Thursday, December 6, 2018

Isn't It Romantic?: The Emma Scott Edition

Bring Down the Stars
Emma Scott
Series: Beautiful Hearts, #1
Age/Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
I fell for Connor Drake. I didn’t want to; I fought against it, but I fell in love with him anyway. With his words. With his poetry. With him. The gentleness and beauty of his soul that speaks directly to mine. He writes as if he can feel my heart, hear its cadence and compose the exact right lyrics to accompany every beat and flow.

I’m in love with Connor…so why do I feel an inexplicable pull to his best friend, Weston? Grouchy, sullen, brooding Weston Turner, who could cut you down with a look. Fiercely intelligent with a razor sharp wit and acid tongue, he’s the exact opposite of Connor in every way, and yet there’s electricity in the air between us. The thorny barbs Weston wraps around himself can’t keep me away.

But the more time I spend with these men, the more tangled and confused my emotions become. When they both sign up for the Army Reserves during a time of increasing strife in the Middle East, I fear I’ll never unravel my own heart that sometimes feels as if it will tear straight down the middle…for both of them.

Bring Down the Stars is an emotional, angst-filled novel of unrequited love by bestselling author, Emma Scott, and is inspired by the classic tale, Cyrano de Bergerac. (Roxanne) It is Book I in the Beautiful Hearts Duet, coming this summer. Book II, Long Live the Beautiful Hearts, to be released a few weeks later. THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL LOVE TRIANGLE #confusedhearts #notamenage
Life long friends fall for the same girl. One gets the girl, the other loves her from afar.

I knew this book was going to wreck me, because there is nothing more painful than unrequited love. My heart ached for Weston. The connection between him and Autumn was so obvious and instant, yet she was with Connor - he who got everything.

And do you know what made it even more painful? The whole Cyrano thing mentioned in the synopsis. Weston had been writing papers and completing assignments for Connor for a decade, and therefore, was not surprised when Connor asked him for help writing letters and texts to Autumn. Part of me struggled with how Weston could do this, but when he talked about how much he loved Connor, how he was more than a brother to him, and how he wanted Connor to be happy, I could sort of see where he was coming from. But still! It was hard to sit by and watch him give away pieces of his heart, without Autumn knowing they were his.

Just when I thought my heart was flat out crushed, we visited the frontlines with the boys. Let me tell you, it was brutal, and the ending! There aren't enough crying emojis to express the agony I am feeling right now.

Pictured: Me, drowning in a puddle of my tears. 

This story was a whole lot of things. It was a story of connection, of finding your people, of finding your passion, of finding the one you love. It was about friendship and family and the sacrifices you make for those who mean the most to you. I have tears in my eyes as I write this, but I found solace in the fact, that I am starting the next book as soon as I finish my review.

Long Live the Beautiful Hearts
Emma Scott
Series: Beautiful Hearts, #2
Age/Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Never again would I allow my heart to become the plaything of someone else. Never again would I let a man (or men) come between me and my goals. Never again would I love without feeling the fullness of that love in return. Not until I knew it was real. And if that took me a lifetime to find, so be it.

Those were my vows, and after all that had happened with Connor and Weston, I was determined to keep them. To protect my heart. And then he came home, and my vows became his promises.

He held my heart in his hands with reverence and care. He helped me find my soul’s greatest purpose in life. He loved me with a love so pure and vibrant, I knew I’d never feel anything like it in a hundred lifetimes. It was real.

Until it wasn’t. Until it all came crashing down when I discovered the deep love I thought I’d found was nestled in a web of lies—so soft and silken I hadn’t noticed it was there. Until it was too late.

Long Live the Beautiful Hearts is the emotional, heart-wrenching conclusion to the Beautiful Hearts Duet by bestselling author, Emma Scott, and is inspired by the classic tale, Cyrano de Bergerac. (Roxanne) THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL LOVE TRIANGLE #confusedhearts #notamenage THIS BOOK IS NOT A STANDALONE. It should not be read without first reading Bring Down the Stars
I was an actual puddle at the end of Bring Down the Stars, and I pretty much shed a ton of tears when I started this book too. Scott, once again, delivered an stunning story, which took me on an emotional ride.

There were so many big themes explored in this book, and Scott did it beautifully. This book was about second chances, living life to its fullest, and embracing new realities. It was about not giving up and finding your passion. It was about forgiveness and new beginnings. But most of all, it was about love.

I feel really limited about what I can mention, because the whole premise of the second book is kind of spoilery, but I will share some things I adored.
  • So emotional! I was happy, I was sad, I was mad, but I was grateful to go on this journey. 
  • Lots of twists and surprises, good surprises.
  • An extremely satisfying ending with lots of closure. 
  • I got to share so many beautiful and heartwarming moments with these characters, and my heart filled with joy, over and over again. 
The first book sort of broke me, but this one put my heart back together and filled it with joy.

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

Do you write or enjoy poetry?
Let us know in the comments!

22 comments:

  1. I adore Emma Scott and so want to read this duet. Not sure it's going to happen in the immediate future (not a good time for a book that's going to rip my heart out) but I know I'm going to love them - even when I'm mopping up the tears. :)

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    1. It was painful at times, and the ending of book 1 was heart wrenching, but because it was Emma Scott, I knew there would be an HEA. That sort of kept my emotions from going out of control.

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  2. oh... haha sorry to laugh but your gif cracked me up! :D
    I'm so glad this series moved you so much!

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    1. Scott always makes me cry, but I can read her books knowing there will be an HEA at the end

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  3. I haven't read this author but this sounds like a really well done series. I love that it isn't quite the normal love triangle. Thanks for putting these on my radar!

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    1. Emma Scott is in line with all those really emotional, big drama romance authors, like CoHo and Jamie McGuire, who always make me cry, a lot, at some point.

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  4. I haven't heard of Emma Scott, but these sound really good! I'm not entirely sure I want all those feels though! XD

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    1. I have read a bunch of her books. Cried every time.

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  5. Cyrano... that sounds SO familiar... I think I read in AP English and hated the book for its exaggeration.

    Anyways, from the synopsis this sounds very powerful and emotional, and I'm glad that was the case for you! Okay, it's bad, but it's also good, haha. I love that GIF, though.

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    1. I never read the original Cyrano (I am gifted in science/math, not English), but I have seen many film adaptations, and the story is well known. I can't even explain how painful the ending of the first book was. UGGHHHHHHH!

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  6. Those covers so pretty! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed both of them so much. I think I'll be a mess of emotions after reading both.

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    1. They are really emotional. Scott is that group with like Colleen Hoover, you know, the authors that make you ugly cry, BUT she picks you back up by crafting a wonderful happily ever after.

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  7. This duet sounds intriguing because of the unusual love triangle and the emotional rollercoaster. The beautiful covers add so much. Thanks Sam! ❤️❤️

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    1. Very emotional, and some of the subject matter at the end of the first book and pretty much the whole of the second book could be nothing less than heart wrenching, but she also paints a picture of love and support and resilience, which was very uplifting.

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  8. Okay, so I need to read these back-to-back, obviously. Especially if the first one left you in a puddle of your own tears! I adore Scott's writing, and she's always wrecking my soul. I cannot even begin to imagine what Weston was going through, writing his feelings for a girl and giving them to her through someone else. Ugh, it's going to kill me. These were both wonderful reviews, Sam! I'm going to see if my library has copies!

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?

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    1. I think these are only ebook, because they are self-published. I know they are on KU, if you subscribe. I have been able to get her audiobooks via Hoopla as well, if you have access via your library.

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  9. Oh my! I NEED to read these! But I'm also terrified of reading these... I'm a coward at the moment for anything I know will wreck me before I start reading. But, they sound so good!

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    1. The end of the first book is so painful, but the second book is about healing, and was even quite uplifting.

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  10. These sound interesting leaving you in tears. A book hasn't left me in a puddle of tears so I am interested in finding out if this can. A painful book. Hummm.

    Mary

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    1. Emma Scott ALWAYS makes me cry. She like CoHo in that they write those really emotional, high drama books. It involves men who go off to war and unrequited love and lots of other really emotional things, but she always delivers a big ending, which leaves me happy.

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  11. I might have to try these because I love books that are supposed to make me cry (I'm not a crier) and maybe because I want to see if I cry. I will have tissues armed and ready! It sounds like such a predicament to be in and unrequited love is the hard life for sure!! I don't even know what I would do if I was the friend that didn't get the girl but I definitely would not want to lose the friendship. I recently (well, it was a year and a half ago now) lost some childhood friendships over dating drama and it was so heartbreaking. Even more than losing the 'guy'.

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    1. I have to be in the right mood for these really dramatic books, but for some reason, I always enjoy Emma Scott's brand of drama. There are some really intense parts, but I think Scott does them well.

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