Tristan Williams thought the path of his life was on the right journey. He had a successful career, good looks, and a carefree lifestyle. One conversation changed Tristan’s way of thinking forever as his father presented him with a bottle, representing his journey and forcing unwanted thoughts of a lasting relationship to the surface. Running from the fear of commitment, he pushed away the only woman he ever had feelings for and turned to the one girl he knew he didn’t love.

"This journey called love, it's a crazy ride, Tristan. Like I told you and your brother before, love is a road we travel down. The road isn't always a smooth paved road. There are times we feel so lost on that road that we want to take a detour, find an easy way out. That never works through, I think you've discovered as much."

I was excited to get the rest of Tristan and Ryn's story after their tumultuous time in Unconditional Love. They got too close and Tristan got spooked and ended up breaking her heart. And it sent them both spinning off into casual relationships with others. There were quite a lot of dynamics between Tristan, Liberty, Ryn, and Dodge and the situation was a convoluted mess. Tristan and Ryn still liked each other but were too proud, stubborn, and scared to admit it. They were both full of fear and insecurities and were great at running and pushing each other away. They had major trust issues between them due to their history and were afraid of rejection.

And then the "casual" ones wanted more from Tristan and Ryn, adding to the volatile situation. And if that was not complicated enough, a new woman, Sierra, enters the picture changing up the dynamics even more.

"Dad, I have never in my life felt this way about anyone and that scares the piss out of me. I don't want to do anything to push her away, yet that's all I ever do. It's a damn tug of war game I'm tired of playing."|

Drama and angst...oh my! So much jealousy, anger, hurt, and miscommunication. I will admit I got frustrated and was not a fan of some of their choices and behavior early on in this book. I understood it was fueled by jealousy and a need for distraction, but it honestly made me want to throw my kindle in the beginning.

It was decision time. I was either going to walk away from the one girl who had brought feelings alive in me that I had never experienced, or I was going to fight like hell to put my own fears aside and take a risk.

But as the book went on, I remembered why I liked these characters and I enjoyed seeing some hope and healing beginning to occur. There was drama, changes, and some secrets that needed to be addressed. But I felt like Tristan and Ryn were finally coming into their own and becoming more focused. They had undeniable chemistry and this was a steamy read, but I will admit that sometimes I felt that the sex distracted a bit from the story. But it was also some part of Tristan's conflict so it was understandable and I loved them together. 

"I'm sorry I broke your heart, but I swear I'll spend the rest of my life putting it back together."

But it was definitely a journey for them to figure out who they really wanted and what was important in life. The journey was definitely not an easy one and was full of ups and downs. The relationships between all of the characters continued to change and even another new man was brought into the picture as a side character. So as Tristan and Ryn are finally making their way back towards each other and trying to rectify their mistakes and move forward, there are connections sparking and stories developing in the background with the side characters that will continue into the next book. I came to really like Dodge, Sierra, and Chris. They all have back stories and chemistry already building. I enjoyed spending more time with Lark and Azurdee and the guys' parents on the ranch. They  added some humor, drama, and depth to the story.  I really loved the bond between Tristan and Lark and their family. I want to go stay on the ranch with them. It seems like such a fun welcoming place to visit.

This was an angsty ride where Tristan and Ryn had to face fears, regain trust, and be willing to forgive and fight for each other. It was messy, exasperating, emotional, and at times heartbreaking. But at other times it was sweet, sexy or funny. Tristan especially had deep fears and some secrets. And Ryn had serious trust issues. They had a lot to work through. But sometimes no matter how hard you resist, deny, or fight it...love is undeniable. 

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tristan and Ryn’s story was teased through Unconditional Love. Readers of the first book watched as Tristan brought Ryn home for Christmas and proceeded to call another girl when he got spooked by his feelings for Ryn. Months later, both remain in casual relationships while avoiding each other and the feelings between them. 

This story was full of so much angst, drama, and games. Between the casual relationships they are each using to get past the hurt, to a new girl connected to both of them, there are so many games going on to get attention without leaving the players vulnerable. The hurt runs back and forth between them, based on who is the one pushing at the time. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of the drama could have been avoided if they were just honest with each other! 

I went back and forth about whether I liked what was going on, or whether it just made me want to smack the characters. Some things happen at various points that just keeping digging the hole between them deeper to the point where I didn’t see how they could get past it. And even when they did, I had a hard time with the speed at which forgiveness and trust was reached. 

Readers do learn what it was that scarred Tristan so bad during that Christmas visit that he turned to Liberty to push Ryn away, and while it is a big part of his character and life, it almost became an elephant in the room. If he had opened up to her and been honest much sooner, his anxiety, her pain, their time apart could have been significantly shortened or relieved completely. 

This book falls in line with the angst and drama levels that have become common in Kelly’s series. While I keep reading because I love Kelly’s original stories, sometimes I am now feeling like this crosses to angst levels that turn me away. It is well written, and a great conclusion for Tristan and Ryn, but there were just moments that pulled me away from loving them completely. 

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

JOURNEY OF LOVE SERIES

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Our 4.5 star reviews.