Primrose: Because I Can't Live Without You

by Laura Chowns

Falling in love is supposed to be wonderful and magical, but for Lux and Gray, it’s also a nightmare filled with strict parents, steep punishments, and no hope of “happily ever after” in sight. That is, until she becomes pregnant, and marriage is the only solution to rectify their sins. But their happiness is short-lived when Gray is drafted into the army. He must leave behind his new wife and unborn child with the possibility of never returning. Some years later, the war ends and Lux has accepted that her husband won’t be coming home. Soon, a mysterious stranger with no memory of who he is and who looks oddly like her dead husband enters her life. Blinded by denial and acceptance of Gray’s death, Lux struggles to see the truth behind the reality they are living in.

522 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

Born in Ottawa, raised in Petawawa, and currently living in North Bay, Laura Chowns is a Canadian author who has always been a lover of the written word from books like The Babysitters Club, Little House on the Priarie, and Anne of Green Gables to The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, and just about anything written by Nora Roberts. Reading and writing has been a huge part of her life. She is a veteran, and ML of NaNoWriMo, a published author of "Primrose; because I can't live without you," a mother, wife and Registered Practical Nurse.

Reviews

[Laura Chowns]

Review from Barnes and Noble
Captivating!
I bought this book about a week ago, and I could not put it down. It was romantic, heartbreaking, and thrilling all in one! I fell in love with Lux and Grant almost immediately.

[Victoria Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is captivating, romantic, heartbreaking, and thrilling all in one. The writing style is easy to follow and captures your attention very early in the book! Highly recommend !!!

[Rubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Have you ever read a book that you didn´t think you would finish because you just were not into it too much, but you kept reading anyways and fell in love? That is what happened to me. I had this book in my kindle for a while waiting for review, getting pushed back time after time for other books. I finally read it and am so upset with myself it took me so long. Yes it started off slow and took a long time to draw me in but once it did, I couldn´t put it down.

A love that surpasses time. This is the best definition to give this amazing read.

I loved the way this story started: at the very beginning. By this I mean we met Lux and Gray when they were seventeen and saw their love be born and bloom. Becoming friends until they married. There is a ton of emotional rollercosters in this read. Trust me. I had not cried (ugly cry if you want to get literal) with a book in years. I cried multiple times with this one. The emotion. The loss. The feelings ovewhelmed me.

I highly recommend with a box of tissues.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story entered quietly but refused to leave my chest.
The way spring kept returning like a second heartbeat felt unforgettable.
Your line about “shivering beneath the soft sun” still haunts me.
It made me think about how healing doesn’t always feel warm at first.
This book breathes for you before you learn to breathe again.

[Emily Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I closed the book and just sat there, honestly stunned.
The emotional layering felt like soft thunder, gentle but impossible to ignore.
The character’s trembling moments felt so real.
Someone in our group said, “I felt like I was overhearing a soul talking to itself.”
That’s the kind of intimacy only a gifted writer creates.

[Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a quote I can’t get out of my head: “He shivered, yet the light stayed.”
That line captured everything, fear, hope, survival. Your writing taught me that light doesn’t erase darkness; it speaks through it. It’s the kind of book you whisper about, not just story

I highly recommend this to all readers out there.....,..

[Pollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The emotional honesty here is rare. Every chapter felt like peeling back the sky a little bit more.
We kept pausing just to breathe because the moments were that human.
I'll said the story “held her like warm hands around cold fingers.”
That’s unforgettable storytelling.
I love your vibes Laura

[Kelson Jesus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how you let silence speak louder than dialogue. There’s a moment where the character wakes with sweat on his neck, and the whole group said, “I’ve been there.”
You turned vulnerability into a language we instantly understood.
This book feels like a companion, not a story.

[Laura Chowns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviews from other sites

Angie Hopkins:
"This book is amazing! What a beautiful love story! I hope they make a movie version of this!"
- review from Amazon.ca


Laura Turcotte:
"Laura paints with words as she tells the story of Lux and Gray. It feels like you are there with the characters and sharing their experiences. I felt their joy, sorrow, and pain. More than just a love story, this is tale that will keep you reading long after bedtime."
- review from Xlibris.com

[Laura Chowns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm my own harsh critic, and may be a little bias but I love my characters and always get emotional combing through Primrose. Lux and Grant are dear to my heart and as real to me as the couple next door.

[Linda]

Lovely story but the author obviously doesn't know what the times were like. And they clearly aren't from England.
If you ignore the facts though its a lovely entertaining story.