At fifteen I fell in love. His name was Jake Stephens and he took the abandoned, lonely girl I had been and made me whole. His love was a pure and unconditional love that made every day better than the last…a fairy tale of my very own.But this story isn’t about Jake. It’s about Abel Madden; the man I meet after the fairy tale goes to hell. A cocky, arrogant man who says what he wants, does as he … does as he pleases, and makes no excuses for it. He irritates me—downright pisses me off at times—but he also brings me back to life.
My name is Sidney Ellis and this is my story of finding love twice—the first when I needed it most and the second when I never saw it coming.
Collecting the Pieces is a standalone Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense novel with no cliffhanger.
Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
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What a wonderful story about the restorative power of love. This is the story of Jake and Sidney, who fall in love very young but have a powerful, innocent first love. Then a tragedy occurs and Sidney has to pick up the pieces of her heart and learn how to live again. She soon meets a man who she is very attracted to, although “on paper’ the relationship would seem to be a bad idea.
The characters are complex, well developed and the plot is so sweet, romantic but also realistic. There is also an element of mystery to the book and a plot twist at the end that I definitely did not see coming. This is the first book I read by this author but it won’t be my last!
At 14%, I was a mess. A hot freaking mess.
Luckily they were tears of happiness and joy because Sidney had finally been given the love that she had always dreamed of and the family that she had always wanted. Jake’s love saved her and his parents’ acceptance completed her and gave her the confidence to pursue her goals.
By 19%, I was a fcking wreck.
My heart was fcking shattered, into pieces much like the theme of this story. It’s not like I didn’t know that this was going to happen. Doesn’t mean I was prepared. It’s not like I couldn’t predict what was going to happen. It’s the fact that I was so in love!! I fell in love right along with Sidney. I fell in love with her love and her new lease on life. And then I was devastated. How else can I describe it? I was splintered. Fractured. Destroyed.
Then we meet Abel. Who freaking knew or could foresee how beautiful this man really was??? Who??? OMG this man was freaking beautiful!!!!!! He was sublime and he entered Sidney’s life perfectly. He shook her up. He nudged her. He poked the bear so to speak. He sparked life back into her and I LOVED him for all that he was! To be loved by such pure souls was a blessing that anyone would be grateful for. Sidney, bittersweetly, was so blessed. There was no doubt that she and Abel were eternally thankful for their shared love.
Thank you L.A. Fiore for breaking my heart, “collecting the pieces”, and putting it back together again!! This was an incredibly amazing example of hope and love! xoxo
Sidney was only half alive growing up in a children’s home after being dumped like trash by her parents. She didn’t know what it felt like to be loved by anyone. Then she moves into a foster home with people who are only in it for the money, the only good that came out of that is Connor. He is the brother she always she dreamed of having. He took her under his wing and became her family.
Sidney is getting older and Connor is starting to have other interests. Then she meets Jake and She finds love the fairy tale kind. Tragedy strikes and Sidney doesn’t know if she can put the pieces back together. Along comes Abel and she’s not sure if she wants to kiss him or kill him. He’s arrogant, crude, and sexy as hell.
Sidney’s and Abel’s story is one you will truly remember.
Collecting the pieces was a beautifully written masterpiece that pulls all your emotions out and leaves you raw. You physically feel the emotions of the characters. L.A. Fiore’s books have a tendency to make you feel. This book was very different, she dug deep and gave you a piece of herself.
This. Book. Sooooo good!!!
This is my 2nd read read by this author, and I just love her writing.
“I drove home, I couldn’t help but compare the wolf to my rescuer. Both were beautiful, wild and dangerous and under that, a bit lost.”
“I like how I feel when I’m near him, like who I am with him, and I’ll take what I can get from him because I’m finally finding happy.”
Oh my god, what can I say about this book it’s perfect amazing there are not enough adjectives in the world to describe my love for this book. This is like the 4th L.A. Fiore book I have read and she has done it again. She created something so perfect and amazing and honestly she has topped the bar this time. I honestly don’t know how she’ll do it again but I know she will.
When I started reading this story we start with Sydney age 10+ with the meeting of her foster family and in the first chapter we see her meet Connor her foster brother this relationship it was so sweet and then it went downhill on that front. But whilst Connor was spiralling out of control we see Sydney meeting Jake her husband and that whole relationship was so cute and sweet. For the first 20% I was like this is so sweet and oh my god it’s perfect, then tragedy struck… I cried my eyes out I was like nooo how could this happen. This isn’t a spoiler so I’m going to say it, he died and it fucking crushed my heart, I had to stop reading for like 5 minutes to continue because it hurt that much.
Luckily that heartbreak didn’t last the entire book although we see the repercussions of Sydney losing Jake. After the accident, we skip 3 years where Sydney and Rylee have moved to a new town and tried to restart their life. This is where she meets Abel and sex begin along and eventually both of them fall in love. I don’t really want to go into much more detail about the plot and everything because that will just give it away and honestly you guys should read this because it’s fantastic.
Sydney, I really loved her character. Fiore did a perfect character of one still stricken by grief and trying to move on with her life and not be stuck in a rut. Everything this character felt I felt it too and she was written so amazing and perfectly. Her sarcasm and quick wit were also written amazingly, she was a brilliant character and I loved her. As you can tell this is just a big massive gush it was just so perfect.
Abel, he was one cocky son of a bitch but I fucking loved it! His character he was totally what Sydney needed and that came across perfectly and honestly they both really did need each other not just she needing him. We saw multiple sides of Abel and although he was cocky each one of those sides were all sweet and caring regardless.
One thing I can say about their relationship is that it was amazing how they didn’t even realise they were falling in love until one of them said it. Their relationship was so sweet especially at first as they were just using each other for sex and how he was so protective over her it really made my heart melt. I loved the relationship so much. It was honestly so amazing and I loved how the dynamic of their relationship worked.
Obviously, it wasn’t all smooth sailing they had their issues and problems that occurred trying to keep them away and apart from each other. I really want to go into more detail but oh my god I really don’t want to spoil you guys! I think I may do a gushing post because I can’t stop myself. I really really don’t want to spoil you haha.
I could not put this book down. Hell, I can barely process all the emotions running through me right now. Collecting the Pieces was so amazing. I am completely blown away by L.A. Fiore. I was so addicted to her writing and how wonderful this story was.
I loved this book. It is so beautiful while at the same time it will make you cry, and then laugh not long after. I loved Sidney. That girl went through so much in her life and yet she still found happiness. Her character never waivered and she always had amazing people surrounding her. The love she shared with Jake was magical and a dream come true. When that fairytale came crashing down I was as devastated as Sidney. But a fresh start and the appearance of the very hot Abel Madden got me fired up. I am head over heels for Abel Madden.
Abel and Sidney’s meeting is electrifying. I loved her instant attraction to him and how hard she tried to fight what she was feeling. Abel was a hard ass at first, but you quickly come to see that he cares for Sidney more than he’s willing to admit. They are perfect for each other. Their relationship is so easy and I loved that there wasn’t any unnecessary drama when it came to their relationship. It progressed in a way that just melted my heart. There was a lot of swooning over these two and the chemistry was very hot.
I also really loved the people in this town like Jace and his brother Duncan. The relationship Sidney still had with Jake’s parents seriously made me teary eyed. Sidney’s best friend Riley was great and I loved their relationship and how supportive they were of one another.
This was an amazing book that I truly loved. I’m happy to have finally picked up a book that instantly hooked me and fell in love with after reading books that couldn’t really keep my interest. This is also the first book I’ve read by this author and I am not disappointed in the least. I can’t wait to read more of her books.
***4.5 ‘All the pieces make a life’ Stars***
Collecting the Pieces was that strange story where it was everything that I expected it to be while at the same time being unexpected as well. I expected and emotional rollercoaster, and I got it, but I didn’t expect how well balanced that ride would turn out. I laughed, I swooned and I sniffled and fell in love not only with Abel, Sidney and Jake, but the cast of characters that surrounded them on this second chance at love story.
Since this book looks at the evolution of two relationships I feel it’s only right to start things off with Jake. While his story is short in the big scheme of things, he is the one who helps Sidney start to see the woman she was always meant to be. That just because her circumstances were not the best, that she couldn’t overcome them. He was, for lack of a better term, her white knight. He was that good guy that had a good head on his shoulders, followed his gut and loved with his whole heart.
Sidney goes on quite a journey in this story and I loved seeing her become the woman she was always meant to be. The girl you meet in the beginning of the story is definitely not the same woman at the end, but what is consistent is her strength and her heart. She may have fallen a few times, but she found ways to pick herself back up and move forward and hold on to her compassionate and caring heart. I loved her sassy nature and I would have loved to have her as one my friends.
I adored Abel. Even when I wanted to smack him upside the head, I adored him. He’s blunt, cocky and arrogant and yet he was sweet and had his own unique way of being a white knight. He may not seem like it, but he has a heart of gold and once he considers you one of his, he’ll go to the ends of the earth for you. All of that mixed together, along with his whole biker thing going on, makes him pretty damn lethal.
Sidney’s relationship with Jake was sweet and simple. Jake showed Sidney what it meant to love. Not just in a romantic sense but also when it came to being apart of a family. He was her lodestone and helped to give her the support she needed to grow. Sidney and Abel’s relationship had a very different tone. There was sweetness, but it wasn’t as simple. Both had experienced loss and though they were on different levels, they still had the same effect. The attraction between them was intense, but neither wanted to jump into the fire for more reasons than one which made the ‘I want you, but I shouldn’t’ thing more amusing than irritating since you knew it was only a matter of time before that whole scenario would end. I loved the bantering between them, as well as the honesty, and the sexual chemistry was smokin’ hot. Their journey was rocky, but not over the top. What they were going through felt real and made it that much more enjoyable to see them fall.
Along with the romance storylines, there is a nice little mystery woven into it that had quite a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The resolution to it was logical and even a little heartbreaking. The balance between drama and humor was well done as was the 1st person dual POV. Then there are the secondary cast of characters were well written and added a lot of depth to the world. Ichabod and Jeshaiah were probably my favorites, but Cain and Sandbar definitely wormed their way into my heart. If you’re looking for a well written 1st love and second chance at love romance with a lot of heart this one is for you!
~ Copy received from the author via The Next Step PR and reviewed voluntarily ~