Beyond Words

Written by Abby Brooks

Narrated by Heather Costa and Brandon Utah

On the same day I lose my job, my house, and all hope for the future, I also lose my journal. And the worst part . . . the most awful, can't bring myself to say it out loud part is . . .

He found it. He read it. And . . . he commented.

At the end of his message is an email address and a plea: Contact me. Please. I know better than to trust strangers with candy, but, after a tequila-fueled night, I create a new email address and do just that . . . and the man I discover is overflowing with kindness and humor and depth.

Meanwhile, I meet Lucas Hutton-a Marine with scars covering his body, heart, and soul. The chemistry between us is a force of nature. His intensity leaves me reeling.

I can't have them both. I have to choose between them before things go too far. I just don't know how I can.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jun 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781400179879

Abby Brooks

Abby Brooks writes contemporary romance about real people in relatable situations. With equal parts humor and heat, her books provide an emotional smorgasbord fans love. In her spare time, she can be found messing around outside, enjoying the company of her family, and dancing in the kitchen when she should be paying attention to cooking. She lives with her amazing husband, three fabulous kids, and a kind-of-okay dog in Ohio. For more information, visit AbbyBrooksFiction.com.

Reviews for Beyond Words

[SerendipityReads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the way the premise of the book sounded so much that I just re-read it, even though I was really unimpressed when I read it two years ago. I figured, who knows, maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind then, or was just distracted or something, and didn't give it a fair shake.

Turns out this book was so ENTIRELY forgettable that at times I honestly wondered.....is this even the same book I was thinking about?! But then there would be little details to make me think, oh, ok, yeah, I remember the deal with the nicknames.

Or whatever.

The writing was adequate. The h and H both likable enough. But so often in books like this I fail to see what exactly was so special about their correspondence that they fall crazy in love with someone who they've never even seen. And that happens again here.

Also, if there's a "scarred hero", I want him SCARRRRRED!!!! Both physically and mentally! He just wasn't tortured enough for me.

And while I'm usually pretty good about the whole "suspension of disbelief" thing when it comes to romance books, both of them relocating to EXACTLY the same place (from TX to Florida) without any mutual ties at all connecting the moves....just complete coincidence......reeeeeeally kept niggling at me. Add the ENTIRELY unrealistic reason why her mom basically ABANDONED her as a child, and the fact that for all the talk about her big masseuse career, we only (sort...of??) saw her actually DOING that job once, and....ehhhhh, this just missed the mark for me.

And I really did want to love it. Both times.

What I DID like was the conceit that because of her two completely different parents, and the "stages of life" there were to her childhood, she had two completely different sides to her....and the H ended up meeting the needs of BOTH of those sides.

[sdbookhound · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What would you do if you found out an unknown man read your very personal thoughts in your journal that you accidently left on the seat of a coffee shop booth? Not only that, he left you a message with an email to contact him! This is how Beyond Words starts out. I was intrigued by this story idea. After reading, I have to say that it wasn't as good as I thought it might be, but it was still interesting. I can't give too much detail or the story will be ruined. Let's just say that there are a few surprises. 3.5 stars because it moved a little slow for me - otherwise it would be 4.