Her Lifeline

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Her Lifeline draws you in from the very beginning. Erin is the baby sister of a sweet and loving family that is absolutely rocked by a tragedy. Many lives are changed in that moment and paths once forged are turned into different directions. Ward, the family friend and Tommy's best friend, heads of to London without Tommy and leaves wounds deep with a young Erin.

Years later, Tommy is in a terrible accident and Ward reenters the picture- to Erin's complete dismay. The raw emotion she still feels with her anger with Ward is one the reader gets to wad through as Erin comes to terms with a past she didn't know so much about. There are so many life problems addressed beautifully in this book that I loved reading it. Some are heartbreaking and blindsided me!

Thanks Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the advanced read!

Talk about second chances and facing your past and this book serves it up with a scottish accent, love, anger, fear, rage and seals it with time and unfortunate circumstances.

Erin’s dad goes out to get them pizza on Valentine’s Day and an accident makes sure that he never comes home. She’s only eleven- her brother Tommy and his best friend, Ward, go their seperate ways, because unlike Tommy, he is not willing to stay when he’s got the chance of a lifetime at a University he’s yearned to attend and could pursue his dream.
Eleven years later, Ward gets the one call he never expected- Tommy’s been in an accident, he’s barely alive- and just like that Ward- now a multi-millionaire goes home.

Erin’s not pleased about his presence and she does not hesitate to make it known. Whereas he expected it, it’s the rage that comes with it that hurts him- but even then, as you read, you cannot help but want to know why Ward left and stayed away from his closest friends and family.

I love a challenge and here Ward has to get Erin’s trust back and it’s what made reading this book enjoyable.

The author does not shy away from exploring alcoholism, abuse, violence, manipulation and grief.

Bottom line is- we all love and lose loved ones and it is great not just to read a romance novel but to be able to relate to more than one of the issues affecting the characters. Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

Ward is back in Scotland after 11 years away - only there because his best friend Tommy is fighting for his life. You start the book not liking Ward, but as his secrets are uncovered you just feel sorry for him and hope that him and Erin get together. An emotional read.

I've received a ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Never thought I would read the word -nae so much in my life and that doesn't include other words I have found to be a turn off. I understand it's the way the characters accent but it got a little annoying after a while that I considered dropping this book. Despite that, it was a decent read. Nothing to brag about.

Even though Erin and Ward were the main love interests, I found my self picturing Jesse and Erin together since their relationship seemed more wholesome, and their chemistry was better but I guess you can't win them all.

I almost didn't finish this tonight as couldn't see through the tears!! A very powerful and emotional read with lots of lovely heartfelt moments too. I loved Erin and Ward and all the characters were so real I think that's why I was sobbing so much. Erin was such a strong character and despite having her heart broken she never gave up.

Absolutely amazing read, I love all of LA Casey’s. This reminded so much of until Harry in a way, brilliant read as always—highly recommend reading

I absolutely love L.A Casey and all ber books.
This book is no different.
This book brings all kinds of feelings out in you.
It really is amazing.
Literally cannot wait for more books from her !

This book will make you feel all kinds of emotions. Really good story. I really liked the characters and could feel their pain. I would recommend this book.

What have I just read? A heart wrenching story of family and friendship, a friends to lovers, or is it enemies to lovers? Not quite second chance romance, but definitely a “gotta crush on my big brother’s best friend” kinda story. At age 11 Erin Saunders was crushing big time on Ward Buckley, until that one fateful night when he let her down when she needed him most. For 11 years Erin has resented Ward leaving her and her family and will not speak of him to anyone, but now he’s back in Scotland determined to make things right between them. A story full of love, loss, family and secrets. My heart broke. How much heart ache can one person take? A wonderful story, beautifully written in dual POV. Don’t forget your tissues. A solid 5 star recommendation from me. I was provided with an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

When I saw this was a childhood crush all grown up and her brother's bestie, I was all over this. I love it when they have a shared history. I settled in for a good read.

Sadly, it didn't really work for me.

Erin's brother's bestie - Ward - moved away when she was 11 and he's done well, becoming a gazillionaire complete with faithful manservant and steady yet reassuringly unfanciable female sidekick at the end of his phone. He's got himself a fiancee but all is not what it seems. Meanwhile Erin is still living in Scotland, caring for her mum and working two crappy jobs to support herself.

Did I mention the characters are Scots? I cannot lie, I can't be doing with lots of dialect where it slows down my reading and forces me to try to figure out wtf someone's saying and boy was there a lot in this. I get that it's there to be authentic, but literally every conversation included a 'dinnae' or a 'ken' or an 'aye'. And they were the bits I understood. How about: “Haud yer wheesht.” Or "Please dinnae fash yersel with me.” Or “What’s fur ye’ll not go by ye?”

*scratches head*

The impenetrable dialect grated why nerves and yanked me out of the story, and because it was so frequent, it really ruined my enjoyment of this book. So, if there was good tension between Ward and Erin I missed it because I was too distracted grinding my teeth at the dialect.

Aside from my issues with the dialect, there was a huge amount going on in this, much of it emotional drama, and pretty powerful at that, so it wasn't a total dud. Have some tissues handy though, jeez it's a sad one.

If you're after an emotional read with lots of drama and you like some authentic dialect then you'll love this I'm sure.

After an accident brings Ward back after 11 years, it creates a second chance for Erin and award, but will it all work out? Not normally a fan of second chance romances but this one was an enjoyable story.

I absolutely loved this book! I was surprised because I flippen adore her Slater Brothers series and her alien one (still waiting for more of that). It's different than her usual writing style but still amazing in greatness! Can't wait to read more

Her Lifeline is a story about Erin's life before and after the loss of her father. The characters are very relatable and true to life at the response to loss. Through Erin's life journey she has reached out to find strength in few people. This story has several unexpected surprises which will keep you reading to the very end.

I truly enjoyed this book. I recommend reading it.

Her Lifeline draws you in from the very beginning. Erin is the baby sister of a sweet and loving family that is absolutely rocked by a tragedy. Many lives are changed in that moment and paths once forged are turned into different directions. Ward, the family friend and Tommy's best friend, heads of to London without Tommy and leaves wounds deep with a young Erin.

Years later, Tommy is in a terrible accident and Ward reenters the picture- to Erin's complete dismay. The raw emotion she still feels with her anger with Ward is one the reader gets to wad through as Erin comes to terms with a past she didn't know so much about. There are so many life problems addressed beautifully in this book that I loved reading it. Some are heartbreaking and blindsided me!

A five star read for my first book written by L.A. Casey. This story is an overwhelming and intense read; it’s an opening path towards a second chance in life but along the way there are a series of events that the reader doesn’t expect to encounter. All the characters face life with great difficulties and have a heavy burden on their shoulders but thanks to love they are able to overcome all the hardships. From my point of view I loved how the author developed the entire plot, making all the characters fit in well. It is indeed a romance between two characters that have wasted their time hating and regretting owing to circumstances and misunderstandings but fortunately as the story evolves they will realize that they are meant to be together and thanks to this great strength defined as “Love” they are able to pick up those shattered pieces and restart from the beginning.

Casey's books are books I fall in love with. There hasn't been one book of hers that I didn't connect with.

This book had me in tears, and was so touched by Ward and Erin's story. This wasn't just a romance story. It was a story about the deep love Erin had for her family. How hard it is to let go when you can't follow them. Erin thought she was weak, but to go though losing someone who you love, and surviving it made her stronger.

Ward is trying get redemption to get past the guilt. In the beginning he calls himself a coward. It does take a brave soul to admit his wrongs.

This has been one book that I won't soon forget. It was exceptional!

I love this book ! This was emotional roller coster and this book deserves more than a 5 stars .I love Scottish accent , I love chemistry between main characters and I am so glad that I have opportunity to read this .Thank you Net Galley and Montlake Romance, I enjoyed .
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Where to start? Ms.Casey writes a book with characters that suffer in silence, feel shame, guilt and fear. While this book is extremely well written you need to prepare yourself for the contents.
There is a love story in Her Lifeline but it’s a small part of an intense and often troubling book.
I have mixed feelings about Her Lifeline. On the one hand the writing was excellent and kept my interest along with the well developed characters. On the other hand it’s hard for me to read a book filled with so much angst and negativity.
The story is also about redemption, acceptance, forgiveness and moving forward.
There are real life problems, real life reactions and real life sadness. But if you can keep reading you’ll eventually get to a HEA In the end.
Fair warning though. This book.is a happy go lucky, easy to read romance.

Her Lifeline is a new series from LA Casey and definitely comes with some heart wrenching moments.

Set in Scotland, this is a story of childhood friends that part ways under tragic circumstances. What starts off as a childhood crush unfortunately turns into a resent and hurt. Once again tragic circumstances bring the two main characters together but the reunion is less then friendly.

The moments between Erin and Ward are tense at times. There are clearly unresolved issues between these two and Ward definitely has some explaining to do. Erin's got it extremely tough, burdened with family responsibilities and now with her brother in serious condition she could use some shoulders to lean on.

This story will definitely give you emotions, so many instances of hurt, betrayal, heartbreak. LA Casey definitely doesn't hold back in terms of throwing the emotional angst out there.

While I enjoyed this book I didn't feel as connected to Erin and Ward's relationship as I had hoped I would be. As well being set in Scotland there is a lot of Scottish dialect used in this book which I will be honest and say threw off the flow for me. I found myself pausing and rereading the Scottish dialect used trying to understand exactly what they were saying and it distracted me a bit from the storyline as it was often.

Overall am I glad that I read it. Yes absolutely and I would definitely read the next one in this series. I enjoyed the book, and I do think that if you like an emotional read you will like this one. Prepare yourself for some heartbreak and if you are a crier I definitely say prepare yourself cause those tears will come. I look forward to the next one.

Her Lifeline was my first book by L.A. Casey, and I was not expecting to get sucked into it the way I did. Almost from the first page, the writing gripped me and the story held me fascinated, flipping pages while my heart and my mind got a little lost in Erin and Ward's love story.

I mean, this is bigger than a love story. There's a fair amount of family drama and some pretty difficult subject matter packed into this book. It read a little bit like a soap opera - and was equally as addicting as one. But even with all the drama going on around them, I was able to attach to Erin and Ward's story. I felt their chemistry and their connection and all-in-all I thought this was a nearly perfectly executed hybrid of second chance, enemies to lovers, and best friend's little sister romance.

That said, there were a couple of things that didn't really work for me. I felt like some of the drama (perhaps the biggest bombshell) was wrapped up a little too quickly and a little too neatly given the weight of the storyline. There was also a twist near the end that sent the book spiraling into unnecessarily depressing territory. In fact, for me it wound up coloring the entire book with this sort of depressing wash and left me feeling a bit deflated.

Don't get me wrong, the epilogue went a long way toward helping with those feelings. There's a happy ending here, after all, and it's gorgeous. But some of the twists and turns along the way felt like cheap emotional punches, and had me skimming ahead for more of the "good stuff".

In all? I really enjoyed reading this one. It was one of those rare books that I didn't want to put down, and I thoroughly enjoyed the writing. I even enjoyed the Scottish dialect, which - for me - did not detract from the story at all. I will absolutely be back for more from this author! ~ Shelly, 3.5 Stars

The blurb for this one caught my attention right away and couldn’t wait to jump into this one. I have not read anything up till now by this author so I was also excited to find a new author to read and from the looks of her other books she is a popular one.

I really wanted to love this one, I loved the premise of the storyline and it stared out well but as the story started to progress I had several issues with this book.

First, the writing drove me nuts. The author gives a note at the beginning about this book being written with the dialect for the area it takes place in Scotland. So I was expecting to have parts refer to it the way Scottish people would say it, for example things like “i’m chuffed”. Didn’t know what that means but looked it up and in I went. I didn’t expect things to be written and spelled how they say it not the proper spelling of it. If I had to read one more time things like “I dinnae ken,” I was going to lose my mind. I get this is how it’s pronounced but it’s not how they spell it. I have never seen this before, other than a few small parts when it’s a toddler taking, which is okay in small doses but this was just plain annoying.

Second I get this is fiction but him creating “Friendzone” social media app was just lame . At least come up with a better more creative name. Ward is definitely no Mark Zuckerberg.

Last, when Ward walked out he was 19 and Erin was 11. Now 11 years later his best friend who he hasn’t spoke to since he walked out gets hurt and he gets on a plane and comes back, and has feelings for Erin, who is 8 years younger and was 11 when he lefty. Nope wasn’t feeling it and found it a bit creepy if he had feelings for her before he left.

I tried, I gave it to 50% but I couldn’t keep up with the annoying dialect being written into the story nor could I stay engaged with the story that just kept going down hill. Sadly this one was a DNF for me.

WHERE TO START!?! I have never read from this author so I took a chance on this book and to say I am so very glad I did!! I was pulled in with the first chapter and crying in the next! I am a bit of a softy, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This is a great story and it tugs at your heart strings! Thomas and Ward have a friendship that comes with hardships in their later years. Erin has a whole lot of pent up emotions regarding Ward and to say I felt every one of her emotions is not giving this author justice! The ability to draw you into a story and feel the characters emotions is so hard to come by. The talent and sheer ability is something I love in an author. I have already looked up another of her books and have downloaded it. I loved it! You won't be disappointed!

I received this ARC from the publisher via Net Galley for my honest review at my request. The opinions written are solely my own. Thank.you Net Galley!!

Loved this! The characters were great, not exaggerated or excessively clingy / moody / manwhoreish which is always a bonus. The story line was easy to grasp and at times I was in the edge of my seat waiting for it to unfold. I did feel like the ending was rushed though and that I didn’t get the build up / climax from all that had happened. Love the author and not disappointed with this story.

Man, this one was a wee bit emotional. There were a couple of parts where I thought some sad water was going to come out of my eye holes. I’ve never read anything by this author before so I did not see that coming. I do have a bunch of her other books in my tbr that I desperately need to get to but I’m glad that I started with this one. The writing and storytelling was really good, I finished it all in one sitting.

This book was full of emotion and drama right from the start. Erin had a crush on her brother's best friend, she was 11, he is 19. (That seemed weird for me) They were both young, but in today's society it didn't sit right with me. Time passes and they haven't seen each other in awhile, but they reunite and being older now, it felt more natural.

Overall a good, quick read. The story line did flow nicely, never feeling like you missed something or was dragging on. Characters development was perfect. Good quick romance, not completely wowed, but a good read.

ARC proved by netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

WTH!!!! This author is great at writing tragedy on top of tragedy. I feel like someone slapped me senseless. This book is very sad and it's been a while since I've cried reading a book. This one broke the dam. But there is no doubt this is a story about second chances. The amount of commitment, loyalty, love, dedication, but at the same time feelings of betrayal, loneliness and despair, is overwhelming.

When it touches the subject about different types of abuse, even with details it's still done in a delicate way. One were you as a reader can learn from it and can still be proud of these characters at the end. They take to much time consumed by fear. Which is another important topic in the story. But that only allows you as a reader to watch them grow. Watch them make changes to better their lives.

Erin and Ward are pulled together by an attraction that goes beyond looks. They simply care for each other deeply and more than anything respect each other. Tragedy pulls them apart. But it also brings them back together. It's very rare to find an author that can have you feeling deeply the words on the pages. The sadness and despair of the characters. So get ready with a box of tissues because you will need it.

OMG the emotions with this one! I'm on a kick of emotional reads and once again I started this book in tears and ended it in tears. But I loved every minute.

Erin at the age of 11 had a bit of a crush on her older brother's best friend - Ward. Ward and her brother Tommy were 8 years older and about to take off for University when the unthinkable happens. Tommy decides to stay with his family and Ward ends up leaving...

Now 11 years later, Ward is back - with another tragedy, this time with Tommy. He has fulfill the dreams that the two best friends, more like brothers, had dreamed of all those years ago and Erin is grown up and mad as hell that Ward has decided to come back at a time like this.

Ward had his reason's for leaving and he's devastated to realize that Erin and Tommy haven't had the best life over the last decade he's been gone. But that's all going to change, starting now.

I loved Erin. She was a spitfire and strong in many ways but she was also damaged. Ward is just the person she needs in her life and he needs her even more than he could have ever imagined. As the two try to make up for their past, their future is the biggest question of all.

I love Lee's writing, and this book shows how much she has grown in character development and writing skills, taking them to a new level of awesomeness. We still get the humor that we are used to in her writing but also a new depth that I really enjoyed with these characters. I highly recommend this book.

I love myself a nice romance/drama/emotional read of love, tears, healing and acceptance from time to time. Her Lifeline by L.A Casey managed to tick all the boxes in bold!
I wouldn't want to get too much into the plotline as it is a fairly simple read and I would end up with a lot of spoilers here.
The story was decently structured with only a few instances where I felt it went a bit tangent. At times, there were too many things going on simultaneously that the situation at play didn't get the desired impact or attention. Overall, it has a nice start, the incident , the consequence , the domino effect and so on. One thing really caught me off guard was the ending i.e that ok now one would think the story has ended and expects to see the epilogue next. But BOOM!, that was not the ending , there was more to come. Good one!
Usually when I read , I lean towards a character, it may not be the protagonist, could be one of the side characters. I would have loved a little more depth to the characters and their interactions and less of inner monologues.
Overall it was a decently nice read.
Readometer rating - 3.5/5
Suggestion - It a good read for a journey!

Going in, I knew it would be a love, lost, redemption kind of story. That being said, I just found it really depressing. For that reason, it's just not for me.

A gripping story about secrets and grief and the redeeming power of love. Ward and Erin receiving a second chance at any sort of relationship was an absolute boon after the things they had both lived through.

4.5 Stars

When Erin Saunders was a young girl, she was crushing on her brothers best friend, and her world seemed  fairytale perfect. Until the night that her idyllic life was torn apart, and the boy whom she thought was everything, left her family alone when they needed him most. 

Ward Buckley always felt like a part of the Saunders family, until he had to make the decision to choose his future over their tragedy. But, when a horrible accident injuries his former best friend, nothing will keep him away from the people he loves and has lived without for all of these years. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her Lifeline was a beautiful, yet infinitely tragic story that will quite honestly, rip your heart out a shred it over and over again. Ok, maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but this book had me crying more than my poor little puffy eyes could take. Erin and Ward have a long road filled with heartache, hidden truths and forgiveness, and this book was an unforgettable journey into the depth of dealing with tragedy and finding strength in then least expected of places.

Erin lost so much when she was just 11 years old. Now, an adult who is taking care of her family and working two jobs, she can barely remember how great life used to be. And then the unthinkable happens, and her rock, the one person she has always relied on, is left fighting for his life. And amidst the tragedy of their current circumstances, the one man she never wanted to see again shows up like he has every right to be comforting her and her family. Ward left them when they needed him most, and then betrayed her brother, and Erin will forever hold that against him. 

Ward has many secrets he is harboring from his former life. As a hotshot CEO and multimillionaire, there isn't a moment that he doesn't think about the people he left behind. And when the news of his friend reaches him, Ward never questions running to be at his bedside. And while he planned on meeting with a lot of resistance from the Saunders family, and Erin, what he didn't realize was just how much the little girl he once felt so protective of has become such a phenomenal... and gorgeous, woman. 

Heart wrenching and stunning, this story was such a hard, yet rewarding read. Erin was a tough, world hardened woman, who never wants to forgive Ward for the past and for the man he has since become. As for Ward, seeing his character in the beginning of the book, with his unhappiness and semi-fraudulent life, there was a lot of necessary change and realization that he works on to be someone worthy of remaining in Erin's life. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

I love LA Carey's books they are always full of emotion and drama, this is no different. Erin had a crush on her brother's best friend when they were young but he left and she hasn't seen him in 11 years breaking her heart. Now he is back and rich ! Thrown back together when an accident almost kills her brother. I won't say more as spoilers obviously, but this is a good quick read as always. I pick these up and finish them quickly as I can't put the, down, you will need tissues. The only criticism I have is I have read better by LA Casey and I didn't quite enjoy this as much, but it was still good.

I was really torn on whether or not I would give this book enough stars to warrant a recommendation to my readers, and the end result was that I would not. That is not due to the writing quality or the plot - it's more to do with the main characters. However, the plot was almost too full of tragedy and not enough happiness to balance it out. Just when things were starting to look up, something else bad would happen, and everything would be depressing again. I like realistic books, and I don't mind reading a book filled with dark subjects, but I don't want the book to be 90% heartbreak and only 10% happiness. That's just not fun for me.

As far as the main characters, my main issue was the whole "cheating" situation. See, for a large portion of the book, the hero has a fiance. Now, she's a fake fiance, due to blackmail, but even so, he is engaged. During this time, he literally pays prostitutes for sex (it's an escort service, but let's face it - when you have sex with someone you've paid for their company, that is high-priced prostitution). When he goes back to Scotland and sees our heroine again, she knows he is engaged but is not aware that it's a sham. They eventually have sex, literally minutes after she brings up the fact that he has a fiance, and then after the sex, a lightbulb goes off in her brain and she realizes she just had sex with an engaged man. Are we really supposed to believe that it just never occurred to her? Come on, now. Yes, the engagement is not real, but she doesn't know that. I would have much preferred the author had left it at a makeout session and not have them have sex until after the hero breaks it off with the heroine.

So ultimately, this book was just not for me. Too much depression and the romance wasn't doing it for me. However, the writing itself was well done, and I would definitely give this author another try with a different book.

I really thought I was going to life this one. The blurb sounded really good. That being said, I could not for the life of me get into his book. I understand that the dialect for the area was used, but I could not follow what was going on!!

Her Lifeline is a beautiful story of love, loss, and love reborn. Erin Saunders is smart, kind, and fiercely loyal to her family and friends. That loyalty is tested when, as a child, a friend she considered family left her on the worst day of her life. When Ward Buckley returns home successful and wealthy, she felt it was at the expense of those he was supposed to hold dear. In her mind, what Ward did was unforgivable, and Erin has to fight through some catastrophic difficulty to make the decision as to whether or not he can be trusted as a part of her family again.

L.A. Casey has penned a haunting and hear trending story. Her emotional connection to the characters comes through, and you find yourself thinking about them long after the story has ended. Erin is strong, loving, and fierce. Despite her stubbornness you find yourself loving her deeply. Ward is a man-whore you absolutely cannot help falling for. Learning his story gives you so much sympathy and understanding for his behavior it all makes sense. To see these tow learn to respect and care for each other after so many years of tragedy and adversity is really rewarding.

Casey has also created a fantastic cast of supporting characters you cannot help but adore. From brother Tommy to Mother to best friend Jesse, you'll find yourself rooting for them all. As expected, this is a lovely story told with the utmost tender care. I am truly grateful to Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book.

So much heartbreak for one book.. gah! My heart was in my mouth like 70% of this book and i oddly loved it! It was like a train wreck bad things kept happening but you couldn't look away or in this case can't stop reading.
And by now you must think why would i put myself through that? Why would i read a book like that and I'll tell you. Ward and Erin thats why. Rainbows only appear after the storm and they got their rainbow.
Erin was a strong character and i really liked her. I have to admit at first i was quite surprised on how fiesty she was but the more you get to know her you find out family is life for her.
Ward was so so.. i don’t even know the word for him but i loved him, at times i wanted to shake him and tell him to man up and grow a pair but when your facing Erin and her wrath you better believe most men would tuck and roll.

Right I’ve rambled enough..
In a nutshell, buy the book and you won't regret reading this beautifully heartbreak tale of sorrow, forgiveness and new beginnings.

❤

I LOVED this book. I typically don't go for books with angst, and this one had all the feels. But it was also SOOO good! The characters were well developed, the emotions were real, and the story line was great. I would highly recommend this and would definitely read it again.

I did enjoy the story. However I'm afraid I had to unfinish the book. I just couldnt carry on with all the Scottish dialect. I felt that there was just way too much. I wish I could know how the story finished, I just couldn't read anymore.

This book didn’t really work for me. I disliked the characters (mainly the hero) and the dialects of the characters bothered me. Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing the Scottish dialect, but reading it felt really strange.
The story wasn’t anything special either.

- I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. -

This newest novel by L.A. Casey is a bit of a break from the norm in my opinion.

This is a story of family, grief, abandonment, hate, forgiveness and love, all of which the author writes with a sensitivity that immerses the reader into her sometimes heartbreaking scenes. A fact you know when you can't read for the tears streaming down your face!

As a Scot, I found the author's use of the Scottish vernacular inconsistent and even sometimes wrongly used. However it didn't really affect my overall enjoyment of this well woven tale and wouldn't prevent me from recommending it to others.

This cover and the blurb were the lure and though it took me a bit to get into the story, but once I did I was hooked. It was a true emotional rollercoaster with extreme highs and lows and kept me turning the pages until the very end.

I loved Erin. This girl has had the rug pulled out from under her and her world turned upside down (in more ways than one) but she hasn’t crumbled. She keeps moving forward, no matter the obstacles in her path, and while her world view isn’t all rose colored, she still has an upbeat attitude and gives her all to those she calls her own. Ward was an interesting one. I loved him, I did, but he had a lot of things to sort through before that feeling truly solidified. He has a good heart, but some of his choices were definitely suspect ~ though when everything was said and done, I could empathize with all that he went through ~ thankfully he comes clean and I really did like the man beneath the armour.

I have to say that Erin and Ward’s journey to their HEA surprised me, but in a good way. There was a good bit of angst and the push/pull was real, but the connection they had ~ even though it was tenuous at best ~ showed me that there was hope for the two of them if one could come clean and one could forgive. I enjoyed their bantering, how they worked through the obstacles that stood between them and where they ended up when everything was said and done.

This is my first read by the author and I have to say I really enjoyed it. The writing was engaging, the pacing good and I liked the dual 1st person POV’s. This one definitely gets emotional and the triggers are real, but everything was well done and thought out and gave the story depth and realism. As for the characters, they were all well written and it should come as no surprise that my fav’s were Aiden and Jesse and I wouldn’t mind getting more of both in the future.

I have read several books by this author and so far I have enjoyed them all...This one is no exception, though I have to say that there were some things that did bother me. 

Erin has had a crush on her big brother's friend for some time...though she is eleven so I can't really take it too seriously. I had tons of crushes when I was 11 and none of them were to be taken really seriously. 

The hero is 19 at the time and he leaves her and her brother Tommy (his best friend) behind. I don't think any 19 year old should stay because of an 11-year-old girl...but I did want him to not abandon his best friend ... He had his reasons though, but I still think he should have gone about things differently. 

He goes off to make a fortune on an idea that wasn't just his...it was also his friend's...which is where the hero really pissed me off. I am a big fan of loyalty. Screwing your friend over like that...nope...you are in the doghouse my man !!

Fast forward more than a decade when tragedy strikes and they will come face to face again. I could understand that Erin hated Ward...her loyalty lies with her brother, as it should. She isn't able to hold on to her icy demeanor though...

This was a very nice "brother's best friend" / "enemies to lovers" / "second chance" love story. Lots of drama...even for me. Still, I enjoyed reading it. What I had a problem with were the accents. I love me some Scottish men..I really do and I have been to Scotland 2 times already and plan to go many more. But...there were times I had no idea what was being said... I may like Scotland and it's people, but that doesn't mean I understand what the hell they are saying :P

It took me out of the story a bit. It also sounded very funny in my head...I don't think I did the accent justice !!

ARC kindly provided to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews are posted on Wendy's Wycked Words

Argghhhh...this guy is no hero. So he may have had his reasons for leaving the Erin high and dry (he was much older than her and there was some stuff going on that no one knew about) but he never looked back. He developed an app along with Erin's brother, but then he was selfish and kept the glory for himself. He never credited her brother for his share of the work. (hated that!)

When Erin's brother is hurt, Wade returns. He's rich and a total manwhore. He's also living a fake life with a fake fiancee. He just seemed to lack a real genuine attitude. I just couldn't trust him. I felt no connection between Erin and Wade. She works like a dog, and he just has had it all.

Nope, this one didnt' work for me...not even a little bit.

*I received this novel from NetGalley for an honest review.*

Alright so this is my first novel that I finished this year. Yippee for that :p Anyway this most probably will be a short review as I have so little time to type out my reviews because I am looking after my very sick and confused grandfather and books are the only thing that is taking everything of my mind. Though I can’t believe that I am saying this about one of my favorite authors but I actually struggled to keep reading the novel especially here at the beginning of the book. I mean I literally had to force my self to keep reading and if it was any other author, I would have given up long ago but as I said before L.A. Casey is one of my favorite authors.  

Yes this book was full of emotion and drama like all the other books from this author but it did not pull me in as much as it should have. Normally I don’t care about age between couples but for me having a crush already at the age of 11 is a bit to young and Ward was 19 and I mean that is a huge age gap and I really don’t see a 19-year-old going for someone that young. The age in the beginning was just plain weird for me. Them meeting again when both are much older was so much more natural for me and just plain better in my eyes. Like I said I don’t care about the age gap {well in my eyes no older than 10 years} but both needs to be off age.  And Ward left when Erin was still 11 so how can he have feelings for her when they haven’t seen each other in such a long time. I mean its just creepy if you liked an 11-year-old romantically because Ward saw her last when Erin was 11.

Another thing that I did not like that much was all that Scottish dialect. I mean I love hearing the dialect but reading it was just so different for me that I did not enjoy it so much. The characters needed more depth for me, and there was so much heartbreak in this story for me. I mean I really wanted to love this story, I really did because this sounded like a good story but it just didn’t do it for me.

I really hate giving reviews less than 3 stars but sadly this novel only reached 2.5 stars in my eyes. I mean overall this would have good for if I did not struggle to figure out all those Scottish dialects and too much sadness. Don’t get me wrong I will read sad stories but now was just not a good time for me. Sadly, this book just was not for me, though I can still say that L.A. Casey is one of my favorite authors because me not liking this book that much will not change me loving her other novels.

The description did not do the story justice. It is by far more deeper and heavy than you can imagine. What a great story with such emotions through both Erin and Ward and their struggles. Absolutely a page turner and very well written and detailed. I have read this authors Slater brother series and loved them. It is great that she can change genres a little a still bring great quality in the story.

Let’s start with the bad:
Trigger warnings galore. Alcoholism and child abuse. Child abuse including pedophilia described in just enough detail to make a weak stomached person vomit, even though it’s an adult facing down their childhood attacker. There’s also a completely inappropriate nickname between the main characters given one of their issues, and I’m not sure how no one mentioned that to the author before she published.

The good: it’s impossible not to feel for the characters, which may very well be part of what makes the bad in this book so bad. Early on, you start to feel like this is all happening to friends of yours and your just a silent bystander watching from the sidelines, unable to stop the events unfolding, and there are definitely points in the story where that left me feeling more than a little raw.

I feel queasy admitting the one sex scene (between two very consenting adults) was definitely great, but only because I had a hard time when the next chapter included a little girl who had been rescued from a sexually abusive parent.

I couldn't get enough of this book, I really enjoyed the story even though it was hard to read in some places and made me feel like crying, To me Lee put a lot into this, it made me feel part of Erin's story and i just wanted to give her a big hug, Ward at the beginning i wanted to punch him so bad lol but as the story went on i found him to be a great guy. The only and only thing i had trouble with in the beginning was understanding the language, some of the words were hard to understand but after reading 4 or 5 chapters i was ok. Please give this book ago it's such a great read i one of my top read for 2019

This book pulls at your emotions. This book has more to the story than a typical feel good romance. The ending is tied together nicely.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book (given by Netgalley)...

If you read Until Harry, then you know what to expect from this book. This book packs a lot emotion right from the beginning and the emotional rollercoaster never stops. It does tackle some serious issues that may be triggers for some, although nothing is explicitly shown, just mentioned.

I really wanted to love this book, but there were some things missing for me which made it hard to see the connection between Ward and Erin. Ward and Erin were very close until a tragedy occurred and Ward had chosen to leave Erin and her family to pursue his dreams. This book had my emotions all messed up and that ending practically destroyed me.







Possible Spoilers:

I really wanted to love this story, but I didn’t feel the connection between Ward and Erin, it all felt rushed and insincere. Ward leaves for 11 years and comes back when his best friend, Tommy, is in a terrible accident; Erin, Tommy’s baby sister, hates Ward for abandoning her family in their time of need; Erin proceeds to hate Ward when she sees him; Ward apologizes to Erin alone and boom their together and in love. Erin was shown as self sacrificing person who would work herself to the bone to help those she cared about; while Ward was presented as an escort banging playboy who was obsessed with his reputation, which explained his issues with Tara. Basically everything went from I hate you to I love you forever; from unapologetic playboy to completely devoted lover, all in a matter of three weeks.

Oh my this story had everything! Grief, trauma, rejection, love, hot scene, hope, forgiveness, redemption and more. I managed to read this in the one day and from the very first chapter I was hooked into the story. The sadness about Erin & Tommy's family and their friend who went away from it all for other reasons. Then 11 years later, their friend Ward comes back when Tommy is injured in a car accident.

There were some very hard hitting storylines especially towards the end, in fact I found myself sobbing whilst reading! Such a good strong story with great characters who you care for very quickly especially Erin, Ward, Jesse and Aidan.

A really good read and I am keen to read more from L A Casey. Thank you to NetGalley & publisher for the chance to read this advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

I am still undecided about this book - it was very well written with the author definitely able to tug at the heartstrings and certainly make you feel for the heroine.... the male lead though was a bit less sympathetic despite his childhood.

There were parts of the book that I enjoyed but other parts that I was a lot less happy about...

Ward and Tommy were always best friends and Tommy’s little sister Erin followed them everywhere ... Ward was a part of their family. That all changed the night Tommy and Erin’s dad was killed in a car accident. Ward went off to college, while Tommy stayed and looked after his mother and sister and Erin hated Ward for leaving them when they needed him the most. But 11 years later, Tommy’s life is hanging in the balance after a accident and Ward comes home to help. The electricity between Ward and Erin is so strong, that soon they start a romance.

This is a gut wrenching romance that will break your heart. The book has a great storyline, but it took me so long to read it because of the Scottish dialect. I get that the author was trying to be true to their language, but I just found it so distracting. By the end of the book I was getting used to most of it, but there were some phrases that I never did know what they meant.

I received an ARC courtesy of Amazon Publishing UK through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this story. The hero is a little tough to love at first but the author does a wonderful job of developing his story and laying it out in a way that draws you in and wins you over. The childhood crush thing is a bit hard to imagine given the age difference between Ward and Erin but that's not a huge part of the story so it's not too distracting. There are a ton of emotional ups and downs in the story which keeps you flipping page after page experiencing all the heartbreak, forgiveness, loss, and hope. Bring the tissues and a copy of this one for a relaxing enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.

A novel that will turn the reader into an absolute emotional trainwreck, Her Lifeline is a powerful written romance filled with drama and heartbreak. A word of warning to empaths, stay far away from this novel unless you want your day ruined. For those who like pain with their romance, this novel is perfect for you.

On one hand, it is understandable why the leads are at odds. However, the female lead seems to change her opinion pretty quickly even if her grudge is both justifiable yet not all at once. Each conversation left the reader on edge, waiting to see where it would lead. Watching their romance unfold, however was rewarding.

That being said, the ending is crushing. Even if the leads earn their happily ever after, the ending for the story itself definitely was not. Had I known what I was getting into, I would have passed on this novel. I love friends-to-lovers stories, but this novel was too much of an emotional roller coaster. That being said, it was definitely a novel I could not put down and read in one sitting.

4 star Review Her Lifeline by L.A. Casey
Hard to believe, but this is the first book I have read by L.A. Casey. Her Lifeline was an emotional read that tugged at the heart strings and yet frustrated me. It was an emotional, story of love, heartbreak, drama, forgiveness and second chances; be prepared tissues may be needed. The writing was strong and I certainly felt the emotions as I was reading this story.
The book contained may Scottish “isms” and I admit to being lost at times as I struggled to figure out what was happening.
We all make mistakes in life and Ward’s mistakes were not ones that I could easily brush aside. In fact he acted like a jerk, particularly to his best friend Tommy (who also happened to be Erin’s brother) and I struggled to like him at times. It takes Tommy’s near death experience for Ward to wake up to himself.
Can Erin and Ward come to terms with the past in order to create a future together?
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book through NetGalley from the publisher.

All those highs and lows of the emotional rollercoaster in the book kept me turning the pages till the very end.
I've read other books by this author and I had to read this one too.
I enjoyed the story, the drama, Erin that had so much that is happening in her life and her struggling with all that life served her... Can't wait to read the next book by L.A. Casey

Erin Saunders was only eleven years old when her world came crashing down. On the same day that her father dies, Ward Buckley packs up and leaves town.
He’s the center of her world. And then he was just gone.

As the years pass, everything the Erin works for seems to be for naught. Her only light appears when she’s with her brother, Tommy and his young son. But when a tragic accident has Tommy clinging to life, Ward rushes to her side. He’s still the only man who could either utterly destroy her or be her salvation. She’s not going to give him a chance to decide which one it’s going to be.

“It was foolish to assume she’d have remained that cute kid who used to giggle whenever I was in her presence. She wasn’t a young girl with shoulder-length white-blonde hair and the most adorable smile I’d ever seen. She was a twenty-two-year-old woman with a face so beautiful it was hard not to stare. Her thick, white-as-snow wavy hair hung to her waist, and she was couple of inches taller than five foot, if that. Though her crumpled clothing covered her well, it did nothing to hide the swell of her breasts, the dip of her small waist and the delicious flare of her curved hips.
Erin had grown up, and I found myself taking notice of it.
Dafty.
I shook my head, scowling at myself for thinking such things when Tommy was in a critical condition on an operating table. Not to mention, the woman clearly fucking hated me and I didn’t have a clue how to go about dealing with it. The last time a person had looked at me with that much hate, I was hurt. Physically. Over and over again. I’d run away from that situation, but I couldn’t run away from Erin.
I’d already done that to her before, and I refused to do it again.”

Ward Buckley had been planning the escape from his nightmare for so long. He and Tommy were going to finally be free to seek their fame and fortune in London. But his best friend chooses to stay behind with his family in their time of need.
Ward stayed on the course and worked tirelessly to bring their idea to fruition. Now he has more money and success than he ever dreamed of. And the only thing that he really wants is something that even his vast wealth cannot buy – Erin.

Now that he’s back, he’s going to prove to her that she can trust him with her heart. He will be her pillar of strength and her shelter from the storm. If only she will let him.

“She walked over to her books and plucked one off the shelf. She opened it, and in the centre was a perfectly pressed yellow rose. The pigment of the petals was faded, but its beauty was not lessened.
“You gave me this on Valentine’s Day… the day my dad died.”
I looked at Erin’s face, and blinked.
“I remember.” I cleared my throat. “Why have you kept it?”
I tried my hardest to remain cool and collected, but my heart was beating a mile a minute. She’d kept my rose. All I could think of was that she couldn’t truly hate me if she’d kept something from such a long time ago. Especially from a day that had brought her so much heartache. Hope surged through me.
“I’ve been askin’ myself that for years…”
“And what did you come up with?”
“It was the last thing you ever gave me before you left and everythin’ changed. I guess… I guess I wanted to keep somethin’ from when you were still mine.”"

I have been a huge fan of L.A. Casey’s books since reading the amazing Until Harry. It immediately shot to the top of my “Best of 2016” list and I couldn’t wait to devour more of her work.

Her Lifeline certainly lives up to its promise!

L.A. Casey creates a very special kind of unrequited love that feels like an arrow shot right through your heart. It’s that magic that makes Erin and Ward’s story nothing short of an emotional hurricane.

At times, I wondered how they could ever find their way to the other side – but the ending was as sweet as it was poignant. And it reminded me of how it really feels to smile through tears…

This is different from previous books I've read by this author and I really enjoyed it. As usual the writing is amazing she has this knack of pulling you into the book. The whole story flowed effortlessly and although the characters aren't perfect you'll end up loving them. You go on a journey it's a rollercoasterof emotions, I cried several times. It's not a second chance love story but a story of second chances, of family , of love and forgiveness.

Actual rating 3.5 stars

I have read books by this author before and thought I knew what to expect. What I read, however, was more than I expected, yet at times it irritated me a lot.

This is a story of friends to enemies to something else. It is based in Edinburgh and the author uses the Scots dialect throughout. As a Scot I thought this would make the story more believable. Unfortunately it fell a little short at times. Yes we have a certain way of talking up here, but the broad Scots in this book is more up North I feel. We don’t tend to use slang all the time, but you wouldn’t know that if you read this. Also the author mixed up the use of ‘naw’ and ‘nae’ quite a lot I felt.

Aside from that, the story is a decent one, although the ‘hero’ does have a number of faults which didn’t endear him to me a lot of the time. His attempts at mending bridges have mixed reactions from those he is trying to appease. I didn’t love him, but by the end I liked him more than I originally did.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Erin had a crush on her brother Tommy's best friend Ward she was only 11 but her heart was broken when he walked away. He walked away with an idea that belonged to both him and Tommy but he is the one that implemented it and now he is an extremely wealthy man (loyalty I don't think so). When Tommy is seriously hurt in a car accident Wade returns and tries to make amends (too little too late). Can they forgive him for what he did Will her childhood crush develop into ,ore Can this be called a second chance Oh no a 11 year old crushing on a 19 year old is not the first romance. I did get frustrated with this book Wade was a A...hole but they so quickly forgave him maybe I just hold grudges

Sfter saying that it was a good read that I thoroughly enjoyed

My feelings for this book are a little all over the place. I did enjoy the overall story and I'm glad that I read it, but I also had issue's with it that made it hard for me to connect to the story and the characters.

I did like Erin and Ward and I thought it was sweet how they were able to fall in love slowly as they're forced together after so many years apart. Ward was a little hard to like at first, because of the way he left in the past, but he grew on me and I came to really enjoy his character. He and Erin had me rooting for them to make it the entire way through the book.

Though I still felt like I was missing pieces of their characters at times and it made it hard to connect. Ward was especially a pretty mysterious character so when some things were revealed about him I was waiting for the story to dive into that more, but it didn't and it made him seem underdeveloped.

The other issue, and honestly my biggest one, was the accents. Oh my lord, my brain was not ready to handle reading Scottish accents like this. The "Dinnae" type things I could just replace in my head as I was reading with the English version of those words. But some phrases still have me scratching my head and it was difficult to read a book where there were times I had no clue what was going on because I didn't know what was being said. And sure, for the most part I could read on and would figure out mostly what a phrase meant by the responses it got or just the context it was said in yet that didn't stop me from kind of losing my reading mojo. It was almost like an interruption to my reading since it would make me pause in confusion.

Overall, I still this this was an interesting story and if you can ignore or understand the Scottish-isms then I definitely recommend giving it a try.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC for a honest review.

This novel turned me into a blubbering mess. It’s powerfully written to pull at your heartstrings. It’s definitely not for those who cry easily. Best for anyone who likes a little pain in with their romance. I can relate with her because I have experience what she went through.

The h and H are at odd with each other. Grudges are being held. Though the H changes her tune pretty quickly. I like that L.A. left us on the edge of our seats with each interaction. You won’t be able to put it down, guessing from one scene to the next. The road to HEA is a long one but one that is deserved and justified.

I loved Frozen and Until Harry, so when I read the blurb of her Lifeline, I jumped.

But sadly, it didn’t work for me.


It was as sad as Until Harry, so that wasn’t the problem.

I just didn’t enjoy the writing.
Partly because of the dialect, partly because of the characters, and maybe because of the consistency.

I wanted to skip some pages several times, so this is definitely a very bad sign for a reader.

I didn’t buy the sudden love Ward felt for Erin, it all felt too rushed

There were several plots (and heavy ones) that deserved a lot more of consistency, as the characters, and that a shame because the whole story had a lot of potential.

I love my romance angsty, but this one just didn’t work for me, and I didn’t expected it since I’m a fan of this author…

I've been having a hard time choosing between 2-Stars and 3-Stars. While there were things I did genuinely like about the book, there were quite a few things I didn't like.

First, the writing of the Scottish dialect was a MAJOR distraction and hindered my reading enjoyment. I had to use Google a few times to figure out what someone was saying.

Every time I read "dinnae" I thought it was "dinner".
"Haud yer weesht." <- Hold you're shit? Maybe? I don't know.
"Cannae" = Can't
"isnae" = Isn't
"Please dinnae fash yersel with me" = *Shrugs* No Idea
"What's fur ye'll not go by ye?" = GOOGLE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THIS ONE!!

Her Lifeline is supposed to be an emotional read, but I had a hard time connecting to the emotional scenes. I felt like the heroine was very immature and obnoxious. She YELLED a lot and would jump from one extreme (like yelling) to another extreme (crying).
When we first met the heroine at the beginning of the story, she was eleven. When the story jumps to the present time, the heroine is twenty-two. She acted the EXACT same at eleven-years-old as she did at twenty-two. Loud and obnoxious with some added sass. (She was a Scottish version of Broghan for The Slater Brothers)
It just didn't work for me.

The hero Ward was a coward and weak - I didn't feel like his character was redeemed by the end. He had eleven years to heal and make things right and he didn't. I understand he had some past trauma from childhood and it was sad. But to me, he was weak for letting that be the copout for his lies and life he led.

While I did enjoy the concept of the story and the storyline, it was intriguing and different. I just couldn't like the main characters nor the dialect.
Although I did like the secondary ones - Aiden, Jesse and Tommy.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: molestation, physical abuse, alcoholism, death

Ward has a great life. He is thriving in his business and loves what he does. But his past is something that he's been running from since he left home. Even though he doesn't have a great relationship with his dad, he does try to keep in touch with his half-brother, Jesse. When Ward's best friend from childhood, Tommy, is in a horrible accident, Ward runs home to try and figure out if he can help and to make amends for leaving.

Erin has been surviving. Ever since the death of her father, Erin has tried to keep her family together. She loves her family fiercely and isn't willing to let go of her hangups any time soon. So, when she sees Ward after all of these years, knowing what she knows about his relationship with Tommy and her family, she's hurt and incredibly angry.

Ward knows that he has a lot to make up for, but is hopeful that with his money and history with Erin and her family, that he can make those amends. What he's not expecting is being able to bond more closely with his family.

I think I had the most issue with the bombs that were dropped in this story. There were some huge ones, but they felt glossed over. Also, it didn't really feel that Erin and Ward had great chemistry. I hoped to have their relationship more developed.

In the end, this was just an okay read for me. It had incredible potential, but it just didn't really deliver for me.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
This book takes you from epic highs to the lowest of lows. The range of emotion in this book left me hollow and teary eyed at times, yet thankful for my blessings at the same time.

L.A. Casey has done a wonderful job of letting you feel the emotions of both Ward and Erin, the reasons behind those feelings, and the resolution of the hard feelings between them.

I immensely enjoyed this book even though I was an emotional wreck by the end.


Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆☆☆
I absolutely loved every page – per usual with an L.A. Casey book. I can honestly say I've never cried more when reading a book than with this one, it 100% sucks you in from page one and I wasn’t able to put it down.

Erin has been in love with her older brother Tommy’s best friend, Ward, as long as she can remember. Then tragedy strikes her family and Ward leaves to pursue his and Tommy's dream, leaving Erin and Tommy behind without a backward glance. Now, years later, Erin has harbored a hatred for Ward for taking credit for his and her brother’s invention. Tragedy strikes again – bringing Ward home with the realization that he has feelings for Erin like he never expected.

I love the development of Erin and Ward’s relationship. They go from best buds as kids, to Erin absolutely despising him, to lovers in such an intriguing way. The author does a brilliant job not only with the two main characters but the supporting characters as well. I know this is a standalone but I'm still holding out hope Ward’s kid brother will get a story!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars rounded up

This is a really emotional story, so expect to need tissues, and maybe read somewhere where tears aren't too embarrassing! There are also a number of issues dealt with which may be triggers to readers; I think they are dealt with carefully and sensitively, without being belittled. I was not a huge fan of the Scots dialect, and whilst it felt like it rang true, I don't really see that it added to the story itself. I appreciate that as an audiobook it would possibly be more effective.

We start at the point that the whole situation starts eleven years ago... and then come into the present day and just how far apart Ward is from his childhood friends, Tommy and Erin, both physically and financially. His extreme wealth, built on an app that he and Tommy dreamed up at school, has led to him leading an unhappy, hedonistic lifestyle, although he runs a charity which is close to his heart, Preventing Secrets. We naturally assume this is based on the fact that he left Tommy behind and never gave him any credit for the app's design. Sadly, as the book goes on, we can guess, and then know, the extent of the secrets which he has been keeping. Undoubtedly this helps us warm to him, even though the anger at his seemingly cavalier disregard of his childhood friends.

Erin has a healthy dislike of all things Ward, and really one cannot blame her. His reappearance due to her brother's accident is like pouring oil on water. I did find her behaviour somewhat extreme at times – she has been a caregiver for years, is a trained teacher, and yet she doesn't listen. I also was confused that she could be so close to Ward's brother, Jesse, and not have a better understanding of how dramatic the issues must have been to keep him away.

Whilst sat in a hospital it may be difficult to show chemistry, but I found it difficult to see it as strongly as it seemingly was. I was glad that the issues were brought into the open, and whilst there is a happily ever after, there isn't really an entirely happy ending, so do heed my warning about tissues!

Heartbreaking emotional story. This book cut you deep in the heart while reading it because so much happens to main character Erin and it seems that she can't get a breather. Ward comes back in his hometown after his best friend has a severe car accident. But he is not welcome home because his action from the past is still haunting him, but the only one to not forgive him is Erin. The hate relationship soon disappears and lust, attraction takes over when waiting for Tommy to get better. Ward takes action and decides to completely change his life and to fight for Erin's love. At first, I didn't like Ward but page after page the layer that he had surrounded himself falls off and we see a caring man that was badly hurt in the past. I liked how Erin lift Ward up when she found his secret from the past. I guarantee you that a few shared tears will fall reading this heartbreaking story. Loved the and how love is the one that helps them through the darkest hours.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

A true love story. Well written, characters are strong and plot is amazing.
A great read.
Recommend this.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Amason Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

This author is always a hit and miss for me and unfortunately this one was a miss. The book was well written but the plot wasn't for me.

Her Lifeline by L.A. Casey is the story of Erin and Ward.
Ward was Erin's brother best friend. Erin always had a crush on him but Ward up and left them with no real word or reason. Ward has become a successful business man designing the app that he and her brother came up with. But now in the present day her feelings are harsher towards him but still have the underlining thread of love but she tries to push that down. Ward had reason for leaving had hurting those he cared for but now he is back but can he work toward the present when the past is still so fresh for them.
Enjoyed their story.

Oiso very much enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking forward to reading more from you thank you for arc

Review left on amazon uk

Her Lifeline is a highly emotional read and not your typical 'I love my brother's best friend' romance. It is full of pain and loss, bitterness and dread, and chock full of heart.

Erin (11) has a huge crush on her brother's best friend, Ward (19). When tragedy strikes, Ward leaves without a backward glance. Reeling from pain and destruction, Erin builds up walls and comes to resent and hate Ward, while he makes a big name for himself, earning fame and fortune and forgetting those he left behind. Or so it seems. When tragedy strikes again, over 10 years later, Ward comes back to face what he's done and hopefully he can mend what he's broken.

If I were to sum up this read with one word, it would be nice. Erin caused plenty of drama and definitely kept things interesting. I wasn't completely sold on the grand love affair that was Erin + Ward, but I understood what the author was trying to do. It just happened to miss its mark with me. A part of me was disappointed that the last tragedy occurred. I didn't get why it was necessary because it didn't do anything for the plot, nor did it further any character development. It was just one more painful event in a series of painful events.

I loved the Scottish elements of this story. I couldn't get enough of the brogue of the characters. I really need to find more reads with such sexy accents.

Omg this book. Omg. Omg. This is my first book from L. A. Casey and I loveeeeeeeeee it.
I thought this book will be like those brother's best friend romance read, sweet and steamy, but I was so wrong, so very wrong. This book is not just about love, it's about family, what happen when you lose someone you love so deep, what happen when life keeps throwing you curve ball. This book brings all the feelings. I'm crying from the Prologue and since then there's nothing can stop me reading it, even when my eyes so red and puffy with all the crying. I can feel their fears, pains and struggles. I'm weeping with them, my heart breaking for them. I love the story, the characters (I thought Ward is just a typical a*hole, but there's so much more depth behind that), the sweet love, how tight their family is and how they would do anything to protect their family. So overall I really really love it.

If you love romance read packed with emotions, this book definitely a MUST-READ and I think you'll love this one,

Wow this book packed some emotional punches. You will be sucked in from page 1. The characters are gripping and the way LA Casey has written their stories. The pain and anguish is all so raw and beautifully emotional.

Having a side of my family come from Scotland, I felt like I was back with family with the Scottish dialect. I could honestly hear the accents in my head reading this.

This is the tale of 3 friends, Erin and her older brother Tommy and his best friend Ward. They are so close until one heartbreaking night when Erin and Tommy lose their father. What should bring them closer in their grief ends up tearing them apart when Tommy stays behind whilst Ward goes off to University.

11 years later they are reunited but its not under happy circumstances when Tommy is in an accident. All the years of anger and pain end up coming full force against Ward when he returns to support Erin. Despite the anger he is steadfast in being their for Erin. Being her strength whether she wants him there or not. He walked away once before and he can't do it again.

LA Casey has written this book so well. The pain and emotion really does seep off the pages, I had to read through tears a few times. The flow of this story is flawless and really embeds itself in your soul.

Well done LA Casey for a great MUST read

Her Lifeline packs a punch and it hits you with it right from the beginning. The story centers around Erin and Ward. As the story starts out, Erin is eleven and has a crush on her older brother's best friend, Ward. Erin's father is killed and this singular event is pivotal in the decision they each make and how they go on to live their lives. Tommy decides to stay home instead of leaving for college with Ward. He knows his mother and sister will need him and he has a son that he wants to be around for. Ward leaves and seemingly never looks back.

The story picks up eleven years later when Tommy has been seriously injured in a car accident. Ward, who was informed by his brother that Tommy was injured, shows up at the hospital. Erin has developed a strong hatred for him over the years, for a variety of reasons, and absolutely does not want him there. Over time, Ward wears her down and helps her to see he's not the person she thought he was. There were numerous underlying stories that played to why Ward left, didn't disclose information about Tommy's participation with their "idea" that made him all the money, and so forth. I would encourage you to continue reading when you think you want to stop because Ward is an unredeemable jerk. Realize there is a reason for everything he did and in time, the author explains it all.

This story definitely tugged at my heartstrings. There is so much tragedy in Erin's life but she is able to move past it and focus on the beauty.

"I was going to live happily with my family, and cause ripples in the pond that was my life. My reflection would always be changing, and I was perfectly okay with that." -- Her Lifeline by L.A. Casey

A copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Her Lifeline was on okay read for me. Numerous times I had to go back and reread the sentences, I had a problem with the scottish wording. This is a brother's best friend, who was part of he family until he turned into the enemy. It was an emotional story, that I even shed some tears. The characters Ward and Erin felt forced at times, I didn't feel their connection. I have read previous books from this author and liked them, this one just fell flat for me.

I’m generally a big fan of L.A Casey but unfortunately this book fell short all round for me.
The actual plot line and story was interesting and great potential but I just could’t connect with the characters and I Just didn’t get any connection from them as a couple. There were times as well, that it just felt all too rushed. That said, the ending was really good and it did evoke real emotion from me. My major issue was the Scottish dialogue. It was difficult to follow and understand and it really interrupted the reading flow.

Her Lifeline
By: L.A. Casey

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

In the end I did like the story. However, I personally found the writing of the Scottish dialect was a Huge distraction and took away my reading enjoyment. I had to use the internet quite a few times to figure out what someone was saying. The characters were well thought out and very believable.

Authors Blurb: Erin has had a crush on her brother’s best friend Ward for as long as she can remember. But eleven years ago he disappeared from their lives—breaking Erin’s trust, and her heart.
When the person they both love most—Erin’s brother Tommy—is nearly killed in a terrible crash, she and Ward are thrown back together for the first time. Their lives couldn’t be further apart. Erin still lives at home, working two jobs and dealing with a series of family disasters. Ward, now a multibillionaire entrepreneur and a household name, seems determined to make amends—but it may just be too little too late. And while Erin can’t deny feeling a spark at the sight of Ward, is it a spark of love or burning resentment?
At odds with one another but forced to share their heartache, have Erin and Ward really drifted apart forever, or have they finally found the anchor they both so desperately need?

Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

Erin is eleven years old and ran home from school to avoid the name calling and laughter of her classmates. Girls hear mom thought were erin’s friends were actually cruel bullies who made hres stomach sick from the time until she left. She never told anyone but her brother Tommy. Erin’s mother Amelia told her she had a gift from her Tommy’s best friend Ward, he always called her Doll as he said she looked like a porcelain doll. He had told her he was getting her a gift for Valentines day. Ward was nineteen like her brother. There was a card as well as a teddy bear from ward. Tommy and Ward were into computers which bored Erin. They wanted to be computer programmers. Tommy was not just Erin’s brother but her best friend. Erin was a loner. Ward also gave Erin a yellow Rose as he did her mother. Erin went and put the rose in a book to preserve it like her grandmother had taught her. Her father said he was going to McDonalds and get them dinner. Than a while later the police came to their door to tell them her father had been in a car accident and didn’t make it. The also needed her mom or her brother to go and identify the body and her mother went. Than Ward said he was still going to college in England where he and Tommy both had been accepted. Tommy said he wasn’t going he had to stay and help her family with his father gone. Than both Erin and Tommy told Ward t go and never come back. Than he left when they needed Ward most. Present Day- Erin’s mother- Amelia - had been clinically depressed since the night her husband died and her medicine of choice was alcohol. When Amelia got sick to her stomach Erin had to clean her up and the mess she had made. Her mother basically vomits every day and Erin had to clean up after her. At fifteen Tommy had got his seventeen year girlfriend Lucy pregnant and she had his son Aidan. Lucy was controlling and manipulative. But Tommy loved Aidan and so did Erin. From the moment Aidan was born Lucy used Aidan asa weapon against Tommy. Lucy now only allowed Tommy to see Aidan six hours on Friday. Ward was founder, owner and chief shareholder of his company.. Ward’s personal assistant was Hope who was in her sixties but he was like a mom to Ward. She had Ward and his company’s best interests. Ward was engaged but hope asked him when he was going to find a god girl. His fiance was blackmailing Ward and that was the only reason he was now with her. When Ward wanted the pleasure of a woman’s company he used a high end escort service that promised total privacy. He still required any woman he slept with to sign a confidentiality agreement so they couldn’t threaten him about going to. the press. It was public knowledge Ward was engaged and it would cause a lot of chaos in the press if it was exposed he was unfaithful and would be damaging to Ward’s brand. Ward wishes he could escape from his fiance Tara. He had already tried. They hadn’t been intimate in over a year every since she threatened to drop the bombshell that would ruin his carefully built image if it was made public. As Ward had started Friendzone and had said he did it all by himself instead of admitting Tommy . was the co- founder of Friendzone and Tara knew it. Tommy and Ward had been best friend since pre-school. Ward was now a billionaire. Reading was Erin’s one and only escape. It had been pouring and Erin called Tommy to pick her up after work to get home. Tommy’s car had been hit and Tommy was in critical shape with a bad head injury as well as two broken legs and other injuries. Erin started walking and seen a car accident and then she found out Tommy was the one in the accident and she ran to him and things didn’t look very good. Ward’s brother Jesse called him and told him what happen and Ward said he was on his way and would be there as soon as he could. Ward was coming home. Tommy was in surgery when Erin lost it but now she won’t talk to Jesse who had been a good friend to Erin and Tommy since Ward left. . . Erin and her mother are just staring at the wall crying. Ward told Jesse to keep an eye on them until he got there. Once Ward was there Erin told Ward to immediately leave but he wouldn't and everyone else seemed to want him there. Erin fainted the first time she seen Tommy through the window as no one but staff could go in Tommy’s room. Erin warned Ward if he hurt antone in her family or cared about she would come after him.
I loved this book, this intense romantic read, I loved Erin and Ward together . I literally cried with what ended up happening to Tommy. I felt so heartbroken - all she went through. I was glad Ward finally faced all his demons. There was some pretty intense moments in this book. This covered a lot of things the biggest being physical and sexual abuse and by a step parent. As well as guilt. I loved the ending and was happy Amelia was working on changing and being sober. I must say I definitely have a new favorite book. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this of this book and I highly recommend.it.

I didn't immediately fall in love with this book. It took a while into the book before I started to connect to the characters and the storyline, but once I did, I absolutely loved it. I thought Erin and Ward's love story was sweet how they were able to slowly come together in the wake of family tragedy when Erin's brother Tommy is nearly killed in a terrible crash. Ward comes back into the picture after being gone for many years (leaving at age 19).

I honestly didn't really like Ward in the beginning just because of how he left in the past. He became a millionaire after launching an app that was supposed to be Ward and Tommy's idea, but Ward didn't give any credit to him so this leads Erin to hate him when she previously had had a crush on him when they were younger. As the story progressed I did start to enjoy his character right along with Erin and I started rooting for Ward to get a HEA with Erin who also deserved a HEA after all that she'd been through in her life - both before Ward left and after he left.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Oh my gosh, this novel took me on an emotional rollercoaster. But it was so good and ultimately so worth it. I loved it even though it made my heart hurt at times. I loved the characters. This novel sucked me in from the very first page to the very last. I love a novel that can make me smile, laugh out loud, cry and leave me with a smile on my face. This novel did it all for me. Even though at times I felt my heart breaking I loved it and in the end, it left me with a smile on my face.

A step away from the funny, good-humored, sexed up, mafia entwined, drama-filled, yet upbeat and full of brotherly ribbing tales of the Slater Brothers series, Her Lifeline shows L.A. Casey’s take on a much more subdued, melancholic, heart-wrenching journey of love, tragic loss, healing, and life. Erin lost her father, her mother and her first love the day her father died. Now, eleven years later, as history seems to repeat itself, Erin has to deal with the reality of her big brother’s induced coma, after a car crash; the return of his long lost best friend, who was once family but who abandoned them when her dad died; and her drunk mother who blames her for it all. Surviving this won’t be easy and she’ll more than need help. Help Ward will insist on giving her no matter what. Eleven years ago, Ward and Tommy had big plans to move to London and launch their App. Something Ward did on his own after Tommy refused to leave his family’s side. Ward went and made it big. Now a wealthy man, he wants to make amends and heal the bonds he broke. If only Erin would give him a chance. Because back then he needed to leave. And now, she needs him to stay. A story filled with love, family, sorrow, a chance at forgiveness and a future with a HEA. I always love Lee’s stories and Her Lifeline was not different...

Wow! What a hot read this was! This was by far the best book I have read by this author, and I love all her books! It was wonderfully angsty and naughty too, just what I’ve come to expect and love from Ms. Casey. Straight to my favorites shelf! Well done!

5 stars
Wow this book had me laughing and crying. Genuinely, I don't think I have ever cried while reading a book before.
The Scottish dialogues were confusing, however the storyline was so powerful I didn't care.
The chemistry between Erin and Ward is amazing! I loved how passionate they were to Tommy (Erin's brother and Ward's best friend). I loved how they challenged each other, how they fought but also how loyal they we're. Words can't describe how much I loved this book. I will definitely re-read!

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Could not put this down
It was an emotional roller coaster ride that touched on every emotion possible

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion!

The night Erin's father was killed and her brother Tommys best friend leaves them to go to college is the night her life started to go irrecoverably wrong. Now years later she is watching her brother lie in a hospital bed she's not sure she can retain her sanity with another loss. Her brothers best friend arrives back in their life and sparks fly.

What did I like? The chemistry between Ward and Erin is just amazing. Loved watching these two go toe to toe and Erin deserved a HEA. The situation that made Ward leave home didn't come out until the bitter end but the stage was set for Erin to get some real happiness well deserved too.

Would I buy this? An L.A. Casey masterpiece? Heck yea. Loved it and read in one sitting and a very loanable book for someone looking for an outstanding read!

Thoughts for the author? I already have another book lined up to read of hers so just enjoying being able to read for a lovely writer. I remember her first one and it was a pretty awesome book. Five huge stars of entertainment!

Oh man. Her Lifeline is beautiful, amazing,, heart wrenching and everything else in between. This isn’t your typical “I love my brother’s best friend” romance. There is so much depth.

Her Lifeline was a little too much like Until Harry, only without the chemistry and with forced emotions that did not unfold organically for me. I found myself skimming quite a bit during the second half.

***4 "My Whisky!!!" stars***

There aren't many books from L.A. Casey that i haven't read and I'm always having such a great time... This book wasn't an exception, with the only difference that this certain book wasn't so funny as the rest of them... It was more deep...
This story was about family, love, loss and how you can fight back to light from the darkness when you are heartbroken, as much as our heroes were...

"Some secrets aren't meant to be kept..."

Eleven years prior, tradegy had hit unexpectendly Erin's family...
She was just eleven years old and her world crumbled down, not only by the loss of her father, but also from Ward's flight... She felt betrayed by him and she told him to never come back...

Eleven years after, Erin is not in the best place... She is busting her ass in two different jobs and she has to deal with her mother and her issues... When her father died, her mother stayed behind, but in a way, she was dead too and Erin had mostly to deal with her... Her only safe heaven was her older brother, Thomas!!!!
And then everything are changing for once again when Tommas gets badly injured in a car accident!!! And then her world is collapsing for once again...
And upon that, Ward is barelling back into their lives and she can not stand it, since she is hating him with every cell on her body... Or doesn't she????

"I didn't want to appear weak in his presence. The last time I was vulnerable around him, he'd broken my heart, and i refused to give him -or anyone else for that matter- the power to ever do it again."

Well, Ward had his own issues when he was a kid... Issues that couldn't share with anyone but his best friend, Thomas. Together, they had plans... And then, Thomas's dad died, and he couldn't change his plans, even if Thomas did!!!
So, he left them all behind and he didn't look back, even though the guilts were eating him inside... But still... He stayed away and he became something big, but maybe the succession wasn't all at his own!!!!

But now, Tommie is badly hurt and he is determined to fix everything and be by the side of the family that once he left behind.... But Erin is fighting him off and she is making it really hard for him... but, he is determined to stay by their side!!!
But it doesn't help one bit that he is drown to his best friend's sister who is hating his guts!!!

"I was nervous, and that surprised me because I rarely got nervous, if ever. Erin got to me though, and I didn't know how to handle the knowledge of that, let alone how to handle her."

Well, this was a lovely story with its ups and downs...
Our heroes were all of them hurt by one thing or another... All of them were breaking my heart...
Erin had to deal with lots of ugly shits and her brother's accident was the worst.... Ward's return wasn't something good for her, because she was hating him and he wasn't trusting him anymore... I totally understood her reasons why she was acting like this, but in a way, she was irrational and hotheaded without reason...
Ward, from the other hand, had also made many mistakes... It wasn't right the way that he abandon the siblings when they were needing him the most and then, he made something that wasn't right.... But then, i understood why he was acting like that and my heart was hurting for his behalf for the reasons he flew away from his life...
Well, i won't say more about those two, but as you can already understand, they will become something more eventually, but the road to reach this point is full of bumps and ugly secrets...
Will they survive the truth???

"Somehow, Ward did what I'd never thought possible.
He'd worked his way back into my life... and I wanted him to stay in it."

"I'm never leavin' you."

I also want to add, that i liked very much Thommas and his lovely son, Aiden...
Their fate was so unfair...
Tommas was a wonderful person in every aspect and i loved the relationship that he was having with Erin... If i had a brother, i wish he was like that...
The aunts were awesome and very kind and for last, i left Erin's mother...
I can understand her pain over her loss, but i accuse her for her choices after her husband's death!!!

***ARC kindly provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***

This might have been the most depressing and sad book I’ve ever read. I’m talking ugly crying from the word go. If you like that kind of book, go for it! It’s extremely well written and well structured. But if you’re like me and find that kind of sadness complete torture, this one is NOT for you!

Her Lifeline is a stand-alone and its a very emotional read it will certainly tug at your heartstrings, it’s a book that will take you on an emotional roller coaster as you read about family, love and loss.
Her Lifeline starts in the past with Erin’s POV and then takes us back to the present time when tragedy strikes and Erin’s older brother is in a awful accident and Ward comes back into the families life . Erin doesn’t want the man she once crushed on to be anywhere near Tommie all she sees is Ward left her brother and his best friend to set up his very successful company with the ideas Ward and Tommie worked on together she doesn’t know the real reason why Ward left all those years ago.
This story tugged at my heartstrings and just when I thought I had it all together this author threw any spanner in the works and the tears started all over again. This wasn’t an easy read and yes you will cry but this author has given us a beautifully written love story and she covered some heartbreaking situations with compassion as we learn why Ward left all those years ago we learn why Erin and Tommies mum is the way she is and we are left wondering how we would react if life had dealt us the hand it dealt this family. Emotional read that I couldn’t put down.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet, sexy romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped I would, so I’d prefer not to leave a negative review.

I really enjoyed this one, and especially this author. Enemies to lovers are often my favorite type of romance.

The reader really feels sympathy for Erin as a character, as she can't seem to catch a break. The reader is mean to dislike Ward from the beginning, but he really begins to come around.

Overall, a good read and I would definitely be looking for more to read from this author.

I really enjoyed it. The writing was engaging, the pacing good and I liked the dual 1st person POV’s. This one definitely gets emotional and the triggers are real, but everything was well done and thought out and gave the story depth and realism. As for the characters, they were all well written and it should come as no surprise that my fav’s were Aiden and Jesse and I wouldn’t mind getting more of both in the future.

I absolutely loved this book and read it in one sitting. The pace of the story and the slow burn change from hate to love was perfect and felt very believable. Reading Scottish accents was hard on me, and I think I would have enjoyed this book even more in audio format.

This book was an emotional read that I was expecting. I was pulled into this book and pulling for the characters. Erin has had a crush on her brother’s best friend since she was 11 years old. They are eight years older and heading off to college. Erin’s life has been hard since her father died leaving her brother, mother and her behind. Although her mother might as well be gone as well. Things don’t get any better for her as the years go on. She wasn’t expecting Ward to come back into her life.

This was an emotional read that I couldn’t put down once I started. I can’t wait to read more of her work.

I received this book as an arc from Netgalley.

What I liked a lot about this story was the realistic portrayal of life, she works two jobs, has struggles she deals with, etc. For me, a book is so much better when you can relate to some of the characters. Nicely done!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh lord, I wanted to like Her Lifeline but I just couldn't. I honestly have no idea how I even got to the end of this book. Just ask Andy who knew about all my suffering when it came to this book.

In this book, you will meet Erin and Ward. Now they sort of have a crush on one another when she is 11 and he is 19. However, something tragic happens in their lives that tears them apart. Her dads unexpected death and him getting a once in a lifetime chance to go to his dream college. It also doesn't help that he's best buds with her older brother who decides to stay back with his family.

Years later and another shit storm rolls into Erin's life. Same for Ward as well because Tommy, Erin's older brother and Ward's ex best friend has been in a car accident. Now he's in a coma and they are all praying that he wakes up.

Now this book has some dumb ass drama. I just didn't get it and it frustrated me so easily. I don't understand how Ward could so easily walk away from these people he called family. Then make all the bloody medical decisions for Tommy instead of his actual family. Then the whole "engagement" thing was just way too weird for my brain to wrap around.

Erin and Ward were cute but I feel like so many other things about this book just bothered me. Whether it was the scottish words that changed frequently in this book or I don't know what else. This book just plain bothered me and I definitely had to break out the wine just to calm my nerves.

Besides all of that, I'm glad I got to take a chance to read this. I'm a little bittersweet about finally finding time to read it but not liking it.

I was not expecting such an emotional roller coaster ride when I started with this book. An emotionally gripping story. I couldn't put the book down without finishing it. Was in tears many times during my read. A well written amazing book. Looking forward to read more from Casey

Her lifelife is a truly emotional book from the author unlike her previous titles i have read. A story of secondchances and full of heartache. A book that draws you in from the start.

Can I have a love/hate relationship with a book? Please say yes because I really do. Ok let's go in order.
1- I love Erin. She is spunky, smart and I just really felt like her character was fully developed. I get her. I understand her. I know where she is coming from.
2- I dislike Ward. Not hate, but dislike. I just feel like I don't really understand him at all. I feel like his character could use some more fleshing out. He was mysterious and I had a hard time connecting to him. I hated what he did. GRRRRR, now that made me mad and was almost unforgivable.
3- I love a good slow burn. This was no insta love, this was slow, simmering, meaningful and I ate every bit of it up.
4- OK I hated reading the accents. I love Scottish men. Oh I do love them. But goodness, there were times I had no idea what was being said. I struggled, a lot.

So my love/hate with this is exactly that. How do I rate a book and I love and hate. ?sigh. It gets a 3.5 rounded down to 3 I think.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for allowing me to read and review.

Wow! Ward & Erin’s journey was in no way an easy one, but worth it in the end!

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.