Six was always there, even when I didn’t want him. But he couldn’t hold me together, and I couldn’t be his penance.Loss is a phantom limb. No one can see it, but the ache torments you in the night, distracts you during the day, and leaves you fragmented. I’m half a heart, half a soul, and nothing could cure the pieces he’d left behind.Losing him was safer than loving him. Because the love that … him. Because the love that kept us coming back again and again was nothing short of madness.
But then, isn’t mad love the most honest?
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Pieces of Eight is the sequel to Six Feet Under and the final book in the Mad Love duet. It should not be read as a standalone. Triggers include mental illness, self-harm, and addiction.
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Excuse me while I clear all the tissues off my computer desk!
This book had all my emotions running wild! I love Mira! I was still on the fence about Six. I said with the last book (Six Feet Under) that I thought having his POV some would have been helpful. And at times I am sure that it would have. But after reading this book I totally get why it was all one sided. It worked better that way. If you read the first one (and I am sure you have) you know that this picks up right after she pushed him out of her life. This part of the story is about her journey to finding herself! To working her way toward loving herself. I am so in love with this story! I have known people with mental illness. I have known drug addicts and alcoholics. They are absolutely difficult to love! The connection these 2 have is just astounding! This story is not pretty. Its not something that would be for everyone. But I think that everyone who has any relationship with people who suffer from depression, bipolar, addicts…. should read this book. It was very wonderfully written. Where I had a hard time getting through the first book because of the things it was making me feel, this one had me not wanting to put it down at all! I wanted to read about their interactions! I wanted to know what they would say to each other and the hurt they would inflict on one another. It was so fantastic and made me cry like mad crazy! Great book. I think I have found a new author to add to my “FLOVE” collection!!!
Whitney Barbetti just BLEW ME AWAY WITH THIS DUAL SERIES!! Mira & Six story continues after leaving us hanging in the furst one- SIX FEET UNDER. And PIECES OF EIGHT starts Right where it left off!
Acceptance, Forgiveness and Heartache describes this Outstanding Book of a Dual! Such an EMOTIONAL Rollercoaster ride of Gut Wrenching Feelings that leaves you Breathless!
I DON’T want to Give Out Spoilers because You need to Experience this Epic Duet!! A MUST READ!! One Click & Be Prepared for the Ride of Your Life!!
5 EMOTIONALLY EXHAUSTED STARS!! I am emotionally exhausted from holding my breath through this story. Mira and Six’s story is heartfelt, emotional with all the feels for perfect read. Whitney Barbetti has written one of my favorite duets ever with this one and I know it will be in my top 10 for 2018. This author has poured her heart and soul into these characters and you feel it all like they are family. This is one duet that you will want to read so hit the 1-click button. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
PIECES OF EIGHT is the sequel to SIX FEET UNDER and the final book in THE MAD LOVE DUET. It should not be read as a standalone. The Duet is written by the very talented author Whitney Barbetti.
This book picks up with Mira forcing Six to leave. Neither Six or Mira could’ve foreseen that she would be the one to walk away. But there she was, a new chapter in her life, heading toward an unknown future. That empty feeling extended through out her entire being especially her now broken heart. He was gone! She’d lost the love of her life. Sadly she knew she was the only one to blame. She missed him so much. It was hitting her then that she was starting a new life and home that would not have him in it. A new beginning for her. One that didn’t include Six. Sometimes, the pain is all that’s left to assure you the past was real. And that is what she would take with her into the new season of Mira.
She had the word FIGHT tattooed backwards above her heart. It was a permanent reminder of the promise she made to Six to never stop fighting. She often wondered why he never tried to find her. She made excuses for the man who, quite simply, wasn’t looking for her. Also reminded herself that she was the one who’d forced him from her life, but he once belonged to her. Three years later when fate stepped in, and across the room, her eyes locked with vibrant green pair belonging to a ghost. Three years had gone by. Three years since she made him leave. A lot can change in three years. He was the disease, and he was the cure.
Their love affair was “Mad Love” ! They didn’t love each other because it was easy. It was not an easy love! The deeper you suffered, the deeper you loved. It was not a start over. It’s like yesterday was the semicolon of the sentence that is your life. There’s more to come after. Not a beginning Not an ending. They would never be perfect, but nothing in life ever was.
This is a very unconventional love story spanning years. Mental illness is front and center to Mira’s story. If you can read a very well written manic love story then I recommend these duet books. Once I started I couldn’t put them down. Trigger’s include mental illness, self-harm and addiction.
Pieces of Eight is the conclusion to this duet.
After the end of book, one I could not wait to read this book. This one starts from where the first book left us.
Mira is trying to start a new life on her own. She is dealing with everything that has happened she pushed Six away but she still loves him she is trying to heal, A few years pass and she has been getting on with her life. Until her life comes crashing down when she comes face to face with Six after 3 years, A man she never thought she would see again. Only Mira is not the only one who has been moving on with their life. There were times I wanted to climb in the book and slap and shake both Six and Mira.
“I hated him so much. I loved him more.”
I do not want to say much, but honestly, if you have read book one make sure you read book two…
“Because if I reached ten, I would’ve reached the max, with no more room for love to grow. You’d never be my ten. Because I’d never reach the peak of loving you.”
If you have not read Book one in this Duet then please do, it is such a great story.
It was a beautiful ending. I have laughed, I cried!
This book is beautifully written it is a powerful story, and it shows how much mental health can affect your life. Thank you, Whitney, for sharing Mira and Six’s story.
This duet is one of my tops reads for 2018.
4.5 Perfectly Flawed Stars!
3 years to grow, 3 years to heal, 3 years to move on….Mira has come a LONG way.
POE is the impeccable ending for this duet. Mira and Six are deep characters that have so many layers that Whitney artfully delivers to us, piece by painful piece: new lifestyles, new relationships, a mind-blowing twist, answers to questions and a chemistry that just can’t be destroyed. We are born to be real, not perfect and that is just what Mira & Six are….REAL.
This was a poignant story of growth and recovery, love and hate, addiction and self-mutilation ~ Whitney did an AMAZING job of carrying it out. I love a story that makes me “feel”, leaves my mind reeling yet puts me back together in the end ~ this did exactly that.
This is my FAVORITE Duet of 2018!
If I could sum up this heartbreaking conclusion in three words it would be ‘endings are beginnings’.
Mira, distraught and destroyed from a tragic personal loss, pushes Six away. Now, she is slowly trying to rebuild her life with the help of a few friends she has left. But will the walls Mira has slowly built crumble when she comes face to face with Six again?
This story completely flipped my opinion of these characters. Mira is so strong even when she thinks she is weak and needy. Six, who I loved in the first book, was so bitter and spiteful at times that it hurt to read any scene he was in. This story is just as much an emotional rollercoaster as the first book, but once I started reading Mira’s struggles and triumphs, I could not stop.
Wow, wow, wow! I didn’t read the blurb before diving into this emotional journey. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Mira and Six, but the impact they made will not soon be forgotten. Their relationship is an emotional rollercoaster, the ups and downs happen within a blink of an eye barely giving you time to catch your breath. As hard as it was to read at times, I’m thrilled I took the time to meet this amazing couple.
There are so many words to describe this love story. It was heartbreaking, honest, real and emotional. The experiences in Mira’s life were difficult to digest, but the sadness I carried for her throughout the years felt real. My heart was heavy and I admired Mira for putting one foot in front of the other day in and day out. As much as this story was about Mira, it was about Mira and Six finding their way to one another in the darkness. Mira was broken, but Six stuck by her side through all of their struggles. He was mysterious in his own right, but his heart was so full of love for this complex woman I was in awe of him. He wasn’t perfect, but the connection he felt towards Mira was honest and true. He struggled as well, but was a light in Mira’s life when she needed it the most. It may not have seemed like it at times, but he needed her too!
This story was about acceptance and forgiveness. We all struggle in life, but it’s how we handle those obstacles thrown at us that define who we are. Mira was so incredibly strong and resilient in her journey to better her life. Yes, she was difficult, demanding and sometimes downright infuriating. On the flip side, this was an adult woman that had to learn how to love, how to accept the fact that she was not the cause of all things bad. She broke my heart, but as I moved through her struggles I came to realize just how incredibly strong she was. I admired her. The uphill battle she endured to change her life was rough terrain and she continued to push through the pain.
My emotions were all over the spectrum with this story. I was frustrated, sad, heartbroken, angry. Yes, there are good, happy times for this unique couple. I simply loved being part of their relationship over a 13-year time frame. We needed that time with Mira and Six. Their journey together, as well as their time apart, was enlightening and full of promise. Whitney has done an excellent job of making you feel what these characters are going through. Not to mention, she throws in a few twists that you will NOT SEE COMING. I’m happy that I took time to read and experience this love story. It’s not like many others, but that’s more reason you should read about Mira and Six!
Conclusion of Mira and Six’s duet. I don’t even know what to say about these books! The mental illness subject has such a stigma on it and Whitney Barbetti told an amazing story with these. Heartbreaking and heart healing too. If you like books that center around this subject, you’ll love these! Book 1 is Six Feet Under so read that first. It’s a longer book than this one, just for reference.
Pieces of Eight left me Six Feet Under. #DEAD. Drowned in a sea of feels. RIP fangirl Me.
I’ve blessed/cursed with some absolutely incredible, emotional books this year but to my knowledge none made me feel as intensely as this book, and this duet as a whole.
Taking place three years after Six Feet Under ended, POE is a magnetic, captivating, powerful journey of healing that had me feeling infinite depths of despair, angst, sadness, just all those feels that grip you when you’re reading a book you’re particularly invested in and the characters are hurting.
I love seeing the changes in Mira between SFU and POE, she developed and healed so much in SFU, but losing Six forced her to find a way to heal and carry on on her own, and even though the ending of SFU, and what we saw all that time ago when we read Cora’s duet, absolutely destroyed us, it makes it almost okay when we think that this was what they both needed. Or maybe I just get majorly overly invested in the books I read?
Regardless this thought provoking, captivating, addictive, emotive, powerful book takes us on a journey of second chances, healing and self discovery. It’s beautiful written, symbolic and so stunningly poetic. I can’t even. I’m just drowning in a sea of feels, unable to stop thinking about the depth to this book, the symmetry between Six Feet Under and Pieces of Eight, and how unique every single aspect of this book is.
I spent most of the day feeling Mira’s pain and loneliness so intensely, as if it were my own, and spent a fair amount of time cursing Whitney for destroying my soul. But truly, I’m in awe that a book, that Words, that a unique formation of 26 letters repeated, has made me feel as powerfully as it did, that it could make me feel so small and vulnerable, and whole at the same time. I think Whitney Barbetti has some kind of supernatural powers (giggling that autocorrect changed this to supernatural flowers, solid. Congratulations on your supernatural flowers, Barbetti!).
But the ending? Even the symbolic location of the ending? It took my breath away, gave me the closure we’d been denied with SFU, and guaranteed that this would be a book I would never forget. Six and Mira will stay with me, infinitely.
Usually when an author does the inner voice and major angst going back and forth I get tired and just want to say I am done. This time it felt different. This author gives us the story of Mira. And yes it is Mira’s story. Of her before and after, her awakening, her death. She conquered so much and took it as well as she gave it. When given the chance to crumble and return to the life before Six she chose to rise. She didn’t do it on purpose but she did. What do you do when you have nothing? You FIGHT. Their love may have been mad. Time may not have been kind. But now Mira knows just how strong she is.
I loved the resolution. I loved the fight. I loved the story. I loved the characters. I love that Mira did it herself, for herself. I think I flove this author. I didn’t think she could do more with this story than she did in part one. I had no idea what she would do with this book and truly I was hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed. I wasn’t.
5 I want you. Just. You Stars!!!
Before diving into this book, please take note that its book 2 of a duet. You must read Six Feet Under (Mad Love Duet #1) first.
If ever there was a book that after the ending of book 1 I needed stat, this would be the one!!! Completely devastated at the cliffy with Six Feet Under would be a correct statement. So, when this one landed on my kindle, drop everything and forget the family…I had to know…I needed to know…
Picking up right where we left off with the ending of Six Feet Under, we jump on the roller-coaster ride of turmoil. This is a story that reads like I’m sitting right there watching everything unfold. So beautifully written that once you pull down the safety guard before the roller-coaster takes off, you can’t…you won’t…stop reading until the last page is turned.
Emotionally, you will need a box of tissue while reading this straight to the heart, I’m currently at a 9 falling in love with both characters!! Because we learn that while a 10 is not impossible to hit, 9 is always better.
Whitney Barbetti has certainly poured heart and soul into this excellently written story. It’s one that pulls all the feelings and sucks you in from the get go. You can tell by the writing, this book was not written in a week, month or year. It is a story that deals with many types of addiction and how a person(s) deals with the cards they are dealt.
#BookBistroBlogApproved
I was so anxious for the completion of Mira & Six’s story that I read it in a day and it did not disappoint. Pieces of Eight is not just a love story. It’s a story of healing, growth and acceptance. It’s a deep discovery of learning to deal with the person that you are and loving that person no matter what. Mira and Six don’t have an easy journey but honestly what journey worth having ever really is? My heart ached and it soared. My mind raced with all the thoughts and feelings. I sat on the edge of my chair turning the pages to get to the ending. And even though I’m finished reading Pieces of Eight, the journey and story won’t leave my thoughts any time soon. The duet has left a lasting impression and one that I hope others will enjoy as much as I did.
The conclusion to Six Feet Under is here. We find Mira trying to start her life over again after what happens at the end of the first book. Three years go by as she tried finds some purpose in her life and heals through many jobs including her painting. However, Mira never fully got over Six and when on a random day she runs into him again her life will never be the same again. Can she truly move on without her soulmate in her life or will her demons pull her back down? Will they find their way back to each other? This duet series is truly touching and shows how mental illness can effect someone’s life but that they still destroy be treated normal and find love!
Pieces of Eight is the highly anticipated follow up to Whitney Barbetti’s emotionally raw and beautifully captivating Six Feet Under…
The first book in the Mad Love Duet just about obliterated my heart so I wasn’t sure how it was going to hold up during this story, but I think that the author’s beautifully captivating writing helped mend my heart (almost completely) by the end of Pieces of Eight.
After that emotionally heartbreaking ending in Six Feet Under I had no clue what was going to happen to Six and Mira’s, but I knew that I needed to open my heart to a world of happy and not so happy possibilities. Basically the moment that this book downloaded onto my kindle I dove in wholeheartedly and I knew that this story was going to hold the key to every single one of my unanswered questions. Just like the first book in the duet readers should anticipate that emotional punch in the gut that will keep you on edge of your seat until the very last page because it wouldn’t be Six and Mira’s mad love story without it!
Mira’s strength is undeniable in this story and I am so proud of the progress she has made. She is the kind of character that readers will love and hate at the same time. Readers will LOVE her because she is a lost and broken soul that has the strength to lift herself up and repair the damage she has caused…even if it takes years for her to do so. Now you may HATE her because she tries to push those who love her away because she doesn’t want to expose her weakness.
Then we have Six. This man right here has enough strength in him to repair Mira’s lost and broken soul, but can he really help heal the woman who managed to break him?! This man is dark and readers don’t know much about his past, we he slowly reveals himself and you can’t help but fall head over heels in LOVE with him! He is the ultimate book boyfriend for sure!
Readers if you haven’t met Six and Mira yet, make sure to start with the first book, Six Feet Under in the Mad Love Duet today! Six and Mira’s mad love has the power to destroy ones heart, but if you open your heart up to their story you will find happiness…eventually! Pieces of Eight was the perfect ending and I am kind of sad to let these two go! Whitney Barbetti your beautifully emotional and poetic duet will forever be one of my favorites and I cannot wait to see what you come up with next…
I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this book, after the way I felt about Mira in the first book. Yet, I couldn’t not read it. I needed to see if she was as screwed up as she was in the first book. Thankfully Mira redeems herself in this book.
Mira is homeless, jobless, and needs a break. She finds herself back in San Fransico to restart herself and the path she chose, minus Six. As she is getting her life back together, she can’t help but think of him and why he hasn’t contacted her yet. Then she runs into him and it’s not all smiles and happiness. It’s disappointment and anger. Mira is wise enough to know that her paintings are therapy for her and she doesn’t need to turn to drugs and alcohol any more. She is wiser now, at 36 she finally gets it. I’m proud of her! Secrets come forth that could rock both Mira and Six to the core.
Six can’t believe the woman before him is Mira. She isn’t the broken girl she once was. She is a woman, with a plan and goals. He is proud of her, but she is no longer a part of his life. She is the past, a past that left him go. A past that pushed him away and now he has a brighter future. Or does he?
Things come out of this book, that I was NOT prepared for. Secrets from book #1 are hashed out. Lies are dealt with. The book comes full circle. As much as I hated Mira in book #1, I loved her in book #2. She is a fighter.
After reading part 1 of the duet and the preview for Pieces of Eight, I just knew I was in for a roller coaster ride with the conclusion of Mira & Six’s story. It was intense. Raw. Emotional. Passionate. Heartbreaking. I seriously thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest the entire time I was reading it. I couldn’t get through the pages quick enough, as I just had to find out the ending for these beloved characters. And what an ending it was!
Pieces of Eight is an epic, beautiful, yet messy love story/ The journey that Mira & Six took wasn’t perfect nor easy. But love rarely is. This story is truly a work of art and one I won’t soon forget.
Mad Love for this Duet What a terrific piece of writing. It almost makes you feel too much! You just want to keep turning the pages until the last one and then cry because it’s over. It might be angsty, dark and OTC emotional but the beautiful writing and the development of these characters are outstanding. Mira is so far from your typical heroine. You want to smack her and hug her at the same time. She’s so familiar and real to me and I love her. Mira will live with me for a long time. Six is what you except from a hero and is truly wonderful and the best thing to have happened to Mira. If we could all be so lucky to have a Six touch our life. The secondary characters are fantastic and I love their growth right along with Mira’s and Six’s. Their love story is an experience not to be missed. This duet is definitely on my ‘read again’ list. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.