“Jennifer Ryan is at the height of her story-telling best. Page-turning, powerful, with high stakes drama and unforgettable romance, I couldn’t put this novel down!”—Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling authorIf you like Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery, you’ll love Jennifer Ryan’s exciting new novel, where a young woman has the chance to rebuild her life and become the woman she was always … life and become the woman she was always meant to be…
An inheritance she never expected…
After serving time for a crime she didn’t commit, Evangeline returns home to discover her father left her solely responsible for the family’s failing ranch, her mother blames her for her father’s death, and her brothers want her out of their way. With her family’s future squarely on her shoulders, she desperately searches for ways to save their home—before they lose everything.
A chance to right past mistakes…
Her only ally, Chris Chambers. The cop who sent her away is positive she took the fall for someone else. And if she helps him track down the real criminals, he’ll clear her record. But the closer Evangeline and Chris get to exposing the truth—and to each other—the deeper Evangeline is drawn into a dangerous sting that will finally bring her justice and pave the way for a bright future.
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love this! please write more a.s.a.p.
Different than normal romances, had two or three things going on
Well written book, I really enjoyed it. Was totally unexpected ending but perfect. Quick read, once you start you will want to keep reading.
Jennifer Ryan has outdone herself! A wonderfully crafted story about family – about how one secret caused so much pain and anguish. How one moment in time forever changed a family and how, when they finally learned the secret – they worked together to repair their family. I’d give it 10 stars if I could – loved every minute of it!
Jennifer Ryan can write sexy romances and intriguing mysteries as proved by The Me I Used to Be. I found this book to be intriguing, original, frustrating at times, and intense. When I say frustrating, I mean I HATE how Evangeline was treated. I also don’t like the fact that she served time in prison after being wrongfully accused, but that IS the point of the story and I loved her essential fight for her life in the aftermath.
That being said, this book is a very good read. It’s also pretty intense as you are going to be rooting for the characters but also feeling all the built up tension from everything going on. That my friends is how an author should write books like this, btw. I love the feelings it brought out of me and I truly enjoyed Evangeline as a character.
If you are looking for something different, I would HIGHLY recommend reading The Me I Used to Be by Jennifer Ryan!
Jennifer Ryan
From start to finish, The Me I Used to Be drew me in and kept me riveted until the last word. This is a story of deception, fractured family issues, forgiveness, and embracing the future.
The Me I Used to Be is a quick read with a compelling storyline and characters you’ll fall in love with. You’ll find yourself at the edge of your seat as Evangeline works through the secrets and lies that put her in prison in the first place. You’ll find yourself wanting to step into your kindle to help Evangeline confront her family and her past. You’ll find yourself smiling like crazy when good defeats evil. You’ll find yourself cheering Evangeline on as she re-establishes her life and finds love with Chris.
A wonderful book with a terrific ending!
One of the best I’ve read this summer. A bit of a change from the author’s usually, a good read, only missing piece, the move from hate to love had a bit fast – given the loss of four years of the heroine’s life.
An interesting twist…I can’t remember ever reading about a female ex-con, but this author wrote this story beautifully. Seriously full of angst and emotion. I loved it all… a great story and amazing romance with a tough, kick-ass heroine!
Second time’s the charm! Evangeline’s strength is inspiring, after everything she goes through in prison for a crime she didn’t commit, she comes out even stronger and determined to get her life in order. Chris is the officer that put her behind bars, and he’s the only person she has for support. Her family is wretched and I spent a lot of the time wanting to kick their teeth in. The Me I Used to Be is another amazing book from Jennifer Ryan, and I highly recommend this to fans of multiple romance genres!
Jennifer Ryan’s “The Me I Used to Be” featured an intriguing setup and mostly likeable main characters, although Chris, the male protagonist, almost seemed like too much of a paragon to me by the end of the book. He was clearly a good guy and I liked that he was always looking out for Evangeline, the female protagonist, but for some reason he came across as a little too perfect to me. IMO, I think the author may have gone a little overboard in trying to redeem Chris for his past mistakes where Evangeline was concerned, which resulted in her being a little afraid of him when the book began. (She definitely wasn’t afraid of him by the end!)
That said, I found the story to be mostly engaging, and it kept me invested because I wanted to see how things would turn out for Evangeline. I was a little surprised by how quickly and easily she seemed to readjust to life outside prison, however. In fact, the overall timeline of the story felt really rushed to me considering everything that happened.
In addition, I did not like Evangeline’s family members at all. It really bothered me that they continued to treat her like dirt even after they learned the truth about what happened to land her in prison. They all raged against Evangeline for being selfish, when they were way more selfish than she was. Her brothers only seemed to be concerned about themselves, and her mother just seemed to want to find someone else to blame for all of her problems. Evangeline seemed to go out of her way to find solutions to all of her family’s problems and ensure that they would all be happy and successful in the end, but I don’t think a single one of them really acknowledged all of her hard work.
Overall, this was a decent read, but I don’t think it’s going to be a keeper for me. The (mostly) unlikable secondary characters and the rushed timeline kind of ruined things for me.
*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Compelling and captivating. This book has a bit of everything – romance, family relationships, moving forward, emotion, suspense, hope. I enjoyed this book – quite different from other books of hers that I’ve read. It’s a good read.
As soon as I read the summary of this book, I knew it would be special and that I needed to read it. I was so right, very special and a pleasure to read! Evangeline Austen is being released from prison, due to the death of her father, after serving four years for a crime she did not commit. While in prison, she was attacked several times and is now a very different Evangeline, tougher, smarter and determined to get justice. Lt. Chris Chambers, the cop who arrested her, is the only one trying to make the return to her former life easier. He has always been attracted to her and knows that there was more to her arrest, but she would not talk. He will have her record expunged if she helps him catch the guilty parties. Her families ranch is in financial trouble, her brothers do not agree on how to save the ranch and her mother blames her for her father’s death. Evangeline does everything that you want the heroine of a story to do…make smart decisions and attack the problem head on. I so thoroughly enjoyed this story, the characters, the emotion, the suspense, the beautiful love scenes and justice served. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
This book started strong as the reader experiences what Evangeline is going through as she sits in front of her parole board and then faces her family, who is convinced she betrayed them and broke the heart of the family patriarch, sending him to an early grave. There’s a powerful buildup as readers recognize that Evangeline is holding some big secrets close to her scarred chest. I was engaged, my heart pounding and hurting for this woman.
And then the story fell flat. What should have been a powerful, emotional reveal happened with a fizzle (so much so that I reread it a second time to see if I missed anything). From there the array of conflicts thrown at readers roll out pretty much the same way in almost eyeroll-worthy moments. From Evangeline being left in charge of the family ranch at 24 after spending the last 4 years in prison to her being in love with a man she feared just weeks earlier, the reader must suspend belief time and time again.
There was so much potential in this book and I’m so disappointed in how it played out.
3 stars for the strong start.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.