An Amazon Top 10 Bestseller“Ask Me Why is a gorgeously-written, angsty book that packs a great punch to your gut. If you like a jerk with a heart of gold, this is the book for you. Oh, and I dare you not to fall in love with little Ollie!” — LJ Shen, USA Today bestselling authorOne deep breath. Two slow blinks. Three hollow beats.I’m still here. After three years, that reminder isn’t as …
After three years, that reminder isn’t as necessary. But everyone has their bad days. This is definitely one of them. Until an adorable little boy dashes into my store. His zest for life makes me smile in a way that’s been long lost. Then I meet his father.
Well, confront is more like it.
Brance Stone is volatile.
Offensive.
Harsh.
And can’t be bothered to care.
Not that I want him to. I get frostbite just looking into Brance’s glacial stare. But there’s something undeniable about him.
My misery suddenly craves company. The suffocating numbness lifts whenever Brance is near. That alone should have me running in the opposite direction. Try as I might, there’s no avoiding him. If only I could understand why. As if he’d let me.
I don’t ask. He doesn’t tell. A silent, bitter truce settles between us.
That was our first mistake.
It’s certainly not the last.
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Every time Ms. Rae comes out with a new story, I fall in love with her work just a little bit harder.
Ask Me Why is just another stellar book in her collection.
I loved the saltiness of Brance. I loved the brokenness of Braelyn. I loved the sweet innocence of Ollie.
I was wowed by the dynamics of the “relationship” between Brance and Braelyn. How their broken, jagged edges seem to fit together. How Braelyn was able to navigate the abruptness and OK, OK, assholery that was Brance.
I enjoyed reading about Brance’s stubbornness to deny his feelings. I also swooned at the father and son relationship he has with Ollie.
Brance and Braelyn’s smexy times was off the charts hot! It made me melt into a swoony puddle. The sexual tension between these two was burning up the pages and when they finally came together?!? Absolute fireworks, rainbows of colors! (You’ll get my meaning when you read this story….which you absolutely should!)
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this story, the hard edges, the abruptness and the tension between the main characters kept me riveted to this story! This isn’t your typical hearts and flowers romance, but at it’s heart it soooo is!!
Well done home girl!! Well done!
Alright, alright… It lived up to the hype and recommendation that flooded my inbox and newsfeed. OLIVER!!!! Won the entire storyline. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed Brance more than I though I would. Talk about a world class…… Yeah you get the idea. Brae, had her ups and down in my connection aspects of this book but overall. I will be just like everyone else and recommend this to others.
Easily her best work yet!
5 star Review Ask Me Why by Harloe Rae
This is a new author to me and what an introduction. This book was an emotional roller coaster of a read.
Brance, a single dad and Braelyn have both been badly hurt and because of this neither of them are really living, thanks to their fears that history will be repeated.
Total opposites and yet there is something sizzling between them. What an adorable little boy Ollie is, my heart broke for the 5 year old who wanted a mother to love him.
Can Brance and Braelyn get over the devastation of their pasts and in doing so find a happiness that they both so desperately deserve?
This was a heart warming story that will touch you deeply.
This is my very first book by Harloe Rae and I loved it! I couldn’t put it down, I finished it in one day! I will be adding her to my authors list. In Ask Me Why, you get to meet Braelyn and Brance, a match made in Heaven. Just kidding! Or am I?
What drew to the book was the synopsis because I am a sucker for enemies-to-lovers romances. In Ask Me Why, we find two people meeting and instantly hating each other. But they keep getting connected by one small little personality. And I loved that small little personality, because he has the biggest heart.
Our heroine, Braelyn has PTSD from a incident prior to meeting Brance. And Brance, being the man who blames all women for his past hardships. These two have such an intense connection, it blew my mind! There is very thin line between love and hate and I got to see that unfold on the pages! It was fun, reading and understanding their motives behind there actions.
I was very impressed by Harloe’s way of expressing the emotional scenes. After reading hundreds of romances, sometimes you get immune to not feeling anything. But I did FEEL everything that the characters were going through. The trauma that was thrown at the each character, made my heart squeeze.
I do 1000% recommend this book! It is a MUST READ!
Hearts Not Stars
Thanks to Harloe Rae and Candi Kane Pr for gifting me with the ARC.
5 Emotionally Charged Stars!!!
The author stole my heart with this enemies-to-lovers emotional romance. She brought the angst and all the feels! From broken to pieced back together, these two found their HEA.
Braelyn has been doing her best to move on and live. A tragic accident left her alone and suffering from loss and panic attacks. She picked herself up and followed her dream of opening Thicket, a store that sells candy and unique odds and ends. She’s content, but is about to realize that she is also incredibly lonely.
Brance is hardened by life. His only soft spot is for his son Ollie. Ollie is full or energy and life. He finds Thicket one day and makes an instant connection with Braelyn. His father wants no connections because it just leads to heartache. However, Ollie has his own agenda because he is searching for a mom.
The author created an emotional story with some of the most amazing chemistry. Their journey was wrought with sexual tension, witty banter and revelations. Brance was a total alphaphole but the love he had for his son made him redeemable. Braelyn was strong, even when she felt weak. She was a survivor, now she just needed to find her happiness and the future she deserved. Get out the tissues, you may just shed a few tears.
Ask Me Why by Harloe Rae is the story of Brance Stone and Braelyn Miller ‘Brae’.
Brance is the hero in the romance book that you start out hating due to his treatment of others because of his past hurt. But, the two exceptions to his attitude is Oliver ‘Ollie’ his son and the nanny (grandmotherly) Mary. Braelyn was in a terrible car accident a few years ago that took her fiancés and left her with PTSD. Now she is trying to move past the pain and she falls in love with the little boy named Ollie who starts to come into her store . But the father is a different matter because his is every kind of rude and hurtful. But of course Brance can only be so mean and stern before he can’t help but claim her.
Loved this story!!
Oh my goodness..Brance is such a jerk!!! I listened to the audiobook and it was fabulous! Brance and Braelyn first did not go very well. Brance is a damaged and man. Braelyn is suffering from a broken heart and isn’t looking for a relationship…panic attacks have a run of her life right now.
Brance’s son Ollie loves visiting Thicket – Braelyn’s shop and Braelyn cares for the little boy. As the visits increase so does the angst between B & B. As they work their their communication issues…in a variety of ways..their live begins to blossom.
Such a great read…love, angst, forgiveness, heat and a great story.
Overbearing alpha male, angsty shop owner and an adorable little boy. Hit the the spot for the mood I was in.
“’ . ’ .”
This book. THIS BOOK.
Rae has a way of knocking me flat with swoony alpha jerks that aren’t entirely jerks and heroines with hearts of gold. And that is exactly what was delivered here. But more than that, we got an ultra cute Cupid mixed into the fray ever so carefully, and I don’t know if I’ve enjoyed anything more.
One hard heart, one a little broken and one of pure gold. The differences between each of them were definitely vast, but the similarities as well.
I loved loved loved Braelyn & Brance, and would happily scoop up Ollie and bring him home with me.
What an amazing story! I gotta say from my first meeting with Brance, I was not a fan, at all: but those are the best, because the redemption makes it so much worth it!
Ollie captivated me from the beginning, with his openness with everyone, and his overall sweet heart.
Rounding everything off was our sweet Braelyn with her broken heart, and so much sass when confronted.
I was absolutely hooked. This was exactly what we needed in an enemies to lovers.
This is just an adorable story! I just love enemies to lovers and These two main Characters fit that bill to a T. He is all gruff and rude at the first meeting because he thinks all women want him. So conceited! She is just trying to be nice and is astonished at his actions. Of course these two eventually come together but it’s after some tough crossroads. Lucky for them there is an adorable little boy that helps them along.
Of course I loved the two main characters (well sometimes Brance was iffy) but the secondary characters really added so much to this book they are high favorites. Of course I have to mention Ollie (even his name is adorable). Did I say he was adorable? Oh yeah I did! But he really really is!
Overall I really enjoyed this story. It has ups and downs. Watching these characters grow is amazing ( I almost didn’t recognize Brance at the end). I did listen to this on audio. Jeffrey Kafer and Heather Costa do a great job. I’m just gonna say Jeffrey Kafers voice is sexy, growly and enjoyable to listen to.
Love this book. Read it more than once.
Ask Me Why – by Harloe Rae – 5 Stars
Ask Me Why is a story of two people who have gone through terrible life traumas.
Braelyn, having survived a horrific car accident and Brance, who has been betrayed by two women in his life are better fighters than lovers until three people set out to show them that they are meant to be together.
The star of this book is Oliver (Brance’s son) who along with Jordan (Brance’s best friend) and Sadie (Braelyn’s best friend) become the self appointed Cupid’s in this tragic but heartwarming story.
As an add on at the end of the story, readers can access Say You’ll Be, Jordan and Sadie’s sweet five chapter short story. Luckily these two had instant chemistry and prove love at first sight is a wonderful thing.
It’s a quick read. Not my favorite. But solid.
A steamy read about two emotionally broken people who get together with the urging of a precocious five year old. I was really enjoying the story until Brance’s abrupt about face. Granted Brance was not an emotionally open person to begin with, but his behaviour in this instance didn’t fit the flow of the relationship. Loved Ollie. My book edition had a link to a free bonus story about Sadie and Jordan. I’m definitely reading that!
Ok, so saying I’m not a kid person is the understatement of the year, but I’m in love with Ollie.
Braelyn and Brance’s story is sweet and heart warming and Ollie is all the cherries on top.
Great book, sundae cherries !
h: Braelyn
H: Brance
(Dual POVs)
Braelyn is a single, 25 year old, small store owner who struggles with PTSD. Brance is a 29 year old single father who is very jaded when it comes to women in his life. Ollie, Brance’s five year old son, discovers Braelyn’s small shop while out with his nanny one day and instantly falls in love with both the shop and Miss Braelyn. During the next visit, Brance is the one to bring Ollie and Brance immediately announces that he doesn’t play games with women and that there is no chance of anything happening between them, assuming that that is Braelyn’s intent. As time goes on, Brance occasionally brings Ollie to the store and these two banter each and every time, building the tension and angst each time.
Oh. My. Goodness. A book hasn’t made me feel like this in awhile. I loveddd this book. It gives you all the feels with the struggles these two have been through and the healing they find when they’re with each other. Seeing Brance in his fathering role is enough to make you swoon. I loved seeing that Braelyn had a feisty side! Even the secondary characters in this story made me fall even harder.
Some may think the way Brance reacted to Braelyn’s anxiety attack was cruel and insensitive. I understood that Braelyn’s fears give her anxiety attacks while Brance’s fears make him push women away by being cruel in order to protect himself. I sympathized with both characters in this moment. This book was everything I could’ve wanted. Five rainbow stars!
Favorite quotes:
He crosses his arms and stands straighter. “You’re not my type, taffy girl.”
I fight the urge to scratch my temple, being stumped again. “Okay?”
“Stare all you want. It’ll get you nowhere.” He points between us. “Never gonna happen.”
-Brance pg 25
”Are you just gonna tease me? Or actually do something?” -Braelyn
“You’re a better person with her around.”
“Fuck you, asshole.”
“Thanks for proving my point.”
-Jordan pg 275
“But I walked through that door to be with you. Ask me why, Brae.”
-Brance pg 289
Ask Me Why l loved this so freaking much, it was so bloody good and a must read! Maybe this was Harloe’s best?? But all Harloe’s books are all amazing for me! Ollie is so adorable and such an awesome matchmaker but chapter 17 was a favorite! Brance & Braelyn’s journey was an epic enemies to lovers romance with so much fireworks and rainbows! But that epilogue brought some tears! Can l please have a story for Jordan and Sadie?
Loved the book. But I felt the guy had taken his anger on the woman was a bit long. But it was definitely a great book.
Cant believe it took me this long to read this epicness of a book! Harloe hit me with all the feels with Ask Me Why. Loved Braelyn, Brance, and especially Ollie!! I’m still bawling and swooning with this perfectly written story that left me wanting more. I definitely feel spoiled by this author with not only an amazing epilogue, but a bonus epilogue with and added book on Jordan and Sadie’s story upon request. Major win!! This must read deserves all the stars.