Falling in love is easy.Falling out of love is the hardest thing in the world.And Elin and Ty Whitt are terrible at it.The first time the local basketball star smiled at Elin, she was a goner. It was just so damn easy to fall for the dark-haired hometown hero with his charming smile and strong, athletic build.Thousands of sleepy smiles, aimless drives down country roads, and squeaks of the … country roads, and squeaks of the backdoor after a swing shift later, reality hits. And it hits hard. Falling in love was definitely the easy part. Watching it break apart was impossible.
Through the tears, the second-guesses, the memories of a life built together, the world keeps spinning. With each turn comes clarity and hope—sometimes in the form of a pair of muddy boots by the back door or from the words of a wise friend.
When Ty shows back up with a new found determination to put his family back together, Elin’s torn between the fights of the past and the possibility of a new start. This is the man that holds her heart, the man she loves beyond anything else. But this is also the one person in the world that can cause her the most pain.
Life’s not always easy. Love’s not for the faint of heart. But with life comes lessons and Ty and Elin have the scars to prove it. But it’s their love written in those scars that will hold them together … or break them apart.
A brand new STANDALONE ROMANCE from USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke.
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I’m at a loss for words at this point for the amount of love I have for this book. This is a second chance love during a marriage that has crumbled so deep, that I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. So many obstacles to face, with anger and heartbreak and more love than anyone could ever imagine.
These 2 had been together since middle school, married for seven years, and getting through that “itch” was a painful hurdle, but they loved each other so much. It was obvious that love just wasn’t enough at this point. Do you start over? Do you just give up? One of them says yes and one says no, but when you are determined to honor your vows through better or for worse, can you start over?
Elin was devastated and broken. Tyler was ready to fight. But can this fight be won? Their friends are the only family they have, with best friends married to each other, brothers married to best friends… and so much support from everyone, but surviving a breaking marriage isn’t about them and how they feel; it’s about you and your love.
I cried A LOT during this book. It was a beautifully painful read that makes you think about the worth of loving someone. This book was one of my favorites of this year, and I promise you will agree. So worth the read. I was given this book as an ARC for an honest review, and honesty (without any spoilers) is what you get. Bravo AL for delivering another astonishing book.
Addy has a way of breaking your heart and slowly piecing it back together. She does that wonderfully in this book. Love!!
I would give 10 you made me cry and I loved every minute of it stars!! Love and loss, gut punches left and right, so many, many feels. Tragedy befalls Elin and Tyler rocking their marriage. The regret and despair had me in tears early in the story. The prologue is a beautifully told account of just how deep and everlasting their love is, and sets the stage perfectly. I devoured this, watching them pick up the broken pieces.
“You can’t expect a relationship to succeed based on the love you felt at the beginning. It succeeds because you continue to build on it until the end.”
Adriana Locke embodies everyone’s fears, hopes, and dreams in this couple. You identify with them immediately, they are so real, so flawed, so likeable, and so heartbreaking. Transfixed you watch as they attempt to put things back together, and seemingly begin to get back to each other. Beautiful, gripping, and incredibly emotional tale that just tore my heart out, put it back in, gave me butterflies, tore it back out, and on and on. You will hit every emotion possible, and love every minute. Love, loss, heartbreak, and new beginnings…just a beautifully epic story in every way possible. I thank the Author for providing a copy to review.
“To live and love bravely. It takes courage to love. But to have someone to love and to love you back is worth every bump in the road.”
~~~Erika Book Haven Book Blog
Written In The Scars is everything I was hearing prior to the release day. It is emotional on several levels. At 58% I almost quit reading because I didn’t want it to end. The ending wasn’t what I expected, it was so much more. Ty and Elin, a young couple that love each other, suffer deep devastation and tragedy. Sometimes second chances just aren’t possible. I was rooting for Ty and Elin as my heart was breaking for them.
I loved the writing and the story setting. I like a story line that is believable in everyday life and Author Adriana Locke doesn’t disappoint in writing real life, believable happenings in Written In The Scars. Six Stars for WITS!
Elin Whitt is nowhere close to where she thought she’d be in life. Married to her high school sweetheart, Ty, life was supposed to be full of happiness, promises, babies and love. Adversities are supposed to make you stronger, not tear you apart. Unfortunately, when things get tough for Elin and Ty, he does the last thing on earth Elin expected….he leaves. Elin is left to pick up the pieces of her broken marriage by herself.
Ty Whitt loves Elin with all his being and has since he laid eyes on her in high school. After a serious accident, Ty feels himself going into a downward spiral. Not being able to work, not being able to coach his basketball team, the start of an addiction, Ty takes what he feels is the best way out. Ty is a man who loves his wife and wants a family with her and he cannot do that in his current state. So Ty thinks the best way to get his life situated is to leave. Step away, get his life together and come back.
This couple is everything. Elin is so determined to live her life the best she can, even if it means the love of her life is not with her. Ty knows that Elin is his life and does anything and everything to make his mistake right and save his marriage. He begins to show Elin all the reasons they are good together and how their love has not changed and will not die, even with all of the awful things that have happened.
I also thought all of the secondary characters were wonderful. Jiggs, Cord, Lindsay, Dustin and hell, even Pettis had such a role in this story. It was great to see all of the good, the bad and the ugly with everyone in this book. Nothing was held back, everything was given in this book. And just when you think Adriana can’t destroy your soul anymore, she goes above and beyond to top it.
“Scars stick around to prove you showed up for life. That you lived. That you fought. That you loved.”
Written in the Scars is not just a book, it is the story of life. The story of love, sadness, misunderstanding, every single emotion that you can think of rolled into one AMAZING story. I can honestly say, without a doubt, this is THE story of 2016. You will never, EVER forget this book. I truly believe this is Adriana’s best work to date. After reading this book, I have taken a good look at my life and know what changes I have to make and exactly where I want to go with my relationships. It has inspired me to be a better mother, daughter, sister and most importantly, wife and to look at life like i never have before. Sincerely, no other book has ever made me think about my life like Written in the Scars has. This book will forever be a part of my life.
I highly, highly suggest one-clicking this book on October 20th! Make sure you have the tissues ready for the cry of your life!
such a beautiful story of Forgiveness, Friendship and Unconditional Love. My heart is so full after reading this book. This author has such a way with words. I felt so much of this book. Five Beautiful Stars!!
“Life isn’t easy. Love isn’t for the faint of heart. You have to just put your fears aside and go for it.”
Written in the Scars isn’t just another romance novel. It isn’t just a formulaic end to an HEA. It’s real. It’s raw. And most importantly, WitS is relatable.
Ty and Elin Whitt aren’t your normal h and H. They’re married, to start, and many of our beloved books don’t start out that way. The thing is, falling in love and deciding to get married can be easier than falling in love, getting married, and learning to live with each other through the trials and tribulations. If you’re married, you understand. Especially when you promise “’til death do us part”.
Ty and Elin have a lot to work through, relatable situations in which we overlook when coming to Romance for an escape. Don’t let that scare you from reading this book. There is a lot of emotion packed into these pages, but there are Locke Life Lessons to pull from these pages, as well. Ty and Elin have a lot to open their eyes to, but they have an amazing support system to help them along the way. This book is small town America. It could be your own relationship, just as well as mine. This could be anyone’s life.
I want to shout from the rooftops about WitS. I believe that this is a book everyone needs to pick up, enjoy the words crafted so eloquently, and then reflect. It’s so difficult to write a review for this one, knowing that there is so much to say, and very little room to avoid spoiling the plot. I encourage you to take your time with this one. Let the words sink in. This is a story you won’t soon forget. Oh, and don’t forget the tissues.
5+ stars for this amazing, heartbreaking, and inspiring ride.
Love love love LOVE!!! Did I say I love this book?? Beautiful, raw, powerful, heart breaking, this book has it all.
I literally could not put this book down and had a book hangover for sure!
I laughed and cried and laughed and cried some more.
Elin and Ty, what an amazing couple and what they were going through was so believable and my heart went out to them.
The secondary characters being their friends and family Lyndsey, Jiggs and Cord. I loved these guys just as much as Elin and Ty.
You will not regret buying this book – just make sure you have a good day free for reading it as you won’t want to do anything else until you have finished it! My only regret was waiting too long before buying it!!
I would rate it higher than 5* if I could. One of my top reads for 2017.
Thanks Adriana for an outstanding story.
I couldn’t wait to read this book. So, I downloaded it the second it went live, and happened to be in Hawaii on my honeymoon. After a few hours of beach time and a 4 hour drive round trip to the volcanoes, I’m rating this book NSFH (not safe for honeymoon).
Imagine having to explain the laughter and the tears (the ugly ugly tears) to your poor husband because you just HAD TO finish.
I read Sway and it’s one of my favorites because I love politics and hot politicians. Wherever it Leads was fantastic. However, Ms Locke, you have outdone yourself with this one. It makes me want to hug my best friends, buy my dog all the treats, snuggle in bed with my child, and never let my husband’s hand go!!
This one gets filed in the “read when you need to appreciate life” collection on the Kindle!!
5 Heart Tugging Stars!!
I started this book and thought, oh what a beautiful love story this is going to be…although with the title I should have been forewarned! And then BOOM I get into the heart of the book, and my heart is being ripped into tiny little pieces.
Ty and Elin have been in love forever and they truly are soul mates. But when an event in their lives changes everything about who they are as a couple, things are said that just can’t be taken back and tears them and their marriage apart. When Ty decides he wants Elin back, it doesn’t go as smoothly as he’d like because her heart was broken almost as much as mine was while reading it.
My emotions were all over the place with this book. Ms. Locke has a way of writing that makes me feel like I’m the one in the story. They’re written with such grace and elegance while at the same time there’s no lack of heat between our H/h. Just when you think everything is going to be right with their world, BOOM!!!! I so did not expect that and talk about bawling my eyes out!!!
I’m still recovering from reading this one and I have a feeling it’s going to be a long recovery. Thank you Ms. Locke for giving us Ty and Elin’s story.
Wow. My mind is spinning right now. I feel like I can’t even complete a coherent sentence after finishing “Written in the Scars”. I’ve been waiting for this book for awhile (I’m pretty hardcore in my love for all things Adriana Locke). When I got the ARC, in all honesty, I was incredibly nervous. I knew this book would be different than others I’ve read.
To me, this book is Adriana Locke’s masterpiece. Its the piece of work that if you didn’t notice her before, now you will. I feel like I am going to sound like a broken record but this book is stunning.
This book starts with Elin and Ty already apart. Ty has left but we don’t yet know why. Elin is struggling with her own battles in Ty’s absence. I appreciated that the author wrote the book in this way. The reason I say that is when you separate, or are thinking of separating, all the little things don’t really matter. The reality is your marriage is falling apart. The arguments over dishes, money, etc…they don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Another thing I really admired was how Ty just made up his mind that he was going to fix things. His character wasn’t flaky about knowing what he had done wrong, and what he needed to do to fix it. As the story goes on, Elin’s anger still is pretty hot. I know some people might just want her to forgive Ty and move on, but I think it was extremely realistic for Elin to be confused, scared, unsure if she could trust Ty anymore.
During the story, we also meet Jiggs, Elin’s twin brother and his wife, Lindsay, along with their close friend, Cord. This supporting group was incredible. One thing I liked was seeing Jiggs and Lindsay struggle themselves. I think it provided the true perspective that not everything is perfect. You will always have disagreements.
I am going to stop my review here. The ending of this book was…I don’t even know. The word intense isn’t even close to adequate to describe the ending of this book. It went in a direction that, although it broke my heart, was necessary and I was happy to see the author give the characters closure in the way that she did.
*I volunteered to review a Copy of this book from the Author / Give Me Books Promotions*
4.5 Don’t Give Up On Love Stars!!
Thank you so very much Ms.Locke and Give Me Books Promotions!! I am extremely honored and grateful!!
This was my second time reading Ms.Locke’s work and I really enjoyed it!! The concept of this story was different than what I am used to in a good way. It was full of angst and honesty even though true thoughts weren’t always spoken out loud. I hated what these characters went through and the pain that ate away on their hearts daily.
Written in the Scars is about Elin and Ty who are one couple that’s love was damaged and its up to them to see if its worth repairing or not. This story shows that words can hurt but it showed that words can also mean everything especially when you are expressing how you feel. I was so glad both characters had their very own POVs so I could know both sides to their story and discover what led to the point that they are at today.
I liked the fact that it showed real struggles that both individuals went through and how your mind can be your enemy at times when it comes to the past. I pretty much bit my lip throughout the whole story due to being unsure of what the outcome would be for these two. It was heartbreaking, beautiful, infuriating, touching, and last but certainly not least very gripping. Love is never easy nor is it perfect , you have to work at it which I liked that this book showed that. I didn’t know if things could be fixed which had me on edge and my attention never wavering from my Kindle.
Ms.Locke once again created a novel that uncovered what love really means. She showed that we all make mistakes but forgiveness is something that so many of us seek. I can’t wait to pick up more of her work as soon as possible!! One-Click it today and find out if love is worth fighting for!!
This book seriously wrecked me…..I don’t think I have cried as much as I did when reading Written in the Scars. The story was written and told so beautifully, that I will never forget these characters. It definitely had some twists and turns I didn’t see coming thanks to the brilliant storytelling from the author!
Broken hearts, shattered lives, and scars that run so deep the impact entire lives.
This story began with such brokenness that I was’t sure if my heart could take it. There was so much going on within Ty and Elin, along with so much happening TO them.Their story was not only them, but all those around them.
It’s hard to communicate just what I loved about this story. I loved it, no doubt, but there was so much that pulled me into the lives of these characters. Ty was a man who made mistakes, Elin was a woman who also made mistakes, but was suffering through a lot of pain, and these two were in the center of a group of friends who all cared about each other immensely. This group made me extremely envious of their bond.
I loved the concept of scars for this story. “You know, it’s better to have a scar than a bruise…Bruises go away, Tyler. Scars stick around to prove you showed up for life. That you lived. That you fought. That you loved.” I feel like this sums up, perfectly, everything we struggle with in life. Living life is going to leave us with scars, all of us, even when things seem to be going well. It’s living through those scars that lead us to all the beauty that life can offer.
This was a great story. It spanned from teen love to grown up love to broken love and then into a type of love that hadn’t yet been explored. It shows us that life isn’t linear, love isn’t simple, and you can never predict what the outcome of our mistakes will be