Nine years to win her. Three years to love her. And one decision that destroyed it all. April Duncan was raised with three clear truths: the family name is absolute, ambition and success rule over every emotion, and love always comes with strings attached. Image was everything in her carefully crafted world… until the mirror cracked. Sean Taylor was April’s best friend, the one man who taught … one man who taught her it was okay to let her guard down and to rely on someone. She trusted him. She loved him. Which made his deception the darkest kind of cruelty.
Now, nearly a year later, she’s ready to leave her failed engagement in the past and get back her life and her estranged family, even if it means dating a man solely for his connections. She’ll never again choose love over loyalty.
Sean has spent his entire life breaking barriers, facing challenges, and never giving up. Until one impossible choice destroyed his future and left him no option but to flee from the woman who annihilated his heart.
Now he’s back in Bentwood and determined to make her hear the truth and rebuild the trust he shattered. But April has become a mere shell of the woman who claimed his heart long ago.
Winning her back is more than just seizing a victory, because if he fails… the girl he’s loved for a lifetime will disappear forever.
The Truth Between Us is the second book in the Bentwood series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but it is recommended that you begin with book one to get the full experience among this tight group of family and friends.
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“Regret is a dead end highway. It has no capacity to move you forward.”
I have been holding my breath for this follow up book to Until I Knew Myself. Tammy Gray once again weaves a beautifully emotional story that is well-written, intricately plotted, and filled with deep relatable characters. I have to say that I really didn’t like April much in the first book and didn’t connect with her until the middle of the book. April begins the book as a snarky, self-absorbed, too-stubborn-for-her-own-good lawyer who has ended up annihilating every good and meaningful relationship she has had. She does become more real and tangible, more vulnerable and human as the story progresses and I did feel a connection with her at the end.
Although Caroline is only a supporting character in this book, I really enjoyed getting to know her better as her friendship with April blossomed in the story. I can’t wait for her story to unfold in book 3!!!
Sean…. oh, man. His raw emotions, his unfaltering love for April, and his persistence make him a swoony hero. I was Team Sean from the beginning and was rooting for him….even through his disappointments and hurts. It was good to see Ty and Journey from the first book so happy even as April and Sean struggled.
This book is definitely different in flavor from the first book Until I Knew Myself. Though the books are different, they are totally enjoyable and anyone who loves contemporary romance will love this book (and if you haven’t picked up Until I Knew Myself yet, you will need to). I’m now holding my breath for Caroline and Beck’s story…….
I was given a copy of this book from the author and was under no obligation to publish a review. All comments and opinions are solely my own and subjective.
I did not enjoy this book. Found myself skipping page after pager to get to the big secret. And eventually just gave up.
SUCH A GOOD BOOK….but I wanted another book about some of the other characters.
Entertaining tale of five childhood friends and their young adult relationships and romances. The characters were from affluence households so they displayed the stereotypical attitudes and arrogance of the privileged class. I was really frustrated with the Uncle Bradley character. If he were from a middle or lower class family, his drug addiction and theft would have been handled completely differently. His niece was a highly intelligent and driven lawyer, yet, she had such an unrealistic reaction to how her fiance handled the discovery of her uncle’s theft and drug problem. Fiance did the right thing. She breaks off engagement and sends him packing. Such a childish and WRONG response. Of course, fiance is not going to give up so he returns determined to win her back. I had to hold my breath during several of the typical happenings and mindsets of the rich and famed: entitlement, country club memberships, elegant dining, high fashion and looks, and fancy cars.
Another great book by Tammy Gray! It’s the second one in the Bentwood series, which is focused on April and Sean’s story. A story full of misunderstandings and a connection between the two that you could feel through he pages. Had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it was going to end. Sean’s dedication of winning her back after being gone was funny, touching, persistent, and definitely swoon-worthy; he was someone not afraid of showing his emotions, which was refreshing. I wasn’t sure how April was going to come around, she started off so self-absorbed, closed of and honestly not very nice, but after hearing her upbringing and her fight against her emotions you see why. I loved how her transition wasn’t overnight, but slow and will ups and downs; was very real with doubts and not wanting to give in. The way Tammy is interweaving Caroline in with everyone’s relationships is very intriguing. Can’t wait to read her and Beck’s story, which I hope is coming soon. Once again, Tammy wrote a wonderful emotional story, full of relatable characters that you want to be friends with.
This was hard to put down!! I love the kind of book that keeps my attention like this one did. The twists and turns were realistic and not just predictable so thank you for a great read that was clean and interesting!!
I feel like I say this every time, but it bears repeating. Tammy Gray knows how to rip your heart out of your chest, stomp on it a little, put it back in and somehow make you happy in the end. She excels at making the emotion real. She puts you IN the story, and you live it right along with the characters. Sean and April are a whirlwind of “feels.” Another fantastic book by Tammy, and has me wanting book 3 to come out tomorrow!
The Truth Between Us by Tammy L. Gray
Nine years to get her. Three more years to love her. And one decision to destroy it all.
My rating is 5 stars
April needed to be in control. That’s what Duncans do. It’s who they are. She never felt that she was able to relax, be herself and have fun, except when she was with Sean. Though being with him was frightening, it was freeing.
I can’t even imagine what April’s life was like. Not because of the affluence she was surrounded with but because of the constant expectation that she live up to an image. To her parents, life had nothing to do with enjoyment, it was all about the perception of others and living up to their ideals. They were manipulative and distant. My heart was torn with hers as she was faced with the choice of Sean or her family. Either or. No compromise.
Forgive me a minute while I wipe my eyes. Reading this book was quite an emotional journey!
Though Sean had been pushed aside by April over a year earlier – kicked out of her life, actually – he was now determined to get her back. He knew that she had felt betrayed by him in the worst kind of way.
I really loved Sean. He was so alive. His love for April was so incredible it almost hurt to see. He’d loved her ever since they were kids. Waiting patiently. It was the kind of love every girl dreams of. A sacrificing, forever kind of love. Sigh.
Oh, and I can’t neglect to mention that I adore his nickname for April. He turned a childhood taunt from her brother into an endearment. Another sigh.
This book chews you up, spits you out and then puts you back together again. It leaves you with tears in your eyes and yet a satisfied kind of warmth in your chest at the end. It challenges you to look at your life to see if you are compromising. Trying to please everyone but yourself. Desperately trying to control your circumstances to only find out this very behavior is controlling you.
The Truth Between Us is a hard-hitting novel, a continuation of the saga of the “Bentwood Brats” that picks up where Until I Knew Myself left off. There are details in this story that assume you know the events and secrets that were revealed in that book, though if you really wanted, this one could stand on its own.
There are still a few more of the Bentwood Brats who need their happy endings. Hurry, Tammy L. Gray! Write faster!! And don’t forget about Andrew. He needs to have his story told, too.
Content warning: This book does have some mild swearing. Not a lot and nothing offensive, even to me, which is saying something.
Read the full review of The Truth Between Us by Tammy L. Gray with a Preview at AmongTheReads.net
I would like to thank Prism Book Tours, Tammy L. Gray for giving me a copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Tammy L. Gray is one of my go-to authors when I want a story of real life and all the grit that can accompany it. While her stories capture the struggle of real so well, they also always offer hope. They never end with despair having the last word. Her Bentwood Series is raw and real and full of hope. In The Truth Between Us*, the second book of the Bentwood Series, Ms. Gray excels yet again at capturing the pain, the angst, the hurt, the doubt of her characters and their journeys to move beyond that. There is such thorough character development and growth that’s not glossed over filling the pages of this book.
I’m going to be honest and say that I spent a good portion of the book not liking April much. In fact, more than once, I really just wanted to have a little sit down with her and lay some things out for her. She is a complex character that there’s so much more to, but it was hard to see that for a while. Most of her actions, and many times her thought processes as well, made me want to shake her. I don’t know that I’ve ever met a character so blinded to the truth, so blinded to what’s good and what’s bad in her life to the point of having them completely reversed, so blinded to her own hypocrisy even.
The way April thinks and deals with things and the way her family treats her is so unhealthy and dysfunctional, and yet in her mind as the story begins, her relationship with Sean was the unhealthy one. Her parents have most definitely done a number on he. So much so that some of the really good parts of her have been crushed under the weight of their demands and their treatment. April reaches a place of even rejecting the unconditional love of Sean, and to an extent that of her friends, in an attempt to obtain a just minuscule portion of conditional “love” (can’t even really call it love because it’s so far from what real love is) from her parents. The loneliness April faces, the pain she feels are, in some ways, self imposed, not in the way that her parents want her to believe, but in that she pushes away the people who really love her without condition, the ones who want to love her and be there with her through her struggles.
April is more than a bit hypocritical. Acting like her parents do toward her, April punishes her friends when they make choices she doesn’t like regarding Sean. There are times when she uses her words and their own feelings to manipulate them into doing what she wants. While accusing her friends of betrayal and of not telling her the truth, she ignores the ways she has not trusted them with the truth and the ways she has betrayed them.
For much of the book it was hard to like April, but the fact that Sean kept fighting so hard for the real her to be free made me believe that there must be more to her. The love Sean must have for her to go after her when she’s done everything she can to destroy them and when there are only meager flashes of the real her left is a testament to what real Love is like. Sean sees April, who she really is—the hopeful child that tries to hide under all the ice cold attempts to intimidate others so she doesn’t have to feel the rejection she’s felt most of her life. He sees that the way she lashes out means she’s hurting, that it’s her attempt to protect herself, and that even when she tries to manipulate others, she’s often doing so to try to protect herself. It doesn’t make anything she’s done right, but it does help us understand that there’s more going on than someone just being cold and mean. Over the course of the book, I was able to see that, in a way, April didn’t know how else to act, didn’t know how else to love, how else to be because of the manipulation she’d experienced at the hands of her parents her whole life and how they preyed on her need for their love, acceptance, and approval. And it made me see how much it would hurt for the one person she’s come to trust and depend on to never do that to her, to do that, in a sense, by not telling her the truth until it seemed like it was too late.
As frustrating as April’s character was and as much as I hated the way she treated people sometimes, I can see that she had to come to a breaking point to be set free. That all of the hard things in the book had to happen for April to see the truth, for the blinders to be ripped from her eyes, for her to see who she was becoming and that it wasn’t someone she wanted to be, for her to begin to see that there is Someone who has the power and the ability to really love her unconditionally. Seeing that the painful things had to happen for her eyes to be opened reminds me that the tough things in life, the ones that hurt the most, God can use those to work in us—to draw us to Him, to make us into new creations, to make us into better versions of ourselves, to set us free from the things that trap us.
And now I can see the potential in April. No, some aspects of her personality probably won’t disappear—her fierceness, her unwavering loyalty, her strength, her passion, her stubbornness—but they will be changed and redirected to be used in great ways rather than in ways that cause hurt. I have no doubt that, though she won’t be perfect, she will make an amazing friend as she grows in the freedom she’s gained and becomes who God intended for her to be. And though I know her role in the next book will be as a supporting character, I still can’t wait to see the change her, to see the difference in how she acts, and to see who she will become. Now that the book is over, I can see what untapped potential there is in April, a reminder of what truth accompanied by love and grace can do for even the prickliest of people. As I ruminate over this story, I am overwhelmed by the way God allowed the trial Sean and April faced to strip them of the faux pearl version of their relationship as it was, and through it, brought them into the lavishness of a real pearl kind of relationship, how they both now are awarded a deeper relationship with each other and a greater richness of character in each other that just needed to be unbound.
Before I go, I want to quickly mention Caroline who is again a supporting character as she was in the first book. I really appreciated her character in The Truth Between Us for a couple of reasons in particular. For one, just as Sean helped me finally see more to April, Caroline did as well. She was a lot more patient with April than I think I would have been, a convicting reminder of how to love patiently. Between the two of them, my heart softened toward April and they helped me to see the real her better. And two, while Caroline has a quiet strength that draws the “Bentwood Brats” to her, she still struggles and has a past and I appreciate that Ms. Gray shows that. It gives hope that even though we are imperfect, we can still trust the Lord, and by doing so, point people to Jesus.
There’s an abundance of depth and richness and beauty to this book and the series it’s in, to its characters and their relationships, and to the themes present throughout. I’m very much looking forward to revisiting all these characters that tug on my heartstrings, that make me think, and that have become real to me in Ms. Gray’s next addition to the Bentwood Series.
*As mentioned above, The Truth Between Us is the second book in the series, and although I think you could probably read it without having read the first one, I think you’d be missing out on a bigger picture if you did. I highly recommend reading them all and reading them in order for the best effect.
**I received a copy of this book from the author and have chosen to review it. My opinions are my own.
The Truth Between Us is the second book in the Bentwood series by Tammy Gray. This book deals with the ice princess April, and her ex fiancee, Sean. This story really helped me to understand April more and why she acted the way she did. She is a young woman who masks her feelings because she really never was allowed to have any growing up. Sean, is the total opposite. He is very much a man who shows his emotions. I found that to be really refreshing. Even though, April was a very strong woman who could put people off, I liked her. When she took off her mask and was vulnerable she was a friend who would love and defend fiercely. That is what Sean saw, and he never let that go. He held on to that part of her. That is what I loved about Sean. He saw the very best in April. So, of course I was rooting for them from the get go. I really enjoyed this book and all of the characters of Bentwood. I cannot wait to read about Caroline and Beck. Oh, I also hope that there will be a book about April’s brother Andrew. He is a guy I’d like to know more about too.
This is a clean romance with a few mild curse words.
*I was given a copy of this book by the author and was not under any obligation to leave a review. This is my honest opinion.
This is essentially Sean and April’s story. Why they broke up, why Sean left town, and why he came back. I loved how Sean did not give up, he was going to give everything he had to make sure April sees the truth. That being said, this book tells more stories of the so-called Brentwood brats. They are all so connected and part of each others lives, it does not matter if there are disagreements between them. I enjoyed learning more about them.
There are some very emotionally complex relationships to explore here too. I don’t think I’m giving any spoilers by saying that I really, really dislike April’s parents.
Caroline is a newcomer to this group of lifelong friends, we met her in Until I Knew Myself. She is a sounding board for some of the friends. She is also the person that shows them her faith. But Caroline is also hiding. We get glimpses of her past that cause me to worry. I can’t wait till the next book comes out to find out more.
Tammy L. Gray writes the most compelling, contemporary, complex stories. I highly recommend them.
So much to love about this newest addition to the Bentwood Series. Sean and April have a long history reaching back to their childhood but, as intense as their history and dynamic their love, they are currently very broken. Going into their story I didn’t know how bad it actually was and at times it seemed pretty hopeless.
There are circumstances that are very hard to move beyond and April has almost insurmountable walls now in place. There were honestly times when I felt resentful too toward Sean and a bit horrified at his somewhat physical approach to “making” her “listen” to him. However once Aiden enters the picture I was ready for Sean to break down those walls regardless. I found Aiden totally repulsive in his attitude and methods and basically just another willing puppet in her parents’ machinations.
I love the final revelation and April’s wake-up call leading to the climactic scene between April and Sean and basically his ultimatum.
I have to say that I still love Ty and Journey so much and it’s sweet to see their subtle awakenings to a greater Truth.
I just know Beck and Caroline have an amazing and probably heart wrenching story yet to be revealed, and I can’t wait for book three of The Bentwood Series. If you haven’t yet begun it, what are you waiting for?
This is the second story of the Bentwood Series, this time focusing on Sean & April of the “Bentwood Brats.” I really enjoyed the character development of April . The author did such a good job unfolding the layers of the April’s cool personality. I couldn’t put it down! I really enjoyed Sean & April’s story, but I CANNOT WAIT for Caroline & Beck’s story to unfold!! Until then, I’ll just keep rereading.
5+ STARS!!
Since I was already a fan of this author, it’s not surprising that I found this book enjoyable. What was surprising? That this book was absolutely staggering in its impressive writing when compared to her already impressive backlist. To avoid sounding trite with overused platitudes, I’m going to try to quickly explain why this book worked for me.
First, the story caters to my love of details. Like some of my favorite books, this author put me in the room with her characters where I could be an observer of every subtle and telling movement that helped share the story alongside or instead of dialogue. She predominantly showed me how they felt, rather than told me. So well done, that my connection to the characters led to visceral reactions to some of their individual emotions.
Second, the story development was crazy amazing! I imagined storyboards lining this author’s office with miles of string looped around multitudes of stick pins linking together storyline point A to B to Z. Not just in this story alone, but linking each book in the series to the other with rigorous precision. Mind. Blown!
Third, the dialogue was organically authentic. The author never tried to force emotional connections with excessive and unrealistic exchanges. Less was more. To lighten the heavier moments, the fantastic whip-smart banter had me smiling and rooting for Sean and April’s second chance.
Finally, the faith elements were subtle, but no less poignant. Kind of like that quiet friend who observes, listens, and most often speaks when they have something worthwhile to say. To me, this describes the character of Caroline and her role up to this point within this group. She has been the impetus to heart change among these friends and the the Lord’s conduit for conversion and restoration. I can’t wait for more of her story.
It’s been quite a few days since I finished and now writing this review has again stirred up all that I felt while reading. Sean has easily become a favorite hero and, more impressively, the author has changed my heart towards April who had previously been coldly portrayed. A very sweet ending to this second book and I can’t wait to delve back into their world one more time.
One of my favorite types of stories is one in which the main character is someone with a tough exterior, but simmering just below the surface is someone with a great capacity for feeling. April’s character in The Truth Between Us is one such person. She has a cold exterior, but as the story progresses, the real April begins to peek through and the real beauty of her character shines. Sean’s character, while easy to relate to from the beginning, also undergoes a similar though less overt change, as he works to prove to April that he is trustworthy. Their relationship is based on a friendship (somewhat fractured at this point), so their interactions have a sweet, comfortable feeling about them (except when they’re in conflict but you know what I mean).
In some romance novels, I feel like the plot takes a back seat, but that’s not the case here. April’s family dynamics provide a lot of impetus for the plot and definitely compelled me to keep reading. What I really appreciate about this series is that there is just enough drama, but not so much that it feels unrealistic. The romance is swoony but not overdone, and there is always an inspiring, uplifting thread that permeates naturally throughout the entire story.
Once again, I loved the friendships between the “Bentwood Brats,” as they are called, and I especially loved the addition of a newer face, Caroline. The snippets of her story within this one really drew me in and can hardly wait for the story that centers around her.
I received an advanced copy of this novel from the author and was not obligated to post a review, positive or otherwise. This review is my honest opinion.
Tammy L. Gray is a master at creating messy, broken lives for her characters. Then, she throws them in and proceeds to stir them around and mix them up before healing them and bringing them out as better people. In her book The Truth Between Us, the main characters, April and Sean, are both hurting from a major breakup between them. I had a little difficulty liking April at first due to her brash, and sometimes tactless, demeanor. As the story progressed, it was easy to see her defense mechanisms and why she reacted to situations the way she did. I liked Sean with his easy-going manner and his loyalty to April, even when she pushes him away. He’s not without his faults, but his unconditional love for April easily won me over.
Gray is not afraid to tackle hard, gritty subjects and weave some inspirational threads through them. Forgiveness, mercy, unconditional love, and hope are all part of this compelling, transformational story. The Truth Between Us is the second book in Gray’s Bentwood series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but many of the characters from book one are included in book two. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Despite her ice princess demeanor, there is a hurt buried so deep in April Duncan, I couldn’t help but feel for her. A testament to Tammy L. Gray’s writing acumen that she can make me sympathetic to a somewhat unlikable character.
In book one of the Bentwood series (which, BTW, is on sale for $0.99 the entire month of July! Go get a copy of Until I Knew Myself if you haven’t yet), my curiosity of exactly what happened between Sean and April to cause not only a broken engagement but a rift so large, Sean moved away.
The entire Bentwood gang (aka Bentwood brats) return. Their childhood friendships are tattered and torn. The growing pains will either irreparably break their relationships or strengthen them to last lifetimes.
Then there’s the new addition of Caroline (who, I must say, is my favorite character out of this group and I am so looking forward to her story).
In The Truth Between Us, Gray focuses on how the unconditional love of one person covers over years of fighting to measure up to others expectation, seeking acceptance to the point of losing who you are meant to be.
It’s not an easy road to traverse, there are switchbacks, wrong turns, potholes, and deep ruts to navigate along the way. But with friends to navigate her back to the route, April just might find herself.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
The Truth Between Us was just as emotional as Tammy’s Until I Knew Myself. I enjoyed the way the characters friendships and emotional journeys were depicted. April Duncan knows how serious her family legacy is. Her family is all about ambition, success, and image. April broke off her engagement to Sean after he betrayed her almost a year ago. Now she wants to be accepted back into her family if they will forgive her. She is resigned to doing whatever is necessary to prove she belongs again. Sean felt that he had no choice when he made the decisions he made a year ago. He’s finally ready to try to get April to understand why he did what he did back then. April and Sean have known Beck, Ty, and Journey for years. They have been friends, but recent years have found them with damage to some of their relationships, especially as the characters are involved in their own emotional journeys. By the end of the first chapter, I felt back at home with all of the familiar characters. April is conflicted between the strict Duncan family loyalty and her other friends who don’t all fit into the Duncan image. She is torn between what she should do and what she wants to do. This is a familiar theme with the characters in the story. As secrets are revealed, the characters all struggle to find their way and rebuild trust with the others in their lives.
This is the second book in the Bentwood book series. This series has been fantastic so far! I love the story line of all the childhood friends and seeing how they have grown up together. This book is about Sean and April. They were engaged in the past, but something happened that broke them up. The chemistry is amazing and I love the way that Sean never gives up on April and is determined to see the best in her, even when she is at her worst. Isn’t that what we all long for? Tammy Gray is a Christian author, but it is very lightly woven in, so that the story is not loaded down with that. I love all the feels this book gives, and it left me impatiently waiting for book 3! I highly recommend it.
You do not need to have read book 1 to read this book, but it will help in getting to know the characters a little better.
I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.