An Imperfect Circle

Contradictions #1

by R.J. Sable

"What do you do when the boy who rescues the last remnants of your soul rejects what’s left straight afterwards? You move on. That’s what you do. I’m not the sort of girl who sits on the sofa with a bucket of ice cream mourning over anything.
Especially not over a boy."

Sixteen year old Ellie Belrose has spent the last five years rebuilding her life after something she'd rather forget. She's finally getting somewhere but, when a figure from her past makes an unwanted reappearance in her life, she's forced to confront her demons.

Karl Carter is fascinated by Ellie the moment he sees her but he doesn't realise she's Elise. His Elise. He never forgot her and still isn't willing to - despite her insistence.

The two of them are stubborn, angry at the world, and sparks fly when they come together. Can they help each other move on from the past or will they drag each other back there?

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Abuse, Young Adult, High School

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2014

About the author

RJ Sable is an author from the UK. She is a lover of language of all kinds and has a degree in linguistics and phonetics. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts she is only fluent in English and Swedish after having lived in Sweden for three years.

When she’s not writing, RJ can be found with an impossibly large cup of tea, a crochet hook, and a mess of tangled yarn. Alternatively, she might be on her beloved racing bike “Mary” or mountain bike “Bumble”, annoying car drivers everywhere.

RJ Loves to cycle, run, and swim, and her current non-writing aspiration is to complete a Tough Mudder and an Ironman 70.3 at some point during 2014.

Reviews

[✝✝ Ⓓaisy ❣ ✝✝ · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Imperfect Circle was a book of friendship, love, surviving bad experience and falling in love.

Karl and Elise meet and they were become mates. How far will they take their relationship, knowing that Elise has her demons to banish and Karl is not afraid to say I love you.



"No, you're my best friend. You're the girl who lay under the apple tree with me. You're the person I've thought about every day for the last ten years and now you're my girlfriend"



Well, the book was a nice and easy read. I sometimes couldn't connect much with Elise and by the end, I started skimming the book. It might be just me and book funk.

Hope you enjoy this book more.

Happy reading

D xo

[Sue Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC for an honest review. ***SOME SPOILERS***

I tore up the With You Trilogy, and Karl and Elise were my favorite background characters so I waited anxiously to read about their history. First let me say what I love most about RJ Sable's books is that while they are truly love stories its also about trust, healing, and family. The Carter family holds a place in my heart for many reasons, the bond and love that each sibling has for each other is so strong and at times there is definitely misunderstandings about their treatment of each other, as they have become adults and matured the family has slowly healed from past hurts. After reading the With You Trilogy from Jamie-Lea's POV I have to say that I had some issues with her older brothers, but reading from Elise's POV I see things differently. Not only about all of Jamie's brothers, but mostly of Karl and Ian. These boys went from teenagers to men overnight, their support system is comforting but these two stepped up for their family.


So for this particular book, let me just say WOW. RJ Sable has more than exceeded anything that I ever expected with her story of Elise and Karl. I think I fell in love with Karl, his patience with Elise is just intoxicating and Elise just made me want to be a stronger person. The bond that these two shared since they were six transcended sexual abuse, death, and time; while these types of things can and have torn people apart it only made Karl and Elise's bond stronger. I can't wait for the next book in this series.

And since this is my opportunity to give my opinion (lol), and I don't know what the plans are for the rest of the Carter family I have ask please at least one book for the others. I am asking particularly for Ian and Matt, those two just need somebody to break down those walls.

[R.J. Sable · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ARCs have now been sent out. Release 3rd February! :)

[Pages Inked Forever · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC for an honest review.

I fell in love with R.J. Sable's writing style after reading the With You series... An Imperfect Circle only made me fall harder!
R.J. Sabel, as Karl would say… YOU ROCK MY SOCKS RIGHT OFF!!
I LOVED the With You series by R.J. Sable and when I had the chance to get my hands on her new book An Imperfect Circle I didn’t just jump at it, I launched myself. Karl and Elise are a little bit younger than most of the characters I read about but I loved meeting them in the With You series and couldn’t wait to hear their story. Since they were so young I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to get me from when they met to what I knew of them as adults… and then I got to go on a journey with Elise and Karl that made me remember why I love this author so much!
Elise Belrose has been through some brutal things in her short 16 years, but even when we first meet her she is trying to heal herself, get herself to a better place. I know a lot of grown women that aren’t as strong as this young character that R.J. Sable has written and I think this is the type of story that can connect with a young girl who has gone through something earth shattering and help her realise it isn’t her fault and give her hope for the future. This is the type of story that could give much needed strength of mind and spirit to young girls who have gone through something similar… I know it is just a book but I truly believe books have power and can make people brave.
An Imperfect Circle didn’t skip over any of the hard parts of finding yourself again after going through difficult times… it takes the reader on the journey through pain and healing along with the characters. I was smiling when they were and my heart broke right along with theirs (hello chapter 32, thank you for making me cry!). Both Elise and Karl have terrible things happen in their lives and have to find a way to carry on and find people to lean on, although when the book starts Elise has no intention of leaning on anyone…
“Don’t make friends.
Don’t make any sentences longer than five words.
Don’t smile.
Don’t explain yourself. To anyone.
Most important. No matter what, don’t talk to HIM.” – Elise Belrose

Karl Carter…. I have to say that I had a hard time with Karl through the beginning of the With You series (not to mention his best friend Matt), but I have to say that after reading this book I may have fallen a little in love with him!
The way Karl handles Elise and what she has gone through is nothing short of swoon worthy, he is mindful of what she has been through and only wants to make her feel safe and loved.

“You’re perfect in your imperfection. You’re everything to me.” – Karl Carter

I also love the fact that he is for sure an alpha male in the making. Karl has no problem telling Elise that he loves her and showing her how much he cares about her, but he is still a bossy guy that enjoys telling her how things are.

“You’re my girlfriend now. Congratulations.” – Karl Carter

I was so happy to get to see all the other Carter family members and be able to get a better feel for everything they had gone through. Reading about the whole family from when they were young helped me get a better understanding of who they had become in the books I had already enjoyed. The way they held each other together when disaster struck was heart lifting and showed what a strong bond they had already developed.

I give An Imperfect Circle 5 Stars and I can’t wait to see what comes next from R.J. Sable… this is definitely an author I would like to add to my paperback shelf!

[Linda Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I wasn't sure that I would as I tend to like adult reads more than ya books but this book was amazing, it was so good to see all the Carter's when they were young but it was so sweet it was a lovely easy read a perfect first book for the start of this new series.

[Helen Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The characters were quirky & well developed, they had me chuckling to myself on more than one occasion.
Despite the dark past & at times incredibly heart wrenching plots it was a feel good read. Definitely one to read that leaves you wanting more of the Carter Brothers.

[JWinter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book!!! Full of second chances, love and drama!
Absolutely heart-wrenchingly good!

[Michaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read more reviews at Will Read for Coffee

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion**

An Imperfect Circle is such a beautiful story. From the first page I was hooked! I was so into this story that I was irritated with the real world for interrupting my reading time. R.J. Sable has created some of the most beautiful characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. This is a story full of tragedy, love, family, and redemption.
Ellie is a wonderful protagonist. She’s smart, fierce, and loyal. She’s been through hell and back yet has not let that defeat her. Instead she is determined to be a good person. I think that is so respectable. A lot of time when bad things happen, people use the bad as a reason to be unhappy and make those around them unhappy as well. I’ve always thought the better you try to be, the better things will come your way and so does Ellie. I think that is such a great philosophy to live by.
Ellie are Karl where bff’s when they were six. After tragedy strikes they not see each other again until Ellie is forced to attend Karl’s high school. Despite Ellie’s best efforts to avoid Karl and his many brothers, The Carter’s, Ellie is inevitably forced to face them and her past in turn. Karl and Ellie find that their relationship is much more difficult than it was when they were six.

I love how large of a role Karl and his family play in this story! Sable does a wonderful job including the family dynamic into this Ellie and Karl’s story because in a family that large, there is no way for them not to be a part of their relationship. Since there are so many Carters, sometimes I got confused as to who was who as I was reading. But even if they are not talked about much, each Carter has their own personality which makes it easier to recognize them even if you can’t always recall their names.

All of the characters in this story are so well defined, even the ones who play very small roles in the story are easy to remember because you like you know them fairly well. Each character plays an important role in the progression of the story, even it is not a huge role. It is beautifully cohesive!

There are some profound issues addressed in this story which can make reading very emotional at times. There is physical abuse, critical illness, and even death just to name some of the larger issues address in this story. I think the author does an amazing job of focusing on the emotion of the characters throughout their experiences and giving the readers enough information to really understand what the characters are feeling and going throughout without being overly graphic or sugar coating what happened to them.

Most of all this is a love story and a beautiful one. Ellie and Karl do not have it easy which makes their love even more real. If you love a good heart wrenching love story this is the book for you! This is the kind of story that you will love to get lost in and I highly suggest that you do! Don’t forget the tissues, you’re going to need them!

[Alysha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who can truly say that the met the love of their life at six years old. Not only meet their true love but wait for them and fight through all of their issues to make it together. We'll RJ Sable writes an amazing story of love and devotion through thick and thin. Ellie is a young woman with so many demons filling her thoughts. Karl is the boy who was her lifeline and best friend when she was a child. Karl and his large family helped keep Ellie away from the nightmare she called home. Her mother trying to beat cancer was extremely sick and unaware of what her daughter was going through. Ellie had to suffer sexual abuse from her mother's boyfriend because she was able to fulfill his needs that weren't being met by her dying mom. Karl had a happy home life with his many siblings. Granted they were raised in a strict household, but his family was well rounded, respectful and respectful. Everything Ellie wanted in a home life. One night Karl saved Ellie from her abuse and helped give her justice. When Ellie finally finished therapy and tried to go to her best friend he was unavailable. Ellie believed this was because Karl thought she was dirty and damaged. For years Ellie fought her thoughts and imperfections, but she tried to stay true to herself. Granted she was still unable to be her full self until one moment. She saw her best friend again. Ellie found friendship family and love again. She was able to look past all imperfections and believe in herself again. Karl was excited to find his love again but when faced with loss he felt like he needed to push Ellie away to help keep her safe from heartache. Ellie had corners and had a love for circles. Ellie learned to believe that even with an imperfect line it continues forever. Same with the love between her and Karl. All they need to do is fight for their imperfect line, and respect the boundaries they each have as individuals. RJ Sable has written a heart wrenching story of determination and love. She shows you that anyone can fight for what they deserve, but you need to fight for yourself first.

[Athena Freya · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can you say about M.Leighton’s greatness? She is amazing!

All the pretty poses is an outstanding read! It combines strength and weakness in the most intelligent and real way I have ever seen..It combines love and hatred, hope and disappointment, dreams happiness and tragedy….

First of all, her characters are brilliantly created..Kennedy is a young woman, full of dreams, and armed with inner strength that she fought to have..She wasn’t always the strong woman she is now..And even now, she has her moments when her walls come down…I loved Kennedy..She is sassy and witty, naturally sexy, smart and funny, but guarded and private while she wants to change that…

That’s one of the many things I loved about her and the book in general..The characters are strong some times, and others they just feel defeated and betrayed and disappointed..That does not diminish their strength, as they believe..It makes them stronger…

Reese is like a storm that takes you away and leaves you breathless…He’s strong and seriously independent, but he has yet to realise that..Just because you were raised in a certain way it doesn’t mean that you are that person..And Kennedy teaches that to him…She is his glue to his inner self..And that was a remarkable thing to occur…

I’m not going to even try to describe Michelle’s writing..She’s an outstanding author, whose experience, skills and creativity prove why she is one of the most successful writers out there….


All the pretty poses blew me away..And I’m not sure I want to get back down..

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago , Elise used to live in a neighbourhood and had a best friend named Karl and a family that loved her next door. She also suffered tragedies in her life and was sexually abused - so reader's if sexual abuse bothers you ,then do not pick this book up as it does touch slightly on the topic. The event caused her to move away and start a new life , now years later Elise is still trying to cope with what happened to her and has started a new identity - an alter-ego for school times - She is Ellie with Black/Blue hair and dark contacts and at home she is Elise with her bright fiery red hair and green eyes. Elise likes to be in control of her life and so she is a list -fanatic and of course each list is folded into the perfect circle. What will happen though, when she starts the school and sees the one person she never wished to see again- Karl and not only that his family seem to be the "popular hottie boys" of the school. As the story goes along though, we view a change in Elise as she starts to come out from her shell and eventually starts to let people into her life - especially a new best friend she has taken under her wing and nicknamed her Blossom - as in the Powerpuff girl. Can Elise discover that sometimes having an Imperfect circle and lack of control is not the end of the world ? Or will her need for perfection and privacy push away all those she has finally let in again?
Find out in Book #1- An Imperfect Circle and discover what other Contradictions Elise has up her sleeve.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

-arc provided for a honest review -

"Nobody wants to be friends with somebody so imperfect."

Ellie Belrose finally seems to be coming to a point of peace and healing from her past. Unfortunately for her, Karl Carter has become infuriated with her, he does not realize that she is Elise. The Elise he grew up with, the one he has never truly forgotten. The best way to say this, is this pair is one of kind. Both are explosive and angry, which in Karl and Elise's case only brings them closer to one another.

"And I'm tarnished enough already. I don't need more internal graffiti because the stuff takes years to scrub off."

I really enjoyed this book. I was unaware that this book goes along with the With You trilogy. Karl and Elise are adults in the trilogy so this is basically a prequel I guess you could say. After reading about the couple I am interested in reading the With You trilogy series. R.J. Sable pulled me right in from the very beginning. I felt as if I knew Elise, I sympathized and admired her strength and determination. She did not let something bad that happened to her as a child define who she was, and that is beautiful! Karl is so kind and loving to Elise, honestly I had stomach full of butterflies! Even if you are someone that prefers to read about adults I think you would still truly enjoy this book!

[Fiona Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this authors With You series, and was delighted to find out she was planning a seperate series focusing on the earlier lives of the brothers.

I had actually forgotten it was featuring the Carter brothers as I started reading it!
I very quickly got into the book and read it on one sitting. I was so disappointed when I finished it.

This is the story of Karl and Elise, but not as we know them from the other books.
This one takes us back to their childhood and early adulthood. The author does a great job of providing us with the history of these characters, and the struggles and misunderstandings they experience.

We also, obviously, see the other members of the Carter family throughout this book, and it was great seeing snippets of their earlier lives. If you have read the With You series you will know a little about the Carter family story. This book gives us a much greater insight into that, and made me fall even more in love with them as a family.

We find out in much greater detail certain events which were only briefly spoken about before, and that will give the reader a much better understanding of the family unit and the dynamics within it.

I love this author, love her books, and can't wait to read the next one!

[For the Love of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
An awesome start to a new series. I fell in love with these characters and the author's writing style from the With You series, but this book has made me fall even harder. I love spin off series where you get to learn more about your favorite supporting characters from other books. Ellie and Karl are a wonderful couple and I loved getting to read their story. This book is filled with trouble and heartache, but also filled with the love and devotion that it took to overcome the bad. Ellie and Karl fought each other through a lot of issues, but when it came down to it, they were what was right for each other and were what the other needed to heal. I loved that Ellie is strong even after everything that she went through. I cheered her on throughout the entire book and was overjoyed when she overcame her struggles. Wonderful story and characters, and can't wait for the next one :)
~Lauren~

[Lalie AV · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me crave for some Wagon Wheels! :D I utterly adored the story it was seriously unputdownable, felt so much love with some roller coaster of emotions <3 Worth it!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, looking forward to reading about the other brothers

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read x

[Paula (Poll) Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first for me with this author , I loved the writing style , a very sweet young love story .

[momster2u · Rating 1 out of 5]

It may be a great story..... I can't bring myself to read it. The use of 'fudging' repeatedly in the first chapter is unbearable.