The Scars I Bare by JL Berg

​CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Publication date:03/12/2018
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

I love JL Berg. Her stories are sweet yet emotional, deep yet low angst. She’s an author you can count on for solid, alphahole-less romance. The Scars I Bare represents everything I’ve come to expect from this talented lady.

First of all, if you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Choices I’ve Made, you can jump right into this book without feeling lost. Although, I have no idea why you wouldn’t read The Choices I’ve Made. Haven’t I mentioned that this author is delightful? ​

Second of all, Dean is a shining star among book boyfriends. He’s strong and protective without being an alphahole, which I love. He’s also a survivor who is a little emotionally and physically broken, but not beaten. He could’ve used his injuries as an excuse to wallow in self-pity, but he doesn’t. He has some self-doubts, but he doesn’t let them hold him back from going after what he wants—and what he wants is Cora and her daughter, Lizzie. (Dean is all kinds of cute with Lizzie, too. I’d read a whole book of nothing but those two going to lunch together and talking about weird random facts.)

I had a little harder time warming up to Cora. Sure, she’s smart and beautiful and has all the other requisite romance heroine traits. But I didn’t like how she lied to her parents for so long (for no reason, really), or how she felt the need to point out a difference between a husband who “beats” his wife versus “slapping her around.” (There’s no difference in my humble opinion. A weak-ass douchebag who would raise his hands in anger against a woman is a wife beater, plain and simple.)    

But overall, this was a sweet, emotional, sometimes sexy tale of a GREAT guy finding the HEA he deserves. It’s highly 1-clickable.
​
Full disclosure: We received an ARC from NetGalley, free of charge.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s clean and sober. No rehab needed.

Other reading suggestions
Check out the author’s backlist. It’s full of awesomeness.

---