The Epic Conclusion to The Boy & His Ribbon
“What do you do when you write down all your secrets? No…that’s not enough. What do you do when you write down all your secrets and the one person who should never read them does?I’ll tell you what you do.You hope.”RENRen didn’t know the meaning of love until he took Della for his own.To begin with, he hated her, but as the months bled into … his own.
To begin with, he hated her, but as the months bled into years, he learned the opposite of hate, dedicating his life to giving her everything.
Every sacrifice, every gift, he gave wholeheartedly.
But then love turned to lust and ruined everything.
DELLA
I was stupid to write down my secrets, but I’d been stupid before, so it was nothing new.
I couldn’t blame him, hate him, fix him.
I tried to move on without him.
But no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to delete the secrets I’d written.
Until something happened.
Until he came back and read my stupid secrets.
And nothing was the same after that.
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I’ve been trying to write my feelings about The Girl and Her Ren as my emotions still are all over the place.. I’m speechless with this amazing story.. it is very beautiful, with so many emotions that still are flowing, a story with so much message and so much meaning..
“This story is no longer about a baby and a boy who were never meant to be family, but a woman and a man who were always destined to be soulmates.”
The Girl and Her Ren is the continuation and the final part of the Ribbon duet.. in This book we get to dive deeper into Ren and Della’s story, but this time we get to see them more as an adult. all grown-up trying to fight what they feel, what they want and need..
“How had I never seen? How had I never known? She was my other half, not just in friendship and family, but in everything else, too.”
in this book, we see more on the burdens, fights, and troubles, Della and Ren had to endure while trying to find a place to live.. Della is all grown, now studying and becoming someone, Ren is very proud of her, he is doing everything he can to give her everything she needed and deserves. An education, a home and a life that will make her happy. even if that means sacrificing his time and dreams with her.
“She was Della. She was the reason I was alive—the sole purpose for why I’d been placed on this earth: to protect, cherish, and care for.”
Ren was Stubborn, reserved, alpha, protective and dominant, he always was when it came to Della. he was always looking for her no matter where she was, he was her shadow protecting her at all times.. I love, how in this book we meet a more vulnerable side of Ren.. He was always the one fixing things and making everything good but in The Girl and Her Ren there is another side of him.. more vulnerable, making somehow his character and the story more well balanced.. but still he was strong, always trying to put everybody he loves first, trying to hide his weakness and pain..
“Nothing beat just hanging out with Ren. Nothing. No trip or gift or fancy new experience. Nothing could beat just existing with the love of my life.” “forever would never be enough. Not with Ren. Not with my soulmate.”
Della was a great heroine, yes, she does make mistakes but as the writers say at the end of the book, that’s what made this story more beautiful. her mistakes are human, and even if she was so in love with Ren, sometimes she didn’t say or did the right things and took the wrong doors and wrong decisions making things for both of them even harder but still she was an amazing Heroine, The heroine Ren deserved, the only heroine who could really hold and carry Ren in the beautiful and also dark moments of their lives.. I felt like in this part of the story she became very strong, bolder and even more sophisticated in some way.. making her character more unique and also making Ren more in love with her.
“I hope to be the man you deserve, Della Ribbon. I hope I can give you everything your heart desires. And then, when we’ve lived a life rich in so many things, I hope I die before you. Because if I don’t, I know I won’t survive a day without you. I can’t.”
“She was mine. It was written in the stars and scribed in the galaxies, and nothing on earth could change that.”
Ren was a gentleman, no matter where he came from, he was a true warrior fighting everything and everybody for the love of his life.. he always thought about everything when it came to Della.. he knew he had to do something to keep her protected when he wasn’t there.. and what he did was the most beautiful thing in the world…. “The Wild One”
“We’d spent our entire lives together. And, if I had my way, we’d spend the rest of eternity.”
We also get to see other great characters Cassie, John, Liam, Adam, Natalia, Chip, and Jacob. all of them brought so much support and love to Ren and Della. I really love how close they become, a real family, a family in some way they always wanted. No matter how much Ren tried to put walls or fake a cold heart around his new “family” he still has so much to give and sooner or later all those walls will start to break, with the help of that love, and the family who took them under their wing…
“I’d loved him in every way someone could love another—platonically, sisterly, wifely. And now, I loved him in a way that couldn’t be explained. A way that transcended everything. A way that had no name because the way we loved existed past language and law. An astral kind of love that made its home in the stars and vacationed on Jupiter.”
This book was brutal in a Good way, not only made me think so much but also made me feel so much. so many emotions, so many feelings.. but at the end, I have to say it is a book that will show you what love can accomplish, that love is strong, magical and it always has a way to survive no matter the distance, the time or the place. love transcends no matter where your soul is..
“Thank you for understanding that love spans decades, infects souls, and turns you immortal because, when you love that deeply, nothing can ever die.” “Love transcends time, space, distance, universes”
“But in the end, love is what life is about. “And love is the purpose of everything.”
I’m going to keep this book forever in my heart, and I hope you give yourself the opportunity to make this story yours too.. Wonderful work by Pepper Winters. I’m Super ready for The son and His Hope!!!
“Trust me, trust you, trust us.”
I’ve been a Pepper Winters fan for years and have loved everything she’s written. I’ve always enjoyed her dark side, but The Ribbon Duet was another side that she’d not shown me before. I’ve always felt that authors are gifted with something special that the rest of us lack. That whatever muse they are blessed with must also keep them up at night filling their heads with thoughts and ideas that hold them captive until they are released through the words they write. And after reading this amazing story I believe it must also be therapeutic, because I personally experienced every emotion possible during the reading, and then again as I continued to replay it in my head long after the last page. This is one of the few that I’ve tagged as being #MovieWorthy, I believe it would be a box office success if it ever graced the big screen. I most definitely give it two-thumbs-up.
Ren and Della have been through so much it’s amazing that they weren’t even more broken. It speaks of the power of love that their support and care for each other kept them from giving in to the hopelessness they faced repeatedly as they struggled to survive. Whereas they might have stopped fighting for themselves, they would never stop fighting to protect each other. To be so close they could almost finish each other’s sentences and yet that very closeness is what they struggled with. There’s a fine line between love and lust and once they crossed the line in their minds the real battle began.
For everyone who’s read The Boy and His Ribbon, I’m sure that you will go into The Girl and Her Ren knowing what you expect from it. You already have their story outlined and just need the blanks filled in, right? Wrong! Expect the unexpected. Duh! I have read multiple books by this author, I should know better. But like I said earlier, this one is different. It takes a different tone and lured me into a sense of complacency before pulling the ribbon that I’d had tied in a nice bow. My ribbon ended up in a tight knot, and my stomach in an even tighter knot, and then it broke my heart into pieces.
I was so completely invested in the lives of these characters. I hung on their every word, thought, and emotion. I rearranged my life to keep me close to my Kindle (thankfully in a waterproof case), refusing the part with His Ribbon or Her Ren until I turned the final page with my heart filled with “hay and hope and happiness.” I don’t know how the author is going to top this one, but she’s never disappointed me yet. If she writes it, I’ll read it. The line forms here…
Pepper is one of my favorite writers. I have enjoyed all of her work. I balled big time with this one, big fat tears.
It was a great read even with the ending. It wonderful life story, full of love, pain and loss. I highly recommend if you enjoy a descriptive, emotional read.
“We will never end because that isn’t what true love is. True love is constant. It has no beginning, middle, or end. Life might end, but love… that’s immortal.” – Ren
I knew from that first cough. Call it intuition or premonition or chuck it up to my lack of faith in fairytale endings, but I knew. C’mon, this from the woman who gave us the Indebted series. What’s messing me up right now is that I know that she knew that I would know. I’m pretty smart. I didn’t get two degrees and survive law school strictly by my good looks. I KNEW!! I haven’t felt like throwing my kindle at someone’s head in a hot minute. And it wasn’t because I didn’t like the book. On the contrary, I was enraptured by this story. Saying that I was in love with Ren and Della would be an understatement. I just like to hurt those who hurt me and seeing as how these characters are fictionally sitting in my kindle, I felt that my kindle must burn!
Romance comes and goes, lust flickers and smoulders, trials appear and test, life gets in the way and educates, pain can derail happiness, joy can delete sadness, togetherness is more than just a fairy-tale… it’s a choice. – Della
What was never in doubt, despite the pain, confusion, potential for suffering, and past, present and future heartache, was the fact that Ren and Della would always choose each other. What’s funny is that they even act like they had a choice. Some call it fate or kismet, but it was obvious that these two were meant to be. Their love transcended rules and social mores and time and distance. There was no one without the other and the author captured their love beautifully.
I was kissing my goddamn soulmate, and who f–king cared how we’d met or how long we’d known each other? Fate had decided to throw us an unconventional beginning by giving her to me the moment she was born. – Ren
Even knowing the anguish I would be faced with the further I became invested in this story, I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t put this book down. I realized that there would never be a time that I would have enough of them. I was just as devoted to Ren and Della as they were to each other.
“You’re mine,” he growled.
“I know.”
“And I’m yours.”
“I know.”
This duet was my first foray into the wonderful world of contemporary romance by this author and I’m kicking myself for waiting so long. I love her dark romance but this duet quickly made me realize that I’m probably going to love anything she writes. The Ribbon Duet was a wonderful introduction to the sweeter, more angsty and emotional side to Mrs. Winters, and while it broke my heart over and over again, I got to the end with a huge smile on my face. My heart may have a bittersweet ache to contend with for a little while, but I in no way regret getting to know the beauty that was Ren and Della.
That kiss was our beginning, middle and end.
That kiss bound us past life and death, sickness and health.
That kiss was life itself, never ending, forever existing, two souls entwined…
…for eternity.
Let me begin by saying, I’m new to Pepper’s books. And I should also say, I’m not a crier.
I. Don’t. Cry. Ever. I’m immune.
Yet, this author, and her beautiful duet, and gorgeous story with her brilliant words and incredible characters brought me down to my knees.
I read all the reviews and the notes about tears and crying and I said to myself, “sure, we’ll just see about that…”
Guess what?
I. Cried.
Sobbed.
Bawled my eyes out.
And you will too, I promise.
But it shouldn’t stop you from taking this beautifully poignant journey with Ren and Della.
Don’t let it stop you from reading one of the best books of the year and the most epic of love stories.
Thank you, Pepper Winters, for this soul-crushing story.
I need to go buy more tissues now.
When I finished reading The Boy and His Ribbon, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ren and Della. Yes, I understand they are fictional characters but Pepper had done such an amazing job of writing their story that they felt as real to me as someone standing right next to me. Even after I moved on to the next book and the book after that, I couldn’t get them out of my head with the questions of: how are these two people going to come back together? It is obvious they can’t live without each other, but how are they going to find the peace and acceptance within themselves to transition from a sibling relationship to that of lovers?
Pepper does an outstanding job of leading the reader through the struggles Ren goes through at trying to reconcile his feelings of love for Della with the endless memories he has of raising her from an infant. His sense of propriety and his steadfast promise to always keep her safe is at constant war with the overwhelming love and desire he has finally admitted to himself and to Della. I felt every emotion that Ren warred with. I found myself talking to him and telling him it would be okay to love her. But as I kept reading, Pepper continued to shatter my heart with everything that Ren battled: the fear that the outside world would not accept their relationship, the constant battle within himself that he was not good enough for Della. I felt it all.
Now that Della is an adult, and Ren has come to terms with the fact that Della is no longer a child that he needs to take care of, their journey took on a whole new meaning. How would these two navigate their path forward as equals? The first thing they do is return to their beloved forest, and it was beautiful watching these two forge a new path for themselves. But all too soon, the real world calls them back to Cherry River, the very place where they first realized their relationship had shifted.
This book is not just a love story between Ren and Della. Yes, there is love and romance and the things that readers expect to see when two people are in love. But Pepper takes us on a different path in this book. She shows us the realities of life and the challenges and obstacles that people face every single day. Ren and Della have defied all the odds, a ten year old boy with an infant in tow managed to survive in the woods, managed to grow into adults and defy all the odds stacked against them. Surely they’ve earned the right to ride off into the sunset, happily ever after?
I am not going to lie, I was 100% on board with them riding off into the sunset, but again, life doesn’t work that way. And Pepper ripped my heart out with the path that Ren and Della had to journey down. I don’t know how she managed to do it, but as heartbreaking as it was, it was also one of the most inspiring, beautiful journeys I’ve ever witnessed. Because as much as I wanted to stay in my bubble and think of this as only a love story, it was not that at all. It was a life story about two people whose love for each other transcends time and space.
“Romance comes and goes, lust flickers and smoulders, trials appear and test, life gets in the way and educates, pain can derail happiness, joy can delete sadness, togetherness is more than just a fairytale…it’s a choice. A choice to love and cherish and honour and trust and adore. A choice to choose love, all the while knowing it has the power to break you. A choice, dear friends, to give someone your entire heart. But in the end, love is what life is about. And love is the purpose of everything.”
I’m pretty much ruined after reading Ren and Della’s story. I thought I was obsessed at the end of book 1, now that the duet is complete, I know I will never forget this couple. They have cemented themselves permanently in my heart and soul. Pepper has always been one of my favorite authors with the diversity of her writing, but hands down, this duet, this couple are my absolute favorite. Sorry, Tess and Q, I still love you but Ren and Della grabbed my heart and won’t let go.
I finished last night and I am still trying to recover. I have never cried reading a book as much as I cried reading The Girl and Her Ren. This is unlike any other story you have ever read or will ever read again. Even though Pepper rips your heart out through Della and Res journey to the point you are cursing her you end of praising her for having the talent to be able to make you feel every emotion Della and Ren are having wether it is joy, sadness, or heart wrenching pain. I have read all of Pepper’s books and she has completely out done herself with writing Della and Ren’s story and I am in complete awe of her story telling abilities. There will never be a story that will ever come close to this Duet!!! Thank you Pepper for bringing Della and Ren’s story to life.
There are some novels that steal your heart and soul or just leave an imprint on you, like a branding!
The Girl and Her Ren is a raw riveting, multidimensional, pull at your at your heartstrings take no prisoner work of gallant art!
A brilliant cacophony of forbidden love that is so immensely death defining, it will brand you, steal your will, and hold you hostage.
Like a Winters tale of unworldly obstacles, thrown at you with death-defying odds, obstacles and the sheer primal beauty of heartache and pain!
No, doubt this is the book of 2018!
Mrs. Winters wrote the novel of her life!
What can I say about this book? I feel as though I lived alongside Ren and Della since I met them in The Boy and His Ribbon. I’ve been celebrated every high they’ve had and cried with them through every low. I’ve been there through every loss, every achievement, first kisses, birthdays. I’ve witnessed their many arguments, every adventure they’ve had, I’ve been right there with them. I have never been as emotionally connected to two characters like I have Ren and Della. I’m at a complete loss as to what I can say about their story. It completely consumed me, I really didn’t want it to end.
I’ve been a huge fan of Pepper Winters for years and this book proves she can tell an epic story like no other. Her talent shines through each word. This story is unique, it’s hard to read at times, the characters are so extremely well developed that it’s hard for me to think of them as characters and not people. This duet has wrecked me. I’m not an emotional person, I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve cried because of a book but this book…it’s raw and realistic, but there’s a peacefulness, a feeling of rightness with the way their story continues from The Boy and His Ribbon.
I can’t recommend The Ribbon duet enough. If I had to recommend you read one story, I would pick Ren and Dellas each and every time. A beautifully written, emotional love story that I won’t ever forget and characters I’ll love forever.
4.5 stars
“It was about love. True love. Love that spans decades, infects souls, and turns you immortal because, when you love that deeply, nothing can ever die. It transcends time, space, distance, universes.”
The Girl and Her Ren started where The Boy and His Ribbon left off. It continues the epic love story of Della and Ren. I was looking forward to see what these two beautiful characters would go through in this book. I knew it would be a very difficult and heartbreaking road, and the author did not disappoint. I also knew it would be uplifting and inspirational, and the author did a phenomenal job in writing their story. This stories had its ups and downs, and it felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster. I did not know what to expect but I was prepared for anything.
“True love was a vicious monster, feeding on my reserves, breaking me beneath its resolve to either kill me if I didn’t obey or destroy me if I did.”
The Girl and Her Ren is a huge book, and I think Pepper utilized every page to its full potential. This story needed every word and page to tell their story. It was beautiful, emotional, heartbreaking, sad, and so much more. The connection between Ren and Della is one of a kind, and these two are made for each other. I loved that the author told their story from the beginning without skipping anything. I shed tears and smiled for these amazing characters. I loved seeing them grow up and seeing all the character developments. I am so grateful that Pepper took the time to tell their story the right way. This story won’t be an easy read but I promise you that you won’t be sorry you went on this journey.
“The realisation that this wasn’t just a girl I was in love with but the one person who’d been there every step of my existence made it hard to breathe.”
This book did me in, gut wrenching sobs, a great story that send you through every emotions possible. It picks up just where book 1 left off. Ren now realizing why he took Delia kiss so hard it was because he felt more love for Delia than he wanted to admit. Trying to sort out his feelings from taking care of sassy Delia Ribbon he would confuse the roles from protector and brotherly love to protector and lover, soul mates. Delia & Ren was inseparable, they had a love like no other. As they begin their new phase of life together, they are called back to Cherry River because of a family emergency. There, they fell back into step as John love them as his own & Cassie’s love continue to accept them for who they really were. Della takes us through “5 rememberable incidents” and OMG once you get to the 5th incident it was unbearable. I have cried and cried and cried some more, until people thought I was nuts because I was reading this in public and was simply devastated. Their love had no bounds, they went from living in the wild during summer & spring, rags to Ren was a proud man and was able to provide for his family with building them a house, managing the farm and having riches beyond their belief. However, this book was no alpha sweeping in to save the damsel it was soul finding, gut wrenching reality. That is what made you love it so much.
As a parting gift to the one and only woman Ren Wild love, he left her with many gifts to find that told there story ending as happily ever after:
**Ren healed and grew old, and there as the sun set Delia Ribbon turned to her Ren and said “I’m pregnant with your daughter, I’m suppose you get to choose a girls name now. Her husband turned to her happy, overjoyed, madly in love and he kissed her. I love you Delia forever and for always!!!
Only word to describe this book is UNFORGETTABLE!! A MUST read for any avid book lover& reader!!! 5 stars is NOT enough for this series! Haunting, troubled, romantic& dark are just a few words that describe this amazing series! Pepper Winters is a genius& I read EVERYTHING she publishes!!
I love anything by Pepper Winters….
I am broken……..
This book deserves so many more stars that the meager 5 star rating system.
I have been an avid reader of Pepper Winters for many years. Devoured every word that she has written and fallen in love with many of her leading characters. BUT, Della and Ren story has eclipsed everyone of Pepper’s previous books. I know, I know, how can anyone beat Q Mercer and Tess Snow, Jethro Hawk and Nila Weaver or Elder Prest and Tasmin/Pimlico. Well…..Ren Wild and Della Ribbon that’s who. Hands down this is Pepper’s finest work. This story is complex, this story is long but every word is justified.
I started the second book of this duet with an open mind. I knew I would be challenged and that the story would be hard to read.
Ren and Della’s story is devastating, uplifting, joyous, heartbreaking, soul searching, raw, brutal and beautiful. Their love is all encompassing, all consuming. I was pulled into their story and I didn’t want it to end.
It is really hard to do justice (in my review) for this book/series as I don’t do spoilers but if you’re looking for a truly emotional read then this one is for you. It is definitely in my top 10 reads for 2018 and Della and Ren’s story is going to,stay with me for a long time.
Born from innocence, tainted with confusion, but wholeheartedly flavoured with love. Deep, blistering, endless fucking love.
This book was incredible, no words I could write will ever do it justice. It picks up where The Boy and His Ribbon leaves off, Della and Ren against the world. They finally find love through all the obstacles put in their way, they finally make it until life deals one more blow, one that will forever change them. I accidentally hit my kindle and it forwarded to a question that the author was answering and it shook me. I knew what would happen just not when and when that time came I was a wreck. I gave up on tissues and grabbed a towel. It was so beautiful, their story is so beautiful, their love was so beautiful.
It’s probably one of the most emotional books I have ever read and I highly recommend it. You have to start with The Boy and His Ribbon, and as emotional as I was, I loved it so much.
I usually don’t take so long to finish a duet, but this sat on my tbr for awhile. Once I started, it was like no time had passed and I was fully drawn back into the crazy life of Ren and Della. I’ll admit about 30% in, I started to wonder…I mean, it seemed like these guys seemed to figure out their issues. So why was there so much story left? Turns out it was the calm before the real storm. A slow-rolling storm, slowly breaking your heart page by page but so full of love and life and hope. Their journey never has been easy.
This is an unforgettable couple. The most unique love story I’ve ever wrote, and the angst and feelings were so layered. I loved it and am glad I waited long enough to read it that there’s a spinoff from the story I can dive into now.
There are no words to adequately express what a phenomenal read this is. It’s an EPIC journey that will give you all the feels. From the highest highs to the lowest low. Pepper Winters writing style remarkable, it draws you in and captures your heart. Ren and Della’s journey is one you’ve never experienced before and doubt you’ll ever will again. Their story is unique and unforgettable. Book hangover worthy. I am giving Pepper Winters a standing ovation for The Girl and Her Ren.
“Love transcends time, space, distance, universes.”
Loved it!
EPIC!!!!
I’ve been sitting on this review for a little while.
I mean how hard can leaving a review actually be? Read. Enjoy. Review. Repeat.
Easy-peasy right? No. No it is not. Not in this case.
The truth is I loved and hated every part of this story. Loved it because the writing was so beautiful, the story so real, so gut-wrenching, so promising…and I hated it for the exact same reasons. Because this story WAS real. A real picture of life, a real picture of how people live day to day hoping to survive, of how two people found love and fought through each and every hiccup destiny chose to throw at them. A story of two souls falling in love, living, regardless of the messed up world they were born in.
I can by far say that this will be a story that will stick with me forever.
There aren’t many of those. There aren’t many stories that have made me love, cry, hate, laugh, cry and hope, over and over again.
But this one did.
This book-duet-was a journey, and I loved to hate every minute of it.