In order to truly save him, I need to redefine us.Xander Dixon was my best friend. Loyal and dependable. A brave warrior. A permanent presence in my life until that fateful day he boarded a plane headed overseas.Xander’s unwelcome silence haunted me for three years… darkness.
Unable to escape the perpetual pain.
Though it would be easy to walk away, I refuse to give up on him.
I want to know his misery and torment, so I can rescue him.
Then Xander will finally be mine.
Redefining Us is the first book in the Reclusive Novel series. Each novel is a standalone and are interconnected.
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This is a really great book! I absolutely loved the their love story. The author did a great job of pulling on my heart strings, a tear or two may have escaped. Looking forward to the next adventure.
What an amazing debut novel Harloe Rae!! Loved every minute of this friends to lovers romance this story really touches your heart, so much emotion!! Willow and Xander have been friends since they where children then Xander went and left for the Army, with promises to keep in touch!!! Three years later Xander is back does not want to see anyone!! Willow is there for Xander breaking down walls and keeps fighting for Xander!! These two are meant for one another!! Most definitely will be reading more by this author!!
Title: Redefining Us
Author: Harloe Rae
Format: Ebook
Genre: Romance – Second Chance, Military, Friends-to-Lovers
Standalone: Yes
Part of a Series: Yes Book one of the Reclusive series
POV: Willow and Xander
Steam Level: toasty
4.5/5
Redefining Us was the only book I haven’t read by Harloe Rae. I loved seeing Willow and Xander’s love ignite and flourish Redefining Us deals with PTSD and Survivor’s Guilt and was, at times dark and emotional and not for the faint of heart. Harloe Rae did a fabulous portraying these emotions respectfully and honestly while keeping the story way less dark than it could have been. Overall I really liked getting to know Xander abs Willow better. A great debut novel by a fabulous author!
Reviewed on behalf of The Book Boyfriend Addict (www.bookboyfriendaddict.com). A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
“…You deserve so much better than a broken man like me but I’ll never take your love for granted.”
Wow this book captivated me from the start and kept me entranced from beginning to end. It was deep and full of so much feeling that you ached and loved through ever moment. I felt so much for Xander and what he was going through. His pain was so tangible and written so beautifully you’re left with wanting to ease his pain. Willow really is the light in a dark day she is so genuine and heartfelt you can’t help but love her kind heart.
Xander and Willow have been best friends since the day they met on the playground. Through everything they were always there for each other and although they both loved each other they never took the chance to share their true feelings. Xander wanting to make something of himself joins the army with promises of coming back to Willow. Sometimes the best intentions are never as easy to keep as you want them to be.
Willow feeling lost without Xander in her life tries to move on sharing her huge heart in her job. No matter how happy she is with her friends and job there has always been a hole in her heart that was once occupied by Xander. With one call from her mother everything would change. When Willow comes face to face with Xander after three years of absence she is met with a much different man than the one that left her promising to come back. Xander can no longer stand to be near anyone and tries to push away the one person he loved more than anything.
“Don’t let go, alright? I mean it. I can do this but I need you here. I don’t care how that makes me sound. You’re my strength when the darkness threatens to consume me.”
Wow from this point on the struggle and love portrayed is amazing you find yourself wanting so badly to make everything work out. Xanders demons are so real and intense that you feel like you are hurting right alongside of him. The connection between Willow and Xander is so raw and pure you never doubt how they truly feel about each other. While I love a hot sex scene a lot of times they are just that these portrayed the deep love, admiration and connection between which is oftentimes very hard to portray.
“I want to protect you, Willow. Possess you. Share my life with you as we grow old together. Always be blessed with your blinding presence.”
I really loved this book cover to cover and couldn’t pull myself away from reading it. This is Harloe Rae’s first book however, it felt like reading a seasoned author. I am so glad I was able to connect with her and will absolutely be looking forward to her next book.
Beautiful, heartbreaking and amazingly emotional. Redefining Us is the stunning debut novel from Harloe Rae. An incredible story of a broken man and the woman strong enough to love him.
When X left Willow thought he would at least keep in touch. All she wanted was the chance to tell him she loved him. He wanted that chance too but the darkness and loneliness stopped him then but now that he’s back,a shell of a man suffering from PTSD after a stint of duty. This is this author’s debut novel and she demonstrates the abilities of a wonderful emotional story weaver. The story is well developed and so are her characters. The strength love and support they provide each other bleeds through the pages and into your heart. The handling of real life issues is well done.
So, the second I read “Gosh” I was hooked there was absolutely no going back and that was what in the opening page?! -Sigh-
Willow is this character that comes of as shy and an introvert, but honestly I don’t think she is at all she’s kind of this totally out going, outspoken amazing women. She may not always know how to get the one thing she wants, but she does know what it is.
Xander seems like he is this strong outspoken person who is an alpha male. But he is an introvert of sorts.. The thing is he definitely does NOT know how to get the one thing he wants, he thinks if he goes of to war and does all this stuff to better his self it’ll help, but it only secludes his self more.
Bringing these two back together after so long well…… Lets just say so much has changed in so many ways so many of them for the bad. Yet the thing that hasn’t changed is their feelings for one another.
This book has my emotions going through a shredder I’m crying for them all the time, how much they hide from one another, how much they want to share with each other but don’t. Then it happens and I just ball my eyes out and can’t stop because of all the time wasted!
This story is so raw and real its amazing and just everything that is what happens after war with people. Seeing all the raw emotions, the turmoil, and everything is so hard but its real.
Their love, pain, just honestly shines through at one point or another. But you can feel EVERYTHING like you are right there with them. You can feel their souls in the words they come alive and make you breath with them.
I felt so much reading this book lost, found, happiness, sadness, hurt, ups, downs, honestly I don’t think there was a feeling I didn’t feel while reading this. And yes a lot happened in a week, but it played out as slowly as it should have.
This story was life.
Xander and Willow had been friends forever! They both kept their true feelings hidden from each other. When Xander was leaving after enlisting in the military they still didn’t confess their love for each other. Like most young people, they figured they had the future to bring all that up. Xander never wrote to Willow once he was deployed. She did not hear a thing from him until 3 years later when his mom (through her mom) asked for Willow’s help to get through to him. He had been through some bad stuff while over seas and was keeping away from everyone, including family and friends. So she goes out there to see what has become of her friend and the man she had always been in love with.
This story is about the journey that Xander and Willow go though to find their way back to each other. The love they have. The struggles they go through to be together. Its a great story with an adorable HEA ending. (Xander may have thought it was corny as all heck, but I thought it was perfect!!!)
I won’t lie, this book will hit you hard with the feels and the hard realities of PTSD. My heart broke for Xander as he tries to work his way back into civilian life. Willow just wants to help the boy she loved so long ago.
This book takes you into a lot of dark moments with a lot of passionate ones. There are moments where I felt it was rushed but when there is a history, it would be very believable. I would loved to have learned more about the histories of these two together as well. But you get a great feel for the connection they have with each other.
Overall, this book is a rough story to read but well worth it. Being the author’s debut novel, I felt it was very well done and for being the debut, a really tough topic to tackle right out the gate. Looking forward to more from Harloe Rae!
REDEFINING US is not the 1st book that I have read by Harloe Rae, but is her 1st novel. I liked her writing and the unconventional love story so much that I had to read this book, after finishing the other. This book is friends to lovers, second chances, unconditional and unconventional love story.
Xander Dixon and Willow Shae Connor were the best of friends. They thought they would always remain together. Then Xander joined the army. Willow made him promise to return to her and everything would be the same. Xander promised and swore that he would never stay away from her any longer than necessary. That he would be back as soon as possible. He promised to write every chance he got. They held each other tight with everything they felt and said good-bye. What they didn’t do is tell each other how much they really loved each other.
Three long years pass without so much as a word from Xander. Willow was heartbroken and thought Xander had been such a huge part of her past and that is where he would have to remain. But a desperate plea from Xander’s mother to Willow’s mother has her rushing to a desolate place and run down cabin. Willow didn’t know what to expect, but nothing prepared her for the man Xander had become. He greeted her with rejection and misplaced fury. The man she loved was trapped in a pool of darkness and pain. At first she thought it was better to walk away, but then she refused to just give up on him. She decided that she and only she could reach him, and save him from his misery and pain. And if she could do that, then Xander would finally be all hers. As with most things easier said then done.