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 was lucky enough to be a part of the ARC group for Kelsey Kingsley’s new book, Warrior Blue. This book is a beautiful, gritty masterpiece. It’s not a book for those looking for a fluffy romantic read or an easy hero.
In Blake Carson, you’ll meet a soul searching for love and acceptance. He’s battered and bruised. Audrey Wright is the light that his darkness needs. This book is a wonderful read, bringing tears of sadness, joy, and happiness.
I highly recommend this book that shows the struggles that people keep hidden and those that they don’t, an anti-hero who is so real you think he should walk out of the pages of the book, and the woman he needs. You won’t regret it.
Warrior blue review Amazing is not even close to the words I can used to describe Warrior Blue. My emotions have taken quite the beating and I loved every minute of it. This story is about a tragedy that divides a family for decades. What I enjoyed most about this book was how a tragedy can change lives forever in seconds. Written with perfection, Blake and Jake Carson, identical twins whose accident becomes life before and life after. Blake has so much guilt and beats self worth, feeling his parents regularly feed him until he meets his very own angel Audrey. Their love story is one for the ages. An incredible strong woman who stops at nothing to show Blake he is worth something. My heart has taken such a beating with such a beautifully written story. The ups and downs of life so true the impact of this book will be with me for along time. I feel this story will truly become the kind of story you will want to read over and over again. The author Kelsey Kingsley has an incredible gift of story telling. Her stories move your heart and soul.
I know how I will convey my feelings with my review; but, I am going to try with all my might.
I was fortunate to have BETA read Warrior Blue and did a re-read as we got closer to release day. My feelings are the same now as they were then, this story, these characters (Blake, Audrey, Freddy and Jake), will live in your heart and your soul way after you are done reading.
If you follow my reviews, you know that I have a tear rating for any book that stirs my emotions, Warrior Blue is getting a tear rating….that rating is 8 tears. Every emotion will be experienced while reading and that my fellow reader is a fine example of an author who can grab you, put you in that story, that character and you feel everything!
Another must read from Ms. Kingsley. I will forever me a reader of hers.
While this was a love story, it was so much more than boy meets girl and falls in love. It was also love between 2 brothers, and love withheld by parents. I fell so d*mn hard for Blake, who took such loving care of his twin Jake, all while harboring guilt and denying himself even the littlest bit of happiness. I wanted to smack his parents, hug his therapist, cheer for Audrey, squeal that Dev and the guys made an appearance, and applaud Kelsey for another stunning read! You knocked the breath right outta me Ms. Kingsley!
*Blessed with an advance copy of this jewel in exchange for my voluntary and honest review*
I don’t have adequate words to explain how fantastic this book really is. It’s full of emotions and love, I found myself invested in what was happening to them all. I loved the storyline and the characters were amazing. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout and I honestly didn’t want it to end. It’s so so good. You need to read it.
Wow. So I finished this completely amazing book a few days ago and I can’t stop thinking about it!
Blake is a hero unlike any other. This is his story of love, forgiveness and redemption. There are so many layers in this book and the more I read the deeper I got pulled into Blake’s mind and heart and the more I yearned for this guy to find what he so desperately needed.
Honestly, I cried. A lot. This is a really emotional story on so many levels but by the end my tears were happy because the ending is absolutely perfect. Loved it!
This book is one that I know will stay with me . This book focuses on Blake who has lead a closed off life.
He has a twin brother , Jake, who was disabled after a freak accident when they were 10. Blake has felt responsibilities for this event and his parents , especially his mother’s, treatment of him has only compounded this.
His life revolves around Jake and he fits in his job as a talented tattoo artist into that schedule. When he meets Audrey who comes in for a tattoo that Blake did for his sister he is quick to judge. Audrey sees some much in Blake and patiently pursued him.
Blake fights the chance for love and happiness as he feels her doesn’t deserve it. With the help of Audrey, his therapist and a new found faith his blossoms.
This book is full of feels. These characters are real, flawed in the best way and you go through their journey. I hurt for Blake, rooted for Audrey and adored their support system. A great read that I am volunteering to leave a review for.
I have read all of Kelsey Kingsley’s books to date and Warrior Blue is by far her most moving, emotional and inspirational book. Warrior Blue is a magical story, pure and simple. What I admire most about Kelsey’s writing is her ability to deal with difficult subjects and themes in a way that really make you pause and think about them from all sides.
Blake and Audrey’s story is a complete metamorphosis coupled with complicated family relationships and dynamics, and a series of events that somehow connect these characters to each other. Blake’s growth in character throughout this book is absolutely heartbreaking and joyful at the same time. Audrey’s strength and faith is beautiful and inspiring. I adored her, and how she was the shining light in Blake’s darkest days. And I loved Blake’s interaction with Jake and how he took care of him. His patience, affection, and love for his brother was boundless. This story is a wonderful read, no doubt bringing tears of sadness, joy, and happiness.
Warrior Blue is not a lighthearted romance by any stretch of the imagination. It’s gritty, raw and emotional and difficult to read at times. But it is absolutely fantastic and heartbreakingly beautiful and has set the standard for the books I will read in 2020.
My heart took a beating reading this book. The journey that Blake has to take was a tough one and the 6 degrees of separation was really apparent here. I’m super happy it ended the way it did with Jake at the end of the book or I would have had a broken kindle on my hands.
*I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion*
Can I just say I really, really loved this book. I read the note from the author & I was SOLD! Kelsey Kingsley is not an author I’ve read before, but I can tell you I’ll definitely be reading more of her work. This book was my first read of 2020 & honestly, I don’t know how, but I always end up choosing SUPER emotional reads at the first of the year This book was no different; it was powerful, thought provoking, sweet, and oh-so heartbreaking.
The premise of the book intrigued me so much so I was so excited to get to see how Blake & Audrey’s story played out. I immediately felt for what Blake has to experience day in and day out. And don’t even get me started with Jake. I freaking LOVE HOM! He is SUCH sweetheart. A truly special character. He will stay with me forever. The bond between Blake & Jake is unbelievable. It made me cry so much to see what they were going through. And they went through it together. The way they care about each other was so sweet to watch. I just loved it so much!
Okay so the reason I gave this book 4 stars is because, although this book had me feeling so much, I felt like it was hard to truly connect to everything going on. Especially Audrey & Blake’s relationship. Please don’t take that as a bad thing, that is just my personal experience & it’s completely subjective. Because there were times where I loved them so much. But I didn’t feel a big connection. I don’t even know if that makes sense. Honestly, I have no idea why it took me so long to feel completely connected, but at around 72%, I was INVESTED! And by invested I mean sobbing at my kitchen table while eating my New Year’s dinner
So all in all, I really recommend this book. It’s so special & I think everyone should read it. It has some really important topics lessons and love in it. I’m so excited for it to release tomorrow. I hope you’ll give it a try!
About 80% into Warrior Blue it occurred to me that there was no way I’d be able to write a review that would do this book justice. In order to give it a shot, I started jotting down a list to capture my thoughts while still reading. It looked like this:
~ thought-provoking
~ spiritual
~ redemptive
~ metaphorical
~ powerful
The love story is stunning. But understand that this is because the love story is so much bigger than the romance. There is romance here, but it doesn’t play out how you might expect it to. Blake is not always an easy hero to love, and the instinct may be to judge Audrey for the way she loves him anyway. It could be perceived as weakness, and I had that in the back of my brain as I read the story because, to me, it came off as strength. She was honest and steadfast in her belief in herself, her belief in her God, and her belief in her love. I loved her for that. I loved her for the way she loved Blake. And I loved the way she saw the world.
Make no mistake – I also loved Blake. He was incredibly wounded, but there were layers upon layers upon layers to his personality, the choices he’d made, and the person he ultimately became. His growth over the course of the book was tremendous and as his character began to bloom, it was impossible not to carve out a little niche in my heart for him. For the way he loved Jake. For the way he loved Audrey. For the way, after much hard work, he ultimately loved himself.
Every single thing about this book is perfection. From the title, to the cover, to the brilliant story contained within – it all came together to create some sort of powerful emotional experience that I want to shout from the rooftops about. Whether or not you are a spiritual person, I felt like the themes that touch on that (signs, fate) are handled so respectfully that it never felt heavy-handed or like it was too much. It only looked like beauty to me.
Ms. Kingsley has a tremendous gift for storytelling. It’s not only that the story is so powerful, but also that the words are so thoughtfully chosen and so beautifully strung together. I felt every emotion so deeply. I was hopelessly hooked from the moment I started reading. My heart ached and fluttered and raced in alarm. I cried (Lord, but I cried!), I laughed, and I smiled so hard. There is so much love in this story and you’d be doing yourself a disservice to not pick it up. Easily 5 stars. More than 5 stars. So many stars. Just read it!
Oh Guys. I can’t even! It’s almost indescribable the emotions this book brought out in me. It was completely unexpected. I love Kelsey Kingsley’s writing, but I will be honest and say for me I have so much more love and feelings about this book than I could ever even begun to have predicted. Blake and Audrey’s story is one that will stick with me in the back of my mind and heart for weeks and months maybe even years to come.
Blake Carson has to be one of my most favorite book boyfriends ever. He is damaged and broken in ways I couldn’t possibly fathom. His life revolves around his amazing yet disabled twin brother, Jacob “Jake” and his job as a talented tattoo artist, with a talent so far out of the realm of what he realizes. He’s amazing really, but Blake is a walking bag of culpability and self loathing. He blames himself for something that happened as a child and for that feels he is undeserving of any of the good things life has to offer. The only bright spot in his life is Jake. Jake is a bright spot and a responsibility, Jake is his life and his future and he bases everything and ever decision on the impact it will have on Jake.
I’m in love with Blake, his character, the love he has for his brother literally melted my heart into a puddle of goo over and over again. The way he handled him. GAAHHH!! Words almost fail me here. I want to be able to describe the transformation Blake’s character had over the course of this book without giving anything away but it would be impossible and also a disservice to the readers experience of getting it like I did, which was to go in not knowing what you are in for.
The way Blake and Audrey couldn’t be more different was almost comical but this amazing woman brought this man everything he didn’t know he needed.
Audrey… y’all this woman. Her story was devastatingly heartbreaking ,but full of hope and faith and fate. It was everything. This woman in her pastel and preppy clothes with her all black wearin’ tattooed alpha-hole. I couldn’t get enough. The way she was with his brother, Jake. Oh My Heart!! She gave him glimpses of everything he didn’t know he was missing or even dreamed of and she gave him the strength to go for it. She helped him to examine things he’d been denying for many years. He just needed her. They were meant to be, long before they ever even met.
This book had so many subtle fate, kismet, god, faith spiritual and I guess you could call it something or someone that’s no longer with us trying to tell you something, moments in it. It gave you this mysteriously magical feeling the whole time you read it. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, but I had feelings.No always good, but that was part of the emotional experience that was this book. This was not a short book by any means, but I literally devoured this book in less than twenty-four hours. I ignored all adulting and couldn’t do anything else. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I was addicted to Blake and Audrey and their journey. I was captivated every second. I cried until I felt like I had no tears left. I smiled until my face hurt, and my oldest daughter noticed and asked “what the hells wrong with you? Your smiling kinda creepy over there at nothing. Lol (I had to tell her I was reading and It was amazing) It left me warm and gooey and also terrified and irate at some moments. This is a book that will hit every emotion you have and not always with a gentle had. So yeah, Kelsey is gonna serve you up and emotion beat down. Then in the end she will give you a little hug, fix it all better and send you on your merry way.
*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book!
My cr8zysockbookblock blog wrap up for this book!
-I just had to throw in a sixth star because this has already become one of my favorite reads of 2020. This book is full of drama, angst, forgiveness, faith and transformation. Holy cow it’s just so many things all in one. I loved these characters so much more that I can put into words. This book had it all .
-OMG! HOLY HOT BISCUITS AND GRAVY !! Blake is just dirty and delicious AF!! Kelsey doesn’t typically do too explicit of sexy scenes in the books of hers I have read (which I happen to really like explicit) However it doesn’t even bother me the lack of explicit details. This one is almost hotter in what’s not said. The build up y’all!! It’s not really a fade-to-black IMO, but it’s not super descriptive either it’s just enough if that makes sense? It tells you what went down, so don’t worry. But it all it works so well it’s just amazingly hot, because Blake and Audrey are just hot as holy Hell!
Cliffhanger Warning-No cliffhanger! HEA! This ending was pure perfection! Just… ahh! That good y’all!
Warrior Blue by Kelsey Kingsley
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Overall: 5/5
Steam: 2/5
Feels:
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Character age range: 20s-30s
Leads: u2063Blake Carson and Audrey
HEA: u2063u2063
Release Date: u2063January 12th, 2020
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Kindle Unlimited: unsure
Audible: u2063u2063
Series: unsure
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This book is amazing!! I could feel the characters emotions as they were my own and they had me crying with them! This book was unexpected (in the best way) for me and I love books like that!
Throughout the first few chapters you can definitely tell that Blake has a lot of on his plate and it carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. When Audrey comes around and asks to have a tattoo done it is the first time we see Blake feel some kind of emotion even if it is just that he feels like an ass for treating her shitty.
As they meet again unexpectedly they have to share parts of their life that they didn’t initially think they were going to have to. When Audrey first meets Jake you could tell right away that she is would be perfect for Blake! The idea that they are perfect for each other is further cemented when Blake unexpectedly meets Freddy!
You don’t want to miss their journey even if it is on a very rocky road!! This story is so real and emotional so make sure you have your tissues ready!! Thank you Kelsey Kingsley for writing such an amazing book!!
This was my first read by the author, and I’m incredibly thankful for having received an e-arc of Warrior Blue. Please take note that this does not affect my reviews. Everything i say is of my own opinion, and my honest thoughts 🙂
In saying that, Warrior Blue was phenomenal! It’s another read i never knew i needed. I went into this expecting an emotional/dark/heavy romance – but it was so much more delving into grief, acceptance and unlimited love.
The story was absolutely heart gripping. I cannot even begin to understand what Blake had to go through but reading this, feels like I’m with him every step of the way. There were so many tears that i just couldn’t control.
It was traumatic, and yet so pure – and this was only 150 pages in…
And Audrey, bless her heart, was honestly the best support system and caring lover. I adored her, and how she ‘s .
This story made one think about how mysterious life can be sometimes, and that it doesn’t hurt to believe once in a while.
Kelsey Kingsley is a new author for me and her new book Warrior Blue doesn’t disappoint. Warrior Blue focuses on Blake Carson, a man who has a lot of responsibilities, working full time and looking after his twin brother, he doesn’t have time for a relationship. Enter, Audrey Wright. Looking for a butterfly tattoo and seeing something special in Blake…a new relationship blossoms.
Like most romance books, love isn’t always easy and straight forward, that is no different in this book where we see the rials and tribulations the couple goes through whilst trying to balance their lives and the lives of other people. This book is about faith, hope and love and will keep you glued to the pages as you find out what happens with the characters in this book. This book is full of the feels and you genuinely feel for what the characters have gone through and what they are going through. The writing is beautifully fluid, realistic and comes from the heart.
If you like your books sweet with a HEA, then this is the one for you. A good read.
ARC received for a fair, honest and sometimes long review
More of my reviews can be found on my blog: https://thehotmesslibrary.blogspot.com
One to remember, as always!
Kelsey Kingsley never ceases to amaze me. I love this women’s writing more than I can express and jumped for joy when this early copy of Warrior Blue arrived on my Kindle the other day. Thank you, Kelsey for the opportunity to read and review another breathtaking creation of yours in advance of its release. I’m absolutely thrilled.
Blake and his twin brother are handsome, head turning men in their early 30’s but only one of them knows it. Jacob/Jake is stranded in the long ago past- loves music, Legos, his dog Mickey and Gremlins- his favorite movie which he watches over and over again. Something happened that has Jake frozen in time with a childlike joy for all the things that matter to him in his small repetitive world. Blake is his favorite person and their twin connection continues despite it all, along with Jake’s keen and unusual 6th sense, which can be eerily prophetic at times. As you read on, the question you don’t want to ask is- what the hell happened that made Jake this way?
Blake, on the other hand is a brooding, talented tattoo artist, sometimes dark poet, living the same life, day after day. Not much deviation from his stark routine- takes and picks up his brother from daycare, runs interference between Jake and their parents, works his artist magic for a while, goes home to sleep…rinse and repeat daily. Time with his well meaning therapist breaks the monotony but his angry thoughts and self loathing keep him from believing in himself and truly living. After all, why should he feel any happiness when Jake will always remain as he is now, innocent and childlike forever. Will Blake ever see the light?
I wanted to cry for Blake so many times and force him see what gifts he was hiding under all his pain. His promising life was so hopeless, sad, filled with despair, sorrow, sarcasm and so much anger. After meeting his parents you could see why..I would have gladly locked them in the basement and thrown away the key, if only I could’ve reached into this book and grabbed them by their hair!!! They were the poster parents for insensitivity- nothing but demeaning and hateful, especially towards him. They treated Jake like a burden, leaving Blake, the perceived unworthy son to calm him, patiently care for him as only he seemed to be able to do. That twin thing was always there, running in the background and is a big part of this story.
Then, a series of almost freaky, unexplained coincidences brings a special woman into his tattoo shop and his life, Audrey. She keeps turning up in random places, accepting him, smiling even as he insults her, trying to push her away and still she paints him with her beautiful light…against his darkness and his will. He doesn’t deserve happiness or love, remember? It might feel good but then, guilt rears its ugly head and those sweet feelings disappear.
You’ll want to cheer for Blake as he tries and fails to push Audrey far away and out of his life, but with each new discovery of how entwined in every way they are, how perfectly they could fit together, another chip in his stone wall falls away, revealing the truth Blake won’t acknowledge…that he is worth every drop of success and love that fate has been trying to tell him he deserves, no matter who thinks otherwise…the twisty ‘signs’ are all there and fun to see.
What a story Kelsey has once again woven, as she often does, with poignancy and raw, heartbreaking feelings that are hard to hide from. You can’t help but feel everything Blake does, including that twin connection, which takes the reader to some places that were tearful, scary and so, so sad that at times I had tissues pasted to my eyes. Couldn’t help it. But…there was also hope, love and the colors of life that leave trails around us all. Beauty and joy are in the world if we allow ourselves to let it in and embrace who we are really meant to be!
Blake and Audrey, so right for each other, will be hanging around in the back of my mind for a along time to come. This stand alone is told in Blake’s POV and I found myself loving his inner thoughts. It may not be the typical way most romances are told but nothing about Kelsey’s writing style is typical so….enjoy their special and unique journey where you may even see some familiar visitors in this atmospheric Salem, Mass setting! Recommending this one.
Blake works as a tattoo artist and helps care for his disabled twin brother. He doesn’t date or do anything for himself, because he doesn’t feel like he deserves to have a life and be happy. Audrey breezes into his life and turns his world upside down. Can she help Blake find his happiness?
This is my favorite Kelsey Kingsley book! Blake absolutely broke my heart. He is such an amazing man with a huge heart. Audrey is a beautiful person inside and out. Kelsey has written such an emotional story it will give you all the feels. I loved Jake and Freddy, they added some fun to story. Grab this amazing read you won’t be sorry.
I have no idea what to write for this review,….Kelsey Kingsley what have you done to my heart?…
Warrior Blue is an exquisite,emotionally compelling story about Fate,
Coincidence,
Serendipity or whatever you want to call it,a love story born from two souls with tragedy in their past,that appear to be opposites on sight but have a lot more in common than they both realise and as they get to know eachother this becomes more evident.
I Loved Blake the tattooed lost ,broken man full of guilt and darkness and Audrey so kind and patient and light,She was like the full moon in all of the darkness that Blake surrounded himself in.I saw myself alot in Blake’s character he punished himself everyday of his life for something that happened in the past,and had stopped living ,he seemed to only exist for his brother Jake.Until Audrey walked into the tattoo shop he worked in and requested for him pacifically to ink her skin with the tattoo that would set about a chain reaction that would change their lives forever .
As always Kelsey’s writing was breathtaking and stirred up ALL the emotions inside of me,it is honestly difficult to describe the heartwrenching magnificence of this book You really do have to experience it for yourself,and believe me you will fall hopelessly in Love with it,Just Like I have.
5 Stars will never be enough,
A truly remarkable read that I give my highest recommendation to.
This is quite simply a must read book. I firmly believe that the stars aligned or fate played a hand in me even finding it. I had never heard of this author before I stumbled across a teaser and I found myself intrigued enough to hunt it down so I could read it. That being said, I NEVER dreamed that this book would have the impact on me that it did.
At its heart this book is one of the most beautiful and poignant romances that I have ever read (and I am a huge romance fan and I read a lot!). Regardless of what I say, I do not feel that you can ever be adequately prepared for the emotions that this book will inspire in you. This read offers up a compelling blend of deep emotions and intense drama that will immediately ensnare you in its complex and skillfully crafted web and there you will stay a willing captive until the last page is turned.
Blake and Audrey are complicated characters that quickly became an obsession for me. I felt almost desperate in my need for these two to find happiness. They each have their own heavy baggage that they carry from their heartache inducing, individual backstories. I felt that this made makes these characters feel incredibly real and 100% relatable. I think so many readers will be able to see pieces of themselves in these characters and/or the story that unfolds around them.
The story itself is the stunning, crown jewel of this book. Yes, there is romance (and it is a swoon worthy, totally heart melting one), but there is also so much more. This is a powerful and soul-stirring tale of loss, grief, anger, guilt, heartbreak, hope, healing, fate, family, friendship and faith and/or the lack of it. Now, if that last bit about faith threw you, I beg you to keep an open mind about something you might consider big turn-off. I embrace my own beliefs but I am not a very religious person and in the spirit of full disclosure, I do not ever go out of my way looking for or trying to read any faith based books because of it. However, for a lack of a better way of putting it, this is not a “preachy book”. What it is a book that will cause you to pause and consider, to feel and to think and that in my unbiased opinion is never a bad thing. An odd string of coincidences? Fate? Or is it something more? That is the decision that is left up to you and the characters as you share in the journey they are taking.
I myself loved this book, these characters and their story. I highly recommend it to all romance fans and honestly, to any reader that simply always on the look out for a well written, thought provoking read that inspires plenty of feels. Trust me when I say, that just like the tattoo that plays such an integral part in this story, this book will leave a very permanent mark. Only in this case it will be on your heart.
Blake and Jake absolutely broke my heart, but thanks to Audrey and many events set into motion by fate, everything healed up wonderfully and found the perfect way to happy.
Blake spends his life existing. He works, he cares for his brother, and occasionally, he knocks out a poem to let a little bit of his anguish, guilt, and soul relieve some pressure. It’s wash, rinse, repeat, and it’s his penance for being the normal twin. Then he meets Audrey. A woman who is as opposite from his gloom and doom as can be, but a woman with many layers and a heart big enough to heal Blake, if he’s willing to take the chance.
Audrey has had her own heartache and walked through her own misery, but she learned a different lesson from all that life has thrown at her. She learned to listen to her heart, acknowledge signs of fate, and follow where both of those lead her. And they lead her to Blake, a man who needs saving in the worst way. Or maybe he just needs to learn that it’s okay to live and breathe free. Regardless, Audrey isn’t giving up on Blake because she sees the beautiful soul beneath the quiet, cranky facade, and she’s not about to let that man wither away any longer.
I was blown away by the emotions pouring off the pages and the way that Blake’s feelings grabbed me, then dragged me along for his ride on the way to letting go of his guilt. He and Audrey and their fate-driven group of people made for a wonderful story of love, redemption, and how to let your heart fly free.