Dyed, pierced, and covered in tattoos, Wren Blanchard is the exact opposite of everything Dr. Lee Hawthorne thought he wanted. His residency is almost finished. With the perfect job, the beautiful house, and the polished girlfriend, he knows he should be happy, yet he isn’t. But once Wren lands in his ER with her sharp tongue and artist’s soul, she leaves a mark on him that just won’t fade. Wren … just won’t fade.
Wren knows the good doctor is way out of her league. To people like him, she’s a circus freak. Besides, she’s not the type to get hung up on guys, especially ones with midnight blue eyes—ones who know all about antiques, crack bad jokes, and love Joss Whedon.
No. She doesn’t need that.
After all, she has friends, a psychotic cat, and a promising career as one of the best tattoo artists in town. And it’s enough.
Really, it is.
Or it would be if Lee weren’t there every time she turned around.
One kiss seals their fate.
Their attraction is undeniable–but Wren’s past is full of ghosts. Is their bond strong enough for a solid future? Or will their new relationship crumble beneath the weight of all she carries?
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Stephanie Fournet is a new author to me and what an author she is indeed. She has written a wonderful friends to lovers with so much heart. Wren is a cautious woman who has experienced abuse when she was a kid, which has resulted in a deep rooted trauma and survivors guilt. The amazing and kind doctor Lee turns everything around when Wren gets admitted in the hospital where he works. The connection is immediate and the bantering awesome. I had such a good time in the company of these two terrific characters. It was a joy to follow Lee doing everything in his power to earn Wren’s trust but also to witness a beautiful friendship blossom and slowly evolve into more. Leave a Mark is a fabulous slow burn that has its focus on its characters. Lee and Wren was truly amazing.
4 Birds and Tattoo stars
This is an emotional ride that will have you laughing, shouting, and every now and then on the verge of tears. I didn’t know what to expect going into this one. Whatever it was, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it’s written and how relatable the characters are.
Wren hides behind her tattoos, but most people don’t realize it. She’s a tattoo artist and as such everyone simply thinks her ink is due to her profession. In reality, her ink allows her to withdraw from the world except for her very small circle of people. She’s broken inside. She’s guilty. And she is totally unworthy. At least according to her.
Lee has always been on the straight and narrow. He’s always been the dutiful and respectful son. He’s pretty much followed what others have told him that he wants. Oh, he’s not a pushover, but he isn’t one to rock the boat, either. His life is comfortable and planned out if not exactly exciting. He’s content. Until Wren ends up coming in on his shift in the ER at UMC. Through no conscious effort on her part, she makes Lee question exactly why he’s living the life he is. With the questions come some hard answers and a whole different perspective.
This is a story about learning to forgive and moving forward, it’s about following your heart and trusting yourself. It’s easy to read, entertaining, and may even have you questioning some of your own preconceived notions.
I read this book twice. I loved how the characters weren’t carbon copies of those I’ve already read. I loved the small details about Southern living sprinkled in. I didn’t want the story to end!
This is the first book that I’ve read by Stephanie Fournet but it WILL NOT be the last. I don’t know what I was expecting with this one but it blew all of my expectations out of the water. I don’t think that I’ve read a book that touched me so deeply in a long time. It’s not just a romance novel. It’s so much more than that. Leave A Mark is a book about sometimes life being so terrible and horrific that when something good happens, you just can’t believe it.
The main characters, Wren and Lee, were unlike any characters I’ve read in a long time. I’ve always said that I love a perfectly flawed character and they don’t come more flawed than the leading lady, Wren. She has some serious demons in her past and while I don’t want to share what those demons of abuse are (because who likes it when surprises are spoiled), I will tell you that it turned my stomach to read what she had gone through. I try not to pick up books that are in any way associated with abuse because I just can’t handle it but I’m glad that I took a chance on Leave A Mark. The story is more than just that abuse. Anyway, Wren was that perfectly flawed character. You’re able to be with her as she relives what has happened and while she tries to free herself from the figurative prison she’s voluntarily put herself into. And then Lee. Wonderful, Lee. He was the perfect hero in this story. I don’t think that he could have been created in any other way and been as effective as Wren’s counterpart. I fell in love with him quite quickly and I anxiously awaited each page he was on.
The story was completely heart wrenching. It really ran me through the wringer, emotion wise. I would cry and laugh and smile and swoon … it was the perfect combination of all human emotions. You’ll find yourself rooting for the characters and just hoping that things will work out. Because they just have to. This has to end happily, doesn’t it? Well, I won’t tell you how it ends or how it begins for that matter. Just know this … Fournet is an author to watch. She’s one that you’ll want to keep up with for a long time. There’s just so much more that I want to share but I can’t. I can’t ruin that for you.
I know that I’ll remember this book for a long time. It’s one that I’ll be telling everyone I know about. Everyone needs to read this book to realize how very strong we can be. I wish that Leave A Mark was twice as long as it is because this is one book that I had a hard time putting down. You need to read it. It comes out on April 28th, go ahead and preorder it. You can thank me on the 29th.
* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *