Lovin' los libros

Welcome to my stop on the Fading Out blog tour hosted by AToMR Tours!

To see the full tour schedule please click HERE.

 

 

 

 

"He found me. He chose me. When I was fading, his love shone bright enough to chase away my darkness."

 

The previous two novels in this series are very emotional books, and while Trish strived to make this one lighter, it does still have a very poignant storyline that tackles some very difficult issues. I love that this one is set on a college campus though and that football is such a big theme. (What can I say? I live in the land of the SEC people!) There is also a lot of character development and growth with the main character, which is something I love to see in books. Fading Out will hurt your heart, but the romance between Ari and Ryder is definitely one that sizzles!

 

Having briefly met Ari in the previous novel, Losing Track, we now get her story as she has just transferred to a new school and must deal with the aftereffects of what happened at her previous one. My heart ached for Ari. For so long her parents have held her to extreme standards and everything is about appearance and reputation. Ari is a Wyndemere, which means she cannot be anything less than perfect. Where most people would scorn their families or tell them where to shove their expectations, it is not that simple for Ari. Already dealing with so much and having extreme self-image issues, Ari can't risk losing the one thing that defines her- her name. She doesn't know who she is, but she knows she is a Wyndemere and she can't risk losing that, else she be left with nothing.

 

Meeting Ryder challenges everything Ari has ever known. The two do NOT get off to a very good start, as Ryder has a habit of putting his foot in his mouth and Ari can overreact to his wording. I am all for the hate turned love romances, so I liked this one even though I wanted to punch Ryder in the throat early on for a few comments made at Ari's expense. He's not a bad guy though. He can be defensive and I don't blame him after seeing how he was treated in high school. He refuses to be that beat down, nobody kid again and Ari initially makes him feel that way, thus causing problems between them. Ryder is one persistent guy and I adored that about him. He fought for Ari and refused to let her dismiss him so easily. He loves her spunk and admires her ability to stand up and not take crap from anyone.

 

However, Ari and Ryder have some very real challenges ahead of them. Both are harboring secrets that the other deserves to know, so naturally when they come out, all hell breaks loose. Past demons will come to haunt the couple as well as future ones, so they have to decide whether or not the other is worth fighting for.

 

I loved the secondary characters in this one. Vee and Gavin are great additions and our favorite badass motorcycle girl shows up, which made me very happy. I love how blunt Mel is and her appearance was much needed for Ryder to get his act together. And the epilogue? I adored it. I loved seeing the story come full circle and how much Ari has healed throughout the book. With the help of her good friends, the love of a good man, and the desire to get better herself, she really owns who she is and finds her own happiness.

 

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this third installment of the Living Heartwood series. Trish writes with such passion and raw emotion that I can't help but lose myself in her words and her characters. I can't wait to see what she does next!

 

"And it's the imperfection that makes you, you. Don't kill off your heartwood- the imperfect, flawed, dark part of you... because even a tree needs its heart to live, Ari. Without it, it would just be a hollow shell."

 

 

 

From an early age, Trisha Wolfe dreamed up fantasy worlds and characters and was accused of talking to herself. Today, she lives in South Carolina with her family and writes full time, using her fantasy worlds as an excuse to continue talking to herself.