Where I Am (Arrow Falls, #2)

Riveting, enthralling, and absolutely amazing! This book is superbly written with an interesting, captivating storyline. A second chance romance that is action-packed, funny, witty, and full of intrigue and suspense. It is an emotional roller-coaster with some shocking, jaw-dropping scenes. An on the edge of the seat read; with loveable characters that are strong, complex, and well-developed. The chemistry between them burns hot, intense, and potent. A lot happened in this book … quite the tear-jerker with lots of twists and turns, ups and downs, and nonstop heart-stopping drama. Highly recommended. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Another truly amazing story in this series. Astoria now a new college grad, decides to stay home for the summer taking a break. Parker has always loved Astoria, from the moment they met yrs ago. One moment , one misunderstanding tore them apart. Now back in the same town at the same time , they can settle the misunderstanding and try and start over, only one problem has them faltering. Parker’s best friend , Parker’s ex sister in law is in trouble and needs some serious help. Blair has been threw so much in the past few yrs , and relies on Parker probably more then she should. Together the 5 of them need to get past this threat and rely on one another.

From the moment you start reading this book you can feel how deeply your life will change while reading. This book touches so many heart felt feelings on issues that we all share or knows someone who does. You don’t know if you will be getting the HEA your promised or even how this will happen with all the back and forth going on. But in the end yes through tragic circumstances and the coming together between families and friends, Parker and Astoria’s story is told. You will laugh you will tear up and cry at points but it all hits home for some of us and this is a greatly written book. Please enjoy your copy as I have.

5 Faithful Stars!!!

Holy mother of feels!! Where I End will forever be in my top 5 reads. I was hooked to Cy’s story and I loved his best friend Parker. When I found out Where I Am was going to be Parker’s story I jumped for joy. But, I was unprepared for what Parker was going thru.

Astoria AKA Tora to Parker was unprepared for Parker to come into her life. So unprepared she forgot she was driving and almost wrecked her car bc of it. Their attraction was hard and fast and mutual. Astoria planned on spending the rest of her life with Parker. Then one night she sees Parker with someone else. Before he can say anything she leaves. Astoria went to college and never answered Parker’s calls or texts. But, now she’s graduated and doesn’t have a job so she is headed home. She might’ve dated casually in college but nothing serious bc she gave her heart to Parker and he never returned it.

The minute Tora almost crashed into his car Parker his heart belonged to her. When she walked in on him that night 4yrs ago he hadn’t been cheating on her. He was helping his friend. But, Tora ran out and never looked back. Parker refuses to give up on her, on them. When he sees that Tora’s back in town he makes it his mission to get her to give him 5 minutes to listen to him.

When Parker finally gets Tora to listen to him she couldn’t believe how dumb she was. If only she stopped when he yelled for her or called him back they would’ve never lost the past 4yrs. Their chemistry is still completely off the charts and they pick up where they left off and learn who they’ve become while apart.

But, things aren’t all that easy. There were things that happened that night 4yrs ago. Things that go beyond Parker and Tora. It effects Parker’s best friend Blaire. He calls her B and to him she’s his sister. Whenever she’s calls Parker he stops what he’s doing and runs to her. Parker will do whatever he has to in order to keep her safe. After 4yrs Parker finally has some backup bc they’ve never told anyone what happened. Now, Tora, Eve and Cy are all in and they’ll need all hands on deck for what they’re dealing with.

Parker oh Parker. We learn from Where I End he’ll do anything for his family and the ones he love. We really learn how far he’ll go to protect the ones he keeps the closest to his heart. The love he had for Tora was deep, real and beautiful. Even if he was with other women in the years they were separated it was only physically. His heart belonged sole to Tora. And, everything he did for Blaire shows you two things, what a real man looks like and the meaning of a true friend.

Astoria is a wonderful person. Even through she ran from Parker you have to remember she was 18 and only graduating high school. At that age you don’t tend to think things thru. Her heart told her one thing and the whole not everything is as it seems. Once she knew the whole story she didn’t twice to move forward in her life with Parker and to help Blaire. She’s a truly beautiful woman.

Even though Where I End and Where I Am are considered standalone books I’d read them in order. Both of these books are so beautifully written and will stick with you for awhile. I know they will for me. I hope Blaire’s next. I also hope Michelle doesn’t stop writing for a long time!

Reading the prologue of this book I thought I knew the story, I thought I had it figured out but let me tell you there were twists and turns I didn’t see coming. This read was full of heart-pounding, mind-blowing suspenseful moments that had me riveted and captivated that I was inhaling page after page of this amazing story. This was my first Michelle Dare book and needless to say, you just made a fan out of me!

Where I Am was a wonderful and emotional second-chance romance by Michelle Dare. If you’ve read Where I End then you are familiar with Parker Maxfield. This is his chance to find the love he helped Eve and Cy have.

There is no better friend than Parker. The guy was kind, funny, laid back and if you’re lucky enough to be part of his inner circle, he’d do anything for you. His loyalty knows no bounds and after everything he did to help Cy and Eve…his happily-ever-after is MUCH deserved.

I somehow managed to fall in love with Parker while falling for Cy in Where I End. Both guys were so irresistible and if this was a different type of romance story – I’d be all up in that man sandwich. But alas, Patrick is a one-woman man. Literally, even after years of separation his heart has only belonged to one woman and now that Astoria is back, he fights tooth and nail to get the chance to clear the air and make things right.

Astoria was sweet and kind and head strong with a splash of naïveté. And as with any heartbroken woman she’s guarded but still looking for the chance to find love again. For Astoria, all roads lead to Parker.

After reading both Cy and Parker’s stories back to back, I was left with a double whammy of an emotional hangover. Both stories were filled with so much emotion, heartbreak, passion and inspiration and I would go through it all again and again. Their pain was so worth the pleasure I got out of their stories.

I have long been a fan of Michelle Dare after I discovered her about a couple of years ago, and Where I Am is exactly why I love her so much!
For those of us who have read Where I End, we were introduced to Parker who was Cy’s best friend. I always knew Parker had a story to tell, but I had no idea how important it was. He has a reputation of loving women, and he does have a revolving door of them, but he never makes them promises. His heart was broken years ago, and he never got over it. When his first and only love, Astoria, comes back to town, he knows this is his chance to tell her the truth and win his Tora back. If only he can get her to talk to him. But, Parker is stubborn and doesn’t back down from a challenge, and he isn’t about to lose her all over again.

Astoria never forgot Parker. She tried to find the same kind of feelings with other men while she was in college, but they never came close to Parker. Even though she hates him, she still loves him. When she sees him again, all those complicated feelings come roaring back. Now, it seems like he wants another chance, but can she trust him? Could he have been telling the truth all those years ago, and she never gave him the chance to explain?

If you think this is your typical second chance romance, you would be so wrong. There are so many complications that factor into their relationship. Parker is an amazing man! He is definitely someone I would want in my corner. He is loyal, intelligent, and loving. Astoria is just as amazing herself. She has all the same qualities that Parker does. They complete each other.
Not only were the characters complex and well-developed, the story itself was very well-written. I loved the tone of voice it was told in, both from Parker and Tora’s POV. The manner in which they told their story was intimate. I felt like I was a character in the story, a dear friend whom they told all their secrets to. That really made me connect with them on a deeper level.

I was so thankful to catch up with Cy and Eve and to see how well they were doing. They, themselves, had so much to overcome to find their own HEA. Blair opened up more in this book, and the relationship she had with Parker and later Tora, was very special. Blair was one very brave woman. I hope at some point she will get her own book. If someone deserves a happy ending, it’s her.

As with most of Dare’s books, it’s not just a romance you are getting. It is something much deeper and much more emotional. This book is no different. It is full of emotion, courage, and hope. Dare is a master at making a story of darkness into a story of light! Hoping Finn, like Blair, will get his own happy ending too!

***Read and Reviewed for Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews***

Astoria Livingston is ready for the next stage in her life though how she’s going to get past the next hurdle, heart in tact, is beyond her. She’s never gotten over him and she’s also not forgiven him either.

Parker Maxfield knows he screwed up the best thing in his life the night he found himself between a rock and a hard place. The same night he let her leave without an explanation. All these years he’s been unable to forget her and he’s been unable to move on.

My heart broke for these two people in the beginning and I’ll admit I turned the pages quickly to find out if they would be together. I had faith in the author and her abilities to be able to mend them. I was unprepared for actions of the antihero, though I was happy with the conclusion of the story.

The storyline held my attention from cover to cover. I have long been a fan of this author and her works and am anxious to see what is next. This book is a standalone though there are appearances from characters introduced in Where I End–I highly recommend that one, too!

When what you see isn’t what you thought you saw but you spend years angsting over it it’s time to ask yourself if you can really believe your own eyes. Astoria and Parker were deeply in love despite her being so young and one moment crushed it all. Or so she thinks… Astoria returns home to Arrow Falls after a four-year hiatus and runs into the man that broke her. Their reunion is far from ideal but Parker is determined that Astoria will hear him, hear the truth. Confession can’t erase the past, but maybe it can give them a fresh start.

Astoria was young when she met Parker. She fell hard and fast and just before leaving for college she catches him doing something inconceivable. With tears streaming down her face and shouting her pain she runs away. The next four years at college give her experience, growth, and time away. What it doesn’t do is erase Parker from her heart. She wants closure but her heart doesn’t want to give up.

I like her despite her youth. She’s so stubborn that it seems like she wants to live with her grief and anger. Her youth doesn’t allow her perspective or patience to see that there’s always two sides to the story. It doesn’t allow her hindsight to speak sense to what she’s determined to believe. Outside of that flaw she’s kind, caring, forgiving, loving, and devoted. I enjoy watching her show her true colors when she finally accepts the truth. She’s also very honest. When she speaks up and gives Parker all of her, including sharing her thoughts and goals knowing that they might not be what he wants to her I’m impressed by her maturity. She also doesn’t pout or become stubborn to the point of not listening to his concerns or desires for their future. She’s determined to be a true partner to Parker.

Parker is enchanted by Astoria. He falls hard and fast for the young girl that almost side-swiped his expensive ride. When his heart is torn in two directions the one most pressing is also the one that shattered his love. Standing by what he had to do even if it cost him Astoria he strives to make a new life for himself. Finding no woman to take her place in his life he makes do with a stream of women in his bed. None bring him peace, happiness, or even a desire for a repeat. And then he sees her. Astoria is home and his new purpose is to make her hear the truth and to get her back.

I enjoyed his sincerity. He struggled quite a lot after Astoria took off and I don’t really blame him for the way he lived his life after that. What I loved was that it was like it was completely over. The time between meant nothing and there was no angst from the relationships either of them had in the interim. From the moment he saw her in her car until they were back together there was no one but her. His devotion to her was incredible and passionate and the forever kind. He understood her need for space and time before they resumed what they had before the Big-Mis. The way he also treated his friends was more than admirable. I was expecting something to instill doubt but there was nothing.

That nothing was perfect for their relationship because it gave them absolutely no obstacles to taking all the steps necessary to build something new, clean, and deeper than ever before. What did come at them, however, was a bigger drama than I expected. I had no clue, none whatsoever, about what was coming for them and their friends. It was incredibly intense and violent where I was only anticipating male/female conflict and angst. There was some of that, for sure, but the external factor that initially caused it was what grew and took on a life of its own. It pulled in everyone and threatened all of them. Evil came for them all and met a bloody, horrific end.

Another thing I wasn’t expecting was a lot of life after that point. Where most novels would end with the huge dramatic event and an emotional descent where a heartening resolution brings the MC’s together and gives hope for their HEA, we get a long way into Parker and Astoria’s HEA. We get to see the healing, the changes, the growth, the families, the love all get to a solid point before the words “The End.” I both liked it and found myself constantly checking to see how many pages I still had to read before the end. It was also a bit over the top. But one thing I will say about it, it gave a better picture of how family, love, and counseling is essential to moving above and beyond tragedy and horror. It was good, happy, passionate, sexy, uplifting; the kind of ending we all hope for.