Title: Carter
Series: The Harlow Brothers #1
Author: Brie Paisley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 22, 2016
Blurb
Carter
She was the one for me.
The one that I knew would be mine forever until I made the biggest mistake. I pushed her away and I’ve regretted that decision ever since. I’ve tried to move on, tried to put the memory of her behind me, but she’s always consuming my thoughts. Now, she’s back in our hometown, trying to rebuild a new life. I know she’s keeping secrets. She tries to hide them from me, and I will do whatever it takes to prove that I’m the one she needs. Because Shelby Ross is the other part of me that I can’t live without and I refuse to let her go again.
Shelby
The one that I knew would be mine forever until I made the biggest mistake. I pushed her away and I’ve regretted that decision ever since. I’ve tried to move on, tried to put the memory of her behind me, but she’s always consuming my thoughts. Now, she’s back in our hometown, trying to rebuild a new life. I know she’s keeping secrets. She tries to hide them from me, and I will do whatever it takes to prove that I’m the one she needs. Because Shelby Ross is the other part of me that I can’t live without and I refuse to let her go again.
Shelby
He broke my heart.
I never thought I would be able to pick up the pieces he left behind. When he let me go, I ran away from it all, thinking it was the easiest thing to do. But, running has a price and I’ve paid it in full for years. Now, I’m back where it all began, back to putting my life together and starting over. It should’ve been easy, but Carter Harlow is reawakening long buried emotions that I thought were gone. He wants to make me his again. I can’t let that happen. He ruined me, broke me, and I’m afraid I’ll never survive it a second time around.
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Review by: Leeann
Shelby was raised by a mother that hated her and an alcoholic father. She was lucky the neighbour's looked out for her and made sure she knew she was loved had had what she needed.
Carter was her best friend from the age of 5.
After 13 years apart things have changed and when Shelby comes home she realizes just how much. She doesn't know if she and Carter can pick up their friendship and start again or if she is better off to move on without him. The has been a lot of water under the bridge and she just doesn't know if it is possible.
I did enjoy this book mostly but there was a lot of flashbacks between the past and present tense. I did want to slap Shelby's mother upside the head and ask what the hell was wrong with her. There was a beautiful moment where she was able to make peace with her father and it really brought her full circle. I love how when she came home she was welcomed with open arms and shown unconditional love by people that are no blood relation at all. It showed her that family is not always blood.
Carter was such a source of strength for Shelby. From the time he realized she was back he was determined to set things right and resurrect his and Shelby's relationship one way or the other. He stands by her no matter what or who the obstacle. He really has a heart of gold and he will do anything to make Shelby happy.
Although this story has a lot of angsty moments it is an overall feel good story about a girl who had the help of some special people in her life to show her how to rise above life's hardships and show the world you can make a great life for yourself and be happy.
Well worth one clicking!
4 Stars
Review by: Amy C
Omg the Harlow boys now have a place in my heart!! Especially Carter Harlow who is secretly the most sensitive of the bunch. Saving miss Shelby Ross from herself may be the biggest challenge this man has yet to face. But will she accept the kind of saving Carter is willing to give??
Coming back home is the hardest decision Shelby has to make even though deep down she knows its the right one. Seeing the ghosts of her past, the ones she's tried to forget isn't high on her list but that's the price she has to pay to get her self back. Seeing him, the man that broke her heart is almost unbearable...so she thinks. Having that feeling of completeness is haunting. Carter hasn't felt that sort of peace in years, really since Shelby ran. But now it seems that just walking though town has him second guessing that she isn't near and ready to back into his heart.
I LOVED THIS BOOK! Sweet, sexy and a dash of HOLY LORD, this second chance romance was exactly what I crave. It had minimal drama, thank God and just the right amount of pure adrenalin to make the story amazing. I was hooked from the start and couldn't get enough of the men in this book!! I can't wait for more from this author and more from the Harlow boys.
4 Solid Stars
Review by: Tatia
One chapter in and I was already blurry-eyed. Shelby and Carter have been friends since they were six. When one boy asked if he could push a girl on the swings. Since then they've been inseparable. Shelby spent all of her time with Carter and his family. It was only natural that when they got older their relationship transitioned into something more. One night and a few sentences changed it all. That day is when Shelby left only to return many, many years later. Her life isn't what she thought it would be. She's a different person now because of it.
Carter regrets the day he pushed Shelby away. There isn't a day that's gone by that he hasn't thought of her. He's been thinking about her more lately, having seen girls that remind him of her. Only, he knows that she'd never come back.
There was a lot of redemption and forgiveness in this story. When Shelby left, she didn't just leave behind Carter, she left his family, all who had accepted her has one of theirs, as well as the family who took care of her when she was younger. It tells the struggles of leaving a rocky, abusive relationship and trying to trust people again. Shelby has to learn to be on her own and value herself again. I enjoyed seeing her and Carter on the journey to trusting each other again and building that friendship back that they had so long ago. Brie Paisley wrote this story well. It even had alternating point of views, which I enjoyed. I liked seeing how they both handled these situations and all that life had thrown at them.
Carter regrets the day he pushed Shelby away. There isn't a day that's gone by that he hasn't thought of her. He's been thinking about her more lately, having seen girls that remind him of her. Only, he knows that she'd never come back.
There was a lot of redemption and forgiveness in this story. When Shelby left, she didn't just leave behind Carter, she left his family, all who had accepted her has one of theirs, as well as the family who took care of her when she was younger. It tells the struggles of leaving a rocky, abusive relationship and trying to trust people again. Shelby has to learn to be on her own and value herself again. I enjoyed seeing her and Carter on the journey to trusting each other again and building that friendship back that they had so long ago. Brie Paisley wrote this story well. It even had alternating point of views, which I enjoyed. I liked seeing how they both handled these situations and all that life had thrown at them.
4 Stars
Review by: Stacey
4 stars for Carter By Brie Paisley was such a page turner!!! I'm a sucker for second chance romance stories and boy did this one deliver!!! Carter Harlow is sexy, hot and has a heart of gold with a bit of darkness from his past but Shelby sweet, innocent Shelby definitely brings out a soft side to Carter!!! They are connected in ways we can only dream of and their passion is FIRE!!!! I loved learning and watching their story unfold and flash back!!! It was a easy read and I read it in a day and couldn't put it down!!! I highly recommend Carter and can't wait to find out what brother gets book 2!!!
4 Stars
Excerpt
Prologue
Shelby
It seems like a lifetime since I first met Carter Harlow.
We lived in the same small town where you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing a familiar and friendly face. I was five years old and he was six. I remember that day, perfectly. We were at school, playing outside during recess. The school year was almost up, and it was a hot sunny day. The kids in my class played chase, or were in the sandbox making sandcastles. I was sitting on the swing, in my own little world. I didn’t know how to swing yet without someone pushing me. My legs dangled, and I kicked the pebbled rocks with the tip of my shoes. I watched the other kids playing, seeing they all had a playmate. It made me sad and envious that I didn’t have that. All I wanted was someone to push me on the swing. I didn’t have any friends back then, and maybe Carter knew what a lonely little girl I was.
Looking back, I didn’t understand why my Mom didn’t want anything to do with me, or why my Dad always smelled funny. But, Carter didn’t make fun of my dirty clothes, or say anything about how I hadn’t bathed in a week. He walked right up to me, touched my hand holding tightly onto the chain of the swing, and looked right at me.
“I’m Carter. What’s your name?”
I squinted my eyes at him, wondering if he was about to comment on why I was alone. Most kids made fun of me because I didn’t have any friends. They would tease me relentlessly, but it seemed like Carter wasn’t like the other kids at school. “Shelby.”
He stared at me for a moment, then asked, “Can I push you?” I smiled brightly and nodded eagerly. All I wanted was a friend, someone to play with me. Carter took his hand off mine, and walked behind me. He grabbed a hold of the chains, and began to push me. I remembered laughing loudly, loving how high he pushed me. I also remembered holding on tightly to the chains, and looking around the playground at the other kids. They didn’t pay us any mind, and I told Carter to push me higher and higher. He did as I asked, laughing right along with me. I finally had someone to play with, and I felt happy. For the first time in my life, I felt just like all the other kids. I felt normal. I remembered how in just a short amount of time, I felt accepted.
When the bell rang for us to go back inside, Carter slowed me down, and helped me off the swing. He held my hand as we walked back into the building, and I started to dread him letting my hand go, and heading back to his class. I didn’t want him to leave me. “Don’t worry, Shelby. I’ll see you after school.” He told me once we stopped at my classroom. I grinned, and nodded at his promise. That one simple promise meant the world to me, and even if I didn’t have any friends in my class, I knew I gained a new friend with Carter. When he met me right outside my classroom at the end of the day, I knew at the tender age of five, Carter would always keep his promises. Even though we’d just met, we shared a bond, something special.
Thinking about it now, I was way too young to understand the connection we had. There was just something about that sweet, young boy. He quickly became my best friend, and there was hardly any moments when we weren’t together.
Now that I’m older, I still don’t understand the connection we had back then. Even when Carter and his family opened their arms and home to me when I needed them the most. I still didn’t understand why he wanted to be around me. No one else in my family cared anything about me, and it was inevitable for me to fall head over heels in love with him. It didn’t happen suddenly. It happened slowly over the years, slowly changing our relationship into something I couldn’t live without. There are so many things I still look back on, and I try to figure out why Carter and I were so drawn together. Why, after everything we went through, he could just … let me go. I thought what Carter and I had was special, one of a kind. But, everything changed once Carter left for college.
When Carter Harlow broke my heart, I did what I knew best.
I ran.
Shelby
It seems like a lifetime since I first met Carter Harlow.
We lived in the same small town where you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing a familiar and friendly face. I was five years old and he was six. I remember that day, perfectly. We were at school, playing outside during recess. The school year was almost up, and it was a hot sunny day. The kids in my class played chase, or were in the sandbox making sandcastles. I was sitting on the swing, in my own little world. I didn’t know how to swing yet without someone pushing me. My legs dangled, and I kicked the pebbled rocks with the tip of my shoes. I watched the other kids playing, seeing they all had a playmate. It made me sad and envious that I didn’t have that. All I wanted was someone to push me on the swing. I didn’t have any friends back then, and maybe Carter knew what a lonely little girl I was.
Looking back, I didn’t understand why my Mom didn’t want anything to do with me, or why my Dad always smelled funny. But, Carter didn’t make fun of my dirty clothes, or say anything about how I hadn’t bathed in a week. He walked right up to me, touched my hand holding tightly onto the chain of the swing, and looked right at me.
“I’m Carter. What’s your name?”
I squinted my eyes at him, wondering if he was about to comment on why I was alone. Most kids made fun of me because I didn’t have any friends. They would tease me relentlessly, but it seemed like Carter wasn’t like the other kids at school. “Shelby.”
He stared at me for a moment, then asked, “Can I push you?” I smiled brightly and nodded eagerly. All I wanted was a friend, someone to play with me. Carter took his hand off mine, and walked behind me. He grabbed a hold of the chains, and began to push me. I remembered laughing loudly, loving how high he pushed me. I also remembered holding on tightly to the chains, and looking around the playground at the other kids. They didn’t pay us any mind, and I told Carter to push me higher and higher. He did as I asked, laughing right along with me. I finally had someone to play with, and I felt happy. For the first time in my life, I felt just like all the other kids. I felt normal. I remembered how in just a short amount of time, I felt accepted.
When the bell rang for us to go back inside, Carter slowed me down, and helped me off the swing. He held my hand as we walked back into the building, and I started to dread him letting my hand go, and heading back to his class. I didn’t want him to leave me. “Don’t worry, Shelby. I’ll see you after school.” He told me once we stopped at my classroom. I grinned, and nodded at his promise. That one simple promise meant the world to me, and even if I didn’t have any friends in my class, I knew I gained a new friend with Carter. When he met me right outside my classroom at the end of the day, I knew at the tender age of five, Carter would always keep his promises. Even though we’d just met, we shared a bond, something special.
Thinking about it now, I was way too young to understand the connection we had. There was just something about that sweet, young boy. He quickly became my best friend, and there was hardly any moments when we weren’t together.
Now that I’m older, I still don’t understand the connection we had back then. Even when Carter and his family opened their arms and home to me when I needed them the most. I still didn’t understand why he wanted to be around me. No one else in my family cared anything about me, and it was inevitable for me to fall head over heels in love with him. It didn’t happen suddenly. It happened slowly over the years, slowly changing our relationship into something I couldn’t live without. There are so many things I still look back on, and I try to figure out why Carter and I were so drawn together. Why, after everything we went through, he could just … let me go. I thought what Carter and I had was special, one of a kind. But, everything changed once Carter left for college.
When Carter Harlow broke my heart, I did what I knew best.
I ran.
Author Bio
Brie Paisley is a small town gal from Mississippi. She always wanted to write at a young age and was always filling journals with her thoughts and short stories. Brie started with the idea of Worshipped a year ago and with the encouragement of her husband and sister in law, she was able to write her first book. When she is not writing, you can find her reading a good book, painting, scrapbooking, or watching a good movie with her husband and her boxer.
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QUOTES RAIN / AMAZON
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PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / GOOGLE+
QUOTES RAIN / AMAZON
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