To my siblings, Jane was a friend. A pseudo-sister, the girl we grew up with.To me? She was everything.Our passion consumed us.When our world fell apart, I thought our love would be the thing that held us together.She was the love of my life. But she abandoned me when I needed her most.And I’ll never forgive her.For years I’ve been planning my revenge against the people who took everything from … the people who took everything from me.
Jane won’t be an exception. I’m coming for her.
She knows it.
She says she wants to help me serve my version of justice on the people who hurt me.
I’ll let her.
She probably thinks it will save her from me.
It won’t.
*This is a complete standalone. The Play On series are books connected by the theme of the arts industry, not by characters.
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Let’s be real, am I surprised that I was just going to love this one as much as the rest of the books in the series?! Tangled Black Heart was everything I needed and more especially with my lack of focus with my reading as of late. As Dust Dances has been my favorite of the series so far, but this one is right up there with it.
With the blurb, you can kind of expect what’s to come, but the impact doesn’t even hit you until you get deeper into the story. Normally I have trouble when a read goes from past to present, but I think Samantha did this perfectly. We get the insight behind how Jamie and Jane’s friendship/relationship came about. For them, it was an all consuming thing even with the small difference in age.
With Jane being someone so young, she’s faced so much and was extremely mature for her age. She may be quiet, but she sees everything. There’s very little that gets past her. There were a lot of times, where I wish she stood up more to her best friend (also, Jamie’s sister), Lorna. I knew from the get go that she was going to be catalyst to Janie and Jamie’s downfall.
But the one thing I love about second chance romances, is the journey they take back to one another. It was not an easy journey and there was a lot of angst.
With Jamie, I couldn’t stand the man he turned out to be in the present. With everything that happened between them, how was he going to change my mind. How would I forgive this guy? Of course, these two made some downright silly decisions. But they were both so young and needed to grow up a bit more.
The character development is absolutely everything with Jane, from beginning to end, I loved everything about her.
I’ve been gravitating towards certains read lately and I devoured this in one sitting. These are the kind of stories that’ll stick with me for a long time. If you love this series and author, there’s no doubt that you’ll love this! Tangled Black Heart definitely makes my top fave list for 2020.
**AN ARC WAS PROVIDED IN EXCHANGE FOR A REVIEW**
Samantha Young
There’s not enough words to describe how incredible this book was! holy mother of twists and turns! I wasn’t expecting anything that happened, but boy I was on the edge of my seat! incredible story!
New from Samantha Young!
Black Tangled Heart was a fabulous read! Samantha sucked me in since the beginning with Jane and Jamie’s story. I love that we were able to see their relationship grow from the past to the present and all the conflict in between. It really gives you the depth of their relationship and boy was it a good one. I was so engaged into these two magnificent connecting souls and what they were going through. There are so many interwoven aspects to this story and I couldn’t wait to see how it all plays out. There was romance, action, angst, steam-a good combination of them all. The twists and turns really kept me engrossed in this story as did the relationship between the characters. Samantha is a wonderful writer and the execution of the storyline made the book striking. Overall, a fantastic story with great characters and plot.
Samantha Young gives us another stunning and emotional romance with her usual beautiful writing and sensitivity.
In this great story our main characters deal with loss, grief, revenge, forgiveness and healing.
Your heart will be broken several times before finding happiness.
I admit i cried a lot and my eyes burnt at the last word. But… it was worth it.
Life was pretty cruel with Jane and Jamie before they met each other. The day they met is also the day Jane met Jamie’s sisters. They give her what she needs, what she craves… a family. But every family has some deep issues like rivalry, jealousy, envy, miscommunictaion… ans secrets.
Black Tangled Heart is divided in two parts. Past and present.
In the first part we see the characters becoming friends, family and with time Jane and Jamie become lovers, first love, inseparable sweethearts. We think we know everything about them all…
But once again, life is cruel with them. Tragedy breaks the family and Jamie needs revenge.
Then we learn more about each character AND the author cleverly adds a suspenseful dimension to her story. It becomes a real page turner, an addiction.
I couldn’t put down my kindle before ending the epilogue.
Jane and Jamie’s relationship is an intense, consuming, passion. They make one.
Jane is admirable, she’s smart and sensitive and strong, she’s compassionate and very kind but she also has a backbone and she doesn’t let people change her or her values.
Jamie is determinate, generous, he loves with his whole heart.
“He’s flawed but intriguing. He can be a dick, but he also shows moments of warmth…”
“Sometimes i wished my happiness weren’t dependent on how other people felt about me. Wouldn’t life be easier if we weren’t all so preoccupied with the need to be beloved, the need to be needed?”
Soooo Black Tangled Heart is a beautiful story, well writen, with deep emotions, another proof of Samantha Young’s talent and another great read of her bibliography.
Enemies-to-lovers second chance romance?! Yes!
My heart barely survived Black Tangled Heart by Samantha Young. I am so messed up with all the dark, heartbreaking and raw emotions. The author has given me a tragically beautiful romance that will stay with me and inspire me forever.
Jane Doe and Jamie McKenna’s love story was written in stars. They literally were childhood sweethearts. Two lonely, mature beyond years and imperfect kids became lovers. But life had plans for them. After the accidental death of their mother like figure and big sister Skye, Jamie was sent to prison while trying to get justice. Their lives were broken and burnt down to ashes. Now Jamie is back. He is a bestselling author with pen name and reclusive life. And Jane is a well known art director in Hollywood. And he hates Jane. But why? Did Jane really leave him? Will he take his revenge? What happened exactly?
This is the kind of love story that makes me want to hit someone and scream in pain. That means it’s a great story. A story is only great when it causes intense reactions in my heart. Means Samantha Young successfully burrowed in my heart and captured it completely. This story holds so much beautiful pain. Jamie’s anger, guilt, hatred and everything. Jane’s quiet suffering and endless ordeals. Jamie broke me down so badly. I want to hug him and soothe him and heal his broken edges. This moody, brooding and intense man has all of me. And I cannot tell you how much I love Jane. She is an angel with fire. She protected and loved her best friend and Jamie’s younger sister Lorna even when Lorna gave her nothing but resentment and spite. She embraced Jamie’s confused and bleeding soul even after Jamie hurt her irrevocably. She adopted Skye as her family and put everything on line to avenge her. She is a perfect balance of soft and strong.
The emotions is this story were overwhelming. I could feel the extreme heartache and all consuming love in every word. The story kept on delivering punches after punches to my heart. And I loved every minute of it. They have a very special and different kind of love. The kind we read in fairytales. Only their happily ever after came at a big price. Their chemistry is pure fire and I loved the warmth right along the burn.
Samantha Young has written an legendary romance in Black Tangled Heart. The words were pure poetic weapon. The characters, the storyline, the writing- everything was just exceptional. A love story that I will remember for years to come.
Received ARC for honest review
When I started this book, I had certain expactions where the story would go considering the blurb. However, Samantha surprised me and gave us a wonderful story full of plot twists, passion, heartbreak and emotions. This book was such a rollercoaster. I read the first few chapters and I already knew this book would be a highlight (just as As Dust dances).
The story starts with the past when our protagonists met and I loved how close the McKennas were with Jane. Her past was really so heartbreaking because she lost so much but turned out mature and considerate. I loved the bond between Jane and Jaime. These two together were explosive and set my kindle on fire. The love scenes were extremely hot and passionate. I also liked that their relationship developed in this way. There were some miscommunication things, which I normally loath but in this case it worked out very authentic. Of course their relationship also had some turning points which broke my heart. One character made it really hard to like and I wanted to slap her in the face for her selfishness. However, even her behaviour was understandable considering all the facts. This amazes me because the whole story feels so authentic and real.
The second part of the book features the present in which Jaime and Jane are no longer together. I was rooting so much for them and it was amazing to see them team up. They are absolutely soulmates and the descriptions of their love was beautiful. The revenge plot was thrilling and I loved how seamlessly Samantha added so many important topics such as addiction, depression, sexual harassment, sexuality etc.
The characters took a part of my heart and now I feel a bit sad after finishing this wonderful book. Samantha included some shocking plot twists that left me breathless. I really expected a completely different story but after every chapter I was more overwhelmed with the whole plot. I can only recommend you this book because there is so much love, passion, heartbreak and hope in it. Some quotes are so memorable, so don’t forget to highlight them. I surely did. And don’t get me started on the end, because I can only describe it with one word „wow!“ There was a short moment when I was afraid of the ending because I had tears in my eyes again. Samantha created a perfect composition of emotions. This was a wonderful romance novel.
4.5/5!
Samantha Young has woven an amazing and breathtaking tale of first love, heartbreak, and reconciliation in Black Tangled Heart. I simply adore this story. It’s an amazing story about an all consuming first love, what went wrong between the main characters, and how they found their way back to one another. It’s a story about reconnecting with the people who mean the most to you and healing the hurts inflicted upon one another. This story tugged at all of my heart strings and I enjoyed every second of it! Jane Doe and Jamie McKenna simply own my heart in Black Tangled Heart.
Jane Doe is one of the sweetest and sassiest heroines I’ve had the pleasure of reading. I really love Jane’s character. She had such a sad childhood and my heart simply broke for her. She never felt loved, wanted, or needed by anyone. All Jane really wanted was a family to call her own. People that she could go to in her time of need and know that they will always be there for her no matter what. She found that in the McKenna family. Skye was the parental figure/big sister she always wanted and needed. Lorna was her best friend from the moment they met (gonna have to be honest and say I never liked Lorna at all. She was too selfish, self-centered, and mean for my likening.). Jamie was her ultimate crush who later turned into her confidant and the other half of her soul. Jane is a pretty amazing character. She has preserved through so much in her life. She’s made it through losing family, losing her first love, and losing apart of herself. She came out stronger and fiercer because of everything she’s gone through. She deserved her happy ending and I am so excited and happy that she got it. She may have had to go through some heartache and heartbreak to get it, but it was worth it in the end.
Jamie McKenna made me feel all the feels. All the feels! He’s a very complex character that I absolutely adored one minute and then couldn’t stand the next. He has so much anger and hurt built up inside of him and he didn’t even realize it. He didn’t realize that he needed to forgive and heal before he could move on with his life. Revenge wouldn’t fix his shattered world or make himself feel better. He broke my heart because his heart was broken on so many different levels. I wanted him to mend and heal his broken heart, so that he would be happy again. He hadn’t felt happiness in so long that I’m not sure he even knew what it felt or meant to be happy. Beneath all of his complex layers and jerk tendencies, is a truly beautiful and wonderful person. He lost himself along the way and needed to be reminded of who he truly is and that he has so much more to offer the world than his anger, resentment, hatred, and revenge-filled plans. He is a son, a brother, a lover, a writer, and a fighter. He just needed to find his way back to himself and he did. Jamie McKenna’s journey of healing is one for the books and one I wish I could have seen more of.
Reading about how Jane and Jamie’s relationship unfolded throughout the years was amazing and adorable. I enjoyed every second of it. The journey starts back when they were teenagers at thirteen and fifteen. I loved watching their relationship grow and progress over the years. How they went from barely knowing one another to knowing everything about one another. Their love was truly all consuming and epic. These two connected on a level that so many people hope to find in their lifetime. Jane and Jamie are truly lucky to have found one another when so many people search a lifetime for the other half of their soul. They make each other better. My heart broke when these two fell apart when their world was shattered, but it wasn’t completely their doing. Someone else had a part in breaking Jane and Jamie’s hearts. I won’t give anything away, but you will not be surprised when you learn who helped ruin their relationship. Jamie always made Jane feel wanted, needed, loved, cherished, respected, and adored. During the second half of the story, Jamie could be pretty cruel when he wanted to be and he forgot to make her feel all those things. He forgot how much he truly loved Jane and how she was one of the only people that ever understood him. Their journey back to one another involved heartbreak, pain, forgiveness, hope, love, understanding, and communication. I was rooting for these two from the very start and when they found their way back to one another I wanted to shout with joy. These two deserve their happy ending and so much more.
The secondary characters in this story were amazing. I adored Skye and Asher. Skye was the big sister Jane always wanted and needed. Skye loved Jane exactly as she was and wouldn’t have changed her for the world. Sky encouraged Jane to be who she wanted to be and forget anyone who ever made her doubt herself. Asher is such a good friend to Jane when everyone else had abandoned her. He loves her unconditionally and wouldn’t change a thing about her. These two are definitely #friendshipgoals. I couldn’t stand Lorna. She was mean, selfish, controlling, and a jerk (even when they were thirteen!). Lorna has some major abandonment and anger issues that she took out on everyone else around her. You had to love her and only her. She didn’t want Jane to have any other friends or people in her life. Lorna wanted to be the most important person in Jane’s life. She didn’t want Jane to have a relationship with Skye or Jamie, which was extremely selfish of Lorna. She didn’t want Jamie to have anyone else in his life but her and Skye. She even got jealous of Jamie’s relationship with Skye. I’m not sure Lorna ever really grew up and dealt with these issues. I don’t think I’ll ever have much sympathy or sorrow for her character.
Overall, I rate this book a 4.5/5 stars. I truly enjoyed Jane and Jamie’s journey throughout the different stages of their lives. My heart broke when their hearts broke, I wanted to cry when they cried, and I wanted to shout for joy when they found their way back to one another. This is a story of healing, hope, acceptance, forgiveness, and moving forward in life. Samantha Young did a fantastic job of weaving this story together. I’m sad that the story ended. I wanted to keep reading about Jane and Jamie’s journey together, how they helped one another heal, and the life that they continue to build with one another.
My heart has been ripped open and put back together again the best way possible – by love and the most amazing words by Samantha Young.
Throughout the book I was left on the edge of my seat, my heart breaking for both Jane and Jaime at different times. There love was so pure, raw and real that nothing would break them, or so we thought and they are put to the worst test imaginable.
This book consumed me – I couldn’t put it down as I had to know how it ended!
It was full of love, angst, chemistry, friendship and SO much more. The secondary characters were just as good as Jane and Jaime and the story wouldn’t be what it is without them.
This is my favourite book in this series so far and is a definite MUST read!! (each book is a standalone so it doesn’t matter if they are read out of order). It is worth so much more than 5 stars!
One of my many favourite quotes:
“A love that consumes, consumes everything unto utter desolation.”
Oh my stars. This story. It is so raw and emotional and utterly amazing. Samantha Young delivers a tale of young love, heartache, misunderstandings and forgiveness in this beautiful story. You have Jane who has been through so much at such a young age. Trying to find a place in a world that really didn’t want you. You have Jamie who has endured heartache in different ways that was heart wrenching and so much more. But the pull that these two have is just breathtaking. Even with things thrown at them at a young age, they fight against it to be together. When things get turned upside down, you are rooting for them to overcome, but that is a long road to that point.
As we progress from past to present, you see how things from the past had shaped the present for these two. Jane trying to work her way into answers, Jamie bent on revenge. But things take a different course and your jaw is dropping when things come out! I mean, what just happened and how did it happen kind of moments. The insanity that plays out keeps you on your toes and devouring more.
Overall, this book is a brilliant and unique story that is woven so tight with how Jane and Jamie are connected. You feel the pain that they feel as secrets come out, you feel the relief as they get answers, you feel the passion that these two have for each other even after so long apart. I love Young’s words and this story is beyond amazing and a must read!
5 stars and all the feels!
Holy damn, what a ride! Dramatic, romantic, passionate, intense and angsty, Samantha Young brings all the feels to this book, and it’s an amazing read! Full of emotion, this second-chance-romance had me swooning, crying and falling in love over and over again, and I loved every moment of it!
This book is part of the Play On series, but note that these books are grouped together by theme (the arts) only. They are complete standalones with no character crossover, and they can be read in any order.
Jane grew up in the foster system. She’s had a tragic life, but she finds her place when she meets the McKenna family siblings. She becomes best friends with the youngest sibling, Lorna, gains an older sister figure in Skye, and falls madly and irrevocably in love with middle sibling, Jamie. Two years older than Jane, Jamie doesn’t see Jane as anything other than his younger sister’s friend, but he feels somewhat protective over her, but over the years as they get to know each other, his feelings begin to shift.
“Everyone but me is off-limits to you, Jane. You got that?”
“I don’t belong to you,” I whispered. It sounded weak. I hated that it sounded weak. Why did he do this to me? How could one person affect me so much?
“Yes, you do.” His voice was hoarse. “And I belong to you.”
With teenage Jane and Jamie, we get an absolutely beautiful story of first love. It develops honestly and naturally, there is so much emotion between them, they share an incredible connection and passion for each other, and these two are just it for each other. And can I just say that I fell in mad love with 19 year old Jamie… because wow!
“I’ve never loved anyone like this. It feels too much.”
My heart leapt in my chest. “I feel it too.”
It was scary. Terrifying, even. Yet it was the most exhilarating ride of my life.
But in a dramatic twist, it all falls apart for our young lovers. It’s a tragic situation which made my heart ache, and it makes sense for the story. It’s not just stupid drama for the sake of it, but an extreme situation which leaves Jane and Jamie apart and broken-hearted.
Years later, and everything is different for both of them. Jamie, in particular, is a changed man, who has thought of little else other than the people who did wrong by him, and he wants revenge. Jane is on that list. And so, we get a second-chance-romance with an enemies-to-lovers twist as Jamie sets his sites on Jane (among others), seeking retribution for all that he’s been through.
The tone for the second part of this book is completely different from the first, and I loved the shift. Jane and Jamie are older now, they’ve been through a lot, and they are in completely different places in their lives. But the chemistry between them still sizzles, and my heart was pounding just waiting to see what would happen when they came back together. I don’t want to spoil the story so I won’t go into details, but I will say that I was not disappointed. It’s not an easy read, seeing two people who are so clearly destined to be together in a place that was so inconceivable from the beginning of their story, but I could understand where they were both coming from, and I was captivated, and could not put my kindle down, desperate to see how it was all going to play out.
It’s harsh and brutal, and the angst is off the charts, but underneath it all is this epic sense of longing that made me ache for both of them. There are so many times I wanted to sit them down and make them deal with their issues, but looking back I can see that it was perfect, it happened as it needed to happen, and I relished the emotional journey that I went on with these characters. And was it worth it? Hell yes! Steamy, emotional, and so freaking swoony, I had tears in my eyes as these two found their way back to each other.
“I still loved her.
I would always love Jane.
It was the kid of love that would never fade.”
It all unfolds alongside a mystery/suspense storyline that works really well with the romance, and I was fully invested in seeing how it was all going to be resolved. There are some heartstopping moments, which add to the sense of excitement in the book, and it is really well put together.
I loved this book. It took me on a wild ride of emotions, and I fell in mad love with these characters and their story. Samantha Young writes so beautifully, and this is among my favourites of hers.
Fantastic – 5 stars!
Hold onto your hearts and have the tissues on hand for this incredible angsty, soul gripping, revengeful read. I loved Black Tangled Heart so much. This one grabbed hold and would not let go. I’m still feeling everything that is Jane and Jamie. Jane is so incredibly strong. You feel every emotion that she goes through as Black Tangled Heart grips your heart. The love between Jamie and Jane is so powerful. Jamie is so loveable and even as young as he was when he fell for Jane he knew what he wanted. He is so strong when it comes to his sisters. Jamie and Jane have this love that doesn’t let go. After everything they go through you still believe in the love Jamie and Jane once shared. This book will twist you up in knots and just leave this feeling in your heart by the end. Black Tangled Heart is a need to read one clicker.
‘Perhaps our love was all-consuming. Perhaps it would devour us.’
Jane has been in foster since her adoptive parents passed away. This story begins when she is 13 years old. She is living with a nice foster couple but she is a bit of a loner. She loves to draw and when she is encouraged to go out and be social you will find her with her sketch pad and charcoal, lost in her creativity, alone.
‘Sketching made everything else go away. The loneliness. My fears. The separation I felt from almost everyone else. Drawing was my way to connect, but from a safe distance.’
It is during one of these quiet moments on the stairs at her apartment building that she meets Lorna, the new neighbour moving in. They are the same age and Lorna declares that from now on they will be best friends.Lorna has conditions for their friendship that change to suit her. She is quite domineering and at times a bit toxic but Jane is passive and loyal to her from now and for the years of their friendship.
Lorna lives with her two older siblings, brother Jamie and sister Skye. Skye is their caregiver and is climbing the career ladder as an actor. Lorna loves the interaction in their home and she is quickly absorbed into the warmth of the McKenna family. Jane quickly develops a crush on Jamie and it grows more as the years go by. She never tells Lorna because that is one of her friendship conditions.
‘Stormy ocean eyes glared at me from beneath a moody brow. We stared at each other a moment. A moment that felt like forever. My skin flushed.’
However, once Jamie catches up with his own feelings he realises that Jane is the girl he wants to be with. Thus begins an all consuming, lust filled, love story between these two. This coupling has a profound effect on the entire family and when an unthinkable tragedy occurs they are all ripped apart from each other.
‘I’ve never loved anyone like this. It feels too much.’ My heart leapt in my chest.’I feel it too.’ It was scary. Terrifying even. Yet it was the most exhilarating ride of my life.’
Ten years later this story picks up again and nothing is the same anymore. They are all in separate places, living separate lives but things are about to overlap and revenge is high on the agenda. And OMG, strap yourself in because things are about to get crazy…
This was such an addictive read! There are two parts to this story, the first part builds up the back story and the anticipation of what was to come in part two. Like the love story in this book, this was an all consuming reading experience for me.
OH MY HEART! #AllTheFeels
Samantha Young is one of my favorite romance authors. Her mind is wonderful, her words are like magic. She has a special talent for creating deep, heartfelt love stories, which keep getting better and better with every new book she releases, and Black Tangled Heart is proof of that.
This book is a beautiful, gripping, emotional unforgettable love story, spiced with a little angst in the second part. It shows you how loss can change everything, what true love is, how it can heal and bring brightness into a broken,darkened soul. A total page turner.
The soulful connection and passion between Jane and Jamie gave me butterflies, made me tingle all over, made me swoon, made me cry due to broken heart, kept me in suspense up until the end.
The Epilogue was perfect, and made me wish for more. Cue serious book hangover.
Black Tangled Heart is a MUST READ, one I will always recommend reading is someones asks me.
FAv quotes:
“S*x had been just a relief a satisfaction. But with Jane…I bet she could take out all her worries and sadness in my body. I’d soak them up, so she’d never have to feel that way again. Steal moments of euphoria in a time she needed reminding it existed.”
“When a guy comes along, he needs to love her hard, To make up for all the times people forgot to love her.”
“She gave me a shy smile as my heart grew so big, I thought it might explode every-f**king-where.”
“I knew I loved him. But now I knew that he was so deeply, intrinsically a part of me, to lose him would be like someone tearing me in half.”
” I knew his heart. It might be all tangled and f–ked up right now, but beneath the scarring was his goodness.”
J’ai tout simplement adoré les personnages, leurs vies, j’ai souffert avec eux et eu aussi énormément d’espoir. On est pris dès les premières pages par leur histoire, je me suis laissée porter par la plume de l’autrice et sa manière de nous livrer leurs sentiments, j’en suis restée sur les fesses à plusieurs reprises et je dois dire que j’ai adoré la façon dont ils vont vivre tout ça même si parfois on a envie de les secouer pour qu’ils ouvrent les yeux plus rapidement. Vengeance et amour sont au programme et ça en fait une combinaison explosive !!
Jamie and Jane’s lives have been inexplicably connected since they were young, and despite the distance and the years they’ve spent apart, their lives, their hearts, and their souls remain entwined, twisted so tightly with both love and hate, both passion and pain, both truths and lies that it’s difficult to tell where one of them begins and the other ends because that’s how tied together they are, and regardless of what’s come between them and what Jamie sees his current mission in life, when they end up back in each other’s orbit, the tenuous bond they once shared becomes strewn together once more and tangled in a way that will either set Jamie’s black heart free or result in not a new beginning or a second chance, but an ending that neither are prepared for regardless of one’s motive being to do exactly that.
To understand why everything in the present is happening, why the quest for revenge is even there and why it seems to overpower the love that was once felt and frankly still exists, it’s just overshadowed by past miscommunications and a litany of impulsive actions and reactions, it’s important to understand Jamie and Jane’s past – how they became like family and the slow journey they took to give their hearts to one another in a way that was forever.
The story itself can actually be divided into two parts – part one illustrates their younger years together, the crushes that built, and the love that bloomed while part two focuses on the present, shedding light on where their lives are right now and the fallout that occurred going on more than half a decade. But a multitude of memories are difficult to outrun, even when negative thoughts and bitterness attempt to sweep them away…because a soul-deep love like the one that exists between Jamie and Jane can never be completely untangled, which is why when these two reenter each other’s lives, there’s no telling exactly what will occur because heightened feelings tend to force chaos and what that means for Jamie and Jane’s future remains unclear until the very end.
Samantha Young allows readers an insider’s view of Jamie and Jane’s entire love story – from young crushes to young love to a life-defining connection – and Young also provides readers with both characters’ perspective, which requires us to look at all sides of the story, to understand how everything imploded and why Jamie has nothing left but his need for revenge until Jane’s presence in his life shifts both their lives, yet again, resulting in more than a little soul searching and a reassessment of lives’ priorities.
The emotional overload found in the beautifully written prose, the masterfully constructed complex characters and the dynamic story line crafted to include angst, suspense, passion and so much more is what makes Black Tangled Heart such a spellbinding read and one of my absolute favorites of 2020.
5+ Poison Apples
3.75 stars. This is a good book. Black Tangled Heart is a stand alone book by Samantha Young. This is Jane and Jamie’s story. I can’t say too much about the plot, but I’ll tell you what I can. As a young girl, Jane meets her best friend, Lorna, and they become as close as sisters. Lorna’s older brother is Jamie. Over the years, Jane becomes a member of their family and Jamie becomes her first love. But their young love is plagued by heartache and the couple is ripped apart. Years later, only a thirst for revenge can bring them back together. Can their love overcome betrayal and grief to conquer their past? Jamie and Jane’s love story will tear you apart and put you back together again.
This story and the writing were very good and interesting. As I said, this is a good book. I can see that objectively, but there was a lot of angst and heartache. It was all a bit intense for me. I am just a little wimpy when it comes to lots of angst, sometimes. There were many heavy moments, but I wished for a few lighter moments as a balance. This book is full throttle drama right up until the very end. The resolution doesn’t come until the last few pages. I really wanted to see the couple happy sometimes, especially in the resolution. But, overall, I liked Jamie and Jane. Their love was strong and they were true survivors. I felt bad for everything they had been through. When they reunited, Jamie is cruel and bitter at times, which hurt Jane. I felt really bad for her and that it was a bit much. But I liked that he made up for it and grew as a person throughout the book. I was glad that they overcame all of their troubles and came out together stronger in the end.
This book was gripping and unputdownable. It really put me through the wringer. If you are an angst lover, you will probably love this book. Still, I am glad I read this book and very happy that Jane and Jamie got the happy ending they deserved.
I loved the revenge aspect of this book and I loved the moody Jamie. This story was told in the before being when Jamie and Jane meet and the start of there friendship that turned to true love and then the present where it has Jamie wanting to hurt everyone that betrayed him, including Jane. I loved the build up of there romance and even the coming back together for revenge but my favorite is that the moment he saw Jane again the ice around his heart started to thaw with no effort at all.
I enjoy reading this author and she’s got a new one out. Looks dark and delicious!