Healing after a tragedy is hard enough. Doing it when you’re haunted by past betrayal and so many things left unsaid?Feels nearly hopeless. Is it impossible to come back from so much anguish and all the regrets? Can you ever truly mend your heart and move on?Or are Penelope and Linc destined for a life of punishment and pain?They’re about to find out whether the line between love and hate is … line between love and hate is clear. And if moving on after loss and the sting of deception is even possible.
Reviews
Holy heartache. “Regrets slayed my heart. Angst-lovers, this book is not to be missed. Brilliant writing from Nicole Dykes. I couldn’t ask for more in a book!” – LJ Shen, USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author
“Tears flowed, my heart ached, and I could feel the anguish in my soul.” -Keri, Goodreads
“This is not your sweet, tragic love story. It’s got hard edges that keep you turning pages.” -Rmederios, Goodreads
“Nicole (Dykes) went really deep for this one and she didn’t disappoint. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for forbidden love, love triangle, tragedy, and just a great love story.” -Alexandra, Goodreads
“It’s got heartbreak, betrayal, guilt, and forgiveness. Yes, all that emotion packed into one book. Absolutely phenomenal.” -Emma, Ever Growing Book Obsession
“Nicole Dykes delivers with Regrets. It is an emotional roller coaster of a book and it takes you for a ride and the best angsty/dark way. Five out of five enthusiastic stars.” -Ash, Goodreads
“This is a love triangle story. Don’t let the blurb fool you. Prepare yourself. And what you think you know… Just prepare yourself.” -Jessica, Goodreads
“This book just proves why Nicole Dykes is my favorite author.” -Stacy, Goodreads
“This book hits the ground running. The intensity is real. Buckle up, buttercup, you have no idea what you’re in for!” -Elle, @Literary.ya
“Nicole Dykes is a new to me author, and what a punch to the heart this book was for a first timer… I’m still slightly in recovery mode, but I can’t get over how much I felt while reading this book!” – Elizabeth, The Book Boutique
“Powerful, emotional, all consuming, painfully beautiful and worthy of more than 5 stars.” -The Book Fairy Reviews
“Regrets is everything I love about Nicole Dykes’ writing dialed up to the next level! It’s darker, edgier, and more deliciously addictive than anything she’s written before. A forbidden romance full of angst, lust, and passion I couldn’t devour quickly enough.” -Ari, The Red Hatter Book Blog
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4 Stars!
I’ve been looking forward to this book since it was announced! Having read Ms.Dykes’ work before I’ve been meaning to pick up more of her books and I’m so glad that I got to with Regrets! I really enjoyed it!
Penelope and Linc’s journey isn’t an easy one. I really liked getting to be in their minds, feeling everything they went through, and how I felt a connection to both of them.
From the frustration, the pain, digging deeper into their hearts, and everything in between, these two truly made me feel so much throughout!
With Regrets, Ms.Dykes has created an awesome and emotional read you’ll want to finish in one sitting! I can’t wait for her next book!
*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Wildfire Marketing Solutions / the author*
Oh my freaking heart. I’m in love, I’m in awe, I’m joining the Nicole Dykes fangirl club!!
Regrets is my first book by this incredibly talented writer, and it definitely will not be my last. I’m already so invested in this series.
Linc, Penelope and Colt, oh my freaking heart. This story is just WOW!!
These characters crept into my veins from the very start, this is not a picture perfect story; it’s messy, it’s heart breaking, it’s beautiful; it will set you on fire as you war internally with what you’ve always known to be the truth.
“ ’ . ’ .“
I fell in love with Linc from the very start, it’s been a testy kinda love but he’s the kind of Hero that needs saving from himself. His love for P has always been there… there is no denying that. But sometimes the lines between love and hate becomes blurred.
Penelope is the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, the broken girl who is warring between being the good girl for the perfect brother or just herself for the brother who sees her as she is.
“ ℎ . ℎ.“
There’s so many regrets in this book but this is the one thing that stood out. “ ’ .“
My heart bled out and then it was transfused with a new kind of life- even from the darkest despair we can still have hope, grow, feel love… We all deal with grief and loss in so many different ways, and it takes one tragedy in the picture perfect family to shatter so many lives.
5 I DON’T REGRET YOU STARS.
What did I just read?!?! Seriously?!?!
Let me start off by saying this, to me, this story seemed different then anything Nicole has written. It was a bit deeper. I really don’t know how to describe it. But something was definitely different about how this one was written.
This is a love triangle story.
Don’t let the blurb fool you.
Prepare yourself.
What you think you know…
Just, prepare yourself.
Penelope meets two young boys when she was 9. Brothers. It would seem they both loved her.
I’m leaving it at that.
I refuse to ruin this for you.
Such a good story! I was tempted to cheat and see how it ended, but I plowed through. Somehow. I was having some anxiety several times… wow…. a few moments in this book…
You seriously need to read this one.
This was a great read! I really enjoyed it! The characters pulled me in from beginning to end. Both are damaged and hurting and struggling to find a way through. Neither are really making healthy choices and they are thrown together, living in the same house and it is forcing interactions between them. The story definitely brings out a lot of emotions. You really connect with the characters and feel for them. I loved the chemistry between Linc and Penelope but they have so much going on that they haven’t communicated about that has made things really difficult after the tragedy that happened. I was not ready for the story to be over and to leave the characters behind. I fell in love with them through the course of the story.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Prepare yourself… I’m just giving ya a friendly warning… Have lots of Kleenex close by.
Dykes not only upped her game she killed it!
Penelope, Cole and Lincoln are the definition of broken.
The Sterling’s are going to be your new favorite screwed up family!
A must read!
Lincoln and Penelope go through so much in this story. A heartbreaking time in their lives, abandonment, and troubled youth. A really great story and definite recommend.
New and wonderful book by this genius author. A dramatic story with steam and surprises! Be prepared for your heart to break and it might not get put back together so easily this time! It’s a HEA and thank god it’s not going to be a stand-alone! So grab a box of Kleenex and a bottle of wine and be prepared to read this straight through!
Wow! Talk about intensity, angst and hot chemistry rolled into one! An amazing journey of a love triangle that caught my attention! Just wow you thought you’d know the plot…the plot thickens and you couldn’t put the book down! New to Nicole and will be stalking her!!
Well, this book was an emotional rollercoaster! You will have all the feelings and the tears with Linc and Penelope.
I honestly don’t know where to start with this review because I don’t want to accidentally drop a spoiler. We’ll try it though.
Nicole Dykes has written a novel of twisted intentions, guilt, grief, love, and more. Her novel takes us from innocent and not so innocent childhood through the teenage years, inserts a horrible tragedy, and brings us out to the healing of adult years. The ride is incredible and heart wrenching at times.
Linc and Colt Sterling are two boys who are part of a privileged family in the Midwest. As brothers they are close, but they are different. Linc has an edge and a drive in him to see the “real” in people. Colt is caged by expectations and the need to please everyone. One afternoon dare and a visit to the “wrong side” of town introduces the boys to Penelope. At 11 and 9, the kids don’t know it, but Penelope will be a catalyst for their family.
The novel is told in varying points of view between Penelope and Linc. It opens in present time, but as the story reads on we hop back and forth in time to fill in the pieces of the story.
After bringing Penelope home for dinner that first night, the boys and the rest of their family fall in love with her. Penelope may be a foster child who is grappling to determine who she is, but she has a place in the Sterling family.
Colt and Penelope are young lovers. First love and seems to be an always love. Then Colt dies. The Sterlings unravel with Penelope and Linc in the center of the storm.
This book can be painful to read in parts because Linc and Penelope are in full self destruction mode. Each carrying multiple things that they feel responsible for or blame the other for. Their pain is vicious. They are also separated from the rest of the family without any one to check their cruel and hurtful spirals.
As the story moves on, the curtain is lifted on life in the Sterling house. Is it a perfect life like Colt sees it or is it a pretty shiny thing with blackness underneath as Linc says.
One thing that becomes clear is that, regardless of what they are, Colt is the family lynch pin…and then he’s gone.
This book explores a lot of deep emotions, pushes and challenges against perceptions of right and wrong, and explores the ideas that you can love with all your heart in different ways. You just need to understand that what may seem right isn’t always right.
The Sterlings’ are a complicated mess of stories that wind through the four siblings (Linc and Colt have an older sister and a younger brother). It also pulls their parents into the picture. They are not a wholesome family. There is deceit and betrayal. Perceptions and rules. You’ll need an open mind to embrace how Linc and P’s story finally ends.
Luckily while this couple comes to a settled close, the other siblings will have their stories told as well. It appears little brother Asher will be the first to go. I am very very much looking forward to Ash’s story. And this is another place where I can’t say anything, because, spoilers.
This is probably the most vague and frustrating review that I have ever written. This book had such a deep plot with some many twists, turns and surprises. I finished it late at night, put it down, and swore because none of my book buddies has been able to read it yet. I NEED to talk about Linc and P. Just know that you will NOT be disappointed in picking up this book, you will be pulled into this ball of emotion, you WILL cry. And then, if you need a therapeutic unpacking from it all….I’m here for you.
What to say about Regrets other than WOW!!! Lincoln, Colt and Penelope meet when they are very young and Linc and Colt bring Penelope home for dinner. That’s the beginning of a bond and friendship with the Sterling brothers that goes on for 10 years and turns into love. Penelope is dating Colt but also has feeling for Linc. Tragedy strikes and Linc and P are hurting so bad and blaming themselves, and hurting each other. they find the way to start the recovery process when there’s a twist…and this twist I promise you you will not see coming!! Well played Nicole…well played!! Can Linc and P forgive themselves and maybe even each other? You’ll just have to read Regrets to find out!! Trust me…y’all want to read this book!!
This book was so addicting! I did not want to put it down at all! I was all over it. I got a couple glimpses here and there of what it was about (I don’t read blurbs for the most part)but it did not at all prepare me for what I was about to read! The story is about a girl who falls in love with 2 brothers. One basically claims her from the beginning so that is who she goes along with…. but that is not the end of the story. This book had so many twists and turns that once you thought you had it all figured out and what people were going to do… another huge AF bomb would be dropped! So have the alcohol ready because YOU WILL NEED IT! Wine…. shots… whatever. Have it handy! So much greatness and I can not wait to find out what happens to some of the other people in the family! So good!
Be prepared for needing tissues and comfort food for reading this book.
Linc & Penelope’s story is phenomenal! You thought you loved the Monroe family but just wait til you meet the Sterlings. This book is definitely a next level for Nicole! She never fails to surprise me with her writing!
“Just tell me. Is that why you keep coming back to me? Being with random guys doesn’t hurt bad enough. But me,” I lean into her ear, my voice a bitter growl, “the way you feel when I’m inside you, it truly tortures you. Because it feels that fucking good.”
Regrets by Nicole Dyke is a story about Penelope, a poor foster care child, and the two wealthy brothers she fell in love with, Colt and Lincoln. We switch back and forth between the past and the present which allows us to see how their friendships evolve into something more. We are also made aware from the very beginning that something bad eventually happens that leads our characters to be angry, sad husks of themselves. It also leads Lincoln and Penelope to punish and hurt each other because they are being eaten away by guilt. This story was a heartbreaking one of grief, healing, and love. It was my first read by this author and it was quite an enjoyable one. If you enjoy emotional reads with a touch of a love triangle, then I recommend picking up Regrets.
Overall rating 4 stars
Steaminess 3 stars
Theres a fine line between love and hate. When you add guilt to it you get a story of two people continously causing the other pain just to escape the feeling for a short time.
Linc and Penelope fight their feeling for eachother because of Linc brother Colt who died. Who also happened to be dating Penelope.
The story goes back and forth between the past and present, leading up to an amazing HEA. You get to see the struggle Penelope goes through living in foster care and feeling like she has to be perfect for Colt but Linc sees the real her.
A beautifully told love story with pain and sadness but also growth.
What an amazing story! Hands down, my favorite read this year! A real story with raw and real feelings that capture you from the first chapter. A tricky triangle of love, loss, and family that make you read more every spare minute of the day.
Without ruining the story, I cant say much but buy it now! No need to read any other story to get what’s going on, and this will make you want to read everything Nicole has written. Every book she puts out, I think it’s the best if hers to date. . . But this one, is by far my favorite of all!
I did. I do. I always will.
One day 2 brothers decide to go to the “wrong side of town”. Linc is 11 and the more daring one while Cole is 9 but a little more reserved come from a family that is “well off”. They make friends with a girl named Penelope who they nickname P. Penelope is 9 who has lived in foster homes pretty much most of her life. From this day on these three end up being the best of friends.
As they become teenagers Cole and Penelope start a relationship. Most think that they are a perfect couple but, are they?
There’s a tragedy that has left the family with a lot of heartache and pain to deal with. Trying to move forward makes for a lot of tension with Linc and Penelope. Will the outcome of this tragedy give time for healing or will bitterness be part of it? Will Linc and Penelope’s friendship survive or take a turn for the worse?
This book is one that you’ll really want to read because it pulls you in right from the very beginning!
I am Done..totally and utterly an emotional wreck,this book is an exceptional story that set my heart and pulse racing and my heart aching.
I feel like I have been in the middle of a whirlwind being pushed and pulled in every direction reading Regrets…Love triangles are not really my forte,because they frustrate the hell out of me but I have Zero “Regrets” about reading Nicole Dykes fantastic story. It intrigued me so much and made my head spin..Two privileged brothers Linc and Colt who are so different in personality and one girl Penelope who comes from a totally different world to them enters their lives after moving from foster home to foster home, she finds safety within these boys home and their hearts. I am not going to say too much about what exactly the story is about because it would ruin the revelations that unfold when you all hopefully decide to read this book.
I was totally mesmerised and could not stop reading,I had to know what was going to happen and kept going into the early hours of the morning until I was done.
The characters will draw you into their pain,pleasure and emotions and fans of angst driven books will relish this. And despite my uncertainty about the love triangle thing I really Loved it.
Nicole has really out done herself and created something truly special.
Excellent 5 stars.
Highly recommend it
This was the first book I have read from this author! I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I got was more than I could have ever wanted. This book was painful, heartbreaking, and healing. I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving too much away. Their story is messy and totally worth reading. I can’t wait to read more about this flawed family. Thank you for the privilege of reading this book! Well done
Oh Wow… Regrets just blow me away!
I was seriously conflicted reading Linc’s and Penelope’s story. I hated that they’re in the self destruct mode but at the same time I totally get it. That’s what makes the ending so much better!
Penelope finds herself in a difficult situation between two brothers, one she wants and the other she seems to need. Then tragedy strikes and the future she thought she wanted is no longer a option. Her journey to finding herself and moving on with her life is beautiful and courageous.
As a reader this story has everything I look for in Romance. Link and Penelope are not perfect but they’re Real. They make mistakes, hit rock bottom, but they find the courage to move on.
I absolutely love the ending.. and I cannot wait for Asher’s story.
Wow oh wow! This is nothing like Nicole Dykes has ever written before, it’s by far her best yet!
I can’t recommend this book enough, the angst drove me insane and the amount of tissues I went through was crazy!
The chemistry, emotions, the characters and the storyline were all executed with the upmost perfection and I’d happily put myself through this roller coaster of a ride again and again.