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MacKenna Family #1
This Mess We're In
Claire was a talented young fashion designer with a full scholarship to a prestigious design school in San Francisco when the unthinkable happened to her family. Two years later, she's a twenty year old single mother, her younger sister just graduated high school with no prospects, her older sister is a complete mess, and she has to take care of them all. The last thing she expected was to meet someone like Damien.
Damien is trapped by his past, in a small town on the northern coast of California. All he wanted was live out his life as a tattoo artist and MMA fighter at home in LA. Things had been going fine until a biker gang came along and blew it apart. He was biding his time in the little town, doing free tattoos for degenerates, until he met Claire.
This book contains adult situations, strong language, and deals with subjects such as suicide, mental illness, and drug addiction.
These themes take place in the hero and heroine's environment, but they are not directly involved in them.
Damien is trapped by his past, in a small town on the northern coast of California. All he wanted was live out his life as a tattoo artist and MMA fighter at home in LA. Things had been going fine until a biker gang came along and blew it apart. He was biding his time in the little town, doing free tattoos for degenerates, until he met Claire.
This book contains adult situations, strong language, and deals with subjects such as suicide, mental illness, and drug addiction.
These themes take place in the hero and heroine's environment, but they are not directly involved in them.
207 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 9, 2014
1 person is currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Scarlett Grove
162 books438 followersScarlett Grove is a USA Today Bestselling Paranormal and Science Fiction Romance Author. Scarlett started publishing her adventurous, sexy stories in 2014 and now has dozens of titles spanning multiple worlds.
Her Best Selling Series Include:
Fate Mountain Shifters
Braving Darkness
Draconians and Elemental Dragons
The White Queen
She is currently obsessed with reverse harems, all things paranormal, and super steamy space operas.
Sign up for her mailing list at:
http://eepurl.com/bURRZz
www.scarlettgrove.com
Her Best Selling Series Include:
Fate Mountain Shifters
Braving Darkness
Draconians and Elemental Dragons
The White Queen
She is currently obsessed with reverse harems, all things paranormal, and super steamy space operas.
Sign up for her mailing list at:
http://eepurl.com/bURRZz
www.scarlettgrove.com
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 11, 2014
4 1/2 stars for a great romance novel.
I was given this book as a gift by the author in exchange for an honest opinion.
I am mightily impressed with Scarlett Groves' novel "This Mess We're In". I was intrigued by the book based on the synopsis and due to they fact that it is set in a fictional coastal town in northern California. With romance, a bit of bad boy gone good & action, and some intense and serious subject matter, it's a very solid read.
I'll get right to it. What I liked:
The writing - the author has a knack with using very descriptive storytelling from the first POV of the 2 main characters, Claire MacKenna and Damien Cruz. From the start I very much felt the physical aspects, the air, the landscape, and the emotional side of the things, The desperation for connection and the immediate sense that Claire and Damien had for each other. The author also has a great knack for dealing with some uncomfortable subjects with realism and respect: mental illness, drug addiction, and lost hope. Our two main characters come to table with a lot of baggage, and thankfully grow to care for each other enough, they deal with and eventually help each other get through some rough patches.
What else I liked - the characters and the character development. You already know the main characters are Claire and Damien. Claire is a single mother of a precious 1 year old named Rose. I could totally picture this baby girl and in all her sweetness. I could almost smell the baby lotion (again, great descriptive writing). She is by no means the easiest baby as she has her tantrums, but this is realness. I looked up the bio on the author and sure enough, she has a child. I can only assume he descriptions of Rose and her smile, smells and crying jags come from the authors real life experiences. Claire is also sister to a recent high school graduate sister named Zoe, and a sister who is afflicted with bio-polar and psychotic disorder, named Regan. Regan makes for a lot of drama in this small families life. The MacKenna sisters are without parents and living hand to mouth, with little joy and not much to believe the next day will be better then the worst they have experienced. While Claire is the stable one, at 20 holding it all together, she is also doing what she can to TRY to make it better. And she could and does deserve a break
Enter Damien Cruz. Sexy, strong and totally lovable Damien Cruz. What I love is that Damien doesn't come in like a white knight with all the answers and all the means to make it all better. He has his own demons and his story is JUST bleak enough to give him some edginess. We know that he lives his life driven by self-preservation, but he is still altruistic and he see's something in Claire that he admires and that gives him hope. Damien is sweet, loyal and bent on making things right.
The storyline flows along well and I found this to be a very easy read. Easy in that I didn't want to put it down really, yet there was nothing SO angsty about it that I felt crazed by it. I wondered where things were going but after a few chapters, I had that inherent trust (that we long for as readers)that the author is taking the story down an interesting path and that I would be happy with where it went. The subjects of poverty, drug addiction and mental illness are handled well. Again, there was a realness and I felt that what was presented as far as descriptions of a psychotic break must have been accurately described.
One last bit, with Damien comes the description of a Motorcycle gang and all the, well seedier aspects of the MC gang lifestyle are described. Nothing surprising here and again, its handled well and balances out with the rest of the story. Damien also has another side to him, tattoo artist/MMA fighter. He's been busy on his first 25 years of living. Damien might just end up being your new favorite bad ass MMA fighter boyfriend
I recommend this to any reader of the new young adult, contemporary romance genre.
Initially I was going to give this 4 stars, but as I wrote this review, I decided to bump it up by 1/2 a star. Using Amazons star standards, I'm posting as a 5 on Amazon and a 4 here on GR.
I was given this book as a gift by the author in exchange for an honest opinion.
I am mightily impressed with Scarlett Groves' novel "This Mess We're In". I was intrigued by the book based on the synopsis and due to they fact that it is set in a fictional coastal town in northern California. With romance, a bit of bad boy gone good & action, and some intense and serious subject matter, it's a very solid read.
I'll get right to it. What I liked:
The writing - the author has a knack with using very descriptive storytelling from the first POV of the 2 main characters, Claire MacKenna and Damien Cruz. From the start I very much felt the physical aspects, the air, the landscape, and the emotional side of the things, The desperation for connection and the immediate sense that Claire and Damien had for each other. The author also has a great knack for dealing with some uncomfortable subjects with realism and respect: mental illness, drug addiction, and lost hope. Our two main characters come to table with a lot of baggage, and thankfully grow to care for each other enough, they deal with and eventually help each other get through some rough patches.
What else I liked - the characters and the character development. You already know the main characters are Claire and Damien. Claire is a single mother of a precious 1 year old named Rose. I could totally picture this baby girl and in all her sweetness. I could almost smell the baby lotion (again, great descriptive writing). She is by no means the easiest baby as she has her tantrums, but this is realness. I looked up the bio on the author and sure enough, she has a child. I can only assume he descriptions of Rose and her smile, smells and crying jags come from the authors real life experiences. Claire is also sister to a recent high school graduate sister named Zoe, and a sister who is afflicted with bio-polar and psychotic disorder, named Regan. Regan makes for a lot of drama in this small families life. The MacKenna sisters are without parents and living hand to mouth, with little joy and not much to believe the next day will be better then the worst they have experienced. While Claire is the stable one, at 20 holding it all together, she is also doing what she can to TRY to make it better. And she could and does deserve a break
Enter Damien Cruz. Sexy, strong and totally lovable Damien Cruz. What I love is that Damien doesn't come in like a white knight with all the answers and all the means to make it all better. He has his own demons and his story is JUST bleak enough to give him some edginess. We know that he lives his life driven by self-preservation, but he is still altruistic and he see's something in Claire that he admires and that gives him hope. Damien is sweet, loyal and bent on making things right.
The storyline flows along well and I found this to be a very easy read. Easy in that I didn't want to put it down really, yet there was nothing SO angsty about it that I felt crazed by it. I wondered where things were going but after a few chapters, I had that inherent trust (that we long for as readers)that the author is taking the story down an interesting path and that I would be happy with where it went. The subjects of poverty, drug addiction and mental illness are handled well. Again, there was a realness and I felt that what was presented as far as descriptions of a psychotic break must have been accurately described.
One last bit, with Damien comes the description of a Motorcycle gang and all the, well seedier aspects of the MC gang lifestyle are described. Nothing surprising here and again, its handled well and balances out with the rest of the story. Damien also has another side to him, tattoo artist/MMA fighter. He's been busy on his first 25 years of living. Damien might just end up being your new favorite bad ass MMA fighter boyfriend
I recommend this to any reader of the new young adult, contemporary romance genre.
Initially I was going to give this 4 stars, but as I wrote this review, I decided to bump it up by 1/2 a star. Using Amazons star standards, I'm posting as a 5 on Amazon and a 4 here on GR.
May 10, 2014
Damien was blackmailed into working for the MC, his dad was a bad man that got him into trouble, I feel bad that a parent can force that into there children, but he didn't have a choice, in this world, we have to do what we can do to survive and that's what he did, he survived, at this point he was clean til the blackmailing started, but again he had to survive. It this life or prison. I don't want to give to much of it away. But he did what he had to live, even if it wasn't the life he would have chose. During this time he found. Out about his dad.
Claire was a sweet girl, I felt bad for how her life turned out, but she was an amazing girl, she made the bat of her life. Being a single mother wasn't easy for her but she loved her family and did what she could. It was really awesome to see her process when seeing her make dresses I'm not sure if that's a spoiler but just Incase ;) she is talented, an thrives to do what she wanted in life even if on the smaller scale. Claire's sister regan was just, wow I wot say much but just wow!, Claire shouldn't have to put up with that crap but she's family.
Zoe Claire sister was so supportive of her sister it was nice to see, at, 18, she was very responsible for her age and she made Claire feel good about her self.
The relationship between the H/h was sweet and took it's time, some parts seemed a little fast like her giving his address quick ad stuff but it fit in the story, he wanted to be a better man for her and he tried, but the thing about life it always gets in the way and you have to keep trying,
This book was full of love, lies, laughs, and sadness, I'm giving it 4 amazing stars
It wasn't 5 because about 75% in it felt too rushed, but it was a very cute story and I can't wait for Zoe's book.
Claire was a sweet girl, I felt bad for how her life turned out, but she was an amazing girl, she made the bat of her life. Being a single mother wasn't easy for her but she loved her family and did what she could. It was really awesome to see her process when seeing her make dresses I'm not sure if that's a spoiler but just Incase ;) she is talented, an thrives to do what she wanted in life even if on the smaller scale. Claire's sister regan was just, wow I wot say much but just wow!, Claire shouldn't have to put up with that crap but she's family.
Zoe Claire sister was so supportive of her sister it was nice to see, at, 18, she was very responsible for her age and she made Claire feel good about her self.
The relationship between the H/h was sweet and took it's time, some parts seemed a little fast like her giving his address quick ad stuff but it fit in the story, he wanted to be a better man for her and he tried, but the thing about life it always gets in the way and you have to keep trying,
This book was full of love, lies, laughs, and sadness, I'm giving it 4 amazing stars
It wasn't 5 because about 75% in it felt too rushed, but it was a very cute story and I can't wait for Zoe's book.
July 30, 2014
I received a complimentary e-copy of This Mess We're In in exchange for an honest review.
Claire has been dealt a bad hand in life. Her mom died 2 years ago leaving Claire, a single 20 year old mom, struggling to support herself, her daughter and her dog, but also responsible for her younger sister and her older sister who is bipolar and often goes off her meds. Her life is hard enough, the last thing she's looking for is another person to care about.
She meets Damien, who is fighting his own demons. He's in town for reasons that are less than stellar. He's not even completely sure about how deep and how dark those reasons are but he knows that Claire has enough on her plate, he doesn't want to add more burden to her life.
But sometimes it's all worth it, to have someone to share your burdens with and know that someone is there to help you get through to the other side of the mess that you're in.
I absolutely loved This Mess We're In. If the blurb wasn't enough to intrigue me, the breathtaking cover would have done it on its own. Claire is so strong - she meets all of her challenges head on and somehow manages to stand tall while dealing with it most of them time, only breaking down when she finally meets her breaking point. Damien is such a complex guy that you can't help but fall in love with him. A biker guy slash tattoo artist slash fighter slash artistic softy - makes me want one for my own.
Their story was great. They faced a lot of obstacles, any one of them would be enough to break most couples, but their feelings for each other gave me hope that things would work out for them and that they'd make it through their messes.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves new adult romance stories that involve broken characters trying to make their way in the world. And I also look forward to reading book 2 in the MacKenna Family that will revolve around Claire's younger sister!
Claire has been dealt a bad hand in life. Her mom died 2 years ago leaving Claire, a single 20 year old mom, struggling to support herself, her daughter and her dog, but also responsible for her younger sister and her older sister who is bipolar and often goes off her meds. Her life is hard enough, the last thing she's looking for is another person to care about.
She meets Damien, who is fighting his own demons. He's in town for reasons that are less than stellar. He's not even completely sure about how deep and how dark those reasons are but he knows that Claire has enough on her plate, he doesn't want to add more burden to her life.
But sometimes it's all worth it, to have someone to share your burdens with and know that someone is there to help you get through to the other side of the mess that you're in.
I absolutely loved This Mess We're In. If the blurb wasn't enough to intrigue me, the breathtaking cover would have done it on its own. Claire is so strong - she meets all of her challenges head on and somehow manages to stand tall while dealing with it most of them time, only breaking down when she finally meets her breaking point. Damien is such a complex guy that you can't help but fall in love with him. A biker guy slash tattoo artist slash fighter slash artistic softy - makes me want one for my own.
Their story was great. They faced a lot of obstacles, any one of them would be enough to break most couples, but their feelings for each other gave me hope that things would work out for them and that they'd make it through their messes.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves new adult romance stories that involve broken characters trying to make their way in the world. And I also look forward to reading book 2 in the MacKenna Family that will revolve around Claire's younger sister!
May 17, 2014
This Mess We're In is about Claire and Damien's love story. I really liked the story line however it did feel kind of rushed but i would recommend you to read it. Claire the female character is a woman who loves her family and does what she needs to do to take care of them. She has a baby who is just lovable and Regan who's her bipolar / psychotic sister. Regan her sister bring DRAMA !!!! Then we have the strong, sexy and sweet Damien Cruz. Damien's a MMA fighter / bad a$$ with demons of his own. Needless to say they go through a lot and are there for each other. There were alot of sensitive subjects that author brought up in the book which made it interesting and was well written. Finally, I would like to thank the author for giving me the book as a gift for an honest review.
August 10, 2016
Thanks to the author for a free read in exchange for a review. This is my first by this author and she did well to entertain me. The synopsis of the book definitely caught my eye and the book aptly named. This mess is exactly right as we learn about a young mother meeting a MMA/ tattoo hottie who' s gotten himself mixed up with an MC. Other than a few quirks this book was highly entertaining and I read it straight through. I would definitely read from this author again, and this book got four stars of overall entertainment.
May 17, 2014
The Mess We’re In
By: Scarlett Grove
**Copy provided by author for an honest review**
I was completely drawn into this story from page one. Claire is a very strong person with a lot on her plate. She is a single mother taking care of her sisters while trying to run her own business. Damien is mmmmm. Oh how I fell in love with him. Damien is HOT, SEXY, and has a great heart. I enjoyed watching these two come together, and the love they share grow. I honestly read this book in one sitting because I could not put it down.
By: Scarlett Grove
**Copy provided by author for an honest review**
I was completely drawn into this story from page one. Claire is a very strong person with a lot on her plate. She is a single mother taking care of her sisters while trying to run her own business. Damien is mmmmm. Oh how I fell in love with him. Damien is HOT, SEXY, and has a great heart. I enjoyed watching these two come together, and the love they share grow. I honestly read this book in one sitting because I could not put it down.
May 2, 2014
I loved this book. I was drawn to how one girl (Claire) takes care of everyone else so selflessly. She is a good mother, sister, and friend. She is a strong woman who has been through the mill, but she isn't bitter and mean. She really is a lovely person. I like how she meets him (Damien) at the beach and sees the artist and man he is before she finds out about the complications in his life. This is a lovely romance with a nice bit of 'more'...but not too much.
June 26, 2014
Enjoyable read, good characters. Perfect for a day at the beach.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews