From the bestselling author of Weightless and A Love Letter to Whiskey
Wren Ballard is trying to find herself.
She never expected to be divorced at twenty-seven, but now that the court date has passed, it’s official. The paperwork is final. Her feelings on it aren’t.
Spending the summer in a small mountain town outside Seattle is exactly what she needs. The peaceful scenery is a given, the cat with the croaky meow is a surprise, but the real kicker? A broody neighbor with nice arms, a strange reputation, and absolutely no interest in her.
Anderson Black is perfectly fine being lost.
He doesn’t care about the town’s new resident — he’s too busy fighting his own demons. But when he’s brought face to face with Wren, he can see her still-fresh wounds from a mile away. What he doesn’t see coming is his need to know who put them there — or his desperation to mend them.
Sometimes getting lost is the way to find yourself. Sometimes healing only adds a new scar. And sometimes the last place you expected to be is exactly where you find home.
Because everyday was the same. Until I saw her...
Gah! The feels of this book is just too much! Am I overwhelmed?I don't know...What I know, is that reading this book is so raw, intense, powerful and seemed to make me feel vulnerable. My heart is in a twist, wrenching so hard. I feel some..and then more. Who would have thought right? But then, Do I owe anybody an explanation for this? I don't think so, I have the rights to my feelings anyway, but you know what? What isn't right is to just hide the feelings I have with this book. So,yes I owe myself at least the courage for me to speak what emotions this book evoked me. I might not convey it the way you wanted to be but...God! Swear Revelry is more than it seems to be. It's so emotional and speaks so highly of life's plot twists, so relatable and really struck me straight to the heart.
She was stunning, a sophisticated woman straight from the pages of a magazine. And I was a lumberjack.
Revelry follows the story of Wren and Anderson Black. So different yet almost the same. As the blurb speaks, each carries a baggage of their own. Two lost souls, a newly divorced woman and the other battles a demon from his past. Reading their journey grabbed me from beginning until the end. Tropes like this is just something I am rooting for because I wanted to feel the emotions that comes with it. And I was not disappointed with Kandi's delivery for this one. I might have been looking forward to that "angst" tropes like this is usually associated with, but who am I to complain? I am loving the feels still. It's angst-ish, heartfelt and addicting. I love how I was pulled into it. The feels of reading their past, their struggles, the battling of demons, and the heartaches is just so alive that I have no problem connecting with them. The only problem is, I cannot let go of them. Ironic, because this book is a definition of finally letting go.
Overall, I will recommend this book. Kandi Steiner delivered a story well rounded and awe inspiring. It was heartbreaking knowing what they each carried before they finally met, yet it was heart warming knowing in the end they finally find their home with each other, amidst the curve balls thrown at them and the bumps in the roads along the way. This book, it will be etched in my heart because it speaks highly of reality. Scenes after scenes are believable, I was lost in them. Kandi's words is like music to my ears. The story is a true definition of forgiving yourself first before you can forgive others, to finally let go so you will can find your true self, to love and be love but loving yourself first. Because it's when you finally learn to forgive and love yourself first, you can wholeheartedly learn to love others too.
For Wren and Anderson, their journey wasn't an easy feat. It wasn't just all heart breaking moments too. There were happy moments and hot ones where you can say, Life doesn't sucks you know, it rocks!But of course, the highlight was and always will be, the time when they finally let go. That moment when they have pondered on things, accepted and learned lessons from the past because it was in that moment they have fought for what they believe will make them happy. To love each other and finally find their home. God! It was the most heart fulfilling moment ever.
Indeed,
Life throws curve balls—hard and fast, unpredictable. But you still have to hit that sucker or strike out swinging.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐3.75 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
They say when one door closes, another one opens and if I could sum up this book into one quote, I would choose this one. Kandi Steiner gave us a story about heartbreak, grief, and finding love in the most unlikely places.
Two broken people.
One small town.
And a summer they will never forget.
Wren has gone through one of the most painful decision any adult has ever had to make. Some people think that getting a divorce is just a simple task but it’s not. Emotionally it’s horrendous because you’ve spent years building a life with that person, your bodies are in sync, your day to day activities revolve around them and a piece of your heart will forever be with that person no matter what. So knowing that all of the love and memories you’ve built over the years has now come down to signing one piece of paper, is heartbreaking. But for someone like Wren who’s marriage has been over for quite some time, that moment is also FREEING.
Being a fashion designer and owning her own boutique, Wren decides to take some off to get her head together and work on her new line. What’s a better way to get inspiration for your line? Renting out a cabin in a small town for the summer. But with Wren’s new found freedom comes something that she wasn’t expecting and little does she know that Anderson Black is about to mend her broken heart.
For the past seven years, Anderson Black has been non existent. He does the same thing everyday from the moment he wakes up and he’s ok with it because it gives him something to do. And when you have something to do, your mind becomes distracted with other things and you can’t dwell on the one thing that will put you back in your own personal hell. So you see, having a routine isn’t such a bad thing. But all of that goes to s*** when Anderson meets Wren for the first time.
“One moment, one look, and the haze I’d walked in for years blew out in a breath. Because everyday was the same. And then I saw her.”
I found myself completely sucked in with this setting! Everything felt cozy and natural I could’ve pictured everything that these characters did. As for Anderson, he was absolutely perfect to me and I loved the fact that we got to see him vulnerable, domineering, and loving all at once.
Even though I really did enjoy most of this story, I had a few issues with Wren which caused me to struggle with my rating. I loved that she went after her dreams and made it into a successful business and I really liked the fact that she didn’t have all l the answers for everything and she was figuring things out as she went along. But… she frustrated me a few times and her continuous talk about the past became too repetitive for me. I think that if that was factored out, I would’ve been able to connect with her more. Aside from that, this was still an enjoyable story and if love reading about broken characters who find love with each other, then this one is for you.
I had just grabbed my oversized hat and slipped my sunglasses on when I spotted Anderson walking up the drive with a large trash bag slung over his shoulder. He wore a simple, black V-neck and distressed jeans, an outfit way too dark and hot for the heat. A light sheen of sweat gathered on his neck as he made his way toward my cabin, his eyes hidden behind all-black sunglasses.
"Change your mind?" I asked, not even fighting the grin on my face as I walked outside and leaned against the banister.
Anderson squinted up at me, his boots heavy as they hit each stair. "About?"
"Tubing?" I asked. That was why he was here, right?
"Oh." He shook his head as he hit the top stair, shrugging the bag off his shoulders to hold it by the neck in one fist. "No, I have somewhere to be..." His voice trailed off, and even through the tinted shades of his glasses I felt his eyes on my chest. I'd strapped on my favorite boho print bathing suit and paired it with a dainty gold chain that wrapped around my neck once before dipping between my chest and crossing over my ribs.
He sniffed, holding the bag out toward me. "I just came to drop these off. My clothes. Well, the ones that could probably use a little TLC."
My eyes lit up and I reached for the bag, but Anderson snatched it back, brows shooting up into his forehead.
"No frills, Wren."
I threw my hands up in surrender. "I promise."
He smirked, just slightly, and handed the bag over, tucking his hands in his front pockets.
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" I asked, peering into the bag at my project before setting it just inside the cabin and locking the door behind me.
"I can't," he said, lips pressed together. He was tense, the muscles on his forearms tight as he glanced around at pretty much everything but me.
I opened my mouth to ask why but was cut off by the sound of a truck flying into my drive, tires sliding against the gravel.
Tucker was in the driver's seat with Davie in the passenger. Sarah and Yvette sat in the back, laughing with their hands up as the truck skidded to a stop. They were both sprawled out on a pile of tubes, wearing bathing suit tops and tiny shorts.
All of their faces froze when they saw Anderson.
"Hey, you ready, Wren?" Tucker asked warily, his eyes moving from where Anderson stood in front of me, to me, and back again.
"Yeah, one sec!" I called back.
I turned to Anderson, but his eyes were hard on Tucker, jaw ticking under his skin. When he faced me once more, an anchor fell from my throat into the pit of my stomach, immobilizing me completely. Because even though I 'd tried to convince myself I was wrong, I recognized the look in his eyes.
Possession.
And when his nose flared and he took one big step toward me, our chests brushing, his hand reaching out to rest almost imperceptibly on my hip, the anchor in my stomach exploded into flames, burning a desire so fierce I inhaled a toxic breath and didn't let it go.
"Be careful, okay?" His eyes locked on mine just before he leaned in and swiftly kissed my cheek.
He turned on his heel and jogged down the stairs and past the truck. Sarah called his name, but he didn't acknowledge her, just kept his gaze forward until he'd disappeared from view.
And then everyone looked at me.
Kandi Steiner is a bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.
An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.
When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys live music, traveling, anything heavy in carbs, beach days, movie marathons, craft beer and sweet wine — not necessarily in that order.
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