BLOG TOUR: REVIEW, EXCERPT, AND GIVEAWAY: Written in the Scars by Adriana Locke

Title: Written in the Scars

Author: Adriana Locke

Release Date: Oct 20, 2016

Add to Goodreads

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 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.

Review

Scars…every person has them. Some wear them proudly, showing how they beat the odds and moved past the darkness; others use them as a shield…as a way of hiding themselves from everyone else and living in the shadows, too afraid to expose themselves to the truth. And still, there are many who have them but don’t know how to deal with them because the mental and emotional scars are more extensive than the physical scars that everyone can see and those scars threaten to consume them and take away everything positive, leaving them fractured and alone.

Tyler Whitt’s scars consume him, not only the ones from the mining accident but the ones that make him feel worthless and overwhelmed by his life with his wife, Elin. They have a forever kind of love, but Ty’s scars are so deep that walking away was his only option, and by doing so, he refused to see or perhaps was unable to see exactly what his leaving would cost not only himself and his wife but also their love and marriage and now that Elin’s scars include some Ty doesn’t even realize, it’s unclear if they’ll be able to find their way back to each other…to fix their brokenness in a way that will bring them out of their sadness…their individual darkness and into a place that can be rebuilt and where their love can learn to flourish again.

Elin Whitt meant every one of her wedding vows to her husband, but when it seems like “in sickness” and “or worse” consume their lives, Elin doesn’t know how to hold onto those sacred words without feeling like they’re too much to bear and too much to overcome. Elin’s scars are created from sadness, regret, and anger – three feelings that consume her and refuse to loosen their hold over her, even when Ty returns and is willing to fight for their marriage, their future, and their beginning.

Tyler and Elin’s story is one that will resonate with readers because it deals with a once in a lifetime kind of love that ends up being turned upside down due to life’s difficulties. There isn’t a couple who can’t relate to the trials and tribulations that Ty and Elin go through despite how deep their love is and how connected their lives have been. Everything that Ty and Elin face are realistic situations – ones that test people’s ability to weather the storm…to forgive mistakes and misdeeds…too see through the pain and to live with the scars that were created in the turmoil and be stronger due to the lessons they teach.

Adriana Locke is a great storyteller – one who knows how to tell heartfelt stories – ones that realistically portray all that must be endured and fought against in order to live the life that people were meant to live. Locke’s characters’ journey is emotional and raw, and it illustrates all aspects of life – not just those that come easily. All readers will be able to connect with Ty and Elin’s struggles and the array of emotions felt by everyone involved, which is exactly why readers read stories that deal with matters of the heart, which is exactly what Locke gives her readers time and time again.

4.5 Poison Apples

As soon as the call is ended, my finger is in his chest. “You lied to me!”

“Calm down,” he scoffs, clearly entertained by my reaction.

“I’m not calming down! She called you. The girl that you didn’t do anything with.”

I start to march to the door, but his arm is around my waist, dragging me into his arms. “Will you stop acting like this?” he laughs. “What’s wrong with you?”

My arms pinned to my sides, I struggle to break free. “You are what’s wrong with me.”

“Tell you what,” he says, resting his head on the top of my head. “Let’s make a deal.”

“I don’t deal with liars.”

“I don’t normally deal with lunatics, either, but I’m making an exception tonight, so I guess you can too.”

The complete lack of fear or frustration in his voice calms me a little. I stop fighting to pull away.

“Let’s go in and have dinner with our friends. Then we can go to bed and I will tell you everything you want to know about her.” He plants a kiss to the back of my head. “And if you’re a good girl, I’ll let you have my cock after we’re done talking.”

“I doubt I’ll want it,” I sigh, trying to not succumb to him.

“There you go, lying again,” he laughs. Swatting me on my ass towards the house, I reach for his hand. He laces our fingers together and we head inside.

USA Today and Amazon Top 10 Bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.

She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather’s nice and there’s always a piece of candy in her pocket.

Please contact Adriana at http://www.adrianalocke.com. She loves to hear from readers. Join Adriana’s Facebook group here or Goodreads group here.