The Life You Stole (The Life Series Book 2)

What an amazing story! Such a tangled web of deceit and lies to wade through. I was truly on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book, kept off balance by a story that is completely unique and unpredictable.

“People who do extraordinary, brave things do it knowing it could kill them or change them forever.”

I did not love all of these characters and more often than not completely hated their choices but at all times I ‘felt’ for them.

“Sometimes we loved with lies and protected with sins.”

This book was like an emotional shipwreck! I was tossed all over but survived in the end to tell my tale.

-5+ Stars!!-

Jewel E Ann took this story, this Duet, where only she could take it! Phenomenal storytelling with a grip of reality and a twist of empathetic parapsychology, deceit, angst, enigmatic characters and so much more!

Something inexplicable yet told in a compellingly heart gripping, soul searching manner. Expertly developed and brilliantly executed I became enthralled and spellbound to the point of finishing this duet with a bit of melancholy and loss entwined with a sense of peace and contentment.

I finished this book in 2 days, but I needed a few days to process what I read. If you are a fan of JEA, this duet will have you thinking your life’s choices, I say this jokingly, but seriously, this author went there. I thought When Life Happened or the Transcend/Epoch was mind shattering, JEA spun everything on its axis with this Life Duet.

You know that Prologue that threw everyone off? Well it comes into play with the second book. You won’t be ready. The angst level was at 1,000%. You will want to scream, cry, throw things, turn off your reading device, or if you are paperback reader, close the book. It was one thing after another, after another, my head was spinning. Where as in the first book, my anxiety was giving me headaches, book 2 my heart was racing. I didn’t want to rush reading because I knew I would miss something. But I needed to know how that Prologue was going to play out.

Let me say this, Evie is the true MVP, Ronin is just swoon worthy. Lila will break your heart, and Graham … well let’s just say I will leave your judgment as you will feel about him.

I know this review is vague and truthfully I don’t think I can master a good enough review to really tell you my love for this author’s writing.

This is a darker book (and this coming from a person who usually does not read dark reads). Hold on to your e-reader/paperback because you are all in for wild ride.

Book 2 did not go as expected. And right there is a Jewel E Ann book. I felt every emotion under the sun. In book one you get this epic love story and a mystery to solve. In book 2 I feel as if I got hit by a truck. There were parts that made me so mad and at the very same time I was feeling as if I understood why the story had to go in that direction. As with every book this author writes, you get a fantastic story and always a twist you aren’t expecting. Characters who stick with you for a very long time. This is story telling at it’s best.

I am broken. I am shaking and completely cluless about how to deal the emotional aftermath of The Life You Stole by Jewel E.Ann. It takes immense courage and mad skills to go to the complex and dark places of human mind like she did. I am feeling like a live wire and my heart is nothing but a vessel of all the extraordinary emotions!

After the life threatening accident, Lila is connected to Ronin. And that starts an unfortunate and heartbreaking string of events. Lila and Graham’s marriage is a sham. Ronin is crumbling under the fatigue and depression. Evie does not know how to handle the mess called her life. There ought to be a way out. But at what cost? For me, this is a journey of four people and you have to read the story to know who reached the end point.

Like the first book, this story is all about feelings. Jewel Ann literally squeezed my heart painfully and twisted the knife deep in my soul. I cried. I cursed. I threw my kindle way too many times because I just could not take it. This was overwhelming and brilliant. Each character has flaws and cracks. I hate and love them at the same time. But Ronin and Evie own my heart. Their love was beaten, bruised and tested viciously but they survived. The truly epic kind of love. The story is a minefield of plot twists. I could not anticipate a single one and I was kept at the edge all the time. This story was an oddly satisfying mix of jaw dropping suspense,twisted psychological games , dark erotic edge and heartaching romance.

I don’t think my review can do justice to The Life You Stole by Jewel E. Ann. This is a very special once in a lifetime reading experience. My limits were stretched beyond my imagination. My emotions are all over the place. The words have slayed me completely.

Received ARC for honest review

I have gone back and forth several times debating on this review. There is no doubt that is an epic unique duet however the second book was not what I expected hoped or wanted. For me book one was a timeless unshakeable love story so the actions and decisions made in this one shook my faith in that epic love.

We pick up the story where book one left off and whilst the first book was a love story with suspensful elements the whole tone of it changed to more of a psychological thriller. We get Lila and Graham’s POV, now while I found Graham’s twisted mind a fascinating place to be Lila’s I wasn’t bothered about. They say you should always go with your gut instinct and from book one I didn’t trust Graham, there just seemed something off with him. Lila was a character I didn’t take to in book one and subsequently had very little empathy with her. I know it’s silly to feel this way but I feel so let down by Ronin, he felt like a different person in this one. Evelyn was the one who stood out for me and stayed true to who she was in the first book even if I did scream at her to open her eyes to what was happening around her.

This is a must read duet and I say that because of how the author made me feel about the story and my love hate relationship with the characters.

THE LIFE YOU STOLE is the second and final instalment in Jewel E Ann’s contemporary, adult LIFE transcendental, preternatural duet focusing on paramedic and ski instructor Ronin Alexander, and chemist/soap maker Evelyn ‘Evie’ Taylor, and their friends Governor Graham Porter and his fiancé Lila. THE LIFE YOU STOLE should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book one THE LIFE THAT MATTERED.

WARNING: Due to the nature and content of the story line premise THE LIFE YOU STOLE may contain triggers, and therefore may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.

NOTE: If you have not read THE LIFE THAT MATTERED, there may be some spoilers in my review.

Told from four first person perspectives (Evie, Ronin, Graham and Lila) THE LIFE YOU STOLE follows in the aftermath of a skiing accident that left Lila struggling to survive, and Ronin permanently connected to Evie’s best friend. Ronin Alexander is a ski instructor/ paramedic, and struggles with in the wake of every life he has to save but Ronin is compelled by the recent rescue of Lila, a rescue that will damage and destroy his relationship with his wife.

Jewel E Ann pulls the reader into a unique and startling story line of friendship and betrayal; of what ifs and whys; of vengeance, power, and control. THE LIFE YOU STOLE will be a difficult read for many readers as the content is dark and raw, emotional and powerful. The struggles are real; the pain is palpable; the heart break and torment a punch to the gut. A dramatic and intense story of hatred and love; of secrets and lies; of one man’s battle between life and death. THE LIFE YOU STOLE is a fantastic, amazing and wondrous psychological thriller with a paranormal edge that will keep you on the edge of you seat.

Overall Grade: Stars don’t do this book (and its predecessor) justice—> More than all the stars

It’s February of 2020, and I’m dead. Obviously, it’s not literal; it’s figurative, of course. But after reading Jewel E. Ann’s The Life Series, I’m broken. The book that officially stuck a fork in my soul and rendered it done: The Life You Stole. There are many things that make a writer brilliant, talented, genius, (you choose the modifier here to express the greatness of a writer), etc. I’ve noted them in other reviews: the ability to connect a story to my soul so that my emotions overwhelm me when I’m reading the story, the careful construction of prose to render my writerly brain speechless in the face of said prose, the purposeful creation of characters that feel both real and unreal and my inability to suspend my disbelief in their presence. All of these conspire to create stories/books that earn the descriptor of “good.” Obviously, “good” or “bad” lies in the eye of the beholder. I’ve seen GoodReads ratings of 1 star simply because someone hates the idea of a book. They have “been there done that.” I obviously struggle with that level of critique because it’s lazy and seems like a move to render themselves a “troll.” Whatever…

The point of my rambling in this review is set-up, the understanding of the depth of genius. Because…because The Life series, and for purposes of this review The Life You Stole, illustrates the reason that people, readers, you, should read this duet and Jewel E. Ann’s booklist. Again, I know this is my opinion, and there are aspects of this book that will turn readers off instantly (I refuse to name them). But to NOT read this book and its predecessor is to ignore genius. Literally.

I have only been reading romance for the past two years, so I’m a relative newbie. There is MUCH that I have yet to read. I mean, for gosh sakes, I just read my first Colleen Hoover book, and I refuse to read the Twilight series (yes, you can shoot me). I share this with you to show you my shortcomings as a reviewer. I am trying to catch up; I’ve read almost a 1,000 books from a variety of authors in the past two years. Yet, I know that there is a big wide world of romance out there. When I make this statement, take it with all of my spewing in mind. I have NOT read a book like the two of this series. Nothing (and I read anything from dark to clean, angsty to funny ha ha rom-coms) has compared to The LIfe That Mattered and The Life You Stole. Nothing. Here’s my come clean moment: I could NOT suspend my disbelief in the reading of The Life You Stole, and I had to read it out of chronology to save my soul. You might be asking me why I’m sharing that…because, to me, any book that renders me an emotional, anxious puddle is genius. When a book reaches into your heart and palpitates it for you, it’s a good book. Any book that makes you want to vomit out its pain is genius. Literature exists to MOVE us, not always to satiate us. The best writers of our time did and do that. And this series moved me and rearranged my thinking about topics I HATE to talk about.

I will not talk about this story other than to tell you it is more of Evelyn “Evie,” Ronin “Roe,” Lila, and Graham. When The Life You Stole ends, you feel replete, but you MUST go through emotional turmoil to get there. This isn’t a “feel good” book in the midst of its telling; the resolution of its story brings a completeness that feels well-earned. Every word you read is a reward for the story’s end. Remember that.

So, I’ve rambled on for good measure about the background of this book, the reasons for noting a writer as genius, here is where I will tell you, beyond the emotional connection of this book, WHY you should read Jewel E. Ann’s The Life Series, more specifically The Life You Stole:

This is a master class in storytelling. I’m going to try to explain my thinking here, and it will probably be confusing but bear with me. In my review of The Life That Mattered, I noted the space between Ann’s words, as though there was more to be said but it wasn’t revealed in the story. In reading The Life You Stole, that revelation of silence is KEY. It’s intentional. The silence of The Life That Mattered finds its space in The Life You Stole, and Ann uses it to illustrate its harm. The characters of this story remain silent, and it breaks apart lives in destructive ways. To craft that silence into her prose and story is GENIUS. As romance readers, we miss aspects of storytelling such as structure, but we shouldn’t. It’s in that space where writers illustrate their craftsmanship. Jewel E. Ann is masterful with it here. Even more, she furthers this in giving Lila and Graham points of view in The Life You Stole. She’s filling in the silence of the story with more words, revealing more secrets as a contrast to the silence of the characters with each other in the story. Once again, this underscores the danger of keeping secrets and remaining silent. This is storytelling acumen at its best.
I cannot share the concepts of this book without revealing spoilers so I won’t. What I will say is that Jewel E. Ann is playing with concepts in ways to challenge our thinking about them. As each page turns, you begin to question your thoughts and feelings about a concept, and you’re forced to ask yourself if you can change your perception of them. In fact, by the end of the book, you will find yourself in the gray, accepting things you never thought you might accept. Jewel E. Ann moves you, forces you to stare at your reflection and understand where your line is drawn in the sand. Even more, she challenges you with The Life You Stole (and The Life That Mattered) to re-draw it. The best writers challenge your thinking and values. That is the power of literature.
All her words. I’ve noted this in other Jewel E. Ann reviews, but her ability to string words together is a gift. She can take the simplest of terms and render them into a sentence of meaning. Over and over again, this book’s words bewitch your spirit. I found myself reveling in them, as I did with her story construction and character development.

Reading The Life You Stole awakened my literature brain. I took two pages of scribbled notes about this book trying to make sense of my emotions and thoughts. This rambling review is the closest I can get to telling you WHY you should read this book and its sister. I won’t give you any summary; there are other truths I’d love to reveal; and there is literary theory that I could pour into this review, but it would reveal too much. And The Life Series must simply be experienced for you to understand its truth. There is a depth of understanding about human nature in this book that will bend your mind, your heart, and your soul, and I predict there is no book in 2020 that will do the same. The Life That Mattered and The Life You Stole sit in a class all their own.

ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!

HO. LEE. SMOKES!!!! Jewel E. Ann just brought her emotional game to a whole new level! This story! I couldn’t breathe through most of it and my heart was in my throat!

I can’t even talk about this story! You must experience every single emotion! And trust me, there are a ton. The twists, the rawness, the overwhelming, intense feelings. Oh, my goodness, I devoured this story! I can’t stop thinking about it and it will stay with me forever. Absolutely amazing!!

“Sometimes we lived with lies and protected with sins.”

Jewel E. Ann is one hell of a storyteller, that’s a fact.
From the moment I picked up this Duet I’ve been utterly fascinated with not only the characters and fantastic plot but the whole mystery and the possibility of it all.

This book follows on from the spectacular cliffy of book 1 and dives straight into the conclusion of this mesmerising story. The complex intertwined lives of these four characters will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s full of suspenseful moments as things get more complicated, their friendships are tested and pushed to the limits.

All I will say is this conclusion was nothing like I thought it would be but so much better than I could’ve imagined. My mind is blown, my nerves are frayed and I’m an emotional wreck but I’ve loved every heart pounding moment.

I’ve never read a story quite like this one before, it’s unique thought provoking and just so Jewel.
Do yourself a favour pick up this Duet today, it might just change Your Life for the better.