Shouldn't Have You

Fractured Connections, Book 2

De: Carrie Ann Ryan

Narrado por: Maxine Mitchell, Joe Arden

I've been many things in my life: daughter, friend, student, lover, wife…and now, widow. Getting past those labels and finding who I could be without them was the hardest thing I've ever done.

Then I became friends with Brendon Connolly.

Every time I look at him, I see a past, I see a present, and I’m afraid if I look too hard, I’ll see a future.

~~~

I've known Harmony Wynham since before she got married. Before she lost everything. I didn’t know that one day she wouldn’t be just my friend but the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

Only I don't think that can happen.

Not when every time she looks at me, she sees what she lost, and I can only see what I can't overcome.

I love her, even though I shouldn't. Somehow, we need to find a balance.

Because if we don't, walking away will be the hardest thing I've ever done - even if it's the only thing I should do.

©2019 Carrie Ann Ryan (P)2019 Carrie Ann Ryan

good addition to the series

Book two of this series was a pretty good book. It was an emotional roller coaster for both Harmony and Brendon. The pair started out as friends and then grew into lovers as they work through their issues with the past - Harmony with being a widow who is attempting to move on with her life and Brendon with dealing with his anxiety from his upbringing as well as the return of his biological father. The pair were well written and their story flowed well, keeping me interested from the start. It was an emotional read from page one that had me cheering the couple on. I also enjoyed the return of the characters from the previous book in this series. In the audio version, the narration by Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell was performed well by both narrators as they did a great job bringing this story to life and making it a great listening experience. I would recommend this book to others and I can not wait to see what happens next in this series.

Awesome book

Book 2 of Fractured Connections Series
This book begins right after the first book with Brandon and Harmony doing there friendship/dating dance.
Harmony is a widow and after her husband died she went on autopilot for a while but now she’s trying to date with little success.
Brendon was harmony’s husbands bff until one day at a traffic lights everything changed. He still struggles with what happened and after Harmony started dating Brendon has been struggling with his feelings.
This book has such heartbreaking moments especially between Harmony and Brendon after they get together and try find out what they mean to each other.
This is first honest book I’ve read about heartbreak from losing a spouse and bff.
I absolutely love this series and the narrators are amazing. I love the duo of male and female voice but would have loved if they had narrated together each taking separate male/female voice instead of each taking a chapter but still Carrie Ann Ryan really has great taste in narrators.
Can’t wait for more.

A PURE HIT!

I love how she can take such a sad subject and make it funny. This book touched every aspect of my heart.

Awesome read

I loved Brendan and Harmony's story. Very emotional and very well written. I would recommend this book

Love, front and center.

I enjoyed this story of second chances and trying hard to move on. Harmony went on 2 blind dates. One worse than the other. Brendan had been close by on both accounts. Then they decided to take a chance on each other. It was awesome, until Brendan’s past threatened his future. It all worked out. I really and truly loved this story and this series. A definite recommendation from me.

Deeply moving love story told by amazing narrators

I think the author did an amazing job writing Harmony and Brendon’s story. They go from friends to lovers so sweetly and gradually. I loved how they teased each other and the trust and friendship that grew between them. There’s some angst, but nothing too heavy despite the grief over losing Moyer that both Harmony and Brendon still struggle with. Those scenes especially made the characters seem so relatable, like genuine people and not perfect fictional beings. The long-awaited moment where Harmony and Brendon finally started to open up to each other and act on their feelings was as wonderful as I’d hoped for. She’d not like me for saying so, but I love Harmony’s inner strength.

The secondary characters, siblings and friends of the MC’s, are absolutely great. The whole gang is definitely growing on me, though Dillon is still by far my favorite, the youngest sure, but so insightful, levelheaded and utterly lovable, no doubt thanks to those romance novels he’s been reading!

Narration: Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell did a fantastic job with the narration. Loved their performance! Their voices and reading styles match really well together and for me, theirs just are the voices of the Carrie Ann Ryan universe. I hope they’ll do this entire series.

Amazing Story

Shouldn't Have You is an amazing read, it pulled at my heart strings so much. Harmony is such a strong woman she lost her husband but pushes through and doesn't let it over take her. She uses her friends to lean on and show that you can have a life and love after loss.

Brendon internalizes so much like a lot of men do. I liked that you really get a glimpse inside his mental struggle and negative feelings he has towards himself. You see this want and need to be a better man but he doesn't realize he already is a great man. He has already done extraordinary things, but to him it isn't enough and I know a lot of us can relate to that.

Watching their love build and enfold was so natural I couldn't stop listening.

This was a great read and I highly recommend it. <3 <3 <3

PHENOMENAL

WOW, Shouldn't Have You is a masterpiece.  Enthralling and mesmerizing, this beautiful story will captivate you. Carrie Ann Ryan has me hooked. I loved this book. 

Heartwarming story of two people finding their way

Harmony has had a rough go of it the last few years first with the accidental death of her husband, Moyer, and then with the suicide of one of her best friends, Allison, a few months earlier, it's time for things to start going her way, don't you think! Well, I for one do and I couldn't be happier with the person that helps her move on to happier times.

Brendon had a rough childhood but was adopted into a wonderful family with Jack and Rose as his loving parents, even though he was always ready for the worst to happen and he'd have to go back to living on the streets. Thankfully that never happened and now he is co-owners of the Connolly Brewery which was left to him and his brothers after Jack's passing.

This is a friends-to-lovers story but it is much more than that, it is a story about moving on after the loss of a spouse. I have to say that not only did Carrie Ann Ryan do a fantastic job with this story you can tell she put her whole heart into it. I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for her to write it especially after loosing her husband last year. My heart breaks just thinking about it. This story will pull at your heart strings with each journal entry and the way Harmony and Brendon both navigate their way around this new relationship that is forming between them. You may shed a few tears but I wouldn't consider this a tearjerker.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book which was released before the eBook and let me suggest if you are able to listen to it grab a copy from Amazon or Audible because the narrators, Maxine Mitchell and Joe Arden, did an amazing job with bringing this story to life.

Shouldn't Have You is the second book in the Fractured Connections Series and although each of the books can be read as a standalone I would highly suggest you read them in order because each of the these books have all the same key players in them it's just the stars of the books that are different. Happy Reading!!!

Fell in love with these two

I loved Brendan and Harmony. They have known each other and been friends since they were younger. Harmony was married to Moyer who unfortunately has passed away. He was also friends with Brendan and worked with him as well. When Harmony was married, Brendan didn’t have feelings other then friendship for her. Now Harmony is a different person. After loosing someone you love it changes you. She has just started to put herself back out there and go on a a few dates. Brendan doesn’t know if he should be feeling what he is towards Harmony or if it is wrong. He doesn’t feel he is good enough for her and doesn’t want to loose her as a friend if things don’t work out. Harmony doesn’t want Brendan to think she is leaning too much on him and doesn’t know when her feelings of friendship started to change to something more. This is a slow build up romance and I loved these two every step of the way. They have great friends and family that help the two of them navigate their feelings. Fantastic read don’t miss it!