~*SYNOPSIS*~
Charlotte and Nathan were supposed to be forever. They grew up together. Their families were intertwined. Charlotte was Nathan's first love. Nathan was Charlotte's first everything.
Until they weren't.
How do you hold on to the person you know in your heart you are supposed to be with when everything and everyone in the universe is telling you it's over?
How many times does a heart break?
When is enough…..enough?
How long is forever?
Until they weren't.
How do you hold on to the person you know in your heart you are supposed to be with when everything and everyone in the universe is telling you it's over?
How many times does a heart break?
When is enough…..enough?
How long is forever?
~*EXCERPT*~
But when I close my eyes, I can see him—and me. I can see me pressed up against the mirror in the bathroom, my hands making starfish prints as I brace myself against his thrusts. I can hear his harsh breathing, his commands to come, come now, Charlotte. There was that passage of time that felt endless when he was between my legs, licking me softly and leisurely as if there wasn’t anything in this world that gave him more pleasure than helping me find my own. I touch myself, but it’s useless. My body wants one thing: Nathan Jackson.
I’m on fire and the ache of want is so acute it’s like a knife in my chest. I’ve had multiple surgeries, chemo treatments, radiation but that’s nothing compared to what I feel now.
Time and distance had dulled my pain and that my desire and love for Nathan had actually started to ease only to be stoked into high, hot flames by his reappearance in my life.
He is the poison and the antidote.
I’m on fire and the ache of want is so acute it’s like a knife in my chest. I’ve had multiple surgeries, chemo treatments, radiation but that’s nothing compared to what I feel now.
Time and distance had dulled my pain and that my desire and love for Nathan had actually started to ease only to be stoked into high, hot flames by his reappearance in my life.
He is the poison and the antidote.
~*REVIEW BY ASHTON*~
I rate The Charlotte Chronicles by Jen Frederick FIVE GIVE-ME-A-NAVY-MAN Leaves!
Before I tell you how amazing this book is, I need to tell you that this is my first book to read by Jen Frederick. Right before I started reading The Charlotte Chronicles, I did as I always do and looked it up on Goodreads. That is when I realized that I was missing a huge piece to this fantastic puzzle. I had not read ANY of the books in the Woodlands series, and, now because of this novel, I am desperate to go back in time and read the stories of their parents' love.
In order to keep you from making the same mistake I did, make sure you click HERE and get started in the right direction. In the event you don't click that link and you make the same mistake as me, have no fear. You will be able to read and enjoy The Charlotte Chronicles just as I did.
So, what's this all about? Well, The Charlotte Chronicles is split into two parts. The first has a coming-of-age feel to it with young, teenage love and heartbreak, while the second part takes place nine years later. In the first part you are re-introduced to couples from the Woodlands series, only this story takes place several years later and from the view point of their children, Charlotte and Nathan.
SPOILERS AHEAD! SKIP THE NEXT PARAGRAPH!
Teenagers, Charlotte, Nathan, and Nick (Nathan's brother), have been best friends their entire lives; but when Charlotte turned 15-years-old, Nathan began to notice her as more than a friend. He always only saw himself as her protector, but it was then that he realized she was made to be his. With Nathan being a few years older than Charlotte, he had planned on their relationship advancing years later; but when Charlotte begins treatment for a brain tumor, he decides he has to make her his immediately. Shortly after they expose their feelings for one another, Charlotte is sent to a treatment facility in Switzerland. The distance causes tension, and Nathan struggles with telling Charlotte that he has enlisted in the Navy. He knows if he tells her, she won't want him to leave, and he won't be able to leave her. At a house party, Nathan drinks too much and is set up in an incident that is filmed and sent to Charlotte. Even though Charlotte knows the truth behind the video, Nathan is too broken after and pushes her away. He leaves for the Navy without a word, and she writes him for the next six years, because he promised her forever. He only replies a few times and with brief responses, then stops completely and breaks Charlotte's heart. Her letters transition the reader from the past to the present (part two), which is three years after Charlotte's last letter to Nathan. Nathan is inspired by a captive he helps save in a mission and decides its time to fight and earn back Charlotte's love. Only Charlotte isn't the same girl who held on all those years ago. She's healthy and happy with her family, friends, and career. Of course, she did say she would always love him, but his reappearance has old wounds exposed again.
I loved this book for so many reasons. Too many to list here, but here are a few... I loved how the story was broken into two parts, and how the author used the letters to transition into part two. I loved reading not only the sweet and steamy scenes between Charlotte and Nathan, but the friendship they had and what they shared with Nick. I'm sure if I had read the Woodlands series prior to reading The Charlotte Chronicles, I would have loved seeing those characters reappear years later. We are used to seeing characters cameo in other novels or series', but rarely do we see them 15+ years later. Another reason I enjoyed this book so much was because it felt more real than so many of the books I read and review. Usually when characters reunite after a bad break, there is a lot of anger, a few angsty chapters, and the characters fall in love again. OR the guy comes back, and the girl just forgives him after a few pages. Not in this one! The two find themselves alone for the first time in almost a decade, and a super sexy and erotic scene breaks out. Most would be angry at Charlotte for giving in to temptation, but do I blame her? Hell no. Hottie Navy SEAL returns to capture my heart and wants to make up for the last nine years? Okay, but all is not forgiven and forgotten. That is exactly how Charlotte plays it, and it's exactly what I would have done. Give him a taste and then make him work for it!
The Charlotte Chronicles is a must-read... like... RIGHT NOW MUST-READ, because it's on sale for 99 pennies until December 18th! Get your one-click finger warmed up, because I know you will want to go back and read them all. I know I do!
~*ABOUT THE AUTHOR*~
Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog. She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at jensfrederick@gmail.com.
~*AUTHOR LINKS*~
Thanks for the review!
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