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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Shouldn’t Have You was a roller coaster of happy emotions for me. I was happy for Harmony and Brendon even when I was sad. Their story was one where a solid friendship and comfort was met with so much more when needed. I loved that they didn’t need to struggle with each other. They only needed to find comfort with themselves, to face the future. This book was just a generally feel good story for me. I wanted the best for them. And while life wasn’t perfect, they got each other.
No Spoilers!!! I don’t like it ruined for me, so I’m not going to ruin it for you!!!
A group of friends grow older & lose touch like so many of us do. Tragedy brings these friends back together. This is the 2nd story in this emotional series by Carrie Ann Ryan, but it is a HEA. This time around, we have Harmony & Brendon. They have been friends since they were kids. This is the story of how 2 people that feel that they shouldn’t be together actually find their way together & realize that it is their HEA.
This was an emotional journey for them & us as the reader, but there is so much joy & laughter along the way, too!
I can’t wait for for book #3 – Falling With You!!!!
The second installment of a series by Carrie Ann Ryan called Fractured Connections. This one centers on Brendon and Harmony. These two were childhood friends. He was even friends with her husband. Along the way, they loss contact. With the death of a friend, they have been brought together along with their friends and family. This is not the first loss for Harmony. She is a widow. As Brendon reenters her life, she has been doing some soul searching to figure out who she is now that her husband has passed. So, she decides to dive into the dating pool. Oy! These guys end up being duds. And she finds herself turning to Brendon after each one. Telling him how bad it was. After a few of these dead end dates, one even gets a drink thrown at him for just being a jerk, she realizes that she has been leaning on Brendon. And, she’d like more from him then friendship. At the same time, Brendon has been having the same feelings but if feeling guilty for having these feelings. Partly cause of his deceased friend (who was her husband and they were friends) and because he just thinks he isn’t good enough for her. They begin to talk about how they are feeling and decide to go out on a date. That goes well and leads to more dates and just hanging out. But, true to Carrie Ann Ryan’s writing, we get a little bump in the road. This bump leads to Brendon thinking about backing away from Harmony. But, true to Harmony being a strong and brave woman, she tackles that head on. And lets him no that that just isn’t going to happen. I just love how Carrie Ann Ryan just dives in and lets us the reader in on how they are thinking and feeling throughout the story. And adds in their family and friends to give support and encouragement. Such a sweet and enduring friends to lovers story. You won’t be disappointed with this one!!
love the Connelly brothers new series.Loved Harmony and Brendons amazing forbidden addicting beautiful 2nd chance.So ready for Aiden
Shouldn’t Have you by Carrie Annie Ryan is the second book in her Fractured Connections series and gives us the story of Harmony and Brendon. This was such an emotional and touching friends to lover romance. Harmony and Brendon have been friends for a long time, but after a tragedy, they reconnect again in ways they never imagined.
Harmony lost her husband and was learning to cope with that when she loses one of her best friends. She has the support and love of her friends which she is so grateful for. When she decides to start dating again, she can’t seem to find what she is looking for. Brendon was friends with and worked with her husband. Though Brendon does not see it, he was such a good man. He knows he cares and wants Harmony but does not think he can be with her. They share a great friendship and connection and I love seeing them together.
Shouldn’t Have You by Carrie Ann Ryan was such an emotional romance. Harmony and Brandon were such great characters with a charming slow burn romance.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
Harmony lost her husband Moyer at 25. He was killed in a car accident walking to lunch, his friend and boss Brendon was right behind him. Harmony just went on her first date since then, her date left, and she spent the rest of the night with Brendon. She goes on 3 more dates, that are all bad. Brendon realizes that he is starting to develop feelings for Harmony. He talks to his brothers, who convincd him that he needs to tell Harmony. She is not really shocked by them, because she was developing feelings as well. They kiss, and set up a date. He takes her to a buffet where they bring meat to the table on swords. Yes, they make funny penis jokes. Then they go back to Harmony’s house, and she invites him in. The next morning Brendon has regrets, but doesn’t tell Harmony.
He leaves, sees her later, tells her he cant be with her, she goes after him and says no. They love each other, and that’s the end of the book.
I love this series ! I love all of The Montgomery books, and all the spin offs also, can’t wait for more.
I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This book has it all. The emotions are high in Brendan and Harmony’s story. Each one is trying to deal with personal issues while maintaining a friendship with each other. Harmony was married but her husband and best friend passed away 2 years ago. Since then she has not dated anyone or even thought about it until just recently. She knows no one will be able to take Moyer’s place in her heart. Brendan has been friends with Harmony since before she married Moyer and he was there when Moyer was killed. Brendan has tried to respect Harmony and give her time and space to heal. She still looks to him for advice and for someone to talk to, things however, do not always go as planned. Brendan realizes that he wants to be more with Harmony but does not want to ruin his friendship with her. Can these two make things work without throwing their group dynamic into a tailspin? You will need to read the book to find out for sure
Carrie Ann Ryan continues to pull on the heartstrings and emotions with the second book of the Fractured Connections Series, Shouldn’t Have You.
Harmony’s life is not what she thought it would be. Her psyche and soul are damaged after the loss of not only her best friend, also her partner in live. She’s trying, even when it epically fails her. Harmony brushes it off and gets back up. She looking to fill something she’s missing in life, but Harmony is maybe not looking at all the options.
Brendon, too, is picking up the pieces of his past and trying to get on track. He has also felt the loss of losing a friend. Brendon is amazing. Sweet and caring, knows how to be a true friend and is loyal. As his feelings develop, he gentle and respectful. Brendon is what I call one of the good ones.
Shouldn’t Have You is about healing and moving on with and within love. Learning to love again and finding oneself. It’s a fantastic friends to lovers story but so much more. Harmony and Brendon are going to take you on a emotional ride. Intense, raw and real. Ms. Ryan captures the essence of the emotions and transcribes this tale into a journey of healing and love. Mending what’s broken, nurturing what hurt and embracing something or someone new. That’s what Shouldn’t Have You was for me.
Warring: Tissues may be needed.
When I started reading I couldn’t put it down.Carrie Ann Ryan is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can’t wait for the next book.
Oh my heart. This was my first book by Carrie Ann and it won’t be my last. I did not read the first book and had no problem. This book has you on an emotional roller-coaster. Brendon and Harmony have had a lot happen – loss, grief, healing, love and so much more. They have been friends for years, but life is putting them in new territory. I loved everything and everyone in this story. Even though I went through so many emotions with the characters, it was a beautiful written healing story with so much heart. Have Kleenex for this.
I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest!
It was a great book !
Harmony is having a very bad day / year.
She lost her husband and one of her best friend.
She is slowly trying to return to the “normal’ world.
Having friends help a lot!
Brendon was friends w/ Harmony even before she was married.
But it is different now.
He does not know what to do with this attraction towards Harmony.
Will both of them take a chance at love ?
It was such an emotional book.
I love the concept of friends becoming lovers.
Loved the characters + the storytelling !
It has all the ingredients that you need for a great book!
I can’t wait for the next book in this series.
An emotional rollercoaster of turmoil as two people struggle with their bereavement of a best friend and husband. Brendon is still reeling after 2 years from seeing his best friend die in an accident, from his upbringing as a child, from seeing his dad and his new found relationship with Harmony. Harmony is surviving after losing her husband and decides she wants to try dating again after the death of her husband. Soon her closeness with Brendon crosses over the line from friends to lovers. Is Brendon too broken to be who he needs to be for Harmony? A hard read that took me two days as the read was so heavy.
I would give this book 100 stars if I could; it was that good!
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes and this is one of the best I’ve ever read. There is so much emotion in this story and a very long history between Brendon and Harmony.
They have to navigate their past friendship, their shared grief, their new friendship dynamic and eventually they figure out their new dynamic as lovers while still being the best of friends.
Such an amazing story and I can’t wait to read about the rest of this family.
Brendon and Harmony will take you into this addition of the series. While they do so you will soon find yourself embroiled into it without even realizing it. As the path changes for these two we will want to stick our nose into every moment. This will also feed your emotions in many different ways leaving you full. Some things are hard to imagine but you get a taste of it here. I was completely satisfied with how you end up in this one.
I absolutely enjoyed reading Harmony and Brendon’s story. The words are beautifully spun and the emotions of their story is absolutely enjoyable. Carrie Ann knows how to hit a persons emotions and heart strings.
The next Connolly brother Brendon and Harmony can they find happiness after losing Moyer? It is very well written. I love how the characters from the first come into play. It’s like the story continues but with a new love story. It’s must read. Can’t wait for the next one
I have come to love this series so much. This band of women and band of brothers are just heart breaking and so damn admirable at the same time. Each of them is going through their own struggle and I love seeing each of them get put back together. This book was definitely different than the last, which I loved. I think each of their stories is going to be so unique.
I loved Harmony and Brendon in the first book, so I was really curious about how Carrie Ann was going to go about their match up. Friendship is so important, and I loved how they started as such good friends. Being able to have that person to call at the end of a bad day is so amazing. Some of my favorite romances start as friendships, and I think this one was so special in so many ways. These two had a lot to overcome because of Moyer. They both wanted to make sure that their feelings were pure and that Moyer still mattered. That was soooo special!
Watching Harmony date was soooo hysterical! As someone entering the dating scene, I almost hope I have some of those bad dates just for a laugh! The best part though was how her friends and Brendon reacted. I loved how Sienna and Violet come to her rescue more than once. I also loved how Cameron, Aiden and Dillon did the same thing for Brendon. These bands of men and women are so strong!
I really can’t say too much without giving anything away (as if I haven’t already babbled), but this book was truly amazing. It was so well written and it is perfectly emotional. I always love Carrie Ann’s writing, but this series is very different and I love everything about that.
CANNOT WAIT FOR SIENNA AND AIDEN!!
We only get this one life to live and there are many things that we must go thru in order to survive it. Death is one of those things we must deal with and grow from, although it’s not always easy and the heartbreak we have to endure is one of the most distrustful things but in the end we come out better for it.
Harmony Wynham is not just the widow, she is a survivor who is taking it day by day, and figuring out how to live again. But there is one thing she wasn’t counting on falling for the one constant in her life. Could this Friendship turn love ruin their relationship for all time or will it become more than what she was expecting?
Brendon Connolly is still reeling from the loss of his friend, from his past, but he must face the future and the one woman he can’t get off his mind. Can he finally be the man he needs to be for her for their future or be lost forever in the sea of life?
This is my first book by Author Carrie Ann Ryan, although I felt it was a bit repetitive it did eventually pick up. It took me a while to get through the first few chapters but I was rooting for Brendon to get his head out of his butt. I love how she writes on how one deal’s with the loss of a loved one and how they choose to move on and not be stuck in the dark pit they could stay in.
A heart wrenching tale of friends to more…
Be prepared for a healthy dose of frustration, because I agree with Beckham’s (the bartender in our series) description of our couple “You’re both thinkers. Sometimes that’s great, and sometimes it means you overthink shit.” Here two sweet people have overcome a lot in their lives and just deserve so much happiness at this point. Anyway, this character driven story brings us into their minds and hits us with all of their wonder and despair and crisis of conscience and makes us feel it all. Don’t miss this thought provoking read.
Whoa! I absolutely LOVE Harmony and Brendon’s story! Brendon was not only her late husbands close friend and worked with him, he was there the day of the accident. Brendon couldn’t bear to be near Harmony after that, but life has a way of forcing you to face what you are hiding from. That goes for Harmony too. They have become close again, as friends, but she has no idea how her felt/feels about her. They are both hurting from things form their past, but as they grow closer together, can they take a chance on their own happiness – even if neither think they deserve it? This is at times heart breaking ,but also so sweet and passionate…I LOVED it!!