From NYT bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan, continues a brand new series where second chances don’t come often, and overcoming an unexpected loss means breaking everything you knew.Harmony Wynham has been many things in her life: daughter, friend, student, lover, wife…and now, widow. Getting past those labels and finding who she could be without them was the hardest thing she’s ever done.Then … done.
Then she became friends with Brendon.
Every time she looks at him, she sees a past, she sees a present, and she’s afraid if she looks too hard, she’ll see a future.
Brendon Connolly has known Harmony since before she got married. Before she lost everything. He didn’t know that one day she wouldn’t be just his friend but the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Only he don’t think that can happen.
Not when every time she looks at him, she sees what she lost, and he can only see what he can’t overcome.
He loves her, even though he shouldn’t. Somehow, they need to find a balance.
Because if they don’t, walking away will be the hardest thing she’s ever done—even if it’s the only thing he should do.
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I finish reading a book about every other day so that adds up to a lot of books. “Shouldn’t Have You” by Carrie Ann Ryan was not your normal plot. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it since it was about a young woman who tragically lost her husband. However, once I started, I couldn’t put it down. It touched my heart and was well worth my time. I highly recommend you read it.
Quit in second chapter. Could not understand what was happening, is he dreaming, spaced out, what. Neurotic characters both. Not for me. Deleted from my cloud account.
Not for me. Too much emotion and I found it boring.
Wonderful. This is a sweet, tender,heart braking, hope filled, real, gritty depiction of grief in its many different facets. Absolutely lovely. Excellent writing, and above all – amazingly insightful. Can’t recommend it enough.
This is a sweet second-chance romance between two old friends with a unique connection. Harmony and Brendon were friends growing up. He was best friends with her beloved husband, who was killed in a tragic accident, leaving Harmony widowed at the age of twenty five. Brendon witnessed his friend’s death and lives daily with the acute loss. Harmony was devastated and seeing one another hurt so they fell out of touch intentionally despite their longtime friendship.
The recent death of another close friend reunited their group of childhood friends as adults so the two have reconnected. Not a day goes by that Harmony doesn’t grieve Moyer, but she has to keep living so she forces herself to begin dating again. Each date is worse than the last but she soon realizes Brendon is the friend she rehashes these horror-stories with, not her girlfriends. They truly have a special bond but she can’t even consider being more than friends with him because it seems so wrong.
Brendon already had a lot of scars from his nightmare childhood and watching his friend die was a trauma that’s magnified in the face of his PTSD and OCD. He lives with a heavy burden and Harmony is the best thing in his life but even the thought of being closer to her fills him with self-loathing. This is his best friend’s wife, after all. The best friend he might have saved if he’d been paying attention. Brendon’s guilt is so strong that it nearly paralyzes him.
This is a slow-burn romance with a HEA thankfully, because it’s a sad story. There’s less action and more internal dialogue from the main characters than most but it works. The author really brings them to life and lets us feel their emotions in many ways. I was pleasantly surprised since I worried at first this book was a real downer but I enjoyed it very much. This was my first book from Carrie Ann Ryan but I’ll definitely check out more of her catalogue.
Oh what a wonderful story this was! Harmony and Brendon were friends first, not sure if they would ever be more. They had so many emotions to work around, but their story beautifully evolved. Another great book by Carrie Ann Ryan
A group of friends since childhood are drawn back to their hometown of Denver and the family pub now under the ownership of the three Conolly brothers. One of their group has committed suicide and the adoptive parents of the brothers have passed away. They are all reeling from the death of their friend and each suffers guilt at having missed any signs that Allison was even contemplating suicide. Harmony has lost her husband some years prior to the new deaths and has managed to eke out a new normal alone. She fights her attraction to the elder brother, Brendon. Does this new attraction diminish her feelings for her late husband and can he put the demons of his early life of living on the street, in foster care and having to remember being afraid, hungry and dirty?
I really enjoyed this story. It made me laugh and smile. The whole situation would be tough to get over and move on. Luckily these two have an amazing group of friends/brothers to give them a little push. The characters really are what drew me into the story. Heartbreak followed by trust and self doubt. I enjoyed both Brendon and Harmony. The rest of the crew really makes me want to get the rest of this series. They are fun, loving and all have their own issues.
Overall this story made me feel good while listening. The characters made me laugh and care about them. Both of those are a recipe for me wanting more from this crew.
I did listen to this on audio. Maxine Mitchell and Joe Arden Rocked this story.
‘Shouldn’t Have You’ by Carrie Ann Ryan is book Two in the Fractured Connections Series. This is the story of Harmony Wynham and Brendon Connolly. Although each of the books can be read as a standalone I would highly suggest you read them in order because each of the these books have similar characters in them, just the main characters will be different with each of their own stories to tell.
This is a friends to lovers story, but there is much more than that about this book. Talk about emotional roller coaster that pulls you in with all the Grief, Trauma, Love, Strength and healing that is in Brendon and Harmony’s story. This book is so deep with these emotions that it really takes ahold of your heart and makes it a book that will stick with you.
Harmony and Brendon were friends before Harmony married Moyer. But the three of them were actually very close. But they eventually pull away from each other. After Moyer dies in a tragic accident and a mutual friend dies, both Harmony and Brendon start to hang out together again and try to help each other heal with their losses.
I really enjoyed reading this book, it was so emotional for me as this was released just after my husband grandfather had passed. I can only imagine how Carrie Ann Ryan had felt at the time of writing this after her losing her husband. Carrie you did a fabulous job and should be so proud of yourself as I could feel the emotions coming off the pages.
Wow…just wow! The Fractured Connections series is definitely heavy, but not in a bad way. Breaking Without You set me back in my seat. Shouldn’t Have You had me sitting up straight then leaning in close. These characters- these people- are beyond relatable. People are broken/ have issues in a myriad of ways; Harmony and Brendon are no exceptions. I love that the author chose to show Harmony making the foray out of her grief, choosing to handle the world and her life on her terms and no one else’s. Brendon isn’t as slick and put together as he initially came across in the first book. That facade has a whole lot of turmoil boiling underneath it. It’s what really made this story work. It wasn’t Prince Charming riding in to save the damsel in distress; it was the damsel grabbing onto the distressed prince and giving him a few good hard shakes. I loved it and am really looking forward to Aiden and Sienna’s story next. If it is anything like theses first 2 then the author will have hit a grand-slam out of the park.
This is the second book in the Fractured Connections arc in the Montgomery Ink World. This series takes place as a group of friends that scattered are brought back together after the suicide of one of them. In a convoluted way, this does fit with the Montgomery’s. Harmony is a good friend of Violet and Sierra Knight, whose brother Mace is married to Adrienne Montgomery. Whew. Got that? And Brendon’s brother is with Violet.
Harmony had her HEA and lost it, when her husband unexpectedly died. She thought that that was it for her, she had it and lost it. She was now the widow, and she really hated that term. Brendon was Harmony’s friend before she was married, and he was the best friend of her husband. They shouldn’t be together, that would just be weird, yeah? Do they see each other or do they see their departed friend/husband? It worked for them, though. They were friends first. That friendship carried them through. Their relationship grew from that friendship.
I was skeptical, but Carrie Ann Ryan pulled it off. I cared about the two of them. I laughed and cried with them. Their friends were so supportive. It was beautiful to see. They worked through their respective baggage and built a strong relationship. They got past worrying what others would think.
I loved it. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
Emotionally heavy and beautiful look at life after loss. Harmony and Brandon both have so much weighing them down, but find hope for their future unexpectedly in…each other. Unflinchingly told in a way that takes the reader through their journey to a long- awaited hea.
My favorite part about Carrie Ann Ryan and her writing is that it’s relatable. She creates characters that you want to get to know, that you can be friends with. This series is just a continuation of, and honestly, the amount of depth and pain that’s reflected in these first 2 books has been incredible. It’s a break away from her typical paranormal, or hot and steamy love scenes. It’s a look into real life and the ways that tragedy can ultimately undo us and force us to look at what comes next in a totally different light.
Harmony and Brendon are both in such new places in their life. Both trying to find themselves in a sea of doubt and uncertainty. A tragedy for Harmony is forcing her to start over, and Brendon’s past is forcing him to overcome. This is a love story, absolutely, but watching these characters develop, find themselves, and a future is the ultimate version of happy ending here. Adored this book, beyond excited for the next!
Shouldn’t have you is the 2nd book in the Fractured connections series. Carrie Ann Ryan did a fantastic job on this story.
This one was very intriguing. It was a different Dynamic then I’m used to in the books that I read. It’s not your normal hero saves the Heroin type. It had a more personal feel than most books. I felt I could connect with the characters better than most books. It had more true to life experiences. The Characters in this story were very relatable to that group of friends you just hang out with all the time. It was an unpredictable story. Words cannot really do this book justice. You really need to read it and experience it yourself.
I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Connections with layers
Harmony is coming to grips with her new reality, two years after her husband dies. She is putting herself out there to try dating again and to get into a new routine.
Brendon is literally a mess of emotions and still suffering with nightmares and guilt over not being able to save his friend and also about his past, and now he is feeling guilt because he can’t stop thinking about Harmony and the possible feelings he has for her And now the one person he never wanted to see again, shows up at the worst time.
This story was quite enlightening as it focuses on how Harmony is trying to move on, two years from her husband’s untimely death but also how the one person who is there for her throughout is the one she turns to when things get tough. Something else which I can see is hard is when friends decide to become more and worry that their decision will affect the group of friends they both have but also their relationship and if things don’t work out. I love these Connelly brothers and Dillon is certainly making a statement and his stamp on each of these new fractured connections that are being made
An emotional friends to lovers romance where a man falls for his best friend’s widow and a woman finds her inner strength through the darkness.
I loved this continuation of this series!! The struggle of letting go of the past to make a better future for the main characters. They really pull at your heart strings. You want to help them and just support them!! I can’t wait for more!
OMG! This series is killing me. The emotions! I guess you could say I’m a cryer, laugher and swooner all in one. All of the above for this book! I love how Carrie Ann Ryan pulls me out of reality and makes me feel like I’m there with the characters. This book tore me up with how Harmony and Brendon skated around each other while they were each so deep in their feelings without realizing that the rest of the world could see right through them.
Cannot wait for the next book.
This story is the second of the series it is Brendon and Harmony’s book. This was a wonderful read! It’s a page turner and keeps the reader interested from beginning to end. Harmony is a widow of Brendon’s best friend Moyer and now him and Harmony are close friends. They depend on each other for many things just as friends often do. However they both deny what others have began to notice as of lately they don’t want to see each other as more than anything but friends. The story keeps you engaged and dying to know how everything will turn out for them and if they will give in or keep their distance. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.
This is a friends to lovers story, people reconnect after a death and realize they’ve been leaning on each other to get through the hard times. Why not see where these feelings are coming from? I cried and laughed, this whole series has all the feels in all the good ways. I loved how these characters reconnected. They need to overcome their past in order to move forward with their future.