Hearts #2
Hearts & Flowers
By: A.M. Brooks
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Romance, Angst
Release Date: August. 20, 2019
Blurb-
Nora
He broke me.
He gave me everything I never knew I wanted then in one moment destroyed all my happiness.
Now Iโm back in Araminta to finish senior year before I move on and leave this town full of fake and corrupted people behind.
I donโt expect him to chase me. To change the game. He wants my heart but itโs destroyed. Even as we fight back against his enemies who want to ruin his name, he puts me above all else.
He wants to protect me. Fix me. Claim me. Too bad Iโm not the same girl I was. I canโt forgive him…
Darrian
Iโm sober.
So fuckin sober.
Iโm broken and bruised but the only pain I feel is watching her and knowing I canโt have her.
Danger lurks around us. My enemies are growing in numbers.
I need to keep her safe and untouched by the chaos I created.
I will destroy the walls around her heart and prove to both of us that I am the man she wanted me to be.
She wants to breeze in and fade out… not this time.
Sheโs back and she will be mine.
I canโt live without her.
Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46000471-hearts-and-flowers
Vote for Hearts & Flowers:ย http://bit.ly/August2019MostAnticipatedRomances
My Review
Hearts & Flowers is book two in the Hearts Series by new author A.M Brooks. Told in dual POV we continue with the conclusion of Nora Sutton & Darrian King’s story. H&F is a two-part story so Hearts & Bruises MUST be read first. This review may contain spoilers from Hearts & Bruises if you have not read book one yet, proceed with caution.
After that heart-dropping cliffhanger book one ended with I have been on pins and needles waiting for this one! A.M Brooks did NOT disappoint! YA/NA is one of my favorite tropes and A.M. Books is most definitely a new author to watch for in that category!
In Hearts and Bruises,ย we see Nora finally leave Darrian for good. He wanted her father and her out of town so he completely broke her heart to make damn sure it happened. But now that her father was found innocent, he realizes it was all for nothing. Darrian is determined to win back the girl of his dreams BUT this time, it’s gonna take a whole lot more than a few pretty words for Darrian to get back in Nora’s good graces.
There was so much back and forth with Darrian and Nora in Hearts & Bruises, they were completelyย toxic together. But in Hearts & Flowers, Darrian is clean, and his eyes are wide open. Darrian is finally ready to face the consequences of his actions (even though legally there won’t be many thanks to dear ol’ Dad) but the point is the old Darrian wouldn’t have thought twice about how his actions harmed anyone but himself. Now he’s finally starting to get it, and he has a whole lot of making up to do to Nora, the person he hurt the most.
After what happenedย with Roman and Zero-Thirteen Nora’s life is in danger, and the one person that can protect her, she won’t let even come near her. But Darrian isn’t giving up that easy and he won’t stop until the girl he loves is safe.
But what if it’s too late?
Darrian is ready to fight for Nora but after all the hurt he’s caused can Nora forgive him yet AGAIN?
A.M. Brooks has done it again. I am still blown away that Hearts & Bruises was her first release! She has killed it with Hearts & Flowers. This plot, these characters, ALL OF IT!
Nora, I really wasn’t loving after book one. I was just so tired of her letting Darrian walk all over her, time and time again and then all he had to do was throw a few pretty lines at her and all was forgiven.ย NOT THIS TIME! Nora is done with his crap and she’s making him pay his dues before even considering getting back together.
“She was magnetic and I was attracted to her force.”ย
Darrian I absolutely hated. But Darrian has come a long, long way. He’s went to rehab and he seems to really have his head on straight now without all the drugs clouding his mind. I was so, so proud of him in a couple of scenes when he could have thrown away all his hard work but he was committed and he stuck with it. The way he “wooed” Nora this time around *SIGH* I never thought I would say this but Darrian King turned into book boyfriend material! PLUS I loved that it was dual POV this time around so we actually were able to get in his head and understand his side of things a bit more.
“Please heal me. Keep me. Fight for us with me.”
These two together, at first I would have said NOPE, wayyy to toxic. But Darrian has really turned it around. There was so, so much more character development this time around and I loved the new improved Darrian, and I’m sure Nora did too. These two together can go either way, it can be like fire and gasoline or they can be like peanut butter and jelly. We saw fire and gasoline in Hearts & Bruises but we saw peanut butter and jelly in Hearts & Flowers. The only thing I would have liked to see a bit more of is detail to the sexy scenes. I understand it’s a YA/NA so there is a fine line but I would have liked a little more description.
I honestly could not ask for a better ending than that epilogue! It was everything!ย *SIGH*
I can NOT wait to see what A.M. Brooks comes up with next… maybe Trent & all the crazy stuff he’s got going on?? I would be fine with either of the secondary characters honestly I’m just not ready to say goodbye to this crew yet!
I highly recommend checking out the Heart Series!
“Our love is terrifying, exciting, and real. It may not always be story-book ending beautiful, but it’s us. It’s our story.”
Grab your copy of Hearts & Flowers TODAY!
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WHEN: August 24th,ย 4:30 PM – 10:00 PM EST.
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โWhatโs up, man,โ Roman yells, ignoring the phone while Iโm waiting for him. I donโt answer. Itโs a small test of my patience waiting for him to grab the receiver. I can feel the twinge in my jaw as my teeth clench. He shakes his head before bringing the phone to his ear. I smirk, feeling satisfaction at the awkward way it cradles against his face because of the chains.
โHeard you got banged up a couple months ago, D.โ He grins. โYou still look pretty though.โ
โShut the fuck up.โ I lean forward wishing again I could feel his blood against my knuckles. Rage courses through my veins and I breathe a few times to find control again.
โLittle birdie told me a certain puntaย was arriving soon.โ
โStay away from her, Rom. Iโll give you and your crew one warning. Next time you talk about her like that or any of you even so much as look at her wrong, Iโll make sure you never see the outside of these walls again.โ
โSheโs just another bitch, D. She left you, didnโt she? Found a nice little place with her aunt in Seattle.โ He cocks his head to the side. โYou want to fuck up our arrangement for some side action?โ
โWe have no arrangement. Youโre a drug dealer. Itโs not my problem you were so wasted you continuously hooked up with my sloppy seconds. Not my problem your crew isnโt loyal, and youโre stuck behind that glass.โ I shrug my shoulders. His eyes blaze when I point at the glass. One thing Iโve learned about Roman over the years is that he is claustrophobic. Must suck to suck. โStay away from Nora.โ I hang up the receiver, not caring what else he has to say. It already bothers me how much he knows about her situation, which only confirmed someone is watching her like we feared.ย I look up again as he taps the receiver on the glass, motioning for me to pick up. Standing, I grab the phone before bringing it back to my ear.
โWait just a second now.โ He leans as far back in his chair as he can. He looks too comfortable. โI think youโre forgetting that we donโt work for you. I donโt work for you or your father. That bitchโฆmessed with something larger than you, the crew, me or your saint of a father.โ
โYouโll never get out,โ I threaten again. My voice is surprisingly calm. I can feel the tension vibrating through my body. He smiles smugly, getting up from his chair. At his full height, Roman is just a hair shorter than me. His face tightens, he fixes me with his gaze, his soulless dark irises flicker.
โIt ainโt me you got to worry about, King,โ he says before dropping the receiver in place and hitting the button next to his door. Frustrated, I hit mine as well, bracing my arm against the side while I wait to be let out.
Haven’t read Hearts & Bruises yet?
books2read.com/heartsandbruises
My Review of Hearts & Bruises
Wanna check out the interview I did with new author A.M Brooks about her first release, Hearts & Bruises?
Check it out HERE
About The Author
A.M. Brooks
AM Brooks is an author with a variety of stories; Contemporary Romance, New Adult, and mature YA ย Her writing style is suspenseful and sometimes leads toย heart-wrenchingย 
conclusions. With a background in forensic psychology, she really goes for those investigative, dark and twisty feels. And of course, lots of love!
Brooks enjoys reading as much as writing. Television shows such as Criminal Minds, Scandal, and One Tree Hill are her go-to binge-worthy series. She loves spending time with her friends and family with a good glass of beer or wine. If she isnโt reading or writing, Brooks is Pinteresting future home projects for her wonderful husband to accomplish.
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