Blake Carson can’t afford to have a life. Between working full-time as a tattoo artist and caring for his disabled twin brother Jacob, his plate is more than full – and he prefers it that way.But his meticulous planning is turned on its head when he meets the upbeat and beautiful Audrey Wright and her butterfly tattoo.Now, through a complicated maze of coincidence and fate, Blake begins to … Blake begins to question if maybe there could be more to his life than just work and Jacob.
That is, if the guilt doesn’t eat him alive first.
With the help of Dr. Vanessa Travetti and a girl he doesn’t think he deserves, can Blake convince himself that even the bad guy deserves a happy ending?
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I stayed up until 2am reading, because I couldn’t put this book down. This book is amazing, it gives you all the feels, happy, sad, angry, lustful, excited, etc. Watching Blake grow into the man he was always meant to be makes everything come full circle. Blue is a beautiful color and one Blake wears proudly.
Wow. This book was something else. I love the story line of fate and how one person can connect so many people without even knowing it. The poetry in the book is so beautifully written Kelsey Kingsley should consider dabbling in it herself. Kelsey’s books are always so real and beautiful. She makes each individual darkness and flaws into something that is admirable. Blake and Audrey’s story was amazing, they seemed to know each others weaknesses and strengths immediately and worked through each others problems almost with ease. They had problems and they were not easy but this book showed other ways problems can be handled with grace, persistence, and strength even when you feel broken. I loved this book and hope everyone else loves this book just as much as I did!
Beautifully written as always. I enjoyed seeing Blake grow. I loved Audrey. Jake and Freddy stole the show with their new friendship. However, it took me several days to read it and that’s unusual for me. I could only read a little bit at a time. It’s a darker, heavier feel than I gravitate toward and prefer. Overall a good story though.
Title: Warrior Blue
Author: Kelsey Kingsley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 5 ++
*I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
What a way start the new year! WOW! Mind blown. There aren’t words deep enough to describe my love for this book. It has raptured my heart in ways I didn’t think possible going in. Kelsey Kingsley is a new-to-me author that has won my heart with her writing. I am a new fan and plan to lookout for her upcoming future projects.
Blake, Blake, Blake gosh he’s such a great character. Loved his edge. Loved his layers. And once you got beneath them; his giant heart. Blake has flaws like the rest of us, but his care for his disabled brother (while he works as a tattoo artist) is beautiful and admirable. Blake’s withdrawnness isn’t for infantile reasons. No. He’s gone through such grave tragedy it’s incomprehensible. But still there’s hope. Faith. Love.
Insert Audrey who is Blake’s complete opposite in character. Who don’s preppy cloths and comes from an entirely different background that Blake instantly judges. The two don’t seem like they wound match but soon they find out fate, god, brought them together for a reason.
This book was a roller-coaster ride: thrilling at times then harsh at others. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed the harsh parts as much as the blissful ones because of the way Kelsey wrote it. This book has everything you want in a book. It even had some spiritual elements that I though added a nice touch. All-in-all a fantastic read that I can’t say well enough about. Don’t miss this masterpiece! It’s deliciously life changing!
This book was my first read of 2020 and I’m not sure that I will be able to do it justice. But I am going to try.
Blake carries a lot on his shoulders. And he does so because he believes he should. He has a successful career and is happy with the way things. When Audrey walks into his shop to get a tattoo, everything changes. Blake is not one to believe in fate, but things keep happening that make him think that maybe he should.
This book is quite the emotional roller coaster. Blake’s relationship with his parent’s was quite precarious and there were plenty of moments when they were so cruel and my heart just broke for him. Then there is the beautiful relationship he has with his brother that broke my heart for other reasons. It was just so pure. Maybe it was the twin thing or maybe it was something else, but I don’t think two people could be as close as they were. Jacob needed someone to take care of him and Blake never thought twice.
I liked that fact that Blake was in therapy and we got sit through his sessions with him. They felt really authentic and it just added so much to the story. So much of this book is about healing and him going to therapy was such a vital part of it.
Then there is Audrey. From the moment she walked into Blake’s tattoo studio, I knew there was more to her than meets the eye. Throughout the book we learn more about her and her life and that’s where the whole fate thing comes into play. There were these moments that took my breath away and made me super emotional.
With Kelsey’s book you don’t just get a love story, you get a story that makes you think and look at the world differently. I know it’s only January, but I can honestly say that this will be one of the best books that I read this year.
CW: Cancer, death of a loved one, talk of suicide
Kelsey just keeps getting better and better! This book has so much emotion, but it’s real. I love Blake’s journey, his pain and anger that he refuses to let own him but rather uses it to become a best version of himself. It’s not an easy transition, and his struggle is what makes his triumph so sweet. And Audrey, with her beautiful, positive refusal to let life get her down. I just love her unwillingness to let Blake self-destruct. I really, really love Jake and his innocent yet insightful balance to his brother. And I love his friendship with Freddy. Please, please read this book. You won’t regret it!
I loved this book. It is one that will stay with you a long time
I absolutely loved this book and once I started it, I couldn’t put it down! Loved the character arcs for both Blake and Audrey, and I loved Audrey’s unflappable love. Kelsey hit it out of the park with this one!
When the arc of this book hit my email inbox, I knew it was going to be something special. So I saved it to read on the first day of the new year. Over the course of 12 hours, in between picking up food for a family gathering to celebrate the first day of the year, eating, talking and spending time with family, I read. My instincts that it was going to bean epic story was right. Blake and Audrey’s story is a complete metamorphosis coupled with complicated family relationships and a series of events that somehow connect these characters to each other. I laughed. I cried. I smiled till my face hurt. Spending the day mesmerized by Kelsey’s words was so the perfect way to begin the new year. And these words…
“In the beginning, we are born in our purest form. We then become ourselves during the stage between caterpillar to butterfly, so colorful and full of beautiful possibility, and we believe, with the blindest of hope, that we’ll be perfect forever. That time is endless. That there is a multitude of chances, of opportunities. Until one day, the reality of mortality settles in deep and dark, and we suddenly become aware of how limited we are. It is all so black and white. There is no grey. We live and we die, and there’s nothing more to it than that”
…these words symbolize the metamorphosis of what I believe is to come in my life this year.
This book is filled with so much raw emotion. Kingsley rips your heart out of your chest and uses it as a basketball. Ups, downs, highs, lows, and being thrown all over the place are just some examples of what you will endure on this rollercoaster of an emotional ride. This is a gripping tale of love, heartache, forgiveness, loyalty, trust, and believing. It is all done from the main character’s view, yet, you still feel connected to the other characters. I love how we get to watch a molted rock crack open and start to ooze with a variety of feelings. Life’s not black and white. Truly living adds color to your timeline. Warrior Blue could be the next Hemmingway. It goes deeper than the words. You could dissect this book and find something new every time. A very moving collection of one’s psyche.
I was given a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
Way to set the Bar for 2020!
This was truly an AMAZING story, it filled me with laughter and tears.
What did I like the most??
– The parallels, the signs, the auras, the fated moments, coincidences
– The interactions between Blake and Jake
– Audrey’s strength, attitude, tenacity
– Freddy’s simple childlike view of the world and instant friendship with Jake
– Jason and Audrey’s relationship – that is the way co-parenting should be
– The growth in characters, especially Blake and his parents and even Dr. Travetti
And the COVER ~ I have always loved Kelsey’s covers but this one has such meaning, so PERFECT for this touching story.
Side note: If this is what we get when Kelsey only has a phone while recovering, I hate to see the Magnificence we’ll get when when she’s finish “brewing” that precious little one! Kelsey, please never stop writing your stories, they are some of the absolute BEST I have read
I freaking loved this book. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down until I finished. Kelsey Kingsley awes me with her words and this might be my favorite book of hers.
Blake Carson is a tattoo artist who is often angry and lives a colorless life that includes taking care of his disabled twin brother. He blames himself for his brother’s accident and feels he doesn’t deserve happiness. Audrey Wright comes into his tattoo shop for a replica of her sister’s tattoo and this tattoo is a catalyst for color and change to be introduced into Blake’s life. No matter how much he tries to not engage with Audrey, fate and circumstances keep throwing them together.
Blake’s growth throughout the book is absolutely heartbreaking and joyful at the same time. Audrey’s strength and faith is beautiful and inspiring. I loved Blake’s interaction with Jake and how he took care of him. His parents made me angry but I was also hopeful that they would be able to rebuild a semblance of a family at the end.
Warrior Blue is a breathtakingly beautiful book that will make you mad, sad, and also put a smile on your face. It will give you hope and make you think about fate and how we are all tied to one another. No words can do Warrior Blue justice. Just read it!!
More than just a romantic love story, Warrior Blue is a story of the love between two brothers. It’s simple and beautiful and just as complicated and hard.
Blake, Blake, Blake. He carried the troubles of the world on his shoulders. But the one thing that was no trouble for him was the deep love he felt for his brother Jake. Their relationship was beyond special. And then there is Audrey who enters his life when he thinks he needs her the least. Her steadfast conviction to be who and what he needs is just what the doctor ordered.
I really enjoy Kelsey Kingsley’s brand of storytelling. I wanted to mention the poetry. I’m not very good with it mostly because I don’t usually understand it. But the poetry in this story is gorgeous.
My love for Kelsey Kingsley’s work began with Holly Freakin’ Hughes, her debut novel from a few years ago. It’s a delicious read! Then came the Kinney Brothers, and the Devin O’Leary folks… all great books. Fun, full of heart and humor.
Then came Warrior Blue. She told her readers it was different than her other books. That it came from a different place in her head and heart. I can only say that her head and heart must be amazing places, because this book is off-the-charts great. I hesitate to call it romance – there’s an element of that, certainly. But it’s really more of a character study of a man who is buried under guilt, pain, and self-loathing. He works and cares for his disabled brother, but allows himself no joy.
Audrey comes along – this is not a meet-cute rom-com. She allows him to begin seeing things in a different light.
This book is brilliant. I read a lot – and a lot of different genres. Her words are lyrical, Blake’s pain is palpable on the page. Warrior Blue gave me such a book hangover it took me 2 weeks to find something that I could get my teeth into. Read this book. Definitely read her back library, too, because there’s a ton of great stuff in all of her books. But Warrior Blue will stick with me for a long time.
This book broke my heart, and put it back together again. It was so much more than just Blake and Audrey. Yes, Blake needed her. She made him better. She pulled him out into the world. He saw things differently with her.
Jake… I loved him. It was clear Blake needed him probably more than Jake needed Blake. There was something so very special about him. He sees the world differently.
I loved how this story came full circle. Facing a heartbreaking situation, his mother finally saw what she was doing. I was so glad to see it. This author manages to take you heart and squeeze until you can’t do anything but ugly cry. This book was amazing. I can’t wait to see what others think!
There are so many aspects of this wonderful story that I loved. The characters have so much depth, and are so real and raw. Kelsey’s beautiful words touched and lit up my soul. This is the type of story I live for and crave. I always start a book with the hope I will enjoy it, and that my heart will be taken on a journey with it’s beautiful words. Blake and Audrey’s story did that and so much more. The way everything was connected, and the flow of the story was so beautiful. I love the hope, and the impact Audrey and Blake, and all the characters had on each other. I will not be able to get Warrior Blue out of my head, or my heart. A top read for 2020, and it deserves all the stars!
I don’t know how I’m feeling after reading Warrior Blue. First thing I did after reading this book was calling my sister to tell her how much I love her.
And God, how much I love Blake Carson!!! He’s rude, he’s broken, he hates life but he loves his brother so much it is inspirational. Their relationship is the most beautiful love story I’ve ever read. EVER!!!!
And then there’s Audrey and she had a hard past too but she’s so different in how she copes with all of it. She’s a fighter and she’s so strong and she always sees the positive side to things. She’s also very persistent, knows what she wants and she wants Blake.
I think I cried through the whole book . Sometimes because I was sad, sometimes because I was furious and sometimes because I was so happy. I know and love all of Kelseys books and for me Warrior Blue is her best work. The writing is perfect, the characters and story line beautiful. Absolutely phenomenal . WOW!
It is hard to put into words how much I loved this book. It was fresh, different, beautiful and emotional. I was completely sucked into the story from the very beginning and couldn’t put it down. Warrior Blue touched me on so many different levels. It is one book that I am still thinking about a week later and will continue to think about as time goes on. Kelsey Kingsley is a new to me author and after this book I know it will not be the last book I read from her.
Blake had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had such an enormous pressure that was placed on himself. He lived with the guilt of a traumatic childhood event that forever changed not only his life, but his twin and his parents lives. Audrey was unexpected in so many ways. She was the light that Blake needed. Despite everything she is his biggest cheerleader and provided so much support.
Warrior Blue led to so many uncontrollable tears. I just wanted to reach out and hug every single character in this book. I smiled. I fell in love with the world that Kelsey Kingsley created in the pages of this story. This is a romance novel, however, it is so much more than that. It will get you thinking and make you look at life with a different perspective.
If it was possible, I would give this book more than five stars, because it deserves so many more. Warrior Blue is a MUST READ and quickly became one of my TOP BOOKS of 2020.
I received an ARC of this book & I couldn’t be more pleased with it. Blake & Audreys story was absolutely beautiful. It was full of emotion with everything from anger to love. It showcases two people who feel broken from previous tragedies in their past. They are brought together bc of one & bond over the other. I absolute recommend reading this book. Kelsey is an amazing author & I can’t wait to read more of her books.
Blake Carson is a tattoo artist and is dark, broody , and damaged. He takes care of his disabled twin brother Jake. One day he gets an email to do a tattoo and that’s when he meets Audrey. She is upbeat and beautiful but has layers. Can Blake let himself start to live and love again ? Great characters and storyline. Absolutely loved Blake and Audrey and of course Jake and Freddy. Highly recommend. This is my first book by this author definitely not my last