The Thorns Remain (ARC)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date: December 30, 2021

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

VENGEANCE.

Hiding deep within the shadows of human nature, it smolders....

Simmers...

Waits. 

Only, for me, it was no longer a hibernating beast. 

The day I discovered the wrongs committed against me, vengeance clawed its way right through me. The best had emerged from its lair with a burning need to destroy the man who tore my marriage apart. 

And now?

Now, it was my lifeline.

My dark lover. 

My. Whole. Purpose. 

REVENGE.

They say it's sweet in the end, and I believed them. I could almost taste the honey on my tongue, like a balm I needed to quell the bitterness. 

But it was all a lie. 

I was blindsided. 

And not once did I think about who I might hurt along the way. I never considered the casualties that may fall across my path of destruction. 

No...

Revenge is not sweet. Retaliation does not end in reward. 

Vengeance is not justice. 

The promises whispered by that beast within?

They're all hollow.

All it ever wanted was to be set free.

In the end, I never expected things to be worse than when it all began. 

I never expected the wreckage left in my wake. 

I 

never

expected

her. 

Review:

First of all, thank you to Jennifer Hartmann and Chelley St. Clair for an ARC of this fantastic story!

I finished this story late into the night and had so many thoughts running through my head about what I was going to say in my review. I felt like I needed to sit and think about it before sitting down to write. The Thorns Remain was a love story, but really it was a story about growth, the resilience of the human spirit and forgiveness of others as well as yourself. 

Evan and Josie were such great characters and it's not the norm for us to read a book almost entirely from the male POV. This book was done beautifully with Evan being our storyteller. I loved the inner struggles that he went through, his snarky thoughts and at times dry responses just made this book. Josie was not what I expected at all, she has so many different layers and a strength I envy. 

The story itself was wonderfully written and just when I thought everything would be solved, something else would happen and I was back to being thrown off balance. These two characters truly go through hell and back to find their way to one another and it's messy and beautiful and full of pain, but it's their story and I loved every minute of it. There were several quotes that really resonated with me because of how perfect they are for Evan and Josie, but also for myself. One quote in particular is forever stuck with me.

"Growth is uncomfortable... but getting uncomfortable is the only way to grow."

This is the first book I've had the privilege to read from Chelley St. Clair, but not the first from Jennifer Hartmann. I knew going into it that if Jennifer had any hand in it, I'd be in for an emotional rollercoaster. Apparently, these two ladies sat around brainstorming how they could inflict the perfect amount of pain for readers to just keep coming back for more. Well done, you evil geniuses, you did it. Pretty sure I had a panic attack reading certain scenes (I won't spoil it for you) and had the urge to smack almost all of the characters. It's a mark of an amazing story when you get so immersed in the book that you drown out the real world just to be in a fictional world. 

I highly, highly recommend this book as well as the rest of Jennifer Hartmann's books. I, myself will be following Chelley St. Clair in the new year for more of her writing. These two are powerhouses who can do no wrong. Do yourself a favor and at this to your TBR. 

The Thorns Remain

Jennifer Hartmann