ARC Review: Seared on My Soul by Cole Gibsen

I couldn't wait to read more from Cole Gibsen after reading and loving Written on My Heart. I think my expectations might have been a bit too high here with Seared on My Soul, but I was disappointed with this one and it didn't live up to what I was hoping for. While there were some things I liked, ultimately this one was hard to get through and I found myself skimming more than I should have. 

Emily Garret doesn't want or think that she needs to be rescued, and she definitely don't want it to be by a guy that looks like Reece Montgomery does. While Emily has tattoos and piercings, Reece is clean cut. But after Emily finds herself in a situation where she needs help, Reece is determined to get beneath her surface. He never planned on becoming anyone's hero, but he is convinced there is more to her than meets the eye. Can Reece let Emily in and see where things go, or will there be too much in his past for them to have a future? 

I will admit that I really struggled with Emily's character. I didn't really like her, and that didn't change much until the very end of the story. At that point it was a bit too little too late for me and I didn't much care at that point. She was immature and irritating, and I hated the pity party she was constantly participating in. She used it as an excuse to drink excessively and there was really nothing for me to like with her. I felt like we never really saw much progress with her, and I think that was a big part of my problem here. I did like Reece more and I felt more sympathetic towards him because of all that he had been through. While I didn't agree with everything he did, his PTSD and being a disable war vet had a lot to do with the person he was. While I did like him more, I still felt like couldn't quite connect with him either. Both of these characters seemed to lack much depth, and I wanted to dig deeper with them than surface deep. I thought that they had chemistry, but I was just wanting more and felt like there was something missing. 

Beyond just the character issues though, I just never felt like their relationship was entirely believable considering how they were the whole way through. Both of them were messed up, so their coming together felt a bit unrealistic in the way it happened here. It came off as rushed and I just couldn't buy into it fully. Sadly, this wasn't what I had been hoping for or expecting after WOMH, and this isn't one that I would recommend. I do plan on reading more from Cole Gibsen in the future since I loved WOMH so much, but this one just didn't work for me.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Written on my Heart by Cole Gibsen

This book was so good. Written on my Heart was the first book that I have ever read from Cole Gibsen, but it definitely won't be my last. I honestly had no idea what to expect with this book, but I had seen some really great things about the story and decided I needed to read it. I am so glad that I took a chance on this one. This story was very emotional and had some really tough parts to get through, and yet it was beautiful.

Ashlyn has only ever stood up for herself one time, and it left her with a broken body and kicked out of her house. Forced to start over with nothing, Ashlyn did what she had to do in order to survive. The last thing she needs is a sexy tattoo artist with an attitude to mess things up. But she finds herself drawn to Lane, even knowing that he appears to be nothing but trouble. Lane has enough to worry about in his own life, and dating definitely isn't something he wants to add to his plate. But as much as he tries to keep Ash at arm's length, he finds himself unable to stop thinking about her. But with both Ashlyn and Lane having secrets and determined to avoid falling for anyone, can they find a way to make things work between them? 

Ashlyn and Lane were such great characters. They were unique and flawed, and I loved how real they were. These two had so much that they had each struggled with, and yet they were both fighters that refused to give up. They did what they had to do, and made the most out of their situations. I loved the chemistry between them and couldn't get enough of the banter. These two challenged one another and the back and forth was so interesting to see. Yet they also had a strong connection that built over the course of this book, and I was glad that it wasn't something instant. With everything that these two had been through I felt like their connection was genuine and real, and I don't think I would have felt that way had things happened quickly between these two. They were slow to open up and let each other in, and I think it made things that much stronger once they did finally come together because of that. They were great together though, and I really loved how they were able to grow and heal together as well as separately. 

Overall, this was a great story and it was one that I couldn't put down. I read this in pretty much one sitting because I had to know what would happen. This book wasn't always easy to get through at times, and there were some tough subjects that were dealt with here. I really felt for the characters, and my heart broke for them at times. But this book was also about hope and the healing power of love found in the most unlikely of places, and I loved how things turned out for these characters. I highly recommend this book, and I can't wait to read more from Cole Gibsen in the future.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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