Review: Shouldn't Have You by Carrie Ann Ryan (Fractured Connections #2)
Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions.
Would it be too soon for me to declare the Fractured Connections series my favorite from Carrie Ann Ryan, a title currently (formerly?) owned by her Gallagher Brothers series? Based on the first two novels alone, something just feels even more extraordinary about these characters, and if you know how much of angst addict I am, my adoration of this series is more than the angst in it. Ryan's writing feels as if it's gone up a couple of notches, and considering how prolific she is as an author and how loved her books are, that's saying something. This series is part of her Montgomery Ink universe, but it can be read independently of the original series and the other spin-offs. Trust me, I know because I have yet to read almost all of this author's Montgomery Ink novels and novellas.
Shouldn't Have You is the second Fractured Connections book and it's a friends-to-lovers romance between Brendon Connolly and Harmony Wynham. Brendan knew Harmony when they were just kids and were friends when she still had the last name of Jacobs. They remained friends when Harmony married Moyer Wynham, a man who would ultimately become Brendon's closest friend and business partner--the same man whose life was cut short while Brendon tried to stop it all from happening. Two years since his passing, twenty-seven-year-old Harmony has taken the first steps of moving forward by agreeing to blind dates that turn out to be disasters and it's Brendon she turns to when she needs to vent. What Harmony doesn't know is that Brendon has gone and fallen in love at nearly thirty. Another thing she doesn't know? The woman he's fallen for is none other than her.
My heart went out to both Brendon and Harmony while reading their love story. Brendon's childhood was far from ideal, only learning what true family was all about when foster care landed him in the home of Jack and Rose Connolly, who would become the only parents that mattered, and having twins Cameron and Aiden--and now Dillon as well--as his brothers. Harmony lost her first love, Moyer, but I loved her resilient spirit and how she refused to not let sorrow get the better of her. Brendon and Harmony may have been broken to some extent, but they had each other and their support systems which included their closest friends and families to bolster them. I appreciated that this story didn't go the usual route that many others involving one falling in love with the widow (or widower) of someone close to them. Carrie Ann Ryan didn't shy away from the heavier subject matters but she didn't allow her characters to wallow either, allowing them to live and love again. Five stars for Shouldn't Have You. ♥
Shouldn't Have You is the second Fractured Connections book and it's a friends-to-lovers romance between Brendon Connolly and Harmony Wynham. Brendan knew Harmony when they were just kids and were friends when she still had the last name of Jacobs. They remained friends when Harmony married Moyer Wynham, a man who would ultimately become Brendon's closest friend and business partner--the same man whose life was cut short while Brendon tried to stop it all from happening. Two years since his passing, twenty-seven-year-old Harmony has taken the first steps of moving forward by agreeing to blind dates that turn out to be disasters and it's Brendon she turns to when she needs to vent. What Harmony doesn't know is that Brendon has gone and fallen in love at nearly thirty. Another thing she doesn't know? The woman he's fallen for is none other than her.
My heart went out to both Brendon and Harmony while reading their love story. Brendon's childhood was far from ideal, only learning what true family was all about when foster care landed him in the home of Jack and Rose Connolly, who would become the only parents that mattered, and having twins Cameron and Aiden--and now Dillon as well--as his brothers. Harmony lost her first love, Moyer, but I loved her resilient spirit and how she refused to not let sorrow get the better of her. Brendon and Harmony may have been broken to some extent, but they had each other and their support systems which included their closest friends and families to bolster them. I appreciated that this story didn't go the usual route that many others involving one falling in love with the widow (or widower) of someone close to them. Carrie Ann Ryan didn't shy away from the heavier subject matters but she didn't allow her characters to wallow either, allowing them to live and love again. Five stars for Shouldn't Have You. ♥
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Read my reviews for the Fractured Connections series:
Breaking Without You (book one) - five stars - My Review
Shouldn't Have You (book two) - five stars - My Review (posted above)
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Release Date: 21 May 2019
Date Read: 21 May 2019
Learn more about Carrie Ann Ryan.
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