Will I ever stop hurting the one person who’s never hurt me?I’ve done things I can never undo.No matter how much I wish I could, sometimes the wounds I inflict are too deep, too catastrophic, too septic to heal.As I look into the eyes of the only man I’ve ever loved I know I’ve gone too far. I’ve finally crossed the line.Even if he knew my reason for doing this, he’d never forgive me.He always … forgive me.
He always puts my needs before his own.
Now it’s my turn to protect him.
None of that matters though because the betrayal and disgust in his eyes comes from deep within his soul. There’s no coming back from this.
He will forever be tormented by what he’s seen, and he will never forgive me.
The last fragment of my heart to hold out hope that we’d share a future, withers and dies.
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A 3.5 stars start of a new duet. We have two long time friends, James “Jimmy” Crawford and Lilah Robbie who has lived a troublesome life and experiences no one would like to be in. They were able to start fresh somewhere new and make something more of themselves. Life is coming along accordingly and away from where their life started.
However, Lilah’s model life and James’s celebrity status can be challenging especially for Lilah. She tends to fall back on old bad habits thanks to her demons and past that she cannot let go. Her only home, Jimmy is constantly her rock and he is hoping for more between the two. A secret that only the two have shared and kept can make or break them in the long run.
Although I may have mixed thoughts on the start of this duet; it gave me the feels from different angles and perspectives. Let me start of by saying that I like this cover. It captures the characters perfectly in this read and the colors used stood out. Along with the synopsis it caught my eye and had me intrigued.
The constant back and forth is present throughout the read and will have you itching for more for both parties. The chemistry between the two is utterly present when they are in the same room but is it enough to get to a future that they are both seeking for one another? The character of Jimmy is one that will have you falling for his loyalty and being frustrated with him at the same time. Lilah was challenging to root for her thanks to the choices she has made that will have your head spinning. When they only have and depended on each other for many years…letting go (especially when it is for the best) is not an easy feat. Just when you think it is progressing in a positive slope we are left with a cliffy that had my heart breaking, pissed off, and even more torn.
This is one roller coaster ride of a read. I’m curious to see what path(s) the authors will make their story go.
Um….well….yeah, I got nothing…..speechless! This book was EVERYTHING! I was consumed and spellbound by this story that I couldn’t stop reading, I kept telling myself just one more chapter and literally couldn’t put it down! Jimmy and Lilah’s story was an emotional heartbreaking read that left me without words and wrecked by the end! This is without a doubt a 2019 Top Read for me and has me impatiently waiting for All We Are!
I have read and loved Michelle Lynn’s books. But this is my first read by Elisabeth Grace. And they nailed this book together……..
This book was a RAW gritty angsty emotional read. And will leave you emotionally drained at the very end. You will get to know the charters. You will love and hate the characters. And then you will be left screaming at Lynn and Grace for leaving you having the way that they did. But thankfully we didn’t have to wait long. All We Are has been released and I can’t wait to see how it all ends.
All We Were by Elisabeth Grace & Michelle Lynn is the first book in their brand new Ex-Factor Duet. An emotional twisted up read about two best friends who came from nothing and nightmares only to make it Hollywood. He’s an actor, she’s a model. In a perfect world they could have everything – but that’s the crux of a good story isn’t it – you CAN’T have everything.
James has worked hard and done whatever it takes to get where he is. Along the way, Lilah has struggled. With drugs, with alcohol, with her feelings in general. She is on a downward spiral and he may not be able to stop it this time.
This book is a roller coaster filled with damaged characters and flawed people all trying to do what’s right, sometimes failing sometimes succeeding. Grab the tissues and strap in and prepare for a wicked cliffhanger. Book two, All We Are releases April 25, 2019.
Incredible story, full of angst!
I absolutely loved this book and now I’m in a book hangover… cant stop thinking about Lilah and Jimmy, because I am so consumed by their story!
I hated Lilah. I truly did. Then sometime in the book, I started to love, appreciate and sheer for her. This is not usual for me, to dislike a character and love her in the end, but the authors did such a wonderful turnaround that you cant possibly not like Lilah after everything she went through.
Jimmy is just wonderful! Like, I-want-that-man-to-be-my-man wonderful!
Both with a hard past, they came from a little town to LA for a better future. Friends since very young, they know everything about one another, as well as a secret that will make or break them apart.
This emotional heartbreaking story is a MUST read and I need book #2 like I need oxygen to breath!
WTF did I just read is my first reaction I had after reading this story. Then my next reaction is this is one of those books you love to hate but like a train wreck you have to keep reading to see what is going to happen next and when you do your like HOLY EFF what the hell did I just read because man what a train wreck our main character is. I know this is a duet but man that cliff hanger has me thinking it is going to be more bullshiz from the main character.
James is a big time movie star who has raised himself up from nothing to something and he is living the high life. He has it all and including a gorgeous model girlfriend who he has grown up with. James girlfriend has a problem and when I say a problem is it huge she is a drug addict and drunk. James is always there for her and helps her through it all. He does everything but put her where her arse needs to be which is in rehab.
I mean she does some outrageous things and her behavior affects James but he doesn’t let it show. She has sex with other men for drugs and does some other disrespectful things for drugs and James just takes it all in. It has me thinking that James needs a back bone because if I were him I would have kicked her arse to the curb with her first stunt.
I am looking forward to book two in this duet because I need to see what happens with James and Lilah. If Lilah does the same shiz and doesn’t get her arse in gear I will be so pissed because James deserves better.
5 Tragic Stars!!!
OMG!!!! I can see this as a Lifetime movie. I have been waiting forever for another Michelle Lynn book. Her and Elisabeth Grace write together under a pen name but haven’t gotten a chance to check them out. After reading this I can kick myself for not reading them.
Jimmy didn’t have an easy childhood. His father was abusive and his mom left the first chance she got and never looked back. The best thing in his life is his best friend Lilah. He wanted a better life for them both. First chance he got they packed up and drove to Hollywood. Jimmy swore they’d have a better life.
Jimmy has made a name in Hollywood. He’s getting ready to start filming his next movie. This movie is promising to be a blockbuster hit and make him a household name. There’s only one problem and that’s Lilah. She’s a hot mess. His best friend, agent and everybody keeps telling him to finally cut the umbilical cord that connects them.
But, Jimmy can’t do that. He’s not sure where he ends and she begins. He’ll continue cleaning up her messes no matter how bad they are. Jimmy just wishes their relationship will go from just benefits to forever.
Lilah couldn’t wait to move away from the mountains. Unfortunately, the mountains never left her. Lilah has demons that it doesn’t matter how far away she moves they’ll always be right there. In order to cope with her past Lilah will take whatever she can get her hands on in order to numb the pain.
Lilah knows who and what she is. No matter how many times Jimmy asks and begs her to be his she can’t say yes. She’ll never love anybody the way she loves him. No matter what she does he’s always there to help clean up her mess. No questions asked.
Until he had enough and she was on her own. When she tried letting him go he was back to help her. Lilah finally realized there was more to life than partying, boozing and everything else. She wanted her modeling career and more importantly she wanted a life with Jimmy. Until their past comes knocking on their door. Lilah is asking herself a question. Does she think/save of only herself first and loose Jimmy for good or do the right thing and Jimmy loose everything.
OMG I couldn’t put this down once I started it!!! I wanted to hug/smack/shake both Jimmy and Lilah throughout the whole book!!! These two were so close and cared so much about each other that they couldn’t survive without the other. Even if walking away might’ve been what was best for them. They couldn’t do it. For them the universe refused to align up perfect for them to have their own HEA. After the ending my fingers are crossed they get it. Bc, if anybody deserves it it’s Lilah and Jimmy. And, screw all the haters!!
“What we are to each other is far more complex and far more than one descriptor could ever encompass.”
A well written book that stirs controversial feelings. One of the most difficult reviews I’ve ever written. The story of Lilah and Jimmy is more complicated than the tabloids seem to know. With their childhoods and secrets they want to leave behind in the past, Jimmy and Lilah can not evolve. The relationship of the protagonists at the beginning becomes toxic.
“Reluctantly, I leave the bedroom, in search of the person who means the most to me in the world, even if I don’t treat him like It.”
Lilah’s attitude is understandable but somewhat exaggerated. Or so real it is capable of cause shock. And despite knowing the details of her childhood, which was not easy, her unwillingness to overcome the vices and traumas of the past at the beginning of the plot did not promote empathy, sympathy or pity.
“Sometimes I think I hate you as much as I love you.”
Despite the romantic and redemptive parts that happen from the second half of the book, reading is dense and may not please everyone, as the first half of the book features fairly graphic scenes of drug use and many emotionally disturbed behaviors.
“Why can’t I shake the feeling that the perfect future I envision is about to be ripped away?”
Jimmy and Lilah are two broken people, who in the midst of tragedies, between mistakes and successes, have learned to love and depend on one another. And, in a certain part of the book they learn that self-love is the most important of all. But in the present, as in the past, they end up victims of other people and of unexpected and unfair circumstances. Only the time and the next book will reveal whether the future with which they dreamed so much can come true.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest Review *
What a huge heartbreak! When I started this book, I thought Lilah was a druggie who used her wiles to manipulate James and was bringing him down. James is an up and coming Hollywood actor, on the way to become an A-lister. Lilah is a model, addicted to booze, pills and coke. Her method of survival is to hide from reality and use her body to have a good time and hide from her pain.
As I read further into the book, compassion set in. I realized they were lifelong friends and they shared the worst kind of childhood, dirt poor and abusive. While James plans and tries to make their dreams come true, Lilah is spiraling down a black hole, full of self-hate and auto-destruction. She doesn’t have James’ drive and determination. James is hugely protective of Lilah, loves her with a fierce determination to make her whole, but as long as she despises herself, it’s a losing proposition .
We read the story from both POV’s, mostly Lilah’s, and feel her pain and guilt over the damage she’s doing to James’ career and to herself. I saw her helplessness, the desire to do better but failing, watching the disappointment in James’ eyes each time she falls down the hole of drugs. This book is volcanic on feelings, with a tragic loop of love, hope and disillusionment. As I read the ups and downs of this couple, my heart was in my throat because I just knew tragedy awaited.
The story ends in a cliffhanger and heartbreak, but their love is so huge that I have a lot of hope for them.
What?!!! I really need book two now, because that ending?!?!
This book put my emotions into a tailspin that had me not sure which way was up or down. With both characters being broken in so many ways their healing may have been in a toxic way but they seem to make that work. Even with the emotional tailspin this book was very heartfelt.
This book is nothing like Elisabeth Grace’s other books. There are twist and turns! It ends on a cliffhanger & I can’t wait for book two! They leave you wanting more and more!
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~~ 4.5 BEAUTIFULLY TOXIC STARS! ~~
“His heartbeat is music. His smell is home. His warmth is safety.”
Have a hankering for a TANTALIZINGLY toxic love story about two childhood sweethearts who reach for the stars only to have all their hopes and dreams come crashing down around them? A wildly dysfunctional, all-consuming book that hurts so good and captivates your heart from the first breath-stealing word till the very last tear-drenched page? Then ALL WE WERE (the Ex-Factor duet book 1) by Elisabeth Grace and Michelle Lynn is guaranteed to ROCK YOUR WORLD!
THE PREMISE:
Childhood soulmates James Crawford and Lilah Robbie grew up together in a dirt-poor rural mountain town in VA under the iron hand of their cruel, abusive fathers. They were inseparable, always there for each other through thick and thin, dreaming of the day that they could leave everything behind in search of a better life. And that’s just what they did when they escaped to the bright lights of Tinsel Town, both promising never to speak of the circumstances that led to their abrupt departure.
Though their relationship was no fairytale, this on and off couple were on the cusp of making all their dreams come true. Jimmy found smashing success as an up and coming Hollywood heartthrob and Lilah forged a path as a model. But while Jimmy’s career rose to meteoric heights, Lilah’s struggled mightily, eventually succumbing to some terrible vices that shook their once rock-solid foundation of lifelong friendship to the core, jeopardizing everything they had worked so hard to achieve. And as these tempestuous lovers find themselves careening wildly out of control, on a fiery path of self-destruction, will they wind up incinerating each other in the end?
MY MUSINGS:
ALL WE WERE slayed me in the best possible way! The gut-wrenching, tumultuous journey that Elisabeth Grace and Michelle Lynn took us on gave me heart palpitations, made my pulse race, brought a huge lump to my throat and ultimately left me SPEECHESS! I love me a brutally beautiful, gloriously chaotic love story with ALL THE FEELS….and this novel is HIGH OCTANE from start to finish! It’s so gritty and raw, devastatingly heartbreaking, rapturously sexy, and oh so electrifying.
The authors duo did a bang-up job of depicting the darker side of fame and fortune in this book, and for this gorgeous young couple, the price is incredibly high. It was a refreshing twist to have the heroine be the one who finds herself swept up the hypnotic allure of the Hollywood party scene, which taps into some wicked cravings inside of her that eventually escalate terribly out of control. But Lilah’s not the only one with a vice. James might not have a substance abuse problem, but the heroine is his affliction of choice. And as he tries valiantly to pull his beautiful broken girl back from the brink, it just might not be enough to salvage the future they’d both toiled so hard for.
I absolutely RELISHED the soul connection between Jimmy and Lilah…and their chemistry is OFF THE CHARTS! It’s fiery and passionate, achingly tender, wildly volatile, scorching hot and explosively emotional. They have both had a very difficult life and the pain of their shared pasts tethers them together in powerful and profound ways. Their two hearts have always beat as one and they have always been each other’s safe harbor, but yikes that doesn’t mean that their love will conquer all. In fact, they are the poster kids for how co-dependency can derail a relationship. But one thing you can say about this desperately in love duo is that they ARE IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL. And even in the worst of times they refuse to quit each other. Even when perhaps they should.
As far as deliciously dreamy book boyfriends go, OMG did Jimmy make me swoon like a googly-eyed groupie! “Hollywood’s Golden Boy” is just the TOTAL PACKAGE– magnetically handsome, chivalrous to the core, radiating charm and charisma and smoldering sex appeal! Sighh…and his most attractive quality? How sweet and devoted, ferociously protective and fiercely loyal he is to his girl. Is he far too gullible for his own good? HECK YEAH! But his love for Lilah is unwavering and there is absolutely nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice for her. However, every relationship has its breaking point and he just might have reached his when lie after lie, disappointment after disappointment begins to erode the unbreakable bond he and Lilah once shared.
Holy moly! My feelings for Lilah were as complicated as the girl herself. She is beautiful and impetuous, sultry and sweet, profoundly broken, and positively luminous! I loved her and pitied her sometimes in the same breath. This stunningly beautiful model had a grandiose future ahead of her, but she is haunted by her effed-up childhood and will do ANYTHING to numb the pain. And as she finds herself teetering precariously on the edge, with nary a lifeline in sight despite Jimmy’s desperate, one-man crusade to save her, my frustration with her continued to fester.
You know how you can want to hug someone and have the urge to throttle them at the same time? Well, that’s kind of what I felt throughout the course of the story for this woefully damaged girl who was plagued with so much guilt and self-hatred and was dragging her one true love down into the bottomless black hole with her. My heart hurt so bad for all that she’d been through and I really wanted her to get her act together but alas sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to appreciate what’s truly important. But will she and her beloved Jimmy survive the catastrophic fallout?
My lips are sealed on that front, but it goes without saying that this book really puts us through the emotional wringer, with euphoric highs and soul crushing lows, finally culminating in a scream-worthy cliffy that’s guaranteed to DRIVE YOU BONKERS!
BOTTOM LINE:
ALL WE WERE is an emotionally riveting page turner that stole my breath, stomped on my heart and had me binge reading late into the night! Elisabeth Grace and Michelle Lynn are a match made in romance writing heaven and I cannot wait to see what wicked sorcery they have in store for us in ALL WE ARE!
Lilah and Jimmy were so toxic that at times I wanted them together and other times I wanted them far away from each other. But when you read about their upbringing and how Jimmy has always been there for Lilah and the things that happened to her then you’ll understand why Jimmy is her savior. But at times Lilah comes across as selfish and Jimmy as an idiot for not cutting ties but they understand each other. That’s the way they love each other. They both have left behind the small town life for Hollywood but it seems like Lilah can’t get her act together and Jimmy just can’t stop saving her. But then Lilah does a 360 and becomes likable. I’m happy mostly for Jimmy with the new and improved Lilah. Things were going great until their past seems to be interfering with their present and future and my heart breaks for Lilah. Jimmy overreacts but that was expected based on everything he’s gone thru with her in the past. But the ending is just wow and I Hope Lilah hasn’t stoop low again and that this time she’ll be able to get back to being the person Jimmy deserves.
When Jimmy Crawford and Lilah Robbie were young, all they had were each other…all they had was the pain and the heartache of their respective circumstances…all they had were their dreams of making it big and never looking back at the darkened shadows that consumed their lives growing up. They made promises to each other and to themselves, and as soon as I started delving into the pages of All Were Were, it was obvious that as much as they wanted to be each other’s strength…to stand by one another no matter what, it wasn’t as simple as they thought it would be and the inconsistent contact, care, and comfort took their toil on both of them, proving that their volatile on/off relationship may be more than they can handle, even if they thought they’d be together forever.
What most intrigues about Jimmy and Lilah is what they became because of and despite of their upbringing and their circumstances. It’s easy to say that people are the products of their environment, but I don’t buy into this idea completely because two people who experience the exact same abuse…the exact same scars have a choice as to what path to take, and while that decision can be manipulated based the toxic nature of things, it doesn’t mean that have to fall into the same kind of destructive and manipulative behaviors that surrounded them as kids.
The way Michelle Lynn and Elisabeth Grace craft Jimmy and Lilah’s story, moving between the past and the present as well as slowly uncovering the reasons behind Lilah’s self-destructive behavior and Jimmy’s ‘good guy’ demeanor make readers’ emotional connection to them a maelstrom of feelings. My emotions felt all over the place as I was reading, not only because their story is angsty as all heck but also because my opinion of the hero and heroine continually fluctuated, making me, at times, sympathetic and emphatic, and at others times, frustrated and angry.
But that’s what makes a story a good read, isn’t it? The fact that readers feel a bevy of emotions as they witness the characters’ ups and downs as well as their highs and lows, and let me tell you the damage Jimmy and Lilah did to themselves and each other, Lilah more than Jimmy, is enough to make any sane reader question how these two always keep coming back to one another when they seem a toxic mess of self-sabotage and enabling.
I cannot wait to see where Lynn and Grace take Jimmy and Lilah in book two; I hope these two can find their way back to each other for all the right reasons and not just because they have a history together, but for any of that to happen, I feel like Lilah needs to help herself and realize exactly who she’s become before there’s any hope that they can become all that they are meant to be.
4 Poison Apples
4.5 glorious stars!
What to say about this book…OMG I’m gutted. This emotional roller-coaster is completely captivating, soul wrenching, and written so beautifully. There’s something so special about two people that are ingrained in each others’ souls that no matter what, they can’t let go.
Elisabeth Grace and Michelle Lynn (aka Piper Rayne) has a glorious writing style that captures every moment, either heartbreaking, romantic, or the happiest day of your life with a flawless energy. Each scene is packed with meaning to tell a bigger story. James and Lilah are stunning, imperfect characters. Intertwined together, they will forever be a part of their past, present, and future. For better or for worse, we experience both in this first part of the duet. Never have I rooted for a flawed character to overcome their demons like I did for Lilah…her love for James is spellbinding and crippling. He will forever be her crutch and her lifeline, her inner struggle drew me in from the first chapter. I couldn’t wait to see what this book held for me.
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from this dynamic writing duo. I love their rom coms, but I’m not a huge ansgty reader. My mind was blown in the first 15%, I couldn’t wait to DEVOUR the rest of the story. I’m amazed how much I loved this journey. I highly recommend James and Lilah’s story!
5 Star Review All We Were (Ex-Factor #1) by Elisabeth Grace & Michelle Lynn
Both Elisabeth Grace and Michelle Lynn are new authors to me. This book had so much angst and packed such a punch that I was left with a book hangover.
This was an emotional roller coaster of a read and one that really got to me. There were times that I was really frustrated with Lilah and wanted to knock some sense into her.
This is one of those little gems that you hope you find. All We Were had me from the first chapter and I was riveted until the last. I so need the next book as soon as possible as I am anxious to see how Jimmy and Lilah’s story pans out.
This is a unique and page turning story that is full of angst. It kept me glued to my kindle and I forgot everything else I was supposed to do today…oops. Laundry and food shopping can wait until tomorrow, dinner will just be take out and there are still clean clothes in the house.
Lilah and Jimmy, gah and ugh and I need the next book…and stat. They have been friends since they were children and always had each other. He tries to protect her from the world and then herself…until he couldn’t.
One click or borrow this book through KU and enjoy the ride!
What?!?! No!! I need the second book like now!!! This book took all of my emotions, put them into a blender and then pulverized them. There was literally nothing in this whole book that didn’t have me anxiously waiting for the fallout. Both of these characters are broken in the most significant ways but somehow them being together is toxic yet healing.
This new up and coming Hollywood couple has been on and off for years. They suffered together as children and have been raised to only count on each other. Neither have worked through the teams of their pasts but they are trying to move on. They face ups and downs the size of mountains but it seems to always work out, until one final straw breaks the bonds they have managed to hold onto.
This story of Jimmy and Lilah will leave you raw and exposed, especially with the crazy cliffhanger at the end, but it is a definitely must read. I seriously can not wait for the next book!
What?!?! No!! I need the second book like now!!! This book took all of my emotions, put them into a blender and then pulverized them. There was literally nothing in this whole book that didn’t have me anxiously waiting for the fallout. Both of these characters are broken in the most significant ways but somehow them being together is toxic yet healing.
This new up and coming Hollywood couple has been on and off for years. They suffered together as children and have been raised to only count on each other. Neither have worked through the teams of their pasts but they are trying to move on. They face ups and downs the size of mountains but it seems to always work out, until one final straw breaks the bonds they have managed to hold onto.
This story of Jimmy and Lilah will leave you raw and exposed, especially with the crazy cliffhanger at the end, but it is a definitely must read. I seriously can not wait for the next book!
When I started this book I went in blind, it was on the basis of a recommendation and two authors I hadn’t read before, I wasn’t sure what to expect and I think that’s a good thing.
If you looking for a sweet romantic duet then this one isn’t for you as its not a fairytale, its a story of two people with abusive childhoods who found their rock, their home in each other but they both handle things differently, about how the past affects the future.
Jimmy and Lilah grew up together with abusive fathers, they had each other and their dreams of making it big, they just had to escape where they were. After reaching Hollywood they both work hard to make a good life but whilst Jimmy flourishes, Lilah struggles and falls.
I had such a love/hate relationship with Lilah. She didn’t make very choices with her life and she just seemed to keep dragging Jimmy back down with her. I loved Jimmy but he did frustrate me with Lilah the way he let her practically do what she liked but I did understand it.
I am still not 100% on my thoughts of this duet but I must have enjoyed it as I read it in one evening. I think after the way this book finished with that cliffy I am intrigued to see which way these two authors go with the second half of the duet.
I will say I think these authors have written this story well, especially with the storyline they gave us. I think the feelings they gave me of frustration, empathy, worry, guilt, fear anger, and love were quite true in these circumstances.