Written in the Scars

By: Adriana Locke

Narrated by: Emma Wilder, Lance Greenfield

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Listeners will wipe their eyes and hold their breath in this "heartfelt" and "stellar" standalone romance from USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke.

Falling in love is easy. Falling out of love is the hardest thing in the world. And Elin and Ty Whitt are terrible at it.

The first time the local basketball star smiled at Elin, she was a goner. It was just so damn easy to fall for the dark-haired hometown hero with his charming smile and strong, athletic build. Thousands of sleepy smiles, aimless drives down country roads, and squeaks of the backdoor after a swing shift later, reality hits.

And it hits hard.

Falling in love was definitely the easy part. Watching it break apart was impossible.

Through the tears, the second-guesses, the memories of a life built together, the world keeps spinning. With each turn comes clarity and hope—sometimes in the form of a pair of muddy boots by the back door or from the words of a wise friend.

When Ty shows back up with a newfound determination to put his family back together, Elin's torn between the fights of the past and the possibility of a new start. This is the man that holds her heart, the man she loves beyond anything else. But this is also the one person in the world that can cause her the most pain.

Life’s not always easy. Love’s not for the faint of heart. But with life comes lessons and Ty and Elin have the scars to prove it. But it's their love written in those scars that will hold them together...or break them apart.

©2016 Adriana Locke (P)2023 Adriana Locke

One of the best stories.

An emotionally beautiful story of love, family, friendship and sacrifice. Elin and Ty are high school sweethearts. After a tragic accident at work and the struggles of the after effect Ty disappears for a while. Sometime goes by and now he's back and determined to get a second chance with his wife but even though she still loves him she is angry and doesn't know if she can trust him again. This was a lovely story of two couple trying to find their way back to each other with the help of meddling friends and family. It was quite an emotional journey these two have gone through years and I was in tears at the end of this story. Love the story and the wonderful characters.
I listened to the audio book.

Adriana released a newer version of this with two new narrators who did a really excellent job telling this emotional story and expressing the right emotions that the characters would have. This is one of my favorites and hope one day this gets made into a movie.

Emotional, heart-wrenching . . . and sweet

First, absolutely terrific narration! Second, I am so glad I discovered author Adriana Locke, and wish it had happened a long time ago. Every book is fresh and unique, but what every single book has in common is that while you will swoon and smile and laugh at what the wonderful characters are up to, you will also clutch your heart, sigh, sometimes sob and fervently hope that things will work out. Locke makes you feel what these characters are going through. Their pain, their insecurity, their hopelessness that they can make things right.

Elin and Ty were that perfect high school couple, the basketball star and the new girl. They just fit. They shared the same dreams, wanted the same things. They knew there was a lifetime of bliss ahead of them. But while high school can certainly be tough, real life after can be even tougher. That big family they wanted? Not happening yet, and it becomes harder and harder to not panic and believe it will happen, and their happiness starts to show a few cracks because of that pressure. That job in the coal mine? No one really wants to work in a coal mine, but it’s the main employment in their small town so there aren’t many choices. When Ty is injured and almost dies in a mining accident, the fear and stress heaped on their already fragile marriage proves to be too much. They are both frustrated, not communicating clearly, and when Elin blows up and tells Ty to just leave – he goes. And doesn’t come back right away like she expected.

Now their communication isn’t just unclear, it’s non-existent. The scars aren’t only on Ty’s body but in both their hearts, in their frustration, their lack of confidence, their inability to even know what the next, right, first move should be, much less make it.

Author Locke does a masterful job of taking what could have been a simple romance with some super sexy spicy bits and giving the reader a story with depth, with meaning, with heart. And with a lot of humor. Ty and Elin aren’t always on their best behavior; they’re human. But they are surrounded by friends and family who care for them and won’t hesitate to butt in to get these two stubborn people going, and their love and devotion run deep. They have cared for each other for a long time and even if their surface emotions are telling them just give up, it’s over, what’s under the surface is stronger.

Written in the Scars is well-written, well-plotted, perfectly paced. Narrators Kai Kennicott and Wen Ross do a superb job of bringing Ty and Elin and the rest of the cast to life. Clear, easy to understand, the full range of emotions shows through. This story will keep you completely engaged and leave you totally satisfied. It’s funny, steamy, sweet, with some truly horrible, dangerous characters and ever-present danger in the mine, full of action and unpredictability and tender moments that will make you catch your breath. Thanks to Home Cooked Books for providing an advance audio copy. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

beautiful.

**ALC**

Heartbreakingly beautiful story of a marriage on the brink of failing. Elin and Ty have fertility problems which causes a huge strain on their marriage. I know I was rooting for them to find their way back together the whole time. I wanted them to realize they could do this together and their love wasn’t dead.

Emma and Lance did a beautiful performance bringing these characters to life and making me feel the pain and heartache. They really love each other so much.

I don’t want to spoil it but I know you want to know if they find their way back to each other in the end!

Adrianna Lock of course did an amazing job writing this book! She’s such a talented author and I love her work so much!

An emotional read

This book had me emotional at every turn. I don't cry often when I read books, and this one got me good. I fell in love with all of the characters. Marriage in trouble books are some of my favorite. I love seeing the couple going through this change and trying to figure out how to handle what life throws at them. Ty and Elin had a lot going on. From Ty's accident in the mine to their struggles with having children. I felt their pain when they held back their feelings. I connected with it.

Adriana made each character feel so real. It was like I knew them and they were my friends too. Even the side characters I felt connected to. I love that about her writing, and this book was no different. There were times I wanted to sit down with both Ty and Elin and smack some sense into them! Which is something I love in books. It really shows you their flaws as real people have, and these characters have so many, but its what makes the book so good.

This was the first time I've listened to Emma Wilder and Lance Greenfield. Emma stole the show for me. When things went wrong, she took the emotion to a whole new level, and I felt Elin's pain through her voice. I liked Lance as well, especially towards the end. I felt like he really brought the fear of what was happening to life.

If you love a book, that will make you smile and cry all at the same time. This one is perfect.

Heartbreaking and emotional

Elin and Ty were so in love, but something happened, causing Ty to leave. It wasn’t permanent, but Elin felt like it was over, that he didn’t care, so he just up and left. He’s back now, and he’s doing everything he can to show Elin that their love is worth fighting for.

This was seriously so raw and emotional. Elin was really struggling to forgive Ty. He left with no words, no reason, and it was during such an important time for them. Of course she was going to question everything from what went wrong to whether he stopped loving her. But she was strong; she persevered. Letting Ty back in was no simple feat. But these two talked and worked on their marriage, their love was undeniable.

Audio:
Narrators: Emma Wilder and Lance Greenfield
Style: Dual

These two did an amazing job bringing the story to life. They captured all of the raw emotions these characters experienced. I could really hear the pain and grief the characters were going through, especially near the end.

Emotional second chance!

4.5 out of 5 stars!

It has been 3 years since I first read this book and it is no less emotionally charged. Maybe even moreso with the narration by Emma Wilder and Lance Greenfield. Elin and Ty Whitt love each other, but sometimes love isn't enough. They were at their lowest of lows. Elin has had miscarriages that have dimmed the hope of having a family. Ty's injury has left him in pain. Ty thought going away would help things, but it only made matters worse. He is determined to win Elin back, but she isn't going to make it easy for him. Emma Wilder and Lance Greenfield brought Elin and Ty to life. I could feel their turmoil, their love, their frustrations. These narrators were the perfect fit for Elin and Ty.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this review.

“It’s the scars that make us who we are."

Written In the Scars was a highly emotional and heartbreaking story of a marriage in trouble that touched my heart deeply. Ty and Elin were two people who were desperately in love with each other but life and circumstances had beaten them down and had them turning against each other. This realistic and heartwrenching story will have you feeling EVERYTHING as you watch these two navigate their feelings.

Emma Wilder and Lance Greenfield voiced this emotional title and I enjoyed their narration. Emma’s was great as Elin as she dealt with all her fears, insecurities, grief and conflicting feelings surrounding her marriage. Lance was perfection as Ty as he dealt with the pain he had caused and his fight to put his marriage back together again. They helped me get lost in this story and made me feel every emotion.

Both Ty and Elin were struggling with their feelings and had trouble communicating with each other. They had been broken down so completely that they had trouble seeing the light and they just made my heart hurt for them. When they were finally putting the pieces back together, a tragic event rocks their foundation even more. This gripping, compelling and emotional story will tug at your heartstrings and make you realize that you have to fight for love every day in order to keep it.

Loved this!!

Written in the Scars is a very emotional standalone that will break your heart then sew it back up again. Elin and Ty Whitt have been in love with each other forever. When Ty is injured at work, then the company shuts down, things start to deteriorate quickly. This story is how these two navigate the broken road that marriage sometimes follows. It's steamy and humorous, but will have you crying as well (kleenex alert!). Do not miss this one!

The narration was absolutely fantastic. Emma Wilder always delivers that vulnerable and broken FMC and her male voice is chef's kiss! Lance Greenfield is a one-click for me with his voice. He gives us the frustrated and devastated Ty that yanks on your heart-strings. 5 impassioned stars for this duo!

Beautiful writing

This book officially tore my heart out and then stitched it back together. The way Adriana Locke brought the love back into a marriage in this story is just beautiful. This story is about redemption, family that isn't born of blood, and living life to the fullest because you don't know when you'll breathe your last breath on earth. I had shied away from picking up this book because I didn't want to cry. But now that I've read it, the heart in this story outweighs the tears and it was so worth it. Definitely one of Adriana's best works of art.

Ty and Elin

Ty and Elin’s marriage is in trouble. Miscommunication and other circumstances create a riff between them. This book is about love, marriage, sacrifice and heartbreak. Have tissues ready this story really takes a turn. You’ll feel all the feels!