Keeping secrets is easy; not falling in love is the hard part. Running away from her past Seven was bound and determined to make a new life. She moved halfway across the country to a school where she hoped to fly under the radar. What could possibly go wrong if she just kept her life quiet?
Stone has no interest in commitment. Dating always seemed to lead to broken promises and heartbreak, keeping it simple was easier on everyone. But then in the middle of his crazy world he meets this girl, and somehow the universe aligns leaving him wanting more. How can he make her see that it’s okay to trust again; how does he combine his two lives and make both of them worthy enough to be with her?
If love is all that someone needs, then why are there so many broken souls in this world? Can one individual really make a change for the better and make peace within themselves and others? When two souls collide can they save each other?
Captivated from the first page! Seven Mayfield moves away for her freshman year of college trying to rebuild her life after a life altering incident. After meeting her new roommates brother, the campus's one night stand casanova Stone, she tries hard at fighting her attraction. Written in dual POVs and including MMA, great sexual chemistry, fraternity parties, female drama, club scenes, and secrets, T. A. Hardenbrook definitely didn't disappoint! Well thought out and brilliantly written. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next, definitely an author to watch out for!
Life Altering Beautiful by T.A. Hardenbrook ~ Joni's Review
Possible Spoiler Alert WOW. I was drawn in to this book so quickly and I couldn't stop reading I had to finish it in one sitting. Seven is running from her past something that happened on Prom night that has left her a broken shell. Stone is a one night stand kind of guy he isn't looking for anything or anyone else to complicate his life. From the moment they meet you know this is going to be a love like none other and their lives were forever changed after that night. They both have secrets they aren't ready to share. “Let us continue to float down the river of denial together, row, row, row your boat.” The author did a wonderful job of making me fall in love with these two. There were moments were I just kept waiting for the angst to come and everything to fall apart and when it did I held my breath till the end.
“Keeping secrets was the easy part; not falling in love was where the problem lay.”
Seven has secrets that destroyed life as she knew it and just wants to hide and become a new person in a new place where no one knows what happened that night. She moves across the country to attend college to begin this new life. A piece of the past shows up on campus and Seven knows it's only a matter of time before everyone knows what she did. Seven and her roommate Tammy attend a frat party the first night on campus where she meets Stone, Tammy's brother. Everywhere she turns there is Stone, she wants to be friends but she knows there is a connection there like she has never felt before. Will she throw it all away out of fear or will she embrace this second chance at love?
“When she walks closer I'm sure the little me came to full attention because she is stunning, wait more than stunning, she is life altering beautiful.”
Stone just wants to be left alone to find a chick to bang and forget her as soon as possible until he sees Seven on the steps of his frat house and then his whole life changes. Stone realizes pretty quick that Seven is the one & only for him. He promises that he will always be there no matter what secrets she is hiding that she can tell him and he will not walk away. When a piece of her past starts spewing the past as he saw it will Stone stay strong and keep his promise to Seven or will it be more than he can handle?
When secrets start to unfold and the angst hits will they be strong enough to fight for their love or will they walk away? I literally held my breath through the last few pages I was so scared of the ending. I won't ruin it for you, you will have to find out for yourself how it all turns out. I am really looking forward to more from this author and cannot wait to read the next book in this series which is Tammy's story.
I loved the beginning. It was off on a good start and I was really looking forward to what all the secrets were in both Seven and Stone's lives. But by about 3 quarters in, I found myself skipping scenes and even chapters because a lot of it seemed more like fillers.
Also, I had issue with Seven's character. Because internally, she comes off as this strong ass tough chick that kicks ass. But she constantly break down crying. She claims that she can handle herself and take care of herself, but she doesn't seem to be doing such a great job executing her "tough girl" act.
. So aside from skipping a lot of stuff by the end of it, I found that Seven was a little too over-dramatic with her secret that really didn't need to be kept a secret.
As for the love in this story when it comes to Stone: it just happened to suddenly. Like one minute he's this big ass player and "man-whore" and the next he's saying he loves this girl [Seven]. I would have loved to have seen their relationship grow more naturally. I can understand how Seven instantly felt deeper for him, because she was never a player and is a "relationship" type of girl. But it's just Stone's speedy devotion that got me a little less invested in the book.
Overall, it was a fun read and I don't regret reading it or anything. I did find myself laughing and maybe giggled here and there while reading. But it's not one I'm going to find myself rereading anytime soon.
I am in complete awe of T.A Hardenbrook. Remember her name because she will be HUGE. Life Altering Beautiful was exactly that to me a "Life Altering Beautiful" read. It is such an emotional story. I was so involved in this amazing story from the first pages.
We met Seven first, she has picked up and moved from her hometown. She has come to school broken with no good feelings from the town she left. Her friends and family have abandoned her. She meets her roommate Tammy who is outgoing and fun. Soon we meet Tammy's brother Stone. Stone has a few demons of his own and has never wanted a relationship until now when he gets a look at Seven his world stops. He starts living again and all to make Seven trust and love him. They have a beautiful relationship evolution. This story had me up and down, angry and crying. I was completely shattered and then ecstatic. I had to read the epilogue like 4 times because I could not believe it. I loved this story and everything that went along with it. There was playful banter and sweet moments and then of course some sexy moves as well. It is written in alternating points of views which I love. The book also finishes Seven and Stones story which means no cliffhangers. However Tammy's story will be out in the winter time.
So what do I think of the book: It was a knock it out of the park home run. If you could see me I am standing an applauding this is one of the best reads I have read this year, and I have read A LOT of books. You will want to make sure you get this book on July 15.
I will definitely be recommending this book. I couldn't put this book down! Stone is now on the top of my list as best book boyfriends, I instantly fell in love with him and his soft side. Seven was full of mystery and I feel there is still more to their story even after the jaw dropping ending we were left with. Can't wait for Tammy and Trent's story even though I'm not a big fan of Trent..who know's though..maybe my mind will be changed...
Loved it!! Plain and simple, I'm re-reading it!! I LOVED this book, and was sad that it ended (Actually I re-read it almost immediately)! It is a great story with awesome characters!! Seven is broken and you never know the full extent of why or what really happened, but it really doesn't matter, just the fact that she is very broken. Stone is a bad boy in every sense, hot, tattooed, a fighter and has a trail of broken hearts from the many women he has been with. Both Seven and Stone has secrets, and both are afraid that those secrets will destroy them. Tammy is Seven's college roommate and Stone's sister, which is how they meet at a frat party. It is a great story working up to an explosive event that could destroy them. I love how there is MMA fighting involved, but it is not the entire story. I like that they are in college, but again that is not the entire story. I like that Stone takes Seven to meet his family and she sees the real Stone Hastings. I do not like how it ended, I wanted more, much more. There is too much that is not finished, I believe T A Hardenbrook could of written more. It almost seamed like she was told to stop writing and finish it to quickly, but don't get me wrong, I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I already want a continuation of their story as well as Tammy and Trent's story!!
Seven is trying to leave her painful past behind by going half way across the country to college. She is sure she can invent herself where no one knows who she really is. Seven's roommate is Tammy a beautiful blond determined to party & screw her way thru her freshman year, & take Seven with her.
Enter sex on a stick senior Stone, Tammy's brother. He is a loner interested in keeping his distance from everyone. His screw 'em & push 'em out the door, cage fighting, dirty little secret ass is putting a serious roadblock in Tammy's way!
His only interest is to get & keep her and her roommate Seven away from his frat brothers.
That is until he meets Seven.
They both have some secrets & broken places in their lives that have caused them to build some pretty sturdy walls around their hearts to keep others out. But the attraction & need for the connection that they feel for each other draws them closer.
This is one of the best first books I have read this summer. T.A. Hardenbrook really has a gift for drawing you into the emotions & minds of the characters. She has the ability to make them your neighbors, friends, people you know! She lures you into their world & you cry, laugh, rage, and sigh right along with Seven & Stone. I can't wait to read more from her. She has a true gift with words.
I'm giving this book 4 stars because it was a fun and captivating read. I really enjoyed the duel view points and would recommend this book to friends.
I feel they fell in love unnaturally fast and Seven was over dramatic. I would have liked more in site into Seven's family issues because her "secret" while painful wasn't damaging to her character. It's hard to believe her parents would disown her because of the accident.
Someone mentioned they didn't like their "cheesy" banter, but I enjoyed it. New relationships are all about the cheese!
The ending did feel a little rushed and I wished the epilogue would not have been 5 years later. The characters were interesting and I would have loved to read more about what happened in the 5 years in between.
I was captivated as soon as I realized there were secrets everywhere in this book. Seven is a bad ass and it was nice that a bad ass girl got an equally bad ass leading man. They go through a lot of stuff but what couple doesn't. However what I love the most is that the conflicts in this book are REAL...they are real life conflicts and troubles. And we can relate to what is happening in the thought process.
A very well done story. I can't wait for Life Shattering Beautiful!!
Okay, I have to be frank, I'm not really into romance novels. But after reading this book I'm more intrigued with the genre! I liked the characters and the story line a lot, and I love that it was not your typical ending at all! I'm looking forward to your next book, as I can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve!
DNF......and struggled to understand what I was reading! The grammar and sentence structure were so bad that I couldn't read past the first few chapters. Shame, the story actually seemed promising. Story editor anyone??
I’ve had some people comment on how the ending of “Life Altering Beautiful” was confusing for them, so I want to give you all a little insight to my reasoning for the madness! **If you have not read it this WILL contain spoilers** Seven was a girl who came to school broken from a harsh past, the once strong and courageous young woman she grew to be was shattered Prom night when Anderson died. Her life was unfortunately ruined by a single lie told to basically anyone who would listen, and in a community were social status was more important than the truth her life was destroyed. The entire book is her struggle to “get over” the problem Trent created; she needed to believe in herself again since no one longer stood in her corner. When she crossed paths with Stone she was allowed to see what life could be like for her again, someone who was willing to help her from the darkness and walk with her into the future. The past is a horrible thing for some to get over, and keeping secrets does not help in the journey either. I honestly can say I never intended the book to have that happily ever after to it, it was not the goal I had in mind when I wrote The End. Seven had finally realized her life was worth living, she was able to give love and receive it. She once again believed in herself even if it came with tragedy again, this time in the form of heartbreak and not loss of life. She was a stronger person in result of her relationship with Stone; sometimes heartbreak is inevitable in the journey.
The epilogue came as an afterthought, I know how everyone “wants” a happily ever after, and I really wanted to give you all that. I wanted the reader to question what they read. Maybe even read it several times as I never directly came out and said they were together until you find out Stone and Seven were having a daughter. I understand this did not entertain some and others loved it, that is the beauty of people reading things differently. My only hope is that you enjoyed the story as much as I did while writing it. I look forward to sharing my future projects with you and thank you immensely for taking a chance and reading “Life Altering Beautiful”. Sincerely T.A. Hardenbrook
Gosh this book was SO GOOD! I just could not put it down. I was asked by the Author to do an Arc review for my blog AND Omg I feel so silly for having to wait even a day past what I did to read it. This is a must read for the year. I am SO thankful to get to share how great it was, I know I am ranting but please keep reading
Seven is on the run, from her life, from her past, from her family. From Everything. Her life crashed before her and everything changed. A day that she should be able to look back on and smile leaves her only in tears and regret.
Stone is hot and perfect all bottled into one. Granted he does have his flaws and his own secrets. He is our typical “one night stand” guy, but Seven is the exception. He knows from the moment he sees her that his life is going to change and she is going to be in it.
Though their relationship is wonderful they have HUGE elephants in the room. Not little small ones, HUGE ones that they need to talk about before life blow up in their faces.
Gosh even with them being so stubborn, I feel so in love with these characters, their denial may have been the catalyst for it. They were great and real and I felt so connected to them. I was on my toes with them and what was going to happen next.
Gosh the ending! It was such a good ending and I really can’t wait to read more about these characters and this world. Its just enveloping. I really thought I was going to be sending a “OMG how could you!” message to the author, but alas luckily I fell in love even more than I thought I could with the ending.
A well written, great flowing, awesome plot filled book. It doesn’t let down in the least <3
Couldn't finish. First, there are so many grammar mistakes it was hard to not keep stopping and fixing them in my head. Mistakes like its and your being used improperly, entire words left out, not putting commas around names when they're addressing people, not even putting the proper punctuation at the end of a sentence! I had to keep rereading certain paragraphs just to decipher who was talking and to whom they were addressing. I digress. Everything seemed to happen so fast without any buildup and completely opposite of the characters she had built. There was nothing that happened to change the way these people were other than just seeing the other person. I'm a hopeless romantic, but come on, you have to give me something to work with here to make it the smallest bit conceivable. I liked the characters and the story line had potential, it just didn't come together.
The story itself was ok but I couldn't get past the missing words and misspelling throughout the book. I loved the dual POVs but the ending confused me. The epilogue came out of nowhere and while I loved the epilogue, it felt rushed and abrupt. The next book is based on Tammy and Trent, I hated Tammy throughout most of this book and though I think she can be redeemed - I do think that there is noway Trent can be redeemed in order for them to find HEA. In saying that, I would be interested to find out how this author can bring this about, unless Tammy finds HEA with Hunter, Travis or even Jason (hint hint). I give this book 3.5 stars.
I thought this was an enjoyable read until the end. I was actually lost as to what happened. It felt like the ending was rushed, and I don't understand how we got from one point in time to five years later. I think the writer needs to add more to the ending to explain what happened.
The ending was just terrible. Didn't make any sense. And I'm not evening going to waste my time reading Tammy & Trent book [I really hating Trent]. I can't believe I wasted my time reading this.