Stay Here With Me (The Wilder Brothers #5)
by Carrie Ann Ryan
Blurb:
They study each
lyric to point a finger at which man broke my heart—even if I’ve never met him.
Only the man I
refuse to write about is the one who is so tangled in my mind that I know I can
never be with him.
I had one night
with East Wilder, and I know that’s all there will ever be.
He broke my heart
without even trying.
Yet now I can’t
seem to write a single verse and I need a place to hide while I figure out who
I am. The Wilder Retreat will have to be my refuge as the Wilders prepare for
my best friend’s wedding.
And when I’m there,
I refuse to fall for East again.
Even if the dark
shadows in his eyes draw me in. And the dangers of his past might be the one
thing that forces us to finally give in.
Themes: Contemporary
Rating: 4.25 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
Most
of us that have been following the Wilder boys from first appearance in the Montgomery’s
series have been looker forward to getting East’s story, seeing why he is so
broken and seeing him finally get to heal.
When Carrie Ann Ryan creates a group of sexy, grumpy ex-military heroes
you know that the trauma they’ve faced is going to be heartbreaking and that
the healing process is going to be excruciating, but that the women that capture
their hearts are going to be just as awe-inspiring. I have loved every story in this series, and
knowing that Lark and East were going to find their love in the most unlikely of
circumstances and fight to the bitter end against falling, I knew the story would
be one hell of a read. These two have
each faced a lot of loss, trauma, pain, and their trust is not easily won, but
as they get to know one another and experience the love that their friends and
family have found, it becomes more than obvious to them both that they need
more from life. I know this main group of Wilder’s are almost all paired off,
with only the last brother, Elliot, left to find love, but I have heard lovely
rumors that the series will continue with their cousins so we will be getting more
fabulous Wilder’s and the adventures will continue. Ryan’s magic with tragic characters and the
trauma of life reminds me again and again that there are so many stories and
paths to love that are as painful as they are beautiful and I love reading every
one.
Lark
Thornbird has made a career out of writing songs about love and heartbreak, but
despite what everyone believes she’s actually never experienced either emotion.
Now she is having writer’s block at the
worst possible time in her career so she runs to the only place that has felt
like home to her in years, the Wilde Resort, where her best friend has made her
home. Too bad the one man that ever made
her feel more calls the place home as well.
East Wilder is working his ass off to prove that he is healing, even
though he is far from it, but he cannot handle the complication of the only
woman that has ever made him feel anything being around again. Lark and East both know that having a
relationship is impossible, but the chemistry between them is too combustible
and the attraction is irresistible.
Deciding to give into the primal passion, denying any deeper connection,
they throw caution to the wind and dive into the best thing that has happened to
either of them in years. But when East’s
past begins to rear its ugly head and his trust issues are brought to the forefront,
can their fragile connection get them through the troubles or will they finally
have to admit that their passion and emotional connection will never be enough to
build a future? And will they even get a chance before the danger lurking
around the corner takes the choice away from them both?
This
story was a doozy and I have to say that both of these characters were
extremely delusional if they ever believed they would be able to have such a
passionate and heated affair without their emotions becoming entwined. Lark is
such a strong character I so many ways, but her vulnerability and her fears are
so deeply embedded I’m not sure that she even understands how they affect her
choices. She wants so badly to have the
love and connection that her other female friends have found, but she fights
against it at the same time instead of fighting for what she wants. She is willing to stand up for those she
loves, making them face their fears and work to heal themselves, but she won’t do
the same for herself, almost like she doesn’t think she is worthy of
healing. Her sweetness, sass, wit, and grit
are the best parts of her natures, but I wish she had fought harder for her
peace and healing. East is the quintessential
tortured alpha hero, one that failed in the past to save those he thought he
was responsible for and continues to torture himself subconsciously for that perceived
failure by blocking his own path to healing and preventing himself from finding
love. He knows that Lark is a good woman, one that could be the perfect match
for him, but he continuously throws up walls between them because he doesn’t think
he’s good enough for her. I feared that the
pain of his past would keep them apart, but Ryan so beautifully found a way to
work in his forgiveness and healing, even forcing confrontation that allows him
to finally begin healing and forgiveness for his past. I loved East even when he is at his grumpiest
because he is always there for his family and never lets them down. His strength, passion, dedication, and
intelligence made him such a beautiful character to finally watch heal and find
love, even as I cried along with Lark through the painful scenes.
Not
much beats a story between a sexy popstar and a growly ex-military guy, but
when two people are meant to be, there’s not much that can keep them apart.
Lark and East’s story is one of healing, two people coming to trust one another
despite the odds, and two people finding love when they’ve never truly believed
they ever could. Lark has shied away
from relationships ever since a man she trusted and idolized broke her trust in
unimaginable ways, but the pull to East is too hard to resist. When she truly gives herself the permission
to feel what she feels for him, her heart begins to heal and she finds that the
growly man is just what she needs to make her life complete, if only she can
convince him to give their love a chance.
East has given up on any chance for a future that doesn’t involve his
broken soul, but Lark makes him the happiest he has ever been in his life. When his past comes back to haunt him and
puts her and his family in danger, he can no longer hide from the trauma and
has to find a way to come to terms with it.
I loved the way these two pushed and pulled against one another life two
magnets creating the poles of the earth, creating the perfect balance of
forces. The passion between these two
has been there since they began circling one another in Bethany’s story, but
when we finally get to experience it with them, boy lookout, that first is
almost hot enough to burn down the state of Texas. I am so glad Lark and East found a way to
their happiness, but I am really looking forward to that next book in the
series where Elliot will finally get his chance at love—psst he gets way more than
he bargained for. And fair warning this
story ends of a SERIOUS cliffhanger! 😉
Carrie Ann Ryan always finds a way to make her lovers face their pain and bring
them through to the other side, showing the darker sides of life as she brings
them the wilder side of love.
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review.
No compensation was provided.
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