I’ve made mistakes. Some of those mistakes have ruined lives, including my own.Because of this, my past is something I have kept to myself, so when I found a woman who also wanted her past to remain hidden, it felt like the universe was pushing us together.It turns out the universe had nothing to do with that.If a person’s past doesn’t exist, the present may not unravel the way it should.I found … the way it should.
I found out the hard way, when I learned that my wife is not who I thought she was…living with a past I should know about. Her continuous self-destructive behaviors let me know she clearly has a plan—possibly one I never should have been a part of. I keep trying to save her, but she’s making it hard.
Now, both of our pasts have simultaneously rolled into the spotlight—colliding head-on, and causing the present to come crashing down on top of us.
I learned that since our pasts are part of who we are, they will always be the foundation of our present and our future.
The question I have is, will either of us walk away in one piece?
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Every once in awhile, one of those books come along that you LITERALLY can’t seem to put down. I tried! For the sake of work the next day, for the sake of my “beauty” sleep, I really did try! I just had to keep reading, and I had to know what happened next. This book will suck. you. in.
One of the things I liked most about this story, is that it’s told from the male lead’s perspective. I honestly don’t see that very often in the books I read and I really enjoyed the differences. I also think it’s amazing to read about a guy being broken-hearted. You always read about the woman and how devastated she is over whatever loss or hurt has come her way, but it’s rare to read a tale where the guy is an emotional and caring man who hurts and expresses that hurt to the reader. I was drawn to AJ and I really loved the complexities of his character.
I also loved that this isn’t a traditional romance, even at the beginning it’s not all hearts and flowers and silly fumbles along the way. It’s heartache and sadness and pain that demands to be felt. And you feel that pain, you feel it with AJ, and you feel it with Cammy even when you don’t quite know the whys of it all.
Cammy is another aspect I loved about this book. She’s not as present of a female lead as you come to expect from a romance novel, but it works that way, it helps to tell the tale and helps to make us feel AJ’s emotions better.
The flawed characters are even interesting, in spite of your dislike of them, you will be intrigued and want to dig a little deeper…and oh boy when you do!
Basically, without giving away any plot points because I hate to do that in reviews, if you love a contemporary romance that you can’t put down, if you love complex, interesting and flawed characters, and if you love a story with a complicated but warm ending, you’re going to love this book.
A Missing Heart by Shari J Ryan is a heart wrenching contemporary novel about love and loss and family. It is the second book in The Heart Series but can be read as a stand-alone. The action follows on from the first book, A Heart of Time.
The novel alternates between present day and thirteen years earlier as the reader learns how hearts were torn apart. Sometimes in life we have no control over events as we are swept along and spat upon the rocks.
We all have a past. Our past cannot be changed. When we fail to reveal significant events in our past, they may come back to haunt us. Our past has helped to make us who we are.
There is the theme of PTSD. It does not just affect soldiers. It can strike after any traumatic event. It is important to receive support, love and seek professional help.
Children are precious. The reader witnesses the great love, care and nurture of children. We also see what happens if this bond is ripped apart creating a missing piece of our heart.
Family is important. Family helps in time of trouble. Family celebrates in times of success. No matter how old you get, you are never too old to have your parents tease you!
Guilt and regret pepper lives. We will always have things we feel guilty for. We must deal with our guilt as it will ruin today if we do not deal with our yesterday.
I am loving The Heart Series. It is on to book three for me now.
A word of caution: there is language some readers may not like.
Aj and Cammy are two teenagers in love. Then Cammy finds out something that will change their lives forever. Cammy’s parents give her an ultimatum. What will she do? How will her decision change AJ and her relationship?
4.5 Second Chance Stars!
This emotional story follows AJ Cole, Hunters carefree and funny brother who we first met in A Heart of Time. It begins 12 years previously showing a young AJ excited to make life plans with his girlfriend, Cammy, the love of his life. When plans don’t go as he’d hoped, he is devastated and heartbroken. He tries to move on with his life and it has never been easy. Fast forward to the present and he is struggling to take care of his young son and current wife, Tori. After one failed marriage, Aj is determined to make this one work. AJ is not himself, he never jokes around anymore, barely sleeps and is frustrated with Tori as she becomes more disconnected from him and their son. She never wanted children and is very secretive about why and about her past. But AJ has his own secrets he wants to keep buried, which makes it hard to confront Tori about hers. When AJ’s secrets come to light, he has a second chance to reconnect with those he thought he lost forever. But how can he make everyone happy, including himself when he feels so much guilt over his mistakes? The issues Ms Ryan tackled have no easy answers or solutions. She did a fabulous job showing empathy for each character and their struggles. This story is a heartbreaking yet hopeful journey of love and healing. All the characters are authentic and organic and their actions are honest and believable even if you don’t agree with them. I loved how Ms Ryan told this story going back and forth from past events to present. It allowed us to really connect and care for AJ and Cammy and understand their connection and decisions. This story is so raw, poignant, and heartbreakingly beautiful. It will have you laughing, crying, and every emotion in between. I highly recommend this book!
She did it again! Completely ripped my heart out over and over and then put it back together.
I received a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.
AJ has made mistakes in his life. He keeps his past to himself and found a woman who wanted to keep hers hidden too. It was like the universe was putting them together. Turns out thought the universe had nothing to do with it at all. She has a past AJ should have known about from the very beginning. He keeps trying to save her but his wife is self-destructive. She clearly has a plan that AJ should never have been a part of. But now their pasts have come into the spotlight causing the present to change me crashing down on top of them. Will either of them be able to walk away in one piece?
If you have read A Heart Of Time you know that AJ Cole is Hunter’s brother. You do not however have have read A Heart Of Time to read A Missing Heart. When I started this book the first chapter already had me an emotional mess and ready to just slap the crap out of Cammy who you will learn is AJ’s high school girlfriend. He had a plan. He was willing to put aside everything for her and their situation. She totally blew that up and in the process I feel broke both of their hearts in ways it would be impossible to recover from. With that said I knew I was in for it. That emotional kind of read that pulls you so deeply into a book you eat sleep and breathe it. Fast forward some years and your in the present with AJ and his wife Tori and their newborn son. I love how Shari Ryan took us on the journey of AJ through alternating chapters of the past and present. Your actually getting two stories in one book. I’m a firm believer in our past shapes us into the people we become in the future and Shari Ryan has done an amazing job of illustrating this point.
Tori and AJ are not without their problems. She’s hiding a serious mental disorder from him. She never planned on getting pregnant with their son when she did. Just like she didn’t deal with a past that left her damaged and now a danger to not only herself but her son. AJ, all the while, is trying his hardest to help her but not fulling knowing what is really going on. He loves his son so much and I loved seeing him as a father. He’s a playboy and so carefree it seemed in A Heart Of Time that this side of AJ just made me fall more in love with him. Im not so much a Tori fan but you too will see why. A Missing Heart has all the pieces of a great contemporary romance read. Your getting no more out of me of the plot or twists and turns in this book. You’ll have to experience it for yourself.
Shari Ryan never fails to suck me in and wring out every single emotion I have while I am reading her books. She never fails to surprise me either. One thing I know for certain is Shari Ryan always creates these worlds and characters your don’t want to leave. They stick with you. Their like coming home to old friends once you know their stories. This is why I love to read Shari Ryan’s books.