Fresh Fridays: On Friday, I review a brand new series (ie. only has one book released so far) to see if the series is worth keeping up with. Here is this week’s offering:
Memories Series
Synopsis for Memories of a Broken Girl (from Goodreads):
What happens when a wedding planner no longer believes true love exists?Laney McAdams is Austin’s rising star of wedding planners, and from the outside she looks like the perfect good girl. But when faced with the ultimate deception, her world comes crashing down around her, leaving her alone, afraid, and tormented by dark secrets and regrets.
Bodie Brooks is successful, dangerously good looking, and battling his own painful past. Having just returned to Austin, he’s hiding his own secret about the real reason for coming home. When their paths collide, he awakens her deepest longings, convincing Laney he is nothing but dangerous.
He’s always been unattainable and gorgeous.
She’s broken into a million pieces.But after one afternoon of uncontainable passion, Laney is forced to decide if she will do what she promised she would never do again.
SERIESous’ Top Picks: Favourite Debut 2016
Series: Memories
Author: Harley Maye
# of Books: 2 (Memories of a Broken Girl, Memories of a Guilty Girl)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: No, Book 2 is yet to be published
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Date: April 2016 – ongoing
Source & Format: Author–eARC | Thank you Harley Maye!
**This post was originally published as a Fresh Friday review of the first book of the series. It has now been updated to reflect my conclusion to DNF this series. It will not be further updated.**
Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:
When Harley asked me if I wanted to read her debut novel, I just had to say yes! The promise of juicy secrets, flawed leads who could grow into fantastic characters and of course, some sweet romance. I was excited to start this one!
What I Liked:
–The Layers–
There was no shortage of secrets here and the best part was, I didn’t even know there were that many! Everything slowly gets unravelled as you read and things are revealed a little bit at a time. It’s so great!
Now don’t think that means the novel was slow. It was definitely not! The pacing is fantastic! And it is so great because these secrets and revelations are coming to light at just the right times to keep the story moving.
–The Sexual Tension–
Where can I find a Bodie? No, seriously. Where he at? Talk about swoon-worthy.
These two had phenomenal chemistry from start to finish. Anytime they were in the room, there was a sizzle. I loved any moment they had together.
–Flawed Characters–
What I really liked about Laney is that she is flawed. Laney is so real in how she reacts to what is happening in her life. She’s hurt, her confidence is gone and she’s understandably struggling to find her way back to happiness. It was great watching her grow as a character and essentially rebuild herself.
Bodie has his flaws too but his confidence and desire to go after what he wants is so, so appealing <3
What I Didn’t Like:
–Slightly Insta-Love Romance–
I didn’t really like the basis of how these two get together. It seemed to be a physical attraction type of connection and not much else. But they did win me over the more they interacted and the story developed.
My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:
This was a fantastic debut and I am very excited to see what is going to happen in the next instalment. I had hoped that the character we would get is Addy and from the description of I’ve read, it’s going to have one of my favourite tropes!
–October 8, 2019– Book #2: Untitled
As it has been a few years since the inaugural book release and there are currently no updates on when the sequel will be released, I have opted to mark this series as incomplete and pass on future sequels.
My Rating: DNF
Memories of a Broken Girl | Book 2 N/A
A fantastic debut! This book really surprised me and is like nothing I’ve read this year!
Read if You Like: contemporary romance, flawed characters, secrets
Avoid if You: contemporary romance
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I gave it a 5 on 5 as well! I’m glad you loved it too! This was exactly my kind of book, I loved it sooo much! Great review!
Glad we agree! I thought this was great! I can’t wait for the next one!
Me too!