She’s no stranger to love and loss…
By age eighteen, Alexa Kingsley had lost everyone. Only Joey, the lonely boy next door, remained. He’d clung to Alexa like a lifeline through years of abuse at the hands of his father, and she vowed to protect him as best she could. Alexa thought Joey was the one person who’d always be there—until the day he left her as well. Finally forced to go it alone, Alexa finds this latest loss may hurt worst of all.
He’s no stranger to lack of love…
Joseph O’Connor was every bit the villain his father trained him to be, his young heart twisted into something ugly, corrupted. But his father underestimated the girl next door, miscalculated the impact Lexi would have on Joey’s life, the spark she ignited that eventually, despite all odds, grew to an inferno of hope. To reclaim her, Joey must first become a man Lexi can be proud of…the kind of man she deserves.
Amidst a shadowy world of guns and drugs, will Joey’s ultimate sacrifice—a declaration of love from a man who was never shown any at all—be enough to finally set him free?
“Oh gods I have stalked this author and this book right from the get go, freaking love this author and her writing style, the dark, the emotions, the grit, all things that make this one of my favourite authors..” ~ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books
“This is so beautifully written it brought tears to my eyes. Brilliant plot with beautiful characters.” ~ Goodreads Reviewer
Since meeting Lexi and Joey in the previous books in the series, readers have grown to understand the bond/love that’s between them. But amidst the pleasure and comfort of their connection is a fissure that continues to expand every time Joey puts revenge and setting things right before Lexi…before what they share.
Each time Joey leaves Lexi and puts himself in danger in order to make up for his past misdeeds, her heart gets broken and she attempts to move on, letting go, rather unsuccessfully, of her feelings for him and finding someone who will give her what she needs.
But despite the distance, lack of communication, and the knowledge of Joey’s choices, he’s still everything Lexi wants and needs, and in You Loved Me At My Ugliest, she learns that it’s not a life of normalcy or an ordinary man that Lexi needs to feel settled and safe; it’s Joey – being with him regardless of where they are, what they have to endure, and what ugliness they bring with them.
Evie Harper does a great job of delivering the message that even the ugliest parts of people still make them who they are and lead them to decide what path they choose to take. Joey’s ugliness stems from his father and the O’Connor name and what it stands for. He has lived with a past and present full of darkness, blood, and regret, but Lexi has been with him every step of the way, allowing him to keep a part of himself beautiful – a part filled with hope, humanity, and love.
In the world that Evie Harper creates in her You Loved Me series, nothing is easy; evil surrounds everything and threatens to destroy even the strongest of bonds. Lily and Jake, Emily and Kanye, and Joey and Lexi all have to fight through the darkness, their weaknesses, and the ugliness they’ve faced in order to move forward together, which is not an easy task. It will leave them broken, devastated, and merely surviving instead of living, but Evie Harper always gives her characters and her readers small glimpses of hope as the story continues, forcing her hero/heroine to work to get themselves out of the abysmal situations they are in and find their happiness again.
Through the darkness when people are at their weakest is when their ugliest parts can be portrayed, but those who can rise above and deal with the pain and sadness, fighting with everything that they have, those survivors are who deserve their happy ending and that’s what Evie Harper strives to give her characters and her readers despite everything that is fighting against them.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 poison apples
Evie is an Australian author whose passion for reading lead her into writing. Evie spends her days writing heartbreaking, suspense filled love stories with happily ever afters. Evie’s characters are strong alphas with even stronger heroines who bring sexy sass to the relationship.
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