The Ugly Roses Trilogy #1On the run.A new name, a new country, a new life.One man wants to love me.The other one wants me dead.Three days trapped in that tomb he called a basement.I’m free now and the only thing stopping me from going home is… I don’t know who ‘he’ is, yet.I need justice, redemption, and my broody neighbor Ryder Callaghan may be the man to help me.Am I able to open to open up … help me.
Am I able to open to open up to him about my past? Or will I embrace the cold-hearted bitch I have become and leave him behind like everything else in my shit life.
I was once a nice woman named Jayne O’Connor.
I’m not sure I know who that is anymore.
The Ugly Roses Trilogy #2
One crooked Mayor
His fiance
A few good men and a slut named Claudia.
He lied.
Ryder didn’t help me.
He broke my fcking heart.
I’m at a crossroad and no matter which way I turn, I’m fcked.
Ryder or retribution?
This life of mine isn’t a fairytale.
I know I can’t have both.
The Ugly Roses Trilogy #3
A shady police force
One unborn child
Inmate number 67413
What you believe you know is all a lie.
Trapped in a cage, the harsh bite of concrete under my knees is a cruel reminder of my past.
Surrendering is not an option, and retribution may not be the answer.
This is a reckoning.
“Ryder doesn’t wait, he takes it. Like everything else in life, he grabs it by the horns and rides that bitch into the sunset. No holds barred, he takes whatever he wants and doesn’t stop until I give it back.”
The Ugly Roses Trilogy is recommended +18 Due to mature content.more
These books sucked me in and I did not let go! Harlow took me on a roller coaster ride with all the twist and turns, and i did not want to get off! Harlow delivered such raw emotions and it was a beautifully executed trilogy!
***Note, the first and second book of this trilogy do end with cliffhangers so I recommend reading them in order.
When I read the blurb of these books I thought to myself ‘this books sounds good’ and with the author being new to me I was a little nervous going in. I am SO GLAD that I gave this author and this series a chance. It is very well written and has a great storyline.
It is a heart wrenching page-tuner that pulls you in and won’t let you go. It’s an emotional roller coaster ride on a journey of twist and turns, ups and downs, and survival. Nothing will stop Elle from finishing what started so long ago. She is devoted to finding out the truth to what destroyed her life as she once knew it. Things got from bad to worse before they get better. Join Elle along the way of her darkest journey before ending with the beautiful HEA you’ve hoped for since the first page of this series.
The author done an amazing job capturing the details of the story and the character’s emotions from start to finish of this trilogy.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a “deep” and “emotional” read.
Overall, I enjoyed this journey. I absolutely adored Ryder. He was very patient, supportive, and encouraging. For the most part, I liked Jayne/Harley/Elle – she went through terrible tragedy and trauma, and eventually found herself on the other side. She had a few moments that I wanted her to stop acting childishly, but how people react to trauma varies, and I suppose this could just be her way of dealing.
The editing left a lot to be desired. Book One wasn’t too bad, but as the trilogy progressed, the editing became more lacking. Constant misuse of your/you’re, their/they’re, piece/peace, among others. Inconsistencies in details – Inmate 67413 vs Inmate 76413, Patrov/Petrov, left arm injured vs. right arm injured. Missing words. Awkward sentences. One or two misses don’t take away from a story, and truthfully, people aren’t perfect. However, the shear number of misses in this one definitely took away from the flow of the story for me.
Thankfully, the box set allowed for the story to be read with relatively little interruption between books. We meet Jayne when she is ready to leave the hospital after reconstructive surgery. As she moves cross country to assume a new identity, we learn that she has lost her parents and little girl to a terrible car accident. Not long after that, she was abducted, tortured, and nearly killed before she was able to escape. While her abductor is dead, she believes that there was another person involved, and she is terrified that he will come finish the job. When she finally settles in a little town near Jacksonville, NC, she finds she has a very intriguing neighbor. Ryder is ex-military and owns his own security business. They begin a tentative friendship, that leads to deeper feelings. When Ryder accidentally sees her scars, she decides to run before he can reject her. Months later, Ryder finally tracks her down, hoping to convince her to come home with him. Jayne (who Ryder knows as Elle), finally begins to really open up to Ryder about her story. He vows to help her find the second person, and find the truth of her abduction. Just as their relationship starts to look like it might be heading to solid ground, a job in Chicago casts doubt on Ryder’s fidelity.
Jayne decides to go back to Canada to find the second person, get answers, and find closure. Ryder refuses to let her go – tracking her movements and sending his men to keep her safe. Unfortunately, the trouble in Chicago follows Jayne to Canada. Someone wants Ryder, and is not above using Jayne as leverage to meet their own agenda. Ryder races to untangle the Chicago mess and keep Jayne safe. Meanwhile, someone from the past wants Jayne to pay for the death of her abductor. Will they find the second person in time? Will they be friend of foe? Will Ryder be able to save Jayne from herself and the dark presence from the past?
So many twists and turns. What Jayne endured was really terrible. Losing her family, finding out it wasn’t an accident while in the midst of torture, enduring the torture, escaping, recuperating, running, and facing her past to find her future was quite the journey. So many great people supporting her – Ryder, Denny, Brock, Maverick, Ivan, Jimmy, and Laura. Really wonderful when she finally opened her eyes to see the people that loved her and wanted to help her. It is good that she was strong and independent, but sometimes she just took it too far. I did wish for a little more in the resolution of the Chicago issue. Loved how things turned out with Matty. Also really glad to see the author mention that Jayne/Elle had to work through the anger, which is part of the grieving process. Glad that she finally realized leaving the anger behind was part of healing, and didn’t mean that she loved her family any less. Enjoy!