DEVASTATION
Moving back home wasn’t anything I ever wanted.
But after enduring the worst,
Going home was the only answer.
Being back is everything I thought it would be…
Awful, isolating, a constant reminder of what I lost.
And the last thing I need–or want–is another reminder of my past,
Especially Bryant Wood.
GUILT
That’s all I feel–all I can see when I look at Savannah Turner.
I want … see when I look at Savannah Turner.
I want to hold her, feel her, love her,
And thank her for what’s she given me.
But I can’t show her the gratitude.
The relief.
The gift she’s given me.
I won’t.
It’ll ruin everything.
A secret I must keep–a secret that could break her.
Shatter her.
Destroy her.
All over again.
more
Kentucky Rose
This book so was so incredibly emotionally powerful! I laughed, smiled, smirked and sighed, but I also spent SO much time crying! This story is about the second-chance at love for Savannah and Bryant.
The book starts off so tragically as Savannah loses her husband Shawn and young daughter Peyton in a car crash they’re all involved in. It’s understandably devastating, and sets the tone for the book, and the significance of the number seven (that was SO well done). She then has to make the heart-breaking decision about organ donation (which was handled so sensitively and beautifully) for Peyton. As a parent myself, I cannot even imagine how difficult that decision would be.
After some time, Savannah moves back to her home town of Bardstown, and with her family’s help, starts to find a little bit of normalcy and opportunity to heal. She finds part-time employment in a salon, where she also makes friends, which are an important part of her support network too. Her boss and friend Rachel suggests they go out for Savannah’s birthday to Wood’s Tavern, and she relents. This is where she reconnects with a guy she knew at school – Bryant, and is the (slow) start of her true healing.
Their reunion is anything but smooth, as he starts off by calling her Seven – a nickname he gave her at school. And of course, he has NO IDEA about the significance of that number for her. Bryant also wasn’t the nicest person to her at school, perhaps hiding the fact that he also liked her. He was quite the arrogant player, and works relentlessly to prove to her that he isn’t that person anymore. He too has a young daughter – Ivy, and that has changed him as well. But he harbours a secret there, which comes out later.
After a shaky start, he asks her out on a date, and she can barely resist his good looks and charm. When she says ‘he could be the fourth brother in the family if Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, and Chris Hemsworth were all related’, I TOTALLY understand the attraction! They really connect, talking, laughing and sharing stories. Even their moments of silence are unusually comfortable. Their mutual attraction and sizzling-hot chemistry is a joy to read about. They’re sweet and steamy.
There are some major dramas and problems along the way, which make the storyline even more realistic and relatable. The strength of the characters is shown along the way with love, perseverance, tenacity, resilience and determination. The time jumps helped to understand their stories a bit better too, giving context to many different situations and decisions. I don’t think I’ll EVER be able to listen to ‘You Are My Sunshine’ again and not tear up at least a little bit! It really is quite the roller-coaster!
I would definitely recommend this read, as I enjoyed it immensely! But I was a bit disappointed in the ending, because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters, and I wanted to know what happens next. There was still so much going on in their lives, and I have so many questions. I give this book four and a hopeful stars… which you know, equals like seven on a scale of one to four 😉
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great love story with abit of heart break and then finally understanding, with that undisputed love that we all want but can’t all find.
Wow, I cried many tears while reading this story. I can’t even imagine going through what Savannah did and coming out of that relatively sane at the end. I’m glad she and Bryant found each other again and Ivy was such a doll. The part with Shawn and Peyton just killed me at the end….I loved it! I would have loved to have had an epilogue of them years later with their Rose and Ivy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book had me crying within the first chapter and more throughout the entire book. Seven by Susan Renee is a book about a woman who loses everything in one fateful event and her struggle to keep moving forward. I don’t know if I would have been as strong as this character if I was her. My heart broke for her and I just wanted to reach inside my book and give her a hug.
Savannah Turner has gone through the worst life could ever give her. Savannah loses her husband and her one year old daughter in a car accident that only she walked away from. Savannah’s parents convince her to donate her daughter’s organs so that her death has a meaning.
“It’s harder than any Hell I could ever endure to know that my kid is alive but in someone else’s kid.” – Savannah
Two years after that horrible crash Savannah has moved back home to try and move forward while living with her loss. Every day is a struggle but Savannah keeps going with the help of her parents and close friends.
Bryant wanted Savannah in high school yet he never acted on it. Now that she has moved back home he knows that he can’t miss his chance. He thinks he can help her live again and he wants to show her that. Problem with that is that Savannah doesn’t want anything to do with him. He was her bully when they were children and she doesn’t have good memories of him.
“I promise you I’m not that guy anymore and if it’s ok with you, if you’ll let me I would really love to show you the man I am now.” – Bryant
Will Bryant be able to prove to Savannah that he is not the guy he used to be? Will Savannah ever be able to move forward or will her loss prevent her from ever loving again? And what happens when everything comes crashing down around her again? Will she be stronger enough to pull through yet again?
“I hate the number seven. Everyone says it’s a lucky number but for me, it’s the bane of my existence.”
Seven is told in dual POV’s and is a book full of emotions. I was praying for Savannah and wanting her to find peace. That poor woman went through way more than most could ever handle. I also found myself routing for her and Bryant to work it out and to find their HEA. I really enjoyed this book you will really appreciate every blessing you have after you read this book.
4 “On a scale of one to four” Stars
I struggled with the beginning of this book. I tried to think about it from my perspective as a mother and I had a hard time making a decision. Is it one of those things you never know until you’re in the moment? Is it something you can really prepare for? And then again, who prepares for that kind of thing?
No one. No one prepares for the heartache and loss that Savannah experiences in the first few pages of this book. No one wants to think worst case scenario because even in your worst case scenario, you don’t think of this.
“I really want to kiss you right now. Like, really kiss you. I’ve wanted to kiss you so badly since high school…and even more so since you turned around….”
Seven is as much a second-chance romance as it is a first-time romance. Savannah and Bryant knew each other growing up. Savannah had a crush during their childhood, Bryant had a crush during their teenage years. Timing wasn’t something that worked in their favor.
On a scale of one to four, she’s a fucking seven.”
Fast forward to Savannah returning home after devastating circumstances. Fast forward to the night she’s out with friends for a rare night of fun, when she finds herself face-to-face with none other than Bryant Wood.
“Savannah, I promise you I’m not that guy anymore, and if it’s okay with you, if you’ll let me, I would really love to show you the man I am now.”
To say this reunion doesn’t go well is an understatement. Bryant wants the chance he didn’t get in high school. Savannah hates him for his playboy ways and the rude comments he made when they were younger. Can they get past this? What will it take?
And what happens when their far off past isn’t the biggest hurdle? What happens when their more recent, unknown, past gets in their way? Will they be able to overcome that struggle? And how?
“I’m not made of glass. Kiss me. Touch me. Take me. I want to go on this adventure with you.”