hospitalized for a serious injury and she is assigned to be one of his nurses. Dean falls hard for Cora during his recovery but is saddened to learn that she is married and a mother. When he is discharged from the hospital, they both move forward with their lives.
Several years later, after Cora’s marriage ends, she moves with her daughter to a small fishing village on the outer banks of North Carolina. She accepts a job at the local doctor’s office and is reunited with Dean. He turns out to be more than a local, he’s also the doctor’s best friend.
As Cora and Dean struggle with their own private battles, they find glimmers of happiness whenever their paths cross. The second time around, the two pick up almost where they left off and build a friendship brimming with warmth and admiration. With a bit of distance from their personal obstacles, Dean and Cora find the ability to begin their individual healing processes with the support of one another. The more they heal together, the deeper into love they fall.
‘The Scars I Bare’ is a great introduction to the writings of J.L. Berg. I connected with Dean and Cora as well as Lizzie, Cora’s adorable and highly intelligent six-year-old daughter. The cozy setting of Ocracoke Island is full of well-developed and interesting characters. As soon as I finish writing this review, I’ll be adding Book 1 in the By the Bay series (The Choices I’ve Made) to my Kindle to keep me occupied while I wait for Book 3 (The Lies I’ve Told) to be published later this year. If you’re a fan of second chance romance and are looking for a new series to immerse yourself in, I happily recommend this book.
~5 ++ STARS~
Because, after all, there is no greater love story than the one we make ourselves.
Let me begin by saying The Scars I Bare was a book I was really looking forward to after reading The Choice I’ve Made. I knew it was going to be raw, but I wasn’t prepared for the emotional journey J.L. Berg was going to take me on. AHHH…I just loved it!!!!
Readers were introduced to Dean in The Choices I Made. We got some of his backstory. Dean had quite a story to share with us. Dean had everything going for him, a job he lived for and a place to live that he loved. One of his greatest loves was the sea until one night the very thing he loved took it all away. Now, he isn’t quite sure where he fits in. He has scars both visible to the outside and scars on the inside no one really understands. His one bright spot in his recovery was his beautiful nurse, Cora. But, Cora’s life wasn’t on Ocracoke Island, so he came home after his hospitalization. Yet, he never forgot her. Several years have passed and imagine his surprise when Cora and her precocious daughter, Lizzie, arrive, making the island their new home.
Dean has been drifting until Cora and Lizzie arrive. There was always an attraction between them, but neither is really in a place for more than friendship. Both of them are in similar places in their lives but for different reasons. Dean is trying to find his place after the accident, and Cora is trying to find her place after her divorce. A theme throughout this book was the power love has to heal even the most broken parts of a person. Both have trust issues, but most of the issues are within themselves. Cora helps Dean with his fear of water. The sea was a part of who Dean was as a person. He loved it, but in his mind, it betrayed him in the worst possible way. With Cora’s help, he learns to trust himself again and to take steps to overcome his fear of the water. Dean shows her what real love is. As she helped him, he helps her find the trust in herself that was taken from her.
Even though this was Dean and Cora’s road to love, the one person who brought them together was her daughter, Lizzie. I adored this sweet, perceptive, intelligent, and funny child. She was the bright spot when things got tough. Once you meet her yourself, you will know exactly what I’m talking about.
J.L. Berg is a master at tugging at your emotions. Her weapon in this book was Dean’s journal and Cora’s blog. Each character had their own voice in the book, but the journal and blog really told me the depth of pain and scars each of them carried. My heart hurt for both of them. The title of the book is a perfect choice because each bore scars that life had given them.
This book had everything I love in a book…emotion, romance, and the perfect amount of steam. As in the first book, Berg’s writing transported me to that tiny, close-knit island that I have come to love. Can I just say, the epilogue was probably one of my favorites EVER? I can’t wait to return with Book 3!!!!
Read and Reviewed for Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews
I’ve been (im)patiently waiting for Dean’s full story since meeting him in The Choices I’ve Made and I knew, I just knew I would absolutely adore this beautiful, broken man.
Dean is trying to live life—one that’s significantly altered after that horrible ferry accident. He knew who he was and what he wanted, but that all changed three years ago and now . . . now, he’s still working his through his injury and trying to figure out his place in the world. He’s feeling a bit adrift. A bit lost. Hoping to find his way.
Same as Cora Carpenter. She’s trying to make a fresh start. Trying to find a new normal and make a home for her daughter and herself. Ocracoke, Virginia seems to be the perfect place to make this happen. Especially since it was so highly recommended, by Dean of all people.
As Cora and Dean work to figure out themselves and their wants and needs, will they find a way to the happily ever after they both deserve. And will they make it together?
Honestly, there isn’t one thing I didn’t adore about The Scars I Bare. Not one damn thing. I loved both Dean and Cora. Loved their back stories. Loved how their romance developed and how they brought out the best of each other. And their sexy times. Swoon. But some of the best times were Dean’s interactions with Cora’s daughter. Ovaries really don’t stand a chance.
I am so anxious for Aiden’s book next in The Lies I’ve Told. Man, Aiden and Millie . . . this is going to be a fun one!
A sweet, sexy and quick contemporary romance that’s easy to read…
J.L. Berg is a brand new author to me. I haven’t read any of her books apart from The Scars I Bare. I really enjoyed this book, however I could’ve done with reading the first book in the By The Bay series, The Choices I Made. I feel like there were moment where I was missing something. It was more so with Dean’s backstory than Cora’s. This is a standalone, however as with most interconnected standalones there’s this sense of carry on in some of the banter between characters and even certain aspects of the plot. I honestly can’t blame the author for that, if anything that follow through was done beautifully and even though I didn’t read the first book I got a good idea of Jake and Molly’s story. Not that it spoilt it for me. I actually really want to read it.
The plot of this book is pretty straightforward. I think the intrigue lies in the openness and honesty between the characters and the plot itself. There’s no major drama that blows everything up that’s a part of their backstories. I quite liked that this story was about them reigning in the drama that got them to where they are and wading through it together. This is a sort off second chance romance in that Dean and Cora have previously had a non-romantic relationship, at least on her part. I really enjoyed the way in which Dean was so open with her about his feelings and vice versa. There were points in this story that were heartbreaking and I only just about held back the waterworks.
The characters were more than likeable. I felt a connection to them from beginning to end. Dean’s personal story is tragic, and Ms. Berg does a great job of portraying the anguish and the push and pull between his fear of where his accident has left him and the hope and need to carry on and push through. I liked that he isn’t one to wallow in self pity and that his hard time doesn’t blinker him when it comes to recognising Cora’s pain. The same goes for her. Ms. Berg has managed to convey their pain and their personal battles without making either of the characters standoffish or harsh. Cora is a great heroine. She’s strong and has a sense of self-worth. She’s also grounded and caring. I liked that her soft maternal side didn’t impair her no non-sense attitude. Which brings me to Lizzie. This kid was just brilliant. I loved that the interactions between Cora, Dean and Lizzie were such a big part of this story. It was very real, and it even offered a little comedy value.
All in all, this was a rather enjoyable read. It was short, sweet and easy. The only thing that took away from it for me was that I felt like I’d missed elements of Dean’s backstory. Saying that, it’s not the author’s fault and when I went back and read Jake and Molly’s story it all flowed perfectly. So, although technically The Scars I Bare is a standalone, it reads better if you read The Choices I Made first. I think that this is the kind of book that most romance readers will enjoy and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Wow! This was my first book by Ms. Berg and what a book to start!!!!
From the very first page of the Prologue, I was enthralled! Dean (yes, he has been added to my growing list of BBF’s) is such a strong man. He has endured so much pain, I was silently cheering for him in my head.
Cora…..she is a very determined and strong woman to rise about the scars she bares to make a better life for her and her daughter.
The title, The Scars I Bare, is a perfect description of the story of Dean and Cora. I have since one-clicked the first book and a book from another series by the author.
I would recommend this book .
Reviewed by: Dana D.
New to this author, I picked this up on a whim based on the title and blurb, and I’m so glad I did! Note that while this is the second book in the By the Bay series, it works great as a standalone.
My favorite stories mix humor and heartbreak together, something the author manages here beautifully. The writing was wonderfully evocative, with such a smooth flow that it was almost lyrical, yet with dialogue and character interactions that came across as so real and authentic I was pulled into the story immediately. By 10% in I was already loving it, and by 17%, I went to go 1-click Jake and Molly’s story, not because I felt I needed to read that story first (I absolutely didn’t), but because I knew I was going to want to put it at the top of my TBR list.
There was just so much about this book I loved. How the title applied to both Cora and Dean, who each have their own scars, and how the author carried the theme of scars–and healing–throughout the book. How the author used excerpts from both Cora’s blog and Dean’s journal to sneak in bits of past events and feelings without using flashbacks or interrupting the flow of the story. I loved the writing I’ve already mentioned so much that I highlighted line after line, and paragraph after paragraph. Geek that I am, I have a special love for all the fandom references, from Star Wars to Harry Potter to Doctor Who, plus many others.
Then there’s the set-up, including that Dean is still best friends with Jake and Molly, and though Dean is Molly’s ex and Jake and Molly are now engaged, everyone is completely okay with each other–well, there was a little purposeful weirdness on Dean’s part that was freaking hilarious but still…completely okay. Most of all I loved the characters, not only Cora and Dean, how they are together and the slow burn of their relationship, but also the secondary characters like Lizzie, Jake, Molly and so many more, who are all just as wonderful.
With all these things that I loved, plus a gorgeous epilogue, this book just hit all the marks for me; in fact, I’d call it absolutely perfect. One of my favorite reads so far for the year and a wonderful new author for me to stalk…erm, follow. 5+ stars
B2B Kelly
The Scars that I Bare was even more beautiful the second time around. Let the wait begin for book 3.
Can I please have more stars to rate The Scars I Bare. Five stars just doesn’t do this book justice. Dean has been through Hell and now goes through the emotions of living but not living. While recovering from the ferry explosion he fell hard for nurse Cora. And then she was gone, just gone.
Fast forward three years and Dean is still lost but back home in Ocracoke. Cora is now hiding in plain sight as Jake’s Nurse. Cora has the most adorable daughter. If this was a movie she would steal the show. Get ready to fall in love with Izzie.
Some scars are hidden. Some scars are invisible. Some scars can strengthen. Some scars can destroy. Some scars are the bridge to living. This story reached deep within. This story touched me. The journey was difficult. The journey tore at my heart. Hope is strong. Reality is even stronger.
Pick up The Scars I Bare and discover real love. Stock up with snacks first though because you are not going to want to stop.
I am loving this series. I love small town reads. And J.L Berg does a great job at giving you that small town feel. I was so excited when Berg said we were going to get Dean’s story. My heart broke for him in the first book. And I wanted him to get his HEA. LOL! He may have to fight for it. And it may come in a package. But it will all be worth it in the end. Berg gives us all the feels in this book.
To all the beautifully broken, both inside and out…..
What a start to a beautiful dedication. This is the first book I have read by J.L. Berg, but it won’t be the last! I have added her other books to my TBR list (man is it getting long)!
This is the story of Dean and Cora, and what a beautiful story it is! This was a book I could honestly say I could not put down until the end.
Dean and Cora had met in what I like to call another life, a devastating accident brought them together at the wrong time in their lives but it caused a lasting impression to them both.
When the meet again, years later, the both have scars, both physical and emotional. It was so moving to see them come together again.
The chemistry between the two of them is nothing short of magical in healing them both. The dialogue between them is funny and at time poignant. There are so many times when I was laughing out loud and then tearing up the next. The setting for this story Ocracoke, was so beautifully described, it makes me want to become a dingbatter and move there myself!
The secondary characters, especially Lizzie, were amazing and I can’t wait to see more of them soon!
You have created a new fan J.L.! I will be stalking you shortly!! Thank you for the wonderful introduction to your work!
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Dean’s story. He was part of The Choice’s I’ve Made but rest assured that this story is so well written and it can be read as a standalone. This 5 star story did not disappoint me in the least.
After a terrible accident, Dean is left feeling less then the man he used to be. While recuperating in the hospital he meets Cora, a nurse who took care of him. 3 years later she shows up in his town with her daughter. She has her own secrets to bare and together they will heal each other.
This is a beautiful, tragic story that really seeped through my veins and attached itself to my heart. The characters oozed pure raw emotions that made me feel so much. This story never lacked entertainment. It had an addicting and captivating storyline that flowed well. I love stories with children, especially one as sweet and charming as Lizzie. Bottomline is this is a must read.
This is the second book in the series By The Bay. Although I recommend that books in a series be read in order for better enjoyment but I think it can be safely read as a standalone. The author gives enough information in order to catch up the readers. Told in a dual POV with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.
The Scars I Bare is a mesmerizing story about two people who believe they are completely broken and how love healed them. Where do I begin with Cora and Dean? They were both so amazing. After a ferry accident that cost Dean his arm, he’s not really living anymore. He goes through the daily basics but doesn’t truly live life. Cora is escaping an abusive marriage and finds herself in Dean’s path. Cora has a gorgeous genius for a daughter, Lizzie, and she is just trying to get her life back on track and be the best mom she can be. Cora has been living a lie, Dean has been living a lie. Together these two broken shells find the power to heal themselves and each other.
This was such a great love story that hits close to your heart. The love and family dynamic was strong. Lizzie brightens this story up, she’s a joy to read and really helped Cora and Dean find each other. JL Berg’s writing had me captivated and the characters were perfect. I felt like I was part of the family while reading this. I hate it had to end, I was so invested in Cora, Dean and Lizzie’s story that I didn’t realize the time and how close I was to finishing. I wish I could have stretched out the story. This will be a book I envy everyone reading for the first time. I just wish I could read it again from page one and experience it for the first time again. I loved it and see a reread in my near future!