Sex isn’t love. Love isn’t sex. And friendship is neither. The son of a French Olympic skier and a Malaysian fashion designer, Ronin Alexander has lived the life of a nomad, traveling the world to find his next adventure. Life takes a dramatic turn when he meets Evelyn, a beautiful scientist who owns a bath shop in Aspen, Colorado. They defy all the rules of relationships, falling hard and … relationships, falling hard and quickly in love.
Their world intertwines with Evelyn’s two best friends, the Governor and his soon-to-be wife. The four become close—very close.
When tragedy strikes, things from their pasts are unveiled—unimaginable truths and the grim realization that life will never be the same.
Jewel E. Ann steps into another dimension with this mind-bending thriller, a provocative story that pushes boundaries and tests the true meaning of love.
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This book had me on the edge of my seat! what a ride, I can’t wait to see what comes next!
This is one of the best books I’ve ever read!!!
A breathtaking story of life, love and friendship and the sacrifices we’re willing to make for those we love!
Warning This highly emotional novel is impossible to put down once you start!
From the prologue which was suspenseful, sad and eerie, to the heartfelt uplifting steamy story there was something else beneath the surface that was impacting these characters.
The insta love, the insta scorching hot passion, these characters came to life, and their stories unfolded flawlessly.
Complex, rich and haunting, from page one I was simply swept into the lives of Ronin, Evie,Lila and Graham.
Riveting, and gut wrenching, this story provoked me to think about things that are bigger than ourselves…
We get hints of it as the story progressed. These characters were full of secrets and mysteries!
You think the story is going in one direction but not a chance!!
The author just kept me guessing, and the ending gutted me!
Book 2 cannot get here fast enough!
Evelyn and Ronin meet unexpectedly and fall madly in love but can their love last? I loved this book and couldn’t put it down!
You can’t change destiny…or can you?
A jaw dropping ending that left me wanting book two NOW! The author delivers a story that will leave you thinking about your own beliefs and the possibility that what you thought to be true may be about to change.
I went into this read blind and I enjoyed the ride. This author always delves into difficult subject matter and makes you question everything. The story was beautifully written and she kept me guessing the entire time.
Evelyn has become the third wheel with her bff’s Graham and Lila. Thanks to her they fell in love and are getting married. She’s not searching for love for herself, but when she visits her friends and meets Ronin that’s all about to change.
Evelyn and Ronin feel an immediate connection. And so their love story begins. Life goes on and they fall in love and start their family. Lila and Graham have since married and are living the life of being in the public eye since Graham became governor. Her relationship with Ronin is strong, yet her best friends have drifted from her life. All the while, Ronin is hiding a huge secret from his wife. However, he won’t be able to keep it much longer. All secrets come out eventually and this one will leave you contemplative.
This is a story about the phases of life and how things grow and change. It’s also about love and loss and how we handle both. And it’s a story about things we may never fully comprehend or understand. It’s about believing when you can’t see it or prove it’s real.
That prologue will suck you in from page one. The entire read you will be waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. Just go all in and wait for the story to unfold. I am counting the days until book two!!!
3.75 stars. The Life that Mattered is book was good and was completely engrossing. I can’t go into too much detail without giving away the story or the secrets in the book. I can say that the book starts off with a bang and gives away some of those secrets right away, but then back tracks to the past, before those circumstances come to pass. You know as a reader that there are some bad things to come, which gave me a horrible feeling of dread and fear throughout the book as I was waiting for them to happen.
This book is Evelyn’s story. We meet her two best friends, a married couple she has known for years, Lila and Graham. We see Evelyn meet, fall in love with Ronin, and see how their relationships develops into a happy life together. But then things start falling apart and it seems like it will be hard to fix. I really liked Evelyn and Ronin. They seem to be a great couple who loves each other a lot. I want them to be happy. But I didn’t really like or trust Lila and Graham. I think they will ruin Evelyn’s life somehow.
Overall, this book was hard to put down. The writing was good. I am just a wimp and don’t love gut-clenching angst. This book ends in a big cliffhanger. I am a little afraid to read the next book because I know there are still some huge, terrible things to come. But I want to keep reading at the same time because I want to know what happens. I am crossing my fingers that Ms. Ann can make everything okay in Evelyn’s world again!
Okay first of all Jewel E Ann is a amazing author.
The way she can string words together to create beautiful pieces of ….! What could I even call it.
The Life that Mattered is book 1 in a duet. Yes you must read them in order. Yes there is a big cliffy at the end of book 1.
Yes, this story will make you happy, Anxious, nervous, mad, excited, sad and maybe even question what the hell is that or even make you say … what the actual f*##!
But it’s worth every word!
Bravo Jewel you did it again! I have so many unanswered questions. I need answers!
Impatiently waiting for book 2.
I’m not sure how I can do this book justice with my view so I’m just going to try stringing a few words together.
Talk about an emotional rollercoaster ride!! This book had a little bit of everything…..a bit of the unknown/unexplainable, heat, passion, love, heartbreak, fear, understanding, acceptance. Wow! It was amazing! It had my heart breaking a few times but was also working to mend it.
Now that ending had me gasping for breathe and screaming at my kindle, but I wouldn’t change a single thing. Can hardly wait for book 2
This book is absolutely incredible. I love Jewel. I’ve read almost all of her books and I just love the depth and realness to her stories. The Life that Mattered will leave readers questioning their existence. It’s thought-provoking, funny, heartbreaking, and sexy. It has this slow burn suspense that kept me glued to the pages. I am obsessed with Ronin and Evelyn. Their chemistry is like pure magic. I never wanted this book to end, but I knew it would have a crazy cliffy, and that’s okay. I was ready for it. I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next book. I think I know, but I’m so often proven wrong with this author.
There’s not a lot I can say without giving something away, so just read it. Seriously, everyone should read this book!
I am amazed at the creativity of Jewel E Ann she always manages to surprise and intrigue me with her storylines and the Life That Mattered is no exception. Evie and Ronin meet while she is in Vancouver, Canada with her two best friend Lila and Graham. Ronin and Evie fall fast and hard for each other. Ronin and Evie, Lila and Graham become a close foursome. They have a happy life, but they also have to deal with the things that life has a tendency to throw at you. Ronin also has some experiences that may be out of the ordinary, but he has always been able to handle them until he couldn’t. Really looking forward to seeing where this story goes in The Life You Stole.
Rated 4.5 Stars
The Life That Mattered was I don’t even where to begin without spoiling it, it was unexpected, it was great and I need the next book as soon as possible. I’m on pins and needles waiting to see what happens next especially after the way it ended. These characters and this story totally consumed me in the best way possible. I very highly recommend this book. Do yourself a favour and go read it.
Copy provided by author
Y’all I’m in tears as I write this. I legit don’t know how on earth I am supposed to function, how in the ever lovin’ world I am supposed to get up every day and adult until I know what happens. Until I know how this plays out. Evelyn “Evie” and Ronin’s story will burrow into your heart from the moment they meet and you won’t be able to let them go. EVER!
When we first meet Evelyn she’s on a trip with her best friends Lila and Graham. They are a huge part of her life. Lila whom she has known for most of her life and Graham who she briefly dated in college for like a second before realizing they are better at being best friends. There is such a strong bond and history with them intertwined over the years.
Ronin Alexander is this amazingly gorgeous, world traveling man, a super hero adventurer. A chance encounter over bubble tea and hot buns on his last day in Vancouver before leaving for a new job in Aspen, he meets the beautiful Evie -and later that night Lila and Graham. He knew from the first look across the table in the tea shop, this body soap making scientist would change his life forever. But Ronin was keeping secrets from Evie. From day one he’d been hiding behind secrets and lies to protect her. What happens when the secrets and lies start to pile up? When he has to look back on every decision he’s made would he change anything?
Evelyn’s character was phenomenal. She was so strong. She was in her mid thirties and had her crap together. She was successful and had a really cool business. She has her good friends, her parents. Then she meets this amazing man. Ronin was everything she was missing and didn’t even realize she was missing until she found him. GAH! They were nothing short of spectacular together. Every touch , every kiss, every moment they had was pure magic. I couldn’t have loved this couple more. They are perfect together. I loved their love. I love the way they view the word love. What it meant to them as a couple. You will know what I’m talking about when you read this.
When things began changing I really started to get terrified because I remembered back to the prologue and I’m not gonna lie I’m scared y’all! I have a feeling I’m in for the big D. Yup, DEVASTATION! I wanna beg, borrow and steal, do whatever I can to ensure everything is okay at the end of book two. Because right now I AM NOT OKAY!!
PSA- Check on your book buddies that just finished book one y’all, because we are not okay right now. We need to form a circle of friends and hug it out, let the feelings flow my sisters.
*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book!
– I’m officially in AWE!! Jewel Ann’s books always do this to me! I know going in I’m gonna get an emotional beat down! ( and she served it to us with a sweet little smile on her face) This was emotional, but it was funny and hot too. It was also so happy and swoony and frustrating. That Cliffy though! GAHHH!
– Ronin was the most adorable gentleman and then Alpha AF in the sheets, or the shower or the floor. Holy Hot Dang!Talk about moanin for Ronin! Y’all it was the hottest thing ever!
Cliffhanger Warning- OMG!! I literally was bawling my eyes out at this cliffy. I need to know what happens like I need Air in my lungs.
There goes my heart and soul . It is scattered and messed up. And I have no idea what to do with all the chaotic feelings after finishing The Life That Mattered by Jewel E. Ann. She once again has left me speechless and breathless with this mindblowing story. Well I expected nothing less because it’s Jewel E.Ann. Now what am I supposed to do with my life till the second book comes? Yes it gave me the biggest book hangover. And it forced me to stop and think innumerable questions and deal with the emotional aftermath long after turning the last page.
This story does not have a linear narrative. It’s a story of friendship and love. It’s told in dual POV of Evelyn and Ronin. It follows their journey through love, loss, pain, grief, struggle and happiness. And it also takes you to the twilight zone of reality and mystical world. Evelyn’s best friends and later couple Lila and Graham also play very important role and I think we still do not know what they will bring into this story. I do not want to talk about the storyline because this is something you need to dive in blindly. Evelyn owns a body products shop in Aspen and she meets Ronin, a paramedical and rescuer in a trip with Lila and Graham. It’s a beautiful and heartaching love story till something extraordinary happens to these ordinary people. Every time Ronin helps to save someone’s life, he becomes sick but doctors cannot find anything wrong with him. Evelyn is breaking down under too much pressure already. Her sick mother. Two kids. Her best friends going distant. The weird chemistry between them. Will Ronin’s truth took her to a place of no return?
I don’t know how Jewel E. Ann does this every single time. I am dizzy from the emotional whiplash. I can feel the adrenaling making my heart beat impossibly fast and my emotions running crazy to every direction. Every character here as so many facades and layers. Like beyond complex. Like a true artist, the author painstakingly built them stroke by stroke. And I feel so much is still hiding. She got inside my brain cracking it open with her sharp words and violent emotions. This is the trademark angsty, i-am-going-to-die kind of heartbreaking and fascinationg story Jewel Ann writes. But also something I never read before. She dragges me to the core of everything the characters were feeling. So many components came to play here. Romance. Psychology. Medical science. Spiritual world. Parapsychology. Philosophy. I know I am being vague but you need to trust when I say this is something you have never experienced before. The ending was jaw dropping and heart stopping but totally necessary.
The Life That Mattered by Jewel E. Ann is a surreal experience for me. This is so beyond a praising review and five stars. This is something unparalleled, unique and life changing in every possible way.
Received ARC for honest review.
WTH do you do to me every single time Jewel E. Ann? Falling for your characters is like falling in a deep hole and you know you will never climb out. The heartbreak and pain that come with this book isn’t something I would pass up because the words are to precious and gut wrenching you just have to absorb them and keep going. My heart went out to Evie and Ronin but also for Lila and Graham. Four friends destined to spend their days together but would it really end that way. It does end in a cliffhanger of all cliffhangers but don’t let that deter you from soaking up these beautiful words.
The prologue had me on pins and needles. There is no way that readers won’t be immediately hooked by the it. I was all in from the beginning to the end, and I’m impatiently waiting for part two of this duet series.
I fell hard for the two main characters, Evelyn and Ronin. Evelyn is like a sunflower; bright, warm and sunny. I loved that she is a chemist and uses her skills for saponification. Ronin is sexy personified. He’s tall, athletic, and chivalrous. He is just perfect for Evelyn. They fall fast and hard in the way you might expect of soul mates finding one another in another life.
The prose is beautiful, and the plot is well paced. There is the perfect blend of intrigue, drama, and romance. A few odd plot points didn’t make sense at first, but eventually their significance is revealed.
Whether they are lovable or not, the secondary characters are fabulous. I adored Ronin’s parents. Evelyn’s best friends felt toxic and controlling. The entire book is richly layered like a Napoleon cake from the very best Parisian bakery. As she has done in a few of her other novels, the author asks her audience to take a deep breath and open their minds to some “unexplained phenomena and unprovable ideologies”.
I was completely ensconced in this story and invested in the characters, and I have to warn you to be prepared for a soul crushing cliff hanger. Don’t let that discourage you, because author Jewel E Ann will resuscitate your barely beating heart in book 2, The Life You Stole, which will release Feb. 20, 2020.
Absolutely amazing storytelling. I was hooked at the prologue and didn’t want to put the book down till the final chapter and whoa boy what a final chapter!
“That was it. When the time came, life couldn’t stop it. Like your heart would burst if you didn’t share the emotions that dominated your existence. It was too much for one person to bear.”
Jewel E Ann has done it again and drew me right into the story, tossed me around till I didn’t know if up was down or down was up, then dropped me out at the end desperate for more.
“That’s the thing about you, Evie … I had no idea I was waiting for someone until you arrived.”
I loved all the characters in this story. Even as much as I dislike Graham, I sort of love him too.
The Life That Mattered is book one in the Life Duet, but luckily we don’t have such a long wait for book two.
-All the Stars!-
4.5 STARS
First things first:
The rating is provisional, I’m almost 100% sure I’ll give the whole Duet 5/6 stars
(the struggle is just too fresh, too real right now, since I’ve just finished the book).
****
You know who Jewel E Ann is?
Yeah, that author who loves to share organic beverages with the Devil at coffee shops, plotting her poor readers little heart’s emotional breakdowns every time she decides to write a new book/series… and who’s supposed to kiss our boo-boos better…
So why… WHYYYYY do I do this to myself… AGAIN???
Because Jewel gave me Luke.
Because she gave me Griffin.
(And of course, all the unimaginable hurt that came with them, but Oh, do I adore both of them!!!)
So… I just trust her.
Yes, this book wrecked me.
But it’s so worth the hurt.
I may have cringed with some aspects, some relationships, I mean, the author surely pushed my boundaries, but she did an amazing job doing so.
I may not have fully connected, nor trusted some characters: one or two still give me the chills, I don’t know why…, but since it’s the first book in a Duet, all the questions remain, unanswered.
You need this book, trust me.
Just some advices:
* Avoid spoilers. You don’t want to ruin your experience, right? (and yes, you’ll experience all the emotions all right!!!!)
* Don’t try to be smarter than Jewel. It’s pointless.
You’ll never see it coming.
* Just enjoy the ride, and of course brace yourself! (I mean… don’t be selfish, I want you to hurt like me!!!)
There’s one thing I don’t like AT ALL. in the book:
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Dude, the wait!!!
March is so, sooooo far away…
In the meantime, well… I guess I’ll just seat in a corner, bawling my eyes out, licking my wounds…. And yes, please, Jewel, kiss our boo-boos better!!! Yeah?
***ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review***
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I’m still processing, and analyzing, and plotting out my thoughts and hypotheses and I’m gonna need book 2, like now!
Once again, Jewel E Ann has created a set of characters and woven a plot line around and through them and maybe around again and I’m 100% hooked. I am emotionally invested. Seriously, how is she so good at character development?!?!
I’m not gonna say much about the plot, because you just need to read it, but there are 4 friends and they are connected in more ways than what is obvious and I don’t think we even realize all that’s going on yet…that’s why I need that 2nd book because I have a feeling the poop is gonna hit the fan and oh, God, please don’t break my heart author lady!!! There is a slight paranormal development in this one too, which becomes a bigger element as the story progresses and I like it. I like it a lot. Just read it!
I’m wiped out and don’t know what to do with myself.
Jewel E Ann is one of the most unpredictable authors I read- I’ve learned to never let my guard down when it comes to her books. She writes such intriguing and compelling, and engrossing stories, that sometimes I’m not sure if I love her or hate her. Okay, hate may be too strong of a word, but jeez the things she does to my heart!
The Life That Mattered left me worn TF out- I was kind of on edge the entire time I was reading, never knowing what was coming around the next corner. Although some of the tension I was putting myself under was unfounded, that ending is a prime example of why you just can’t sleep on Ms. Ann. It’s no secret that this book ends on a cliffhanger, it is book 1 of a duet after all, but come on! I don’t even know what to do with myself right now. I don’t know how to feel or what to think. I need book 2.
This author and book are a first for me and I’m so glad I read this book. I will be highly recommending this book to everyone. I really enjoyed reading this powerful book and this story line was phenomenal. This book deserves five million stars. This book is book #1 in the series.
Everlyn is a strong woman, and she definitely has to be, her best friend Lila and her other long time friend Graham are together to. I’m not sure if they are totally compatible though.
Everlyn is married to Ronin and their chemistry is of the charts.
Graham is a governor and is sometimes quite hard a person.( I thought that he was difficult at first and I wasn’t sure about hum). He and Everlyn have alot of banter between them alot. ( NO SPOILERS)
I was hooked on this book from page one and I was really rooting for them as a couple. This book does flit between the past and present to. This author writes the characters awesomely.
There journey is very relatable and personal. It’s real, hard and raw and this couple will stay with me a while.
They go through alot, alot of pain, heartbreak and this book is quite emotional, you will definitely need your tissues ready for this book.
This book is a complete page turner and I just couldn’t put it down, it keeps you completely hooked and I read it so fast. I really liked the authors writing style and this book is beautifully written.
You could feel the emotion through the pages, the heartbreak, the sadness, the anger, the guilt, hope and most of all the love. It’s mindblowingly good and should be made into a film.
I absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future, it’s absolutely fabulous. This book will stay with me a while. I absolutely NEED BOOK 2 NOW. WOW.
I will be highly recommending this book to everyone when it gets released.
Thank you to the author and publishers for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
This book is Now Live.
Oh my heart! There is so much emotion in this book that my feelings are overflowing! Jewel E Ann always creates empathetic, beautiful characters who leave you longing to hold them and be a part of their lives. Evie and Ronin are no different. They are incredibly drawn and spring off the page fully formed and real.
As always TLTM is full of elegant prose and flowing dialogue. Once I get my heart out of my mouth, I will make myself a cup of tea and just think….