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Sulfur Heights #4
Surviving Love
“She is my heart and the other half of my life, and now, that life no longer exists." ~Drake Evans, Surviving Love
For Drake Evans, life was once happy. He was living the kind of existence that any man would envy. By his side was the woman he loved and a daughter he cherished. Life was truly perfect, until the day demons from the past came crashing into their perfect world, destroying everything he had been so sure would last forever.
Today, Drake’s life is shrouded in misery. Every day he faces the unyielding pain of losing the love of his life at the hands of a drug dealing murderer. On top of it all, he has to live with the anguishing betrayal caused by the devastating role his brother played in Presley’s death. Gone are the days of carefree happiness and impending futures. They've all been replaced with the shallow emptiness hollowing out his heart and the undeniable rage pumping through his veins. Drake is only moving through the motions of life, raising his daughter and earning a living, in the only way he can tolerate—alone.
Since the day she was banished from her family, Zoe Ledoux lives her life as a free spirit. For the past four years, Zoe’s been moving through life day by day, place by place. She never stays in one area long enough to establish relationships. She refuses to get close to anyone, protecting herself from the fear of once again being left behind. Then a turn of fate sends her to Sulfur Heights where she lands a job working as a bartender.
In a chance meeting, an instant connection forms, bringing together the wounded souls of Drake and Zoe. It is together that they begin to cope; to mend the brokenness of their pasts and feel what it is like to truly live again. However, will their newly formed friendship be enough to pull Drake and Zoe from their dark pasts? Can Drake overcome the fear of losing someone he loves and eradicate his anger just enough to let someone in? Will he learn that Surviving Love with Zoe is what he ultimately needs in order to be happy?
For Drake Evans, life was once happy. He was living the kind of existence that any man would envy. By his side was the woman he loved and a daughter he cherished. Life was truly perfect, until the day demons from the past came crashing into their perfect world, destroying everything he had been so sure would last forever.
Today, Drake’s life is shrouded in misery. Every day he faces the unyielding pain of losing the love of his life at the hands of a drug dealing murderer. On top of it all, he has to live with the anguishing betrayal caused by the devastating role his brother played in Presley’s death. Gone are the days of carefree happiness and impending futures. They've all been replaced with the shallow emptiness hollowing out his heart and the undeniable rage pumping through his veins. Drake is only moving through the motions of life, raising his daughter and earning a living, in the only way he can tolerate—alone.
Since the day she was banished from her family, Zoe Ledoux lives her life as a free spirit. For the past four years, Zoe’s been moving through life day by day, place by place. She never stays in one area long enough to establish relationships. She refuses to get close to anyone, protecting herself from the fear of once again being left behind. Then a turn of fate sends her to Sulfur Heights where she lands a job working as a bartender.
In a chance meeting, an instant connection forms, bringing together the wounded souls of Drake and Zoe. It is together that they begin to cope; to mend the brokenness of their pasts and feel what it is like to truly live again. However, will their newly formed friendship be enough to pull Drake and Zoe from their dark pasts? Can Drake overcome the fear of losing someone he loves and eradicate his anger just enough to let someone in? Will he learn that Surviving Love with Zoe is what he ultimately needs in order to be happy?
Unknown Binding
First published March 26, 2014
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About the author
M.S. Brannon
20 books366 followersM.S. Brannon was born and raised in the Midwest. She still resides there today with her wonderful husband and son. When she is not writing or reading, M.S. Brannon spends time with her family, watching movies, and discovering new music. She writes romance because she believes love and heartache is the rawest emotion one can experience.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
February 17, 2014
This is Drake's continuation and picks up where Tragic Love left off. I strongly suggest reading reading Tragic Love and Blind Love to be able to understand the story of Surviving Love.
March 18, 2014
Gut-wrenching, soul expanding, sobbing mess. That's what this book does to me. Damn Brannon for evoking such emotions. No, don't really damn her because then there won't be these beautiful, emotional books to enjoy.
The way Brannon writes makes me feel like I KNOW the characters. They each have their own distinct personalities that feel so REAL. It makes me want to know them, live in their world, and becomes an Evans. Love this family!
Drake is a sad, sad man in this book. I mean, he only smiles for his daughter, Mia! Definitely not someone you want to be around, unless you want to sink into a black hole of despair and grief, and want to chance being choked to death. I understand his grief though. I don't know it or ever want to feel what he's going through, but I understand. I thought it was sad that he was afraid to let go of his anger. Afraid that if he did, then he would forget. :'(
Zoe is an awesome character! She's this careless, go where the wind may take me, self-professing sex loving person, but is also dependent and loving. Like me, she wants in the Evans' world. The Evans family evoke wants in her that she never thought she would. She also has a past...
Mia is a darling. There are some funny scenes with her and Jake. Frickin' Jake! He is too funny for his own good. I love his character. The rest of the family is there, too (sans Jeremy). They are always there to help and also cause drama amongst themselves, just like siblings.
By the last word in the book, I already wanted the next one. I need more! I need Jeremy's POV! I need his story like yesterday!
The way Brannon writes makes me feel like I KNOW the characters. They each have their own distinct personalities that feel so REAL. It makes me want to know them, live in their world, and becomes an Evans. Love this family!
Drake is a sad, sad man in this book. I mean, he only smiles for his daughter, Mia! Definitely not someone you want to be around, unless you want to sink into a black hole of despair and grief, and want to chance being choked to death. I understand his grief though. I don't know it or ever want to feel what he's going through, but I understand. I thought it was sad that he was afraid to let go of his anger. Afraid that if he did, then he would forget. :'(
Zoe is an awesome character! She's this careless, go where the wind may take me, self-professing sex loving person, but is also dependent and loving. Like me, she wants in the Evans' world. The Evans family evoke wants in her that she never thought she would. She also has a past...
Mia is a darling. There are some funny scenes with her and Jake. Frickin' Jake! He is too funny for his own good. I love his character. The rest of the family is there, too (sans Jeremy). They are always there to help and also cause drama amongst themselves, just like siblings.
By the last word in the book, I already wanted the next one. I need more! I need Jeremy's POV! I need his story like yesterday!
April 23, 2014
How do your live your life when your true love is ripped from it? How do you live with betrayal from your own brother? How do you survive love and loss?
You love. You wake up in the morning and decide to love and live again.
For Drake and Zoe, life doesn't deal them easy cards. They make wrong moves and right decisions. In the end no matter how tragic their lives were before. Nothing compares to the electric current coursing through these two characters.
I loved Tragic Love and applaud M.S. Brannon for risking a sad ending instead of the typical happily ever after. So for all you haters out there, I can safely say this book is for you.
You love. You wake up in the morning and decide to love and live again.
For Drake and Zoe, life doesn't deal them easy cards. They make wrong moves and right decisions. In the end no matter how tragic their lives were before. Nothing compares to the electric current coursing through these two characters.
I loved Tragic Love and applaud M.S. Brannon for risking a sad ending instead of the typical happily ever after. So for all you haters out there, I can safely say this book is for you.
March 27, 2014
No one—and I mean no one—can rip me wide open, emotionally eviscerate me, like M.S. Brannon can. I become a blubbering fool as I read, but like that train wreck that you cannot turn away from, I keep coming back for more. Why? Because her books are so powerfully written and evoke such beautiful, though often tragic, imagery that I cannot get enough.
This book picks up where Tragic Love left off. You see the things that Jake touched on only briefly at the end of Blind Love then extend beyond that, and you get them from Drake's POV this time. It is raw, powerful, beautiful, emotional... I loved Drake's innocent optimism in Tragic Love, his blind belief that it would all be okay. It's gone now, ripped away as quickly as the bullet that flew from an idiot's gun. The only hope—the only light—is little Mia. She keeps him moving forward.
Zoe is who I want to be when I grow up. Seriously. I'm an adult woman who would love the moxie of this young woman. She's been through Hell, and she stood up, walked away, and demanded that life would continue on her terms. She's a survivor, a bit of a risk taker, and she has some major trust issues.
The story delves into learning to live beyond your fears and anger, hope, and survival. It moves you to tears, fogs up your windows, and leaves you wanting more of the Evans family that I have come to love throughout this series.
This book picks up where Tragic Love left off. You see the things that Jake touched on only briefly at the end of Blind Love then extend beyond that, and you get them from Drake's POV this time. It is raw, powerful, beautiful, emotional... I loved Drake's innocent optimism in Tragic Love, his blind belief that it would all be okay. It's gone now, ripped away as quickly as the bullet that flew from an idiot's gun. The only hope—the only light—is little Mia. She keeps him moving forward.
Zoe is who I want to be when I grow up. Seriously. I'm an adult woman who would love the moxie of this young woman. She's been through Hell, and she stood up, walked away, and demanded that life would continue on her terms. She's a survivor, a bit of a risk taker, and she has some major trust issues.
The story delves into learning to live beyond your fears and anger, hope, and survival. It moves you to tears, fogs up your windows, and leaves you wanting more of the Evans family that I have come to love throughout this series.
April 25, 2014
Review Originally Posted at: Book Freak
Rating: 4.5 Stars
This is one of those sequels I have been looking forward to since I have read Tragic Love. The novel was too heartbreaking and too earth-shattering for one character, he really did deserve his happy ending, and I wonder if M.S. Brannon will be kind enough to give him his happy ending, and how will she able to give him that? Drake had found his one great-love in Presley. Granting that their relationship was more on the rocks and volatile, but their love for each other remained unquestionable, especially Drake’s devotion to her. How can he possibly survive her loss? How will he learn to love another woman when he had given everything to Presley?
It started with her death, then a series of events starts to unravel, one painful truth at a time. Things he didn’t expect that had shuttered his broken world some more. His heart is filled with anger, hurt, and grief that was palpable in every pages. It was painful to watch him suffer, and I wished someone would heal him, fast before he kills himself.
But despite all his pain and anger, he still tries to live- and it was all because of the adorable Mia. Their daughter. He tries to live his life one day at a time, earning for his daughter, breathing for her, but he still crave for his time alone with Jack Daniels. Alcohol numbs his pain. It masks his sorrows. It allows him to forget everything – temporarily.
Then here comes Zoe. She was something I never really pictured out for Drake. He was already broken. He didn’t need another broken person to fix him – how can it possibly work? Zoe was kicked out from their home because her mother chose to believe another person than her. For the past years, she became a nomad, moving from one place to another, from one bed to another, from one relationship to the next. She surrounded her heart with walls, protecting herself from people who are bound to leave her behind. Then, fate had pushed her towards Sulfur Heights where she landed herself a job, and found a long-lost relative.
CALL IT FATE.
Drake tries to stay away from the girl who stirs powerful emotion inside of him. He didn’t want to forget Presley, he didn’t want another woman. So no matter how much he wanted this girl? He was fighting it with every bit of his being. The funny thing about fate is that the more you stay away from it, the more it chases you. Because they seemed to be bumping into each other a lot.
A common person allowed them to become friends, an impending lose had allowed them to become closer to each other – and before they knew it, a steamy encounter soon followed. But there’s one problem though, he wouldn’t kiss her! It was so frustrating, her wanting him badly to kiss her, and him trying to avoid her lips at all cost. No matter how hot and steamy their encounter was, you can feel the void, you can feel that it was just him meeting his needs rather than him trying to put in his emotions and I really felt bad for Zoe during this time.
Zoe, this amazing girl, wasn’t the type of person to give up. She tried, and tried, and tried – and no matter how many times he pushed her aside, she fought with everything she has, until finally – she was reaping the fruits of her labor. It took a while, a whole lot of bumpy and painful ride, but both got what they deserve – an HEA.
Just as when you thought you can never find another love as strong, as powerful and as true as your first, fate gives you one heck of a surprise that will leave you dumbfounded – another chance for love which will be greater and stronger than the previous one. Just as when you thought your heart is broken and shattered in a million pieces, and it’s remains has been scattered, someone will be nice enough to find it for you and patient enough to glue each pieces one at a time. The ending was pretty much amazing, it wasn’t what I expected it to be, it wasn’t that much of an HEA (on another level), but it was reality. Some things needed time to heal, and other sins may need time to be forgiven.
M.S. Brannon had once again given as a book that will engage your emotions one page at a time. Surviving Love is a story about two broken people who found a way to heal each other, and found their second chance in love. Surviving Love is a story about love, healing, and second chances.
✪Complimentary Copy was given in exchange for an honest review.✪
March 20, 2014
Ever since I read Scarred Love, M.S. Brannon has had me HOOKED on her writing. I just can't seem to get enough of her books. Each book seems to be even better than the previous one, which seems almost impossible! We first read Drake's story in Tragic Love. After I read that book I was in tears and so heartbroken. I remember messaging M.S. Brannon and asking her WHY she wrote that ending, I was such a mess after that book. When I found out she was writing a second book for Drake I was so ecstatic! Though Reggie is my favorite guy, I thought that we needed more of Drake, to see what he was going through and see if he ever became his happily ever after or at least got through the heartache.
We begin this story through Drake's POV. Knowing how much he's hurting and all he's struggling with broke my heart even more. He is trying to make it day to day and simply LIVE for his daughter. He is a shell of a man and has closed himself off to his family. My heart broke with every chapter I read about him. The only thing I loved is seeing how Mia was the light of his life, how she made him smile and feel happy even for a little bit. Then we meet Zoe. Poor woman, she's had to grow up so fast. She moves from town to town not making any real relationships with people. She decides that the next town that she will be running to will be Sulfur Heights. Her plan is to get a job, make a bit of money and then move on to the next town. While at Reggie's bar she sees this mysterious man, he's alone and seems to be closed off, yet something about him catches her attention. Drake sees this woman and is shocked by the feelings brought on by this mysterious woman. He tries to avoid her and stay away. No other woman but Presley will ever make him happy, or make him feel anymore. Then fate seems to have this cruel plan and brings these two together. They are forced to be around one another. Drake is fighting himself to try and avoid feeling anything for Zoe. She on the other hand wants to know his story and help him fight his demons. Will these two struggling and broken souls be able to help each other be better? Will Drake allow himself to feel something for Zoe?
WOW! M.S. Brannon, you have blown me away once again! My heart hurt for Drake. Then I find out Zoe's story and my heart hurt for her as well. These two young people have suffered so much already. A lot more than many others have had to suffer. They're guarded and closed off to others to keep themselves safe. The emotions that M.S. brings out while reading is incredible. I was in tears, I was laughing, wanting to scream at them sometimes. So many emotions, but I loved every second of it. Her books are those that hook you from the start and just pull you into the characters world. You feel as if you are a part of the gang, every milestone that they go through you celebrate as if they're your. With her way of writing M.S. Brannon has quickly moved her way up my list of favorite authors. The Sulfur Heights series keeps moving its way up my favorite series'. In order to fully understand the details and emotions in this book you NEED to have read the previous Sulfur Heights series: Scarred Love, Tragic Love and Blind Love.
We begin this story through Drake's POV. Knowing how much he's hurting and all he's struggling with broke my heart even more. He is trying to make it day to day and simply LIVE for his daughter. He is a shell of a man and has closed himself off to his family. My heart broke with every chapter I read about him. The only thing I loved is seeing how Mia was the light of his life, how she made him smile and feel happy even for a little bit. Then we meet Zoe. Poor woman, she's had to grow up so fast. She moves from town to town not making any real relationships with people. She decides that the next town that she will be running to will be Sulfur Heights. Her plan is to get a job, make a bit of money and then move on to the next town. While at Reggie's bar she sees this mysterious man, he's alone and seems to be closed off, yet something about him catches her attention. Drake sees this woman and is shocked by the feelings brought on by this mysterious woman. He tries to avoid her and stay away. No other woman but Presley will ever make him happy, or make him feel anymore. Then fate seems to have this cruel plan and brings these two together. They are forced to be around one another. Drake is fighting himself to try and avoid feeling anything for Zoe. She on the other hand wants to know his story and help him fight his demons. Will these two struggling and broken souls be able to help each other be better? Will Drake allow himself to feel something for Zoe?
WOW! M.S. Brannon, you have blown me away once again! My heart hurt for Drake. Then I find out Zoe's story and my heart hurt for her as well. These two young people have suffered so much already. A lot more than many others have had to suffer. They're guarded and closed off to others to keep themselves safe. The emotions that M.S. brings out while reading is incredible. I was in tears, I was laughing, wanting to scream at them sometimes. So many emotions, but I loved every second of it. Her books are those that hook you from the start and just pull you into the characters world. You feel as if you are a part of the gang, every milestone that they go through you celebrate as if they're your. With her way of writing M.S. Brannon has quickly moved her way up my list of favorite authors. The Sulfur Heights series keeps moving its way up my favorite series'. In order to fully understand the details and emotions in this book you NEED to have read the previous Sulfur Heights series: Scarred Love, Tragic Love and Blind Love.
June 11, 2015
I was gifted a copy for an honest review.
I am soooooo glad this book was written! I can't even tell you how much I wanted Drake to find his happy ever after, especially with everything he's had to go through! I will say though, while reading this book you are taken on the most heartbreaking ride of you life. You will cry for
Drake, praying he finally gets what he deserves and then you will bawl your eyes out because you are so happy that he was able to find happiness.
While taking this journey with Drake, you definitely see a totally different side of him that you’ve never seen in the other books. He has so much anger and hatred, and he seems to constantly look for an outlet to release it. The only reason why he’s continuing on with life right now is because of beautiful Mia. She’s his life now, and he’d never leave her.
But he never expected what would happen when the sexy Zoe came into his life.
Zoe has had a hard life. After being kicked out of her home at a young age because he mother wouldn’t except the truth, she’s been on her one. And she’ll do just about ANYTHING to get what she needs. However, she’s looking to change her life, so she leaves and ends up in Sulfur Heights. While in Sulfur Heights, she starts to wonder what she really wants in life.
Drake and Zoe have some many heartbreaking things they go through together. Will everything the have to deal with bring them together? Will Drake ever realize that he can still be happy with out betraying what he and Presley had?
I hope you strap yourself in for the ride of you life. Even though Drake still has a long way to go, he finally gets his happy ever after. This book is totally worth all the emotions that M.S. Brannon pulls from you! Plus, can you say holy hot sex! I’m absolutely in LOVE with Jake, but Drake might be right behind him ;)
So grab a box of Kleenex, make sure a fan is around (to cool you down from the steamy scenes) and enjoy!
I am soooooo glad this book was written! I can't even tell you how much I wanted Drake to find his happy ever after, especially with everything he's had to go through! I will say though, while reading this book you are taken on the most heartbreaking ride of you life. You will cry for
Drake, praying he finally gets what he deserves and then you will bawl your eyes out because you are so happy that he was able to find happiness.
While taking this journey with Drake, you definitely see a totally different side of him that you’ve never seen in the other books. He has so much anger and hatred, and he seems to constantly look for an outlet to release it. The only reason why he’s continuing on with life right now is because of beautiful Mia. She’s his life now, and he’d never leave her.
But he never expected what would happen when the sexy Zoe came into his life.
Zoe has had a hard life. After being kicked out of her home at a young age because he mother wouldn’t except the truth, she’s been on her one. And she’ll do just about ANYTHING to get what she needs. However, she’s looking to change her life, so she leaves and ends up in Sulfur Heights. While in Sulfur Heights, she starts to wonder what she really wants in life.
Drake and Zoe have some many heartbreaking things they go through together. Will everything the have to deal with bring them together? Will Drake ever realize that he can still be happy with out betraying what he and Presley had?
I hope you strap yourself in for the ride of you life. Even though Drake still has a long way to go, he finally gets his happy ever after. This book is totally worth all the emotions that M.S. Brannon pulls from you! Plus, can you say holy hot sex! I’m absolutely in LOVE with Jake, but Drake might be right behind him ;)
So grab a box of Kleenex, make sure a fan is around (to cool you down from the steamy scenes) and enjoy!
March 28, 2014
I received this book as a gift from the author in exchange for an honest review.
It is finally here, what we all have been waiting and begging for Brannon to continue Drake Evans story and give him his HEA. I know this had to be very difficult for her to return to Tragic Love to continue Surviving Love but if any of her fans feel the way I feel after reading it, I know it was well worth her time, effort and tears.
With that being said, I have to say again that Melissa, you rock! Not because you are just my Street Team Author but because of your gutwrenching, heart breaking, swoonworthy writing that you continue to evoke our emotions. Like you say, finding a story that can bring out the love and heartache is the rawest emotion one can experience and I believe that myself. This keeps the story fresh like no other stories that I ever read.
Two souls surviving love through their own tragedy.....this story will take you back into the Sulphur Heights and pull and twist at your emotions from the beginning to the end. I don't want to give anything away of the story so I hope you enjoy my teasers instead. You never know by taking a chance where you will end up on the map.
I cannot wait for Jeremy's story. I know he messed up and is paying for the price of it all but there is a chance for redemption for everyone if they truly want it. Reggie will always be my favorite but I have always been captivated of what Jeremy is hiding in that head of his and cannot wait for the final of this series so then I can read all of them again and again and help spread the word of this amazing series!
It is finally here, what we all have been waiting and begging for Brannon to continue Drake Evans story and give him his HEA. I know this had to be very difficult for her to return to Tragic Love to continue Surviving Love but if any of her fans feel the way I feel after reading it, I know it was well worth her time, effort and tears.
With that being said, I have to say again that Melissa, you rock! Not because you are just my Street Team Author but because of your gutwrenching, heart breaking, swoonworthy writing that you continue to evoke our emotions. Like you say, finding a story that can bring out the love and heartache is the rawest emotion one can experience and I believe that myself. This keeps the story fresh like no other stories that I ever read.
Two souls surviving love through their own tragedy.....this story will take you back into the Sulphur Heights and pull and twist at your emotions from the beginning to the end. I don't want to give anything away of the story so I hope you enjoy my teasers instead. You never know by taking a chance where you will end up on the map.
I cannot wait for Jeremy's story. I know he messed up and is paying for the price of it all but there is a chance for redemption for everyone if they truly want it. Reggie will always be my favorite but I have always been captivated of what Jeremy is hiding in that head of his and cannot wait for the final of this series so then I can read all of them again and again and help spread the word of this amazing series!
March 28, 2014
***I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.***
M.S. Brannon has done it again and written a phenomenal book that takes hold of your emotions and doesn’t stop. I have been in love with the Evans’ family ever since I read the first page of Scarred Love.
Surviving Love picks up right where Tragic Love left off…with the death of Drake’s love, Presley. Drake now finds himself alone and a single parent to their daughter, Mia. Not only is he dealing with the death of Presley but with a betrayal from someone whom he loved dearly (don’t want to give this away…you have to read the book!!!!). Drake is a man who finds himself sinking into a black hole of grief, despair, and anger. He alienates himself from almost all of his family except his guiding light, his daughter, Mia. She is the ONLY thing keeping him from totally losing himself. This book is a brutal look at someone whose heart has been ripped out and may never be capable of loving someone again. M.S. Brannon does a fantastic job of portraying the stages of grief. One night as Drake is drowning his sorrows in a bottle, a woman catches his eye. Zoe has come to down after leaving an abusive relationship to find a job long enough to make some money to move on to the next town. She has a tragic past herself, but instead of numbing it with booze, she uses sex. Drake is mystified and angry about the feelings Zoe invokes in him. He feels like he is betraying Presley. Zoe has lustful thoughts about Drake too and thinks he will help alleviate some of her pain too. He thinks he will never see her again, but fate has other plans as Zoe is hired by Reggie to work at the bar. She also has ties to Mia’s babysitter, Ms. Fields. When these two finally give into their lustful thoughts, it’s like spontaneous combustion. The sex is INCREDIBLE!!! But, what about a relationship? Are these two scarred souls capable of loving again? Will their painful pasts dictate their future?
As with all of M.S. Brannon’s books, I loved the characters!!! You get to see the hell Drake has to go through to be whole again. I loved Mia and how she was the center and the glue that held this family together. There may have been huge disagreements and fights between the members of their family, but Mia could bring them all together again. There is nothing sexier than a man who is a great “Daddy.” Drake adored his Mia and did everything in his power to make her life normal. Zoe was one of my favorite characters. This was a woman that life had kicked in the teeth, but she got back up and fought. She was totally different from Presley in that sense. She was loyal to a fault to those she loved. She was tough but had such a soft side when it came to Mia and Ms. Fields. Even though Ms. Fields was not a huge character, she made such an impact in the book. I loved her. It was great to catch up with all the other family members as well.
I have never read another writer who can draw out so much emotions in me. I laugh, and I cry. My heart breaks yet she puts it back together again. She takes such darkness and turns it into light. THIS WOMAN IS PURE MAGIC, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for me next!
M.S. Brannon has done it again and written a phenomenal book that takes hold of your emotions and doesn’t stop. I have been in love with the Evans’ family ever since I read the first page of Scarred Love.
Surviving Love picks up right where Tragic Love left off…with the death of Drake’s love, Presley. Drake now finds himself alone and a single parent to their daughter, Mia. Not only is he dealing with the death of Presley but with a betrayal from someone whom he loved dearly (don’t want to give this away…you have to read the book!!!!). Drake is a man who finds himself sinking into a black hole of grief, despair, and anger. He alienates himself from almost all of his family except his guiding light, his daughter, Mia. She is the ONLY thing keeping him from totally losing himself. This book is a brutal look at someone whose heart has been ripped out and may never be capable of loving someone again. M.S. Brannon does a fantastic job of portraying the stages of grief. One night as Drake is drowning his sorrows in a bottle, a woman catches his eye. Zoe has come to down after leaving an abusive relationship to find a job long enough to make some money to move on to the next town. She has a tragic past herself, but instead of numbing it with booze, she uses sex. Drake is mystified and angry about the feelings Zoe invokes in him. He feels like he is betraying Presley. Zoe has lustful thoughts about Drake too and thinks he will help alleviate some of her pain too. He thinks he will never see her again, but fate has other plans as Zoe is hired by Reggie to work at the bar. She also has ties to Mia’s babysitter, Ms. Fields. When these two finally give into their lustful thoughts, it’s like spontaneous combustion. The sex is INCREDIBLE!!! But, what about a relationship? Are these two scarred souls capable of loving again? Will their painful pasts dictate their future?
As with all of M.S. Brannon’s books, I loved the characters!!! You get to see the hell Drake has to go through to be whole again. I loved Mia and how she was the center and the glue that held this family together. There may have been huge disagreements and fights between the members of their family, but Mia could bring them all together again. There is nothing sexier than a man who is a great “Daddy.” Drake adored his Mia and did everything in his power to make her life normal. Zoe was one of my favorite characters. This was a woman that life had kicked in the teeth, but she got back up and fought. She was totally different from Presley in that sense. She was loyal to a fault to those she loved. She was tough but had such a soft side when it came to Mia and Ms. Fields. Even though Ms. Fields was not a huge character, she made such an impact in the book. I loved her. It was great to catch up with all the other family members as well.
I have never read another writer who can draw out so much emotions in me. I laugh, and I cry. My heart breaks yet she puts it back together again. She takes such darkness and turns it into light. THIS WOMAN IS PURE MAGIC, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for me next!
March 28, 2014
Well were do I start !!!after lots of tissues and no sleep because I needed to finish this book I can honestly say what a brilliant read I love this author any way and love her books but I loved drakes story lots of heartbreak and so emotional I will be looking forward to Jeremy's story and I no it will be just as good as the rest x
July 22, 2014
SURVIVING LOVE is everything you’d expect out of Drake’s continuation—it’s heartbreaking, sad, emotional, and difficult. When I realized Drake was getting a second book, I was scared. I wanted to hide under my pillow and pretend it didn’t exist. The last thing I wanted to do was revisit all the emotions I experienced at the end of TRAGIC LOVE and I certainly didn’t want to experience the pain that was bound to accompany the aftermath. But I also wanted to read Jeremy’s story and I knew I’d be doing myself a disservice if I skipped a book in the series to get there!
Drake is every bit as broken and devastated as one would expect after losing Presley the way he did. He’s angry, bitter, and the only reason he gets up every morning is because Mia needs him. He won’t abandon Mia the way his mother abandoned him; so he works, he takes care of his daughter, he survives. But he doesn’t really live.
Zoe is a drifter. She never lays down roots because she refuses to let anyone else close enough to break her. When she randomly picks Sulfur Heights as her next stop on the map, she has no idea how hard it will be to keep herself unattached.
When Drake and Zoe meet it may be lust at first sight but it certainly is not love. Drake is so far from getting over Presley it’s not even funny and Zoe finds Drake attractive but also scary and intimidating. He exudes unbridled rage. Out of loyalty to Presley, Drake avoids Zoe at all costs until they realize they have someone in common who needs them both. Out of devotion to their mutual friend they form a tentative friendship but Drake can’t give Zoe any more for fear he’ll lose Presley forever. He hangs on to his grief and pain in an effort to keep Presley alive.
Ironically, M.S. Brannon mentioned in her acknowledgements that though she always planned to continue Drake’s story, she originally did not intend to write it in this format. It was actually reader requests that convinced her to continue Drake’s story now. I can certainly understand why readers would be dying for a happily ever after for Drake after TRAGIC LOVE’s devastating ending; however I wasn’t ready for Drake to have a love story at this time. I wouldn’t say I’m someone who enjoys a sad ending, however when it seems authentic and an author fully commits to it, I respect and commend them for choosing the more difficult road. In this case, I don’t think I was ready for Drake to move on and as a result I didn’t really believe his and Zoe’s love story. Zoe fell hard and fast and she seemed so balanced and insightful. I wondered how she gained such a worldly perspective when she’d lacked any stable example in her own life. I thought she would have struggled more with trusting Drake and sticking around for him when things got tough given her upbringing. And Drake—I just don’t know that he needed a happily ever after right now. Losing Presley the way he did was excruciating and tragic but finding Zoe so conveniently felt a little like a Band-Aid to me.
All that being said, the story was compelling, the characters were interesting, and I didn’t want to stop reading. So despite my complaints, I still feel like the Sulfur Heights series is a fantastic one and I’m excited to read Jeremy’s story next. The Sulfur Heights series is definitely one that should be read in order and in entirety; but if you like reading about love, tragedy and everything in between, then it’s worth the investment.
**Complimentary copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
**Reviewed by preppea on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews.
Drake is every bit as broken and devastated as one would expect after losing Presley the way he did. He’s angry, bitter, and the only reason he gets up every morning is because Mia needs him. He won’t abandon Mia the way his mother abandoned him; so he works, he takes care of his daughter, he survives. But he doesn’t really live.
Zoe is a drifter. She never lays down roots because she refuses to let anyone else close enough to break her. When she randomly picks Sulfur Heights as her next stop on the map, she has no idea how hard it will be to keep herself unattached.
When Drake and Zoe meet it may be lust at first sight but it certainly is not love. Drake is so far from getting over Presley it’s not even funny and Zoe finds Drake attractive but also scary and intimidating. He exudes unbridled rage. Out of loyalty to Presley, Drake avoids Zoe at all costs until they realize they have someone in common who needs them both. Out of devotion to their mutual friend they form a tentative friendship but Drake can’t give Zoe any more for fear he’ll lose Presley forever. He hangs on to his grief and pain in an effort to keep Presley alive.
Ironically, M.S. Brannon mentioned in her acknowledgements that though she always planned to continue Drake’s story, she originally did not intend to write it in this format. It was actually reader requests that convinced her to continue Drake’s story now. I can certainly understand why readers would be dying for a happily ever after for Drake after TRAGIC LOVE’s devastating ending; however I wasn’t ready for Drake to have a love story at this time. I wouldn’t say I’m someone who enjoys a sad ending, however when it seems authentic and an author fully commits to it, I respect and commend them for choosing the more difficult road. In this case, I don’t think I was ready for Drake to move on and as a result I didn’t really believe his and Zoe’s love story. Zoe fell hard and fast and she seemed so balanced and insightful. I wondered how she gained such a worldly perspective when she’d lacked any stable example in her own life. I thought she would have struggled more with trusting Drake and sticking around for him when things got tough given her upbringing. And Drake—I just don’t know that he needed a happily ever after right now. Losing Presley the way he did was excruciating and tragic but finding Zoe so conveniently felt a little like a Band-Aid to me.
All that being said, the story was compelling, the characters were interesting, and I didn’t want to stop reading. So despite my complaints, I still feel like the Sulfur Heights series is a fantastic one and I’m excited to read Jeremy’s story next. The Sulfur Heights series is definitely one that should be read in order and in entirety; but if you like reading about love, tragedy and everything in between, then it’s worth the investment.
**Complimentary copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
**Reviewed by preppea on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews.
March 28, 2014
Surviving Love was awesome. I love and enjoy the Evan's family and when they are broken, I feel it, too. Drake was incredibly broken after the events of Tragic Love and I desperately wanted him to be able to find happiness again.
The author has a wonderful ability to make the characters come to life. The Evan's family is dysfunctional at best, but everyone of the family members has a distinct personality. And in Surviving Love, Drake was the ticking time bomb that could go off (on anyone) at any particular moment. He found it even hard to be happy for Jake and Delilah because of his anger and sadness surrounding him. He needed to be saved and to be told and to be shown that it was okay to move on and it wouldn't stain the memories he had of the good times in his life.
Besides Darcie, I have always been skeptical of the women that worm their way into the Evan's family. I never cared much for Presley, but eventually she grew on me. I didn't like Delilah very much at all because she was just so.. preppy. But She grew on me as well. Zoe, however, was a character I liked from the beginning. Maybe I just prefer the women who know the Evan's family to be tough as nails, like Darcie. And Zoe definitely was. She was hard, but she was also really soft at times, too. In their own way, Drake and Zoe overcame their own issues together. It wasn't what I expected at first because they were friends and not lovers, but as time went by, I saw that I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
I love how the characters are kind of trashy and ridiculous and hardened by the rough edges of living in Sulfur Heights. I love how women like Zoe and Darcie are less than perfect and refuse to apologize for it. So many romance novels have men just like the Evan's men, but they all rescue some tragically broken tiny girls who have wide eyes and innocent hearts. That's all fine for those stories, but I love that the author of the Sulfur Heights series throws in some women that are more realistic and certainly not innocent and wide eyed about anything.
I definitely recommend Surviving Love. It was yet another amazing addition to the series that is my guilty pleasure!
review originally published at Love, Literature, Art, and Reason Book Review Blog
The author has a wonderful ability to make the characters come to life. The Evan's family is dysfunctional at best, but everyone of the family members has a distinct personality. And in Surviving Love, Drake was the ticking time bomb that could go off (on anyone) at any particular moment. He found it even hard to be happy for Jake and Delilah because of his anger and sadness surrounding him. He needed to be saved and to be told and to be shown that it was okay to move on and it wouldn't stain the memories he had of the good times in his life.
Besides Darcie, I have always been skeptical of the women that worm their way into the Evan's family. I never cared much for Presley, but eventually she grew on me. I didn't like Delilah very much at all because she was just so.. preppy. But She grew on me as well. Zoe, however, was a character I liked from the beginning. Maybe I just prefer the women who know the Evan's family to be tough as nails, like Darcie. And Zoe definitely was. She was hard, but she was also really soft at times, too. In their own way, Drake and Zoe overcame their own issues together. It wasn't what I expected at first because they were friends and not lovers, but as time went by, I saw that I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
I love how the characters are kind of trashy and ridiculous and hardened by the rough edges of living in Sulfur Heights. I love how women like Zoe and Darcie are less than perfect and refuse to apologize for it. So many romance novels have men just like the Evan's men, but they all rescue some tragically broken tiny girls who have wide eyes and innocent hearts. That's all fine for those stories, but I love that the author of the Sulfur Heights series throws in some women that are more realistic and certainly not innocent and wide eyed about anything.
I definitely recommend Surviving Love. It was yet another amazing addition to the series that is my guilty pleasure!
review originally published at Love, Literature, Art, and Reason Book Review Blog
April 18, 2014
Surviving Love comes back to pick up where Drakes story leaves off in Tragic Love.
This was the toughest one for just about every single person who has read the Sulfur Heights Series. Everyone knows that Drake has not had it easy and Tragic Love tore all of us apart. It actually pissed some people off but I think M.S. made it up to all of us in Surviving Love.
It picks right up from where Tragic Love ends. Showing us the raw, tragic emotions Drake is dealing with after losing the love of his life, the thoughts in his head, the things he has to deal with not only for his family but for his little girl.
It is such a long road for Drake, he doesn't know what to do without the love of his life. But he knows that he has to keep life moving for the sake of his daughter.
The emotions that arises in this book are just breathtaking. How a broken soul can find its place again... How with time it can be fixed. How love is the answer, no matter who is the one doing the loving, it is the healer of all healers. It is the rawest emotion that one person can share with another person and M.S. proves it to all of us time and time again.
Drake is the hardest story out of the Sulfur Heights Series for me! His story has always torn me apart! Tragic Love nearly killed me, I was in tears at the end, the ugly crying tears! But it was made up for in Surviving Love. The gutrenching pain from Tragic Love has been forgiving. It was finally so nice to see Drake and Mia again... To see them life after Presley. It was a tough one, but it was also a happy one.
M.S. Brannon has always had ways with spliting the emotion of her characters wide open, spreading it across the page like a Jackson Pollock! She is one of those authors who writes with so much emotion, she will have you by the balls by the second chapter!
She just has her ways. She is an amazing writer and I am sure we will be seeing much more of her for years to come.
If you have not read this series, please do so! This series will have you laughing, crying, screaming and leave you giddy. I have no doubts in this authors writing style and her choice of emotions. I recommend this series to everyone and anyone!
This was the toughest one for just about every single person who has read the Sulfur Heights Series. Everyone knows that Drake has not had it easy and Tragic Love tore all of us apart. It actually pissed some people off but I think M.S. made it up to all of us in Surviving Love.
It picks right up from where Tragic Love ends. Showing us the raw, tragic emotions Drake is dealing with after losing the love of his life, the thoughts in his head, the things he has to deal with not only for his family but for his little girl.
It is such a long road for Drake, he doesn't know what to do without the love of his life. But he knows that he has to keep life moving for the sake of his daughter.
The emotions that arises in this book are just breathtaking. How a broken soul can find its place again... How with time it can be fixed. How love is the answer, no matter who is the one doing the loving, it is the healer of all healers. It is the rawest emotion that one person can share with another person and M.S. proves it to all of us time and time again.
Drake is the hardest story out of the Sulfur Heights Series for me! His story has always torn me apart! Tragic Love nearly killed me, I was in tears at the end, the ugly crying tears! But it was made up for in Surviving Love. The gutrenching pain from Tragic Love has been forgiving. It was finally so nice to see Drake and Mia again... To see them life after Presley. It was a tough one, but it was also a happy one.
M.S. Brannon has always had ways with spliting the emotion of her characters wide open, spreading it across the page like a Jackson Pollock! She is one of those authors who writes with so much emotion, she will have you by the balls by the second chapter!
She just has her ways. She is an amazing writer and I am sure we will be seeing much more of her for years to come.
If you have not read this series, please do so! This series will have you laughing, crying, screaming and leave you giddy. I have no doubts in this authors writing style and her choice of emotions. I recommend this series to everyone and anyone!
May 21, 2014
*5 Stars*
Surviving Love is Book 4 in the Sulfur Heights series. I am so in love with this series and the characters.
The beginning of the story is Drake still trying to cope with life without Presley, his one true love, while still working and trying to be a single father. He still so full anger and pain and is just plain broken. He is obviously just a shell of the person he used to be. He is just going through the motions of everyday trying to survive.
Zoe is also broken and is dealing with problems of her own. After being disowned by her family, for something horrible that happened to her, she leaves moving from state to state for a while. She finally ends up in Sulfur Heights, and for some reason the name of this place seems familiar to her.
Drake and Zoe seem to keep crossing paths. Drake tries so hard to stay away from her, but since they have a mutual person in common, avoiding each other doesn’t happen. Will these two broken souls be able to help each other heal and move on? You will just have to read and find out.
Once again M.S. Brannon wrote a gripping novel that will keep you glued to it from the beginning to the end. Even though both of the characters terribly broken in their own ways and there were a lot of issues and a few incidents they had to deal with, it was, to me, refreshing to read this novel. After everything Drake had to endure in the previous books, this one kind of brought me back to the feeling I had after reading the first book. Peace. It felt like, for the moment anyway, that there was some peace for these characters. Of course it probably will not last long with one hugely unresolved issue that I cannot wait to read about in the next book, Redeemed Love. Or course, I recommend reading this!
Surviving Love is Book 4 in the Sulfur Heights series. I am so in love with this series and the characters.
The beginning of the story is Drake still trying to cope with life without Presley, his one true love, while still working and trying to be a single father. He still so full anger and pain and is just plain broken. He is obviously just a shell of the person he used to be. He is just going through the motions of everyday trying to survive.
Zoe is also broken and is dealing with problems of her own. After being disowned by her family, for something horrible that happened to her, she leaves moving from state to state for a while. She finally ends up in Sulfur Heights, and for some reason the name of this place seems familiar to her.
Drake and Zoe seem to keep crossing paths. Drake tries so hard to stay away from her, but since they have a mutual person in common, avoiding each other doesn’t happen. Will these two broken souls be able to help each other heal and move on? You will just have to read and find out.
Once again M.S. Brannon wrote a gripping novel that will keep you glued to it from the beginning to the end. Even though both of the characters terribly broken in their own ways and there were a lot of issues and a few incidents they had to deal with, it was, to me, refreshing to read this novel. After everything Drake had to endure in the previous books, this one kind of brought me back to the feeling I had after reading the first book. Peace. It felt like, for the moment anyway, that there was some peace for these characters. Of course it probably will not last long with one hugely unresolved issue that I cannot wait to read about in the next book, Redeemed Love. Or course, I recommend reading this!
May 3, 2014
This is a story that will rip your heart out, still beating, force you to look at it, and then put it back in your chest and begin the slow and painful healing process. And you will love it!
I have not read Tragic Love, which is Drake & Presley's story, based on the synopsis & whatnot. It's just better for me to not read it based on the content. HOWEVER, based on the writing & story as a whole, I would recommend that if you're not me, you read it and Blind Love before reading Surviving Love, in order to get a more rounded feel for this story.
Drake is broken in Blind Love, and that brokenness continues in this story. He's numb to anything that isn't rage, except when it comes to his daughter. For her, he opens his heart just a little, but only when she's around. Otherwise, his pain is so raw, it's a wonder ppl don't get cut just from him walking by. But this is his story of healing, of opening his heart to live again, and it is once again a beautiful story.
Zoe has also been beaten down and broken by her callous family, but she is just what Drake needs. He is part of what she needs, too, but the other part is for her to reconnect (unexpectedly) w/ a beloved aunt, who happens to be a beloved mother-figure to Drake and Nanny to Mia.
The connections in this story, the way heartache and healing is weaved throughout, the way each piece of healing happens... I can't even explain how much I adored it. The whole universe that has been created in this series - I give it kudos & if you're in the mood for a solidly written story, I highly recommend giving the Sulfer Heights series a chance. : )
I have not read Tragic Love, which is Drake & Presley's story, based on the synopsis & whatnot. It's just better for me to not read it based on the content. HOWEVER, based on the writing & story as a whole, I would recommend that if you're not me, you read it and Blind Love before reading Surviving Love, in order to get a more rounded feel for this story.
Drake is broken in Blind Love, and that brokenness continues in this story. He's numb to anything that isn't rage, except when it comes to his daughter. For her, he opens his heart just a little, but only when she's around. Otherwise, his pain is so raw, it's a wonder ppl don't get cut just from him walking by. But this is his story of healing, of opening his heart to live again, and it is once again a beautiful story.
Zoe has also been beaten down and broken by her callous family, but she is just what Drake needs. He is part of what she needs, too, but the other part is for her to reconnect (unexpectedly) w/ a beloved aunt, who happens to be a beloved mother-figure to Drake and Nanny to Mia.
The connections in this story, the way heartache and healing is weaved throughout, the way each piece of healing happens... I can't even explain how much I adored it. The whole universe that has been created in this series - I give it kudos & if you're in the mood for a solidly written story, I highly recommend giving the Sulfer Heights series a chance. : )
May 18, 2014
I was mess trough out WHOLE FREAKING BOOK!!!!
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and yes, from there it just went down for me....
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okay there is still loooooooooong way to go....I am happy for Zoe and Drake... the book described exactly how I felt about Drake and Presley relationship.... but don't know why I feel... bit empty....
because ...
I WANT NEXT BOOK LIKE NOW!!!
Jeremy was and will be my favourite trough out the series.. and I wish he will get two books as well because his story is the most complicated for me...
so ...
when the books is coming out?
<3
image:
image;
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and yes, from there it just went down for me....
image:
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okay there is still loooooooooong way to go....I am happy for Zoe and Drake... the book described exactly how I felt about Drake and Presley relationship.... but don't know why I feel... bit empty....
because ...
I WANT NEXT BOOK LIKE NOW!!!
Jeremy was and will be my favourite trough out the series.. and I wish he will get two books as well because his story is the most complicated for me...
so ...
when the books is coming out?
<3
April 3, 2014
This is Drake's second book. After the tragedies he has suffered in his life and the betrayal he feels from one of his family members, Drake does not feel he will ever love again. His whole outlook on life has completely changed. The only thing that matters anymore is raising his daughter as a single father. He takes all his anger and issues out in the bottom of a bottle, but never in front of his child.
Zoey is a refreshing new character who has been through a rough few years. Not being good enough for her family sent her on a journey to find out who she is. One day, she lands in Sulfur Heights and finds that not all of her family has turned their backs on her, she still has her wonderful Aunt Connie who loves her unconditionally. She ventures out to find a job and winds up working at the Slab. There, she becomes intrigued by the brooding stranger who sits at the bar and no one bothers with.
Drake's ever present need to raise Mia properly keeps her with Mrs. Fields while he has to work. She becomes the mother figure to him that he never had.
When Drake walks in and finds out Zoey is Mrs. Fields niece, will sparks fly, will tempers rise, or will these two who swore that love will never find it's path to them find their way to each other?
Read and let us know what you think!!!
Zoey is a refreshing new character who has been through a rough few years. Not being good enough for her family sent her on a journey to find out who she is. One day, she lands in Sulfur Heights and finds that not all of her family has turned their backs on her, she still has her wonderful Aunt Connie who loves her unconditionally. She ventures out to find a job and winds up working at the Slab. There, she becomes intrigued by the brooding stranger who sits at the bar and no one bothers with.
Drake's ever present need to raise Mia properly keeps her with Mrs. Fields while he has to work. She becomes the mother figure to him that he never had.
When Drake walks in and finds out Zoey is Mrs. Fields niece, will sparks fly, will tempers rise, or will these two who swore that love will never find it's path to them find their way to each other?
Read and let us know what you think!!!
April 28, 2014
Rollercoaster of a book for Drake and we all knew it wouldn't be a simple sitatuation of getting over it with time.
Zoe's been on her own since her mother threw her out and has travelled from state to state with the flip of a coin choosing where to go. Fate chose Sulfur Heights but Drake and a forgotten family member keep her there.
Years have passed but the pain and anger over Presleys death haven't gone away for Drake. His family and Mia have all moved on and accepted what's happened but there's always his guilt keeping him back. A beautiful women walks into his life and although his body tells him there's something there his heart refuses to accept it.
Quick paced, emotive and dramatic. I did find the constant angst abit drawn out as I wanted to see some light and happiness for the Evans's even if only briefly but that was certainly given at the end.
I always liked Presley but she was very clingy and needy toward Drake whereas Zoe has her shit together and doesn't need a man to complete her. Presley's death was shocking but Zoe's introduction was the right move. Would have liked more dialogue between the characters aswell perhaps rather than the internal ones.
Can't wait for Jeremy's book!!!
Zoe's been on her own since her mother threw her out and has travelled from state to state with the flip of a coin choosing where to go. Fate chose Sulfur Heights but Drake and a forgotten family member keep her there.
Years have passed but the pain and anger over Presleys death haven't gone away for Drake. His family and Mia have all moved on and accepted what's happened but there's always his guilt keeping him back. A beautiful women walks into his life and although his body tells him there's something there his heart refuses to accept it.
Quick paced, emotive and dramatic. I did find the constant angst abit drawn out as I wanted to see some light and happiness for the Evans's even if only briefly but that was certainly given at the end.
I always liked Presley but she was very clingy and needy toward Drake whereas Zoe has her shit together and doesn't need a man to complete her. Presley's death was shocking but Zoe's introduction was the right move. Would have liked more dialogue between the characters aswell perhaps rather than the internal ones.
Can't wait for Jeremy's book!!!
May 12, 2014
I would rate this book 4.5 Stars!!
I have loved this series right from the very beginning! This book picks up right where the previous book left off. This is a series that needs to be read in order so that you can have a better understanding of the characters, their lives… and Sulfur Heights.
I don't want to get into too many details of this book because I certainly don't want to spoil it for anyone. In all honesty, this whole series is so good and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a gritty, emotionally charged book that will have you turning pages as quickly as you can!
I really enjoyed reading more about Drake and his daughter. I thought that the author took the story in a good direction. As always, M.S. Brannon created an interesting story with colorful characters that left me craving more Sulfur Heights.
http://www.2bookloversreviews.com/sur...
I have loved this series right from the very beginning! This book picks up right where the previous book left off. This is a series that needs to be read in order so that you can have a better understanding of the characters, their lives… and Sulfur Heights.
I don't want to get into too many details of this book because I certainly don't want to spoil it for anyone. In all honesty, this whole series is so good and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a gritty, emotionally charged book that will have you turning pages as quickly as you can!
I really enjoyed reading more about Drake and his daughter. I thought that the author took the story in a good direction. As always, M.S. Brannon created an interesting story with colorful characters that left me craving more Sulfur Heights.
http://www.2bookloversreviews.com/sur...
May 27, 2014
Surviving Love gives us more of Drake’s story as a single dad still dealing with the loss of his first love Presley. Drake is barely holding on with the pain he is experiencing but it’s the love for his daughter Mia that keeps him going. We see Drake’s transformation from a broken man to a man learning to love again. This book is not all roses and flowers as we see the family we love torn apart in more ways than one. Zoe is looking for a new start; with a family who disowned her and an ex-boyfriend who beat her last thing she wants is to fall in love. Drake is broken and she wants to fix him but can she really fix someone when he isn’t the only one broken. We see the family we fell in love with holding on by threads with an ending that will leave you wanting more.
April 2, 2014
This amazing story is Drake's story. After all he went through in the last book, he is completely shut off from the world, except for Mia. When he learns of the biggest betrayal he will ever have to deal with. His world is turned upside down AGAIN.
Zoe, after being beat up by her boyfriend, decides she needs to leave and find a new place...so she puts a map on her car and tosses a dime and it hits Sulfur Heights. She needs a job and ends up getting one for Drake's brother and sister in law.
When they meet, instantly there is a connection. And fate being like it is, keeps tossing them together. The ups and tearful downs in this story make you want to keep reading...M.S. Brannon does another amazing job on this story and I cant wait for the next!!!
Zoe, after being beat up by her boyfriend, decides she needs to leave and find a new place...so she puts a map on her car and tosses a dime and it hits Sulfur Heights. She needs a job and ends up getting one for Drake's brother and sister in law.
When they meet, instantly there is a connection. And fate being like it is, keeps tossing them together. The ups and tearful downs in this story make you want to keep reading...M.S. Brannon does another amazing job on this story and I cant wait for the next!!!
June 25, 2014
I knew revisiting Drake was going to kick me in the feels and it did. God the mess this man is going through just broke me. I guess because I have a best friend currently going through the loss of her boyfriend I'm relating all his problems to hers. I didn't know if I could take another tragedy for him. He gets so violent and spiteful and only focuses on Mia and even alienates his family. He forges a deep bond with Mrs Fields and its like the mother he never had. In like a tornado comes Zoe. She's got spunk and a don't give a shit attitude. Maybe it's just what drake needs to get knocked back into reality. We watch their dynamic play out while we watch drake fall apart. Happy happy happy with the ending. Now lets hope there is some redemption between him and Jeremy
June 14, 2014
I received an ARC of the book for an honest review. By far Surviving Love is my favorite book in the Sulfur Heights series and I am excited for Redeemed Love to come out on the 16th so excited! Surviving Love is a conclusion story for Drake Evan’s who lost Presley to violence and was left to raise their daughter Mia alone. The pain hurt and rage that M.S. Brannon was able to convey in Drake was heartbreaking and hard to read. I do not want to give too much away but basically this book allows Drake to overcome losing the love of his life and find someone special. Highly recommend that you read this book each book gets better and better.
April 2, 2014
MS Brannon has done it again with this fourth book in the Sulfur Heights series! Drake knows pain, loss, and heartbreak. He is no stranger to anger and rage. Zoe has had her share of loss, and pain. She was abandoned by her family and has been on the move ever since. She finds herself in Sulfur Heights where she makes real friends in the Evans family. The only problem, her attraction to Drake. Drake doesn't know how to let go of the past, he doesn't want to. Can Zoe break down his walls? Will they heal each other or will the pain prove to be too much?
April 5, 2014
This book is amazing. I cried, my heart broke, I fell in love and I rejoiced with Drake and Zoe. Even with all negatives the Evans family as faced, I want to be a member of their family. The strength and love they pull from their jigsaw family is a lesson all families should learn from. It has been wonderful watching M.S. Brannon grow as a writer through these books. I love the way each book takes on the characteristics of the voices telling the stories. None of them feel like the same stories told over and over again.
June 24, 2014
*copy given for an honest review*
So many emotions. My heart breaks for Drake. After the loss of Presley, his love, the mother of his child, Drake is trying to hold on, but is hanging on by a thread. Loss and anger consume him. He deserves so much more, but will he allow himself to heal. Zoe is a strong person trying to find her way. She is dealing with her own loss and betrayal. Will these two be able to help heal each other or will their past and pain destroy them?
This book is filled with such raw emotion that you can’t help but feel with the characters.
So many emotions. My heart breaks for Drake. After the loss of Presley, his love, the mother of his child, Drake is trying to hold on, but is hanging on by a thread. Loss and anger consume him. He deserves so much more, but will he allow himself to heal. Zoe is a strong person trying to find her way. She is dealing with her own loss and betrayal. Will these two be able to help heal each other or will their past and pain destroy them?
This book is filled with such raw emotion that you can’t help but feel with the characters.
October 22, 2014
This may be the most emotional read so far from this series. We watch Drake go through all the steps of grieving - most of which was anger. Let me tell you - Drake has a whole lotta anger issues going on. He was actually pretty scary during these episodes.
Zoe, the new character that enters the Evans family, was a great addition to the story. She calls it as she sees it and pushes Drake to acknowledge his demons so he can begin living again. Loved her character.
I strongly suggest you mentally prepare yourself before you read this book - it is not a light read.
Zoe, the new character that enters the Evans family, was a great addition to the story. She calls it as she sees it and pushes Drake to acknowledge his demons so he can begin living again. Loved her character.
I strongly suggest you mentally prepare yourself before you read this book - it is not a light read.
April 29, 2014
I was happy that another book in this series came out yet at the same time I was sad that it was a lot shorter than the others...I understand the anguish felt by many over losing a loved one, and wanting a great outcome ,how could you not feel for Drake. I just wished it was longer and had more to offer involving the other members of the Evans family. It was good to Finally get a hea... but I feel not at the cost of the other characters .... still a good read and some closure...
May 28, 2014
Love the way Brannon tells a story. Once I started reading Surviving Love I could not put it down. It was a heart wrenching emotional roller coaster from the very first word. It takes off diving back into Drake's loss head on and Brannon holds nothing back as she hooks her claws in you. She gives a little bit of closure and leaves so much room for the next installment in the series. I can't wait for Jeremy's story.
M.S. BRANNON ROCKS!
M.S. BRANNON ROCKS!
June 10, 2014
You know a series is a success when the story gets better and better each time! The life of the Evans brothers is just so addictive you never can get enough! The roller coster ride continues with Drake's return from hell and i still can't wait for what happens next! Reggie, Drake, Jake, Jeremy and co will become a fixture in your life! You'll think of them non stop long after you finish each book!!! Wonderful heartbreaking reads!!! Two thumbs up!!!!!
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