Review: Hell Without You By Ranae Rose

Hell Without You

Author: Ranae Rose

Published: September 5, 2013

Published By: Amazon Digital Services

Source: Netgalley

Pages: 243

Buy: Amazon Paperback

Amazon Kindle Edition 

My Rating:

Time changes everything, except what’s meant to be.

Seven years is a long time – long enough to transform Clementine from a small-town teenager with a broken heart into a woman ready to take on the world, but not long enough to make her forget about the man she was never supposed to see again. A temporary return to tiny Willow Heights thrusts her back into Donovan’s life and home, unearthing heartbreak and obsession that have stood the test of time.

He left seven years ago too, for war and other things Clementine can only imagine. Coming back to the town where he grew up in the shadow of poverty and drug addiction makes no sense, and neither do Clementine’s feelings for him. He could never forgive her for leaving, could he? Even if she had no choice.

Now, she has the freedom to choose … and so does he. Every day in Willow Heights makes it clearer: all he ever really wanted was her, and nothing will change that. Not even a taste of the hell that drove them apart in the first place.

About Ranae Rose

Ranae Rose is the best-selling author of more than twenty adult romances and counting, including the Inked in the Steel City Series and many more. She calls the US East Coast home, and resides there with her husband, children, German Shepherd dogs and overflowing bookshelves. Writing and reading are lifelong passions that consume most of her time, and she’s always working on bringing her latest love story idea to life for readers.

Contact Info: Goodreads
Website
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Other books by Ranae Rose:
The Inked in the Steel City Series
The Half Moon Shifters Series
The Sleepy Hollow Series

"I always heard that if you woke a sleepwalker, their soul would remain trapped outside of their body." She flashed him a weak smile.

"My soul has been trapped outside of my body for the past ten years."

"Really? Where is it?"

"Sitting right across from me. Don't tell me you didn't know that." He said.

"The only thing I'm afraid of is a life without you," he said. "There's nothing you can say to scare me off. Nothing I wouldn't want, as long as it was with you."

First, the cover is gorgeous and I was immediately drawn to it. I think this story has it's really sad moments; Clementine has to leave for college because she's made to by her parents. She leaves behind her only boyfriend behind in hopes of never coming back. Donovan leaves sometime after Clementine, he waited to see if she would come back but when he felt like she wasn't he left to join the Marines and ended up in Afghanistan. 

Clementine comes back to her home town of Willow Hights after finishing college and an internship, looking for a job. She passes by her grandmother's house (which had passed away a few years back), so Clementine wants to see the house and know who bought it. A huge black truck parks behind her and it is none other than Donovan in the flesh. Knowing that, she figures that he is back in town and not leaving anytime soon since he planted roots. On her way to her new apartment, there's a lot of rain that causes a flood so her car gets stuck. On her way back to town Donovan finds her walking soaked and convinces her to go to his house for the night. So what does Clementine do when she has to share a house with an ex-boyfriend that she shared everything with and was her first love? Don't forget about Donovan's emotions, which are also running high. Can they survive their bitterness, trust issues, and hurt from so many years ago, or do they get back together and build a new life together?

This story at times really broke my heart, it is filled with so many emotional moments; two people damaged mostly because of each other. I think in the end they find a balance with each other and find that they were so unhappy while they were apart. This story is both heartfelt and enlightening; how they figure out each other after so much time being apart and how it all comes together in the end. There's that moment of "Aha" when you think "Ok so that's why that happened."   

Hell Without You was a satisfying read for me, it contains enough drama and romance to make me happy; not too much of either to tip the scale, just the right amount. I recommend this book to all you romance readers, this will be good one to read.