I love you; I loathe youJackson Thorn was my best friend and worst enemy, but that didn’t stop me from wanting him.From first words to high school halls, our childhood years braided a bond that wove in a direction neither of us could predict or outgrow.Forbidden became a word we ignored.It wasn’t that we didn’t care.It was that we cared too much. We had it all planned out.We thought we could make …
We had it all planned out.
We thought we could make it.
We thought we’d been careful.
But all we managed to do was prolong the inevitable.
Our destruction.
Hearts and Thorns is a standalone full length new adult novel from bestselling author, Ella Fields.
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Jackson and Willa’s story really tugged my heartstrings. Like every other couple in this series they face impossible odds. I adored every single word.
Ella Fields writes the most perfectly addictive alpha bad boy hero’s that I love to hate! But this is just one of the things she always delivers on with each of her stories. We also get hard subject matter, blazing hot bedroom (and many other places) scenes, heartbreaking content and hard won HEA’s. Her stories are the reason I read!
I’ve been waiting for Jackson and Willa’s story since Kiss and Tell and I want to say that I am anything but disappointed. This is a taboo story that really isn’t and I loved every minute of it. So many feelings, so many revelations, and Jack entered as another scorching hot bad boy I really wanted to kick some sense into. And again with the cutest and most character appropriate nick names; Bug and Dimples this time.
Do we get to know more about Raven now??
Step siblings. Do not expect an easy read. These situation are hard. They will be called names and made to feel uncomfortable if they pursue a relationship. EF is the queen of angsts, the ups and downs, the hurt and pain. Jackson frustrated me a lot, selfish and hurtful with his actions. It’s due to his intense feelings towards Willa but it was cruel and uncalled for. I didn’t like him during the majority of this book. Willa has the bad luck of bad timing. Things just do not seem to want to go their way.
Jackson and Willa have known each other their whole lives. As they get older their feelings change but will either act on their feelings? How will others react?
The Queen of Angst has done her best with Willa & Jackson! There was no doubt with the little gems that were dropped in both Kiss & Break Up and Forever & Never that Willa and Jackson’s relationship was going to be intense but I was not prepared for their epic story. Hearts and Thorns is truly that taboo, forbidden stepbrother romance that goes terribly wrong. But before it does you become so connected to each of them independently and come to understand how their relationship happened. The tragic parts, the hurt, the unwillingness to forgive, a family in ruin all seems like too much to overcome. And then each will have to face even additional twists and obstacles. But when love is genuine, is truly given from the heart can it really be destroyed or forgotten. I loved Lars and Daphne and Peggy’s commentary and helpful pushes they give to Willa and Jackson. This was a a great book with all the things you love in the angsty, taboo, second chance and oh so good HEA.
Get ready for some angst! But I think that’s why I love reading Ella Fields so much. I seem to be a glutton for punishment because no matter what Ella puts me through, I eagerly await her next story.
This is a step-sibling romance but the story makes you question everything. Just because Jackson and Willa grew up together does it really make it taboo? However sometimes I wondered whether the two of them should be together and their treatment of each other wasn’t always the best. But there was so much love and closeness between them and try as they might to hide it from everyone, it came out and had devastating consequences. I didn’t always agree with the actions of Jackson and Willa. Sometimes I wanted to scream at them for their choices and behaviour.
After everything they felt, how could they just break my heart like that! Like a train wreck, I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing and wondered how could this possibly resolve itself. I feared that maybe it wouldn’t be able to and thought how could this happen! Jackson could be particularly cruel and Willa’s actions weren’t always the wisest. But those were their choices and sometimes people need to make certain mistakes in order to realise the path they need to take. The story made me feel a great deal of angst and heartache. So make sure you are ready for an angst driven, heart crushing ride where nothing seems to go right and yet, we end up right were we need to.
I literally devoured this book as fast as my eyes could read it. I couldn’t put it down. From the very first word on the page, until the last it captivated me.
Willa and Jackson’s story takes more than a few twists. The angst level is OFF THE CHARTS. I’m in love.
My heart has been broken and put together so many times I have lost count! The angst!!! My goodness!! Hearts and Thorns is absolutely magnificent!!
Right from the beginning I could not put this book down and was drawn into the world of Willa and Jackson. Their love is raw, innocent, beautiful but yet broken and I felt like I was right there along with them. Ella has a way with words and I could not get enough of their story. You are going to LOVE it!! I just want more!!!
4.5 stars
If you want your heart taken out of your chest and put it back together, this book is definitely for you.
The best friends who get to live and know each other since they are 6 and 8 years old, get through everything in life together. From the childhood memories to the first butterflies and love and heartbreaking moments. The angst is expected from the author but this story takes another on another level and it’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.
Holy angst, Batman! This book will wring every emotion out of you! I need a hot minute to pull myself together. This is forbidden love at it’s finest and I loved every minute of it! This is the first book by Ella Fields I have read and she now has one more fan!
The story captivated me from the beginning. I couldn’t get enough! I love how we get glimpses of Jackson and Willa growing up through when their story really takes off. My heart ached for both of them! This will take you on a ride you won’t want to get off! I highly recommend if you are a fan of forbidden step brother romance! You won’t be disappointed!
“Need and love were a force we couldn’t contend with and forever lost the battle to. We were nothing but its willing subjects, begging for more even as it was handed to us. That was how it felt to be with Willa, as though I was swimming ashore after being stuck at sea for years, only to have the coastline move farther out of reach every time I needed it. We weren’t a scratch we could scratch. We were fire that would never extinguish, and we’d burn anything in our path to keep getting what we wanted. What we needed. A hunger like ours didn’t leave a lot of room for caution.”
What a quote!!! I loved this. <3
HUGE hit to the FEELS for me!
I have been awaiting this latest installment of the Magnolia Cove series since Willa and Jackson first appeared on the scene in Kiss and Break Up. All of the characters in this series have whole-heartedly captivated me, but the forbidden storyline of step-siblings Willa and Jackson have raised the bar on angsty romance. I could hardly control my breathing!!
When Ella writes a book, very few certainties should be expected…except this one: the ride won’t be easy or predictable.
Not. Even. Close.
Told in dual POV’s this angsty, and highly emotional romance that delves into the meaning of love and family, is feathered with moments of fire & ice between every momentous page. Willa and Jackson showcase the sweet and the sour in splendid form! The passion and love between these two is guaranteed to have you reading between those peaky finger blinders typically reserved for suspenseful movies as you anticipate the next gut-wrenching twist. I died a thousand deaths!!! The forbidden nature of this one will no doubt have your morality compass on high alert as you wrestle with the perceived rights vs. wrongs of the Thorn dilemma that encapsulates Willa and Jackson’s love story. GAH….I LOVED IT!
This was so much more than an average stepbrother love affair.
Flawed, real and raw these characters and their story are bound to test your limits and hold you captive until that very final page. There are times that I wanted to throttle both Jackson and Willa, but also the parents & Ainsley. OMG….that damn girl. GRRR! So much to love about this book! I’m really hoping that we see the series continue with a story for…you know who. Ella…you picking this up?!?! Pleeease!
Rest assured, even if you’re not a fan of stepbrother romances, this one will surprise you, BUT you will love it all the more if you’ve read the earlier books in the series as this story does begin when Willa and Jackson are kiddos. As such, we watch them grow and their stories overlap with that of Peggy, Dash, Lars and Daphne along the way to their own HEA.
Highly recommend you meet all of the unforgettable characters from Magnolia Cove!
Jackson and Willa grew up as best friends, all through high school and were step siblings. Their romance was taboo but they kept it hidden until everything went wrong. A heartbreaking read that will tear your heart out and bring it back together.
Rated 4.5 Stars
Hearts and Thorns was angsty, sexy and an emotional rollercoaster of epic proportions. I loved it and hated it; I loved that it had me so emotionally invested in it to the point where I didn’t want to put it down and hated a lot of the things the characters did but man what a great story. I was obsessed with Willa’s and Jack’s story. It was rough, they made stupid decisions but their love endured through it all. I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though it put me through the emotional wringer. I definitely recommend it.
Every single book in this series is chocked full of angst and heartbreaking emotions but the characters fill your soul and you can’t wait for them to become whole again. I’ve wondered about the details of Willa and Jackson’s relationship. The reality of it is so much more gripping and tragic. Willa is sweet and loyal but how can she hold on when hope starts to fade. Jackson has plans to keep them together but he plays a game alone for the both of them. My tears were freely flowing for how this twisted secret was discovered. It was one heartbreak after another. I still have some PTSD at the end. What an amazing story to pull me into such turmoil but leave me with that small little smile in the end.
Ella Fields is one of my go to authors especially when I’m wanting some angst and Hearts & Thorns has all the angst I wanted and more. I loved this story, I loved the characters. I didn’t always like how the characters behaved, it hurt them, it hurt me, if I could’ve climbed into my kindle and slapped some sense into them, I’d probably still be in there now beating them up. I lived this story along side the characters. I felt every emotion they did. From the genuine deep love they share to the hurt they cause, the hopelessness they feel, the anger, betrayals, the hate they want to feel…yet that strong love that can’t be forgotten.
This is everything I’ve come to love about Ms Fields books and I can’t wait to see what she’s got in store for me next.
This is my top read of 2019 hand down! Ella brought all the emotions out in this one. Despite the happy ending I still feel kind of heartbroken though.
I never read stories involving step siblings, it’s just not my kink. After reading Magnolia Cove 1&2 though, how could I not find out Willa & Jackson’s full story?!
This story will shred your heart into a million pieces but eventually put it back together again.
There is so much that will end up surprising you and definitely helped me not be as grossed out by the step sibling part of the story. As always this was another amazing story from Ella Fields
My heart has been ripped apart and glued back together. This story reached into my soul and touched something that very few stories have.
I started reading this only a few hours ago and I am already finished. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. Jackson and Willa’s story CONSUMED me.
Jackson and Willa’s story isn’t filled with rainbows and butterflies. It’s not all good times. They fought through so many obstacles and still lost. But they overcame so much. Such a beautiful and raw story!
Hearts and Thorns blew allllll of my expectations out of the water. It was such a imperfectly perfect read. The characters were flawed and made mistakes. They were raw and broken.
For some reason, this is my first Ella Fields read and I am beating myself up about it. But, you have to start somewhere. I will forever be a fan of Ella and her writing. This book just SLAYED me. Mind, body, and soul.
Every time I read a book from this author I know I need to be prepared for ANYTHING! She has a way to make my heart soar one minute and then free fall the next. I also feel like they just keep getting better and better.
Willa and Jackson have been with us for a while from previous books in the Magnolia Cove series and theirs is the most forbidden, well to society standards, to accept. Some may not like it and that is ok. I feel you should read a book with an open mind.
I will forever LOVE this authors works and will happily share my love for her books, but be prepared for some angst and have LOTS of tissues ready.
I’ve been dying to read Willa and Jackson’s story and my god it did not disappoint. Ella Fields is one of my absolute favorite authors. Simply because she can rip my heart out and make me breathless each and every time I read one of her books. I bow down to the Queen of angst. No one can write it like she does. Her character development is amazing and I can’t count how many times I’ve wanted to throw my kindle at something while reading her books. Five stars for Hearts and Thorns!!!
”Time wasn’t forgiving. Time stole everything if you let it.”
Another incredible story by one of my favorite authors, Ella Fields! I feel like every book she writes, it just keeps getting better and better, I’m fully hooked on all of her books, there isn’t one that I don’t love!
I was especially excited to read this story because I love forbidden/taboo romance books, especially step sibling ones! I really enjoyed how the beginning of this book walked us through different stages of Willow and Jackson’s life together starting from young to aging into their teens. It was sweet to see their relationship grow and to notice when they both started to realize they felt something for each other.
Things end up happening once the parents find out and that’s when their relationship just starts on a downward spiral. My heart was breaking for these two because I just wanted to jump in and tell them to hold on, it’ll get better.
After some time, they find themselves back in each others lives and the story escalates again from there! I don’t want to give anything away so I will stop at that, but just know how much I LOVED this story!!
*I kindly received an ARC and this is my honest review.*