They were a perfect storm of bad decisions and tragedy…
We thought our forever kind of love would protect us.We thought we were strong enough to withstand any storm.But we were so young then. We couldn’t have known what was coming.”First loves will mess you up until the end of time if you let them.”Older now, we’re both stronger than we’ve ever been. Brought back together by chance, we have a … we’re both stronger than we’ve ever been. Brought back together by chance, we have a second chance to discover if forever is still the truth or yet another broken promise.
(This is the conclusion to Tali and Jude’s epic love story)
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Never Again book two in the Never Blue Duet brings together all the pieces that fell apart in book one and sheds light on why things played out the way they did for a story that was impossible to walk away from!
When readers left book one Jude was a broken person, it had seemed that he had given up and surrendered to his demons. Yet not enough credit was given to the transformative power of love, the power of his love for Tali and the power of love that came with accepting who he was and learning to love himself. Jude always had choices but choosing the best ones or even the ones he really wanted were not as easy as it appeared especially when past choices kept incapacitating him. Tali showed a strength of steel even at her weakest moments but those weak moments were what made her human and infinitely appealing. Her denial of Jude showed the extent of her love for him and made her the kind of heroine who made hard decisions that despite being painful were from the depth of her caring.
This couple showed that even the best circumstances can prove not enough to bring you to a good place when you had unresolved issues requiring that they go their separate ways before they could come back and commit to being together. Part two of this duet brought their unfiltered truth to the forefront with all its ugliness and angst allowing the potential and beauty of Jude and Tali’s love, giving them the ability to overcome their past. Over and over Jude and Tali were confronted with the question can you really move on once you found the “one” and in their case the answer was no. It was touching to watch this pair recognized their past even as they became reacquainted with the matured and evolved versions of themselves, finding that while they had changed for the better their hearts attachment to each other had remained as strong as ever.
This writer delved boldly into the complexity of Jude and Tali’s struggle making theirs a powerful reading experience. While this work had an abundance of despair and loss it ultimately offered just as much hope coming out of unexpected places. This story dealt with some serious subject matter that was handled realistically and with care. There were moments that clutched so hard at readers emotions that it was impossible not to choke up and reel right along with the characters feeling the full impact of Ms. Wolf’s writing. Never Again concluded the Never Blue Duet with every single feeling that makes an epic romance!
*I was given an advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own. *
*This book should be read with Never Lasting part one of the Never Blue Duet.*
The second half to the Never Blue duet is even better than the first, and I loved the first A LOT. Never Again takes place 13 years after book 1 ended (with the exception of some necessary flashbacks). Jude and Tali are wiser and more mature but both still broken in many ways. When circumstances bring them back into each other’s lives, Tali is understandably wary and Jude is determined to atone for his past behavior. Watching these two overcome their demons and find their way back to one another left me breathless at times. I cried, I cheered, I got frustrated, you name the emotion, I likely had it while reading this book. It’s a long journey filled with heartbreak along the way but that only makes their eventual HEA that much sweeter. Everyone needs to read this duet.
I can tell you I’ve never been happier to have the second part of a duology as I was with this one. Never Lasting left my heart in pieces and I couldn’t let that be the ending of Tali and Jude. Luckily the author realized her readers wouldn’t be able to wait too long without getting more of these characters.
Never Again starts many years later, Tali is now 34 and has started her amazing career in the music world. Blue is the Color is her band. She manages them and has for the last seven years. It’s so much fun getting more of a behind the scenes look of what she does after the Blue is the Color series. She’s a strong, independent woman and loves what she does. Since Jude, she hasn’t had much of a love life, but that doesn’t stop her from living.
Jude wasn’t at a good place at the end of Never Lasting. He’s come a long way since then and his lfe has really changed. One thing he hasn’t stopped thinking about it Tali. He was still kind of sneaky to get what he wanted, but I loved his motives. I loved how Jude has really come to know himself and what he needs. He’s really changed and has a really good support system.
Once again, this author gives us an amazing love story. So much as happened, but there love is still there. Never Again has the perfect mix of past and present. I love that we were filled in on the missing years with the important events between them. It breaks your heart, but really shows us how much they loved each other even if it was toxic at times. Jude and Tali slowly start finding their way back to each other while on tour and I loved reading the trips they took together during some free time.
This book is really hard to describe and review, because it hits you in all the feels. That being said, I don’t want to give away too much either. I will say that this story gives both characters what they deserve and need. On top of an epic love story, it’s always interesting when we get to see our favorite characters. I loved the Blue is the Color series, so they’re definitely a favorite. Also, characters we meet in the first book are also revisited and my heart was very happy when I finished reading. Jude and Tali will always have a special place in my heart!
Everything you wanted to happen in the first book, plus a whole lot more that you didn’t realize you, also, wanted!! I love Jude. Plain and simple. Even when he was at his worst, I loved him. You get a true redemption story with this book, and it’ll melt your heart from beginning to end. You will root hard for these two. I loved the crossover cameos from this author’s Blue is the Color stories too! Basically, this is the duet you didn’t know you always needed in your life! An absolute must read! I loved every moment of it!!
I’m cracking up from this beginning. Jude is affecting me in a major way. He was a shitty friend, a shitty boyfriend and a cliche rock star having it all, but drowning in the process. Numbing his feelings and stress with drugs.
He’s come a long way, but his remorse are still holding him back. We get to know him so well in this book. All the reasons for his behaviour is revealed and slowly I start the process of forgiving though the forgetting part will not happen. Some things need to be remembered.
Tali is strong, independent and so very capable of managing the hell out of anyone, including herself. She stuck to her life plan and got what she wanted, all except the love of her life. When he shows up as a sound engineer on the tour she is on, she tries to keep him at a distance but slowly he’s making progress getting back in her good graces. The attraction is skyrocketing, his patience is admirable and his love for Tali is no secret to anyone watching him. Slowly she starts trusting again and their commitment to each other is enviable.
Jin is making tears stream down my cheeks as I read, I love him being friends with both parties.
This author is getting better by the book, and this series is my all time favorite.
Book 2 in the Never Blue Duet was fantastic! Where the first book left you broken, the 2nd book pulled you back together. After 13 years Tali and Jude meet again and are working together. It’s not easy but they slowly get back to being friends which leads to more. It’s a roller coaster ride they take on the road to their relationship. What a wild ride it was!
Julia outdid herself with the fantastic Never Blue Duet! I loved ever moment of it! I would highly recommend this Duet to everyone!
It has been thirteen years since the end of book one and 5 years since Jude and Talia have last seen one another until now that is. Jude is the sound engineer on tour and Talia is stuck speechless seeing him there. These two have alot of past hurts to get through in order to try to reclaim the life they both still want with each other but it will not be an easy road. Doubts and fear are hard to get past and trust is hard to earn back. When they finally get back together it is a beautiful moment and is definitely well earned. This book stitched me back together after the first one ripped me apart and I loved every moment.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I am so grateful to Julia for giving us part 2 of this duet to review together. Boy you think that Never Lasting brings out all the feels it is nothing compared to Never Again, and I think that I related to it better as the characters were so much older. While we have been on the roller coaster ride of Tali and Jude’s passionate but gut wrenching young love, we now get to go with them on their journey to find happiness.
When we meet Tali again thirteen years later she is well established in her dream career in music as manager to Blue is the Colour. After a hiatus of two years Blue is back on tour with a new sound engineer and Tali’s solid world is rocked as she realizes it is Jude. Unknown to Tali, Jude had been following her life throughout the years with help from his friend Jin, who is also a friend to Tali. Jude now believes enough time as gone by to win Tali back forever but judging by her first reaction to him it is going to be a difficult job.
Tali is so afraid to fall for Jude again, she has never got over her first love and cannot go through the pain of losing him again. She has suffered a lot over the years, when he got married to someone else, and when their pasts crossed and he was still in the throes of his addiction and could give her nothing not even the promise that he would not be a member of the Forever 27 list. The searing pain between them brought me to tears and I mourned for a wonderful passionate love that was lost to addiction. The two of them being made for each other and still being deeply in love was just not enough for Jude to give up drugs.
This second book is so romantic as these two lovers with such a painful past learn to know each other later in life as the people they are today, it is really heartbreaking watching both of them. Jude walks a fine line between getting his Stripes to trust him again and believe in a future together, without scaring her away for ever. Although Tali still loves him deeply and wants their forever she is not sure if wants to gamble her heart again.
Julia has given us such a gift in these two books which bring out every emotion possible in us. If you don’t read anything else this month read this duet, you will be glad you have. Definitely one of the best books of the year for me. Thank you so much Julia for shattering me and mending me again, it was worth it all.
This was the PERFECT epic conclusion for Tali and Jude. Serious book hangover from this one! Its so hard to write a review when all I want to do is sigh and smile at the journey these two tortured twisted souls took us on. I was so mad at the author after the first book in the duet for throwing SO much of life’s utter garbage at these two, but they get all that’s coming to them and then some and no two deserved it more by the end of this wild ride. I loved these two from the start even when I didn’t like them all that much. This author wrote about some very twisted topics beautifully and I devoured each and every word. I love when a book can make me feel EVERYTHING and this book did, in spades.
Confession: I was so turned off by Jude at the end of book one that I was DREADING completing this duet, despite the undeniable quality of the writing. I didn’t realize how much the story affected me until I sat down to read book two, but I definitely had an emotional reaction to their relationship. Had I not already committed to reading an ARC, I would not have continued… and I would’ve been missing out on an absolutely beautiful comeback.
This is an emotional punch to the gut, a story so angsty your blood pressure will skyrocket. Though 13 years have passed since the end of book one, the chemistry and connection between Tali and Jude is still so vibrant and alive. Their love story really needs to be read in order, so I won’t bother trying to explain the relationship. If you’ve read book one, you already know the obstacles Tali and Jude face (some serious trigger warnings on this one). I loved how the author turned things around – I had written off both Jude and this romance, but that was a big mistake. The emotion is tangible and the devastation overwhelming before the light begins to shine again.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
With my heart left in shambles and utter disarray after Never Lasting, I dove into the second part of this duet holding my breath. It takes us for a leap into the future showing us how Tali and Jude have changed and giving us insight into the past. These two have grown, matured but are still fractured in so many ways. As their lives cross paths Tali is cautious and Jude is intent to make amends. Their journey is a hard one and one not all connections and loves would survive. The road for them is filled with heart wrenching moments, set backs and confrontations, but you know what they say no pain no gain. This highly emotional conclusion made me cry a river, frustrated me beyond belief but ultimately left me breathless from a forever kind of love, ensuring that never again would Jude and his Stripes be without the beat to their heart.
Have you had a chance to read the 1st part of Tali and Jude’s heart wrenching duet, Never Lasting? If so, were you left a huge book hangover, possibly sobbing with crumbled tissues in hand and a broken heart? I sure was!!! I couldn’t stop thinking about them long after that book left me devastated! Now Julia has a chance to make it all better for you with the 2nd part of the duet, Never Again. I think you’ll find what you’ve been hoping for and like me, will turn that last page with a smile on your face .
Now, at 34, Tali was stronger than ever, a badass business woman, one who controls her own destiny and that of her band, Blue is the Color. The shock of seeing the man who still owns her heart, on her tour and in her world, is conjuring up more than she wants to feel…and she can barely breathe! Jude still stops her heart, time hasn’t erased those feelings, but how could she ever trust him again? She can’t let herself, doesn’t want to take the risk again. Flashbacks to times where their paths crossed but weren’t spoken of in Never Lasting, were revealed and they explained so much of why Tali feels the way she does now about Jude…so raw and heartbreaking.
I found myself entranced by the older and much wiser Jude. He’s still sexy and gorgeous at 36, but reflective, sober and has matured into a man who’s learned from the past but not forgotten it. I hoped so hard for him to finally be happy, whole and probably for the 1st time in his life, no longer trying to erase his pain under the addictive cloud of drugs and alcohol. He’s become used to the dull ache of losing Tali, but needs so badly for her to see how far he’s come, how much love he has and will always have deep in his heart for her. He craves a second chance for the future they never got to have all those years ago, because of his mistakes and bad decisions. She’s it for him, will she see it?
Julia wrote the beautiful, all encompassing story I was hoping for, way beyond it really. Her words were masterful to say the least and I almost cried to see it end. There were so many amazing, touching and beautiful parts to this book that you’ll just have to read to fully appreciate them. There are books that will always linger somewhere in the back of your mind, this was one of those for me.
The way she put their pieces back together was exactly how it had to be for them to find their forever. Tali and Jude would probably agree..it was pure perfection. I’m still thinking about the rise and fall, denial, hope and then the resurrection of a love that spanned 15 years. In letting go and finding forgiveness, these soulmates find peace, their missing other half and finally have the ‘forever kind of love’ that was always meant to be!
Melt into this must read book, enjoy the emotional journey with these characters that you’ve come to love by now. How could you NOT love them? I need to keep seeing them in future books (hint, hint)…Jude and Tali are engraved in my heart now and I don’t want to let them go! They may be my most favorite couple Julia has written and that’s saying alot!
My thanks to the author for the gift of an early copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts and opinions it.
Part 2 of this duet has me on an emotional roller coaster. After book 1 decimated my heart, I thought that it would never be able to be repaired. But Julia Wolf has outdone herself. This book was awesome. I am so glad that Tali did not forgive Jude, nor jump into bed with him straight away. They rebuilt their fractured relationship first. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!!! Highly recommend!!
And we’re back on the ride of Tali and Jude, folks! Trust me, this half of the duet is full of the pain and honesty they both experienced and need to share in order to finally be happy with their lives.
Jude and Tali slowly work their way through the past to paint the complete picture of who they are today, as well as why and how. Jude had a LOT of work to do, not only for himself, but for those around him. He’s never truly been happy or breathed a full breath since destroying himself and the woman he loves. He knows that, and he’s determined to show Tali just who he really is and just how much his heart continues to beat for her.
Tali has found incredible success and joy in her career, and at this point she’s decided to just be okay with who she is and what she has. That is, until she walks into the first day of a six week tour with her band, only to see her past working on the tour. She’s had so many questions and heartbreaks over the years that she’s not sure she can ever simply forget and move on. Luckily for Jude, Tali isn’t one to simply shy away and run from her past standing in her present.
This author managed to turn the second half of Tali and Jude’s duet into the balm that soothes the angst and pain of the first half. That’s not to say that it isn’t an emotional, sometimes painfully sad journey to take. Between chance encounters a few times over the years and the issues both Tali and Jude need to work through, their chance together now blossoms from “we’ll never be friends” to “okay, we can talk (and possibly more)” seamlessly and with just the right amount of humor, sadness, nostalgia, and mushy lovey dovey stuff…and with some serious heat. Jude and Tali became proof that you can’t truly have the happy and sweet without some bitter pain or tears. This duet was another win by this author in my eyes.
The second book in the duet brings closure that you yearn for from the second you open it up. Can Jude and Talia truly move on from their past and conquer all the betrayals and miscommunication that occurred before? I clung to every world in this duet as I delved into their world and I felt every emotion and indecision as if it was my own… that is how good these books are. Julia Wolfs words always have a way of making you feel like you are a fly on the wall. And you run the gauntlet of emotions along with the characters and this story is no different. Amazing author and amazing book
Well this author did it! After I felt like my heart went through a blender at the end of Never Lasting, she joyfully and painstakingly stitched up the broken pieces of my heart in this 2nd and final installment of Jude and Tali’s duet. Their journey was long, winding and wrought with heartbreak, but their story was also breathtakingly beautiful, sexy, and sweet complete with a love that was deep-seated, hard earned and never ending.
This book predominantly takes place 13 years after the gut wrenching end of Never Lasting and is interspersed with a few encounters throughout those years. Tali has become the successful manager that we all know and love. She remains super organized and the “thinkiest of thinkers”, but she has never fully moved on from Jude. Jude displays great character growth and has gained in maturity that comes from life’s hard lessons. A white hot spark remains between these two as their flame was never fully extinguished. A second chance is not easy given as trust, forgiveness, and healing are needed to move past old hurts. Jude’s and Tali’s love story obliterated all of my expectations.
Never Again, book 2 in this duet series, picks up with modern day Tali getting ready to fly to Europe with the boys from Blue Is The Color. They will be touring for 6 weeks and the last person she expects to see on tour is Jude.
This book was absolutely everything I needed it to be. It’s full of healing and heart. It was the kind of read that just gets better as you get deeper into the book. My heart was bursting with happiness by the end.
I truly love Tali and Jude’s story. I don’t believe I have ever rooted so hard for a couple.
5 wallet chains out of 5
After just finishing never lasting my heart hurt, get the tissues ready because I ugly cried and I wasn’t nearly done with them. I was so excited to jump straight into this.
Damn I absolutely love this duet. Reading never again I was on high alert, through the gut wrenching heartbreak to the blissful swooning and everything inbetween, tali and jude completely stole my heart. I read this in one sitting, I couldnt put it down and the same as never lasting the clock said 2am and I was still reading.
I love a book that pulls every emotion out of me.
The most surprising thing to me about this conclusion is when it picks up and it works. Unlike other duets where the next starts at the exact ending of the first, this one takes you into the future. I read Blue Is The Color and totally forgot that Talie & this Talie are one in the same, it was great catching up with that band again, but the best part is how both Talie & Jude had grown. I loved that Talie didn’t let what happen deter her from her dreams and Jude had a lot to fix on his end. The fact that his life changed too was a bonus. Ms Wolf wasn’t afraid to change things up and in this genre, that is welcomed.
Loved the book, the story was well written and the characters were intriguing. Once I started I could not get enough, from the start till the end I was engrossed I was even on the edge of my seat with twists and turns, lust and passion, strength, happiness with a happily ever after. Do yourself a favor and buy the book you want be disappointed.
Thank you for allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.