The Stories We Tell

Behind Our Lives #3

by Charlene Carr

After tragedy and betrayal, trust comes slowly, love takes work. Lincoln and Kali are finally in a good place. A place of hope. But as Kali starts to accept her present and look to the future, her past gets in the way, forcing her to question what she believes about her life and what she wants. As Lincoln learns the truths Kali kept secret, he must decide whether love is stronger than fear and if forgiveness is worth the pain. The finale to the Behind Our Lives Trilogy is a story about the power of love to conquer fear even when starting over feels impossible, the power of forgiveness, and the strength of the human heart. ----------------------------------- The Stories We Tell is Book Three in a continuing three part story. Please don't read it without first reading Book One, Behind Our Lives and Book Two, What We See. If you do, you'll probably be confused and frustrated and won’t have a great reading experience.

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 17, 2017

About the author

Charlene Carr is the youngest of four children and the only girl. Living in a house full of boys taught her to fight for what she wants and to always reach higher (you have to when everyone in your family towers above you).

She spent much of her childhood creating elaborate, multi-faceted storylines for her dolls and reading under the blankets with a flashlight when she was supposed to be asleep.

A bit of a nomad, she’s lived in four countries and seven Canadian provinces. After travelling the globe for several years and working an array of mostly writing related jobs, she decided the time had come to focus exclusively on her true love—crafting stories.

Charlene is a novelist and stay-at-home mom: her two dream jobs. She lives in Nova Scotia, Canada and loves exploring the coastline of her harbour town with her husband and young daughter.

Her upcoming novel Hold My Girl, "a tense and emotional dual narrative novel about motherhood, racial identity, loss and betrayal," perfect for "Fans of Celeste Ng and Liane Moriarty" will release Winter 2023 from HarperCollins Canada and Welbeck Publishing (UK).

Reviews

[Deloris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to give to this author , she writes well , I was all in , at book one , then she left me hanging for book two . By book three I expected Kali to know what she wanted , I thought we would get to experience a two sided relationship , but that didn’t happen because Kali was confused to the very end . I felt cheated , w didn’t get their story together ( Kali and Lincoln ). She took us to the very end of the book before Kali chose him and by then I didn’t care !

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three for three! Another amazing read by Charlene Carr.
This book was such a wonderful way to finish the story of Lincoln and Kali. That being said, I wish this story was not over. This time it was Lincoln that you wanted to reach into the book and give a good shake!! The previous two books it was more Kali for me. The thing I appreciate so much about Charlene's books is that she doesn't create a character that is ill, just to have them suddenly get better unrealistically. The Doctors appointments and disease/illness progression is real and honest. It is a constant battle not a speck in life that goes away as quickly as it arrived.
In this third book, Lincoln became the unsure one. It was frustrating but you understood his personal battle also. Not having a dad around made his perspective unique for Theo. The best part of the story in my opinion was that Theo was super excited to have his biological dad around but didn't want to lose Lincoln who he already looked to as his dad.
The storyline around Kali and Derek's relationship was also so incredible. Kali tried to be open to rekindling but realistically knew she couldn't forgive him and that the romantic love she had once had for him was gone and not returning. The battle we saw her go through was so honest and sweet. I loved the ending and felt very satisfied with it! It isn't often you can say that.
I hope that Charlene continues this series somehow. I would love to see them together as a family!
I received an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Linda Oleniuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Charlene's books and this one is fantastic!

This is the third of three books that follows the story of Kali a young single mother of a three year old mute boy Theo and a man, Lincoln who seems down on his luck. Lincoln rescues Theo from an oncoming car and Kali from the uncertainty of being homeless.
Kali was evicted from her home and Lincoln invited her and her son to share his apartment, strictly a platonic relationship with separate sleeping arrangements. This living arrangement started about a year prior to the start of the third book.

Kali is a nurse battling a brain tumour that is robbing her of her sight. Other than Lincoln she has very little emotional support. Derek, Theo's father left Kali before he was born.

Things start to develop emotionally between Kali and Lincoln.
After four years Derek reappears and he tells Lincoln to step back because he want to try to make things work between his wife and himself.
Kali was torn between the two men.

This book is well written and well researched, especially the medical detail.
The characters are believable, even the bad guy is loveable once you get to know him.
The three books are definitely worth reading.
I can hardly wait for Charlene's next book.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - this is a well-done, very suspenseful trilogy. I fell in love with the character, Lincoln, right from Book 1 Behind Our Lives, but I wasn't really understanding Kali's attitude. By Book 2, By What We See, I was really able to get to know Kali for the strong woman, mother and daughter-in-law that she was, and I admired her stamina and strength and the love she had for her little boy, Theo.

Now, I just had the privilege of an early reading of Book 3, The Stories We Tell . The author kept me in suspense right up to the very, very end of this Trilogy. The characters, Lincoln, Kali, Marvin, Theo, Marilyn and all the other family members are well-developed and I can just imagine them being 'the family next door', as I got to know them so well.

I can guarantee you that the stories behind the lives of these characters, and what they will tell you will get your 'juices flowing' and you will be thinking about them for months to come. Kudos to author, Charlene Carr!

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! ... I am stating that you need to go out and buy all three books at once, first before you start this trilogy, as you'll want to finish each story without waiting for your next book to arrive. I know I wish I had!
I love the depth of the characters Charlene Carr has created... their struggles and the perseverance that they endure in this trilogy. I got frustrated with the stubbornness of Lincoln and Kali, alternately, with their pride and decisions. "The Stories We Tell" is just that...interpretations of what we tell ourselves to survive. (Kind of an "Ah-ha" moment!)
Charlene took Lincoln and Kali into a very realistic relationship that is waiting in the background. It kept me wondering if that was how it should end. But I can't tell you...read on yourself! You won't be disappointed!

[wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was able to get an advanced copy of this book (ARC) and I have to say that I finished it in less than 24 hours. I have read the previous two books of the series so I wanted to see how Kali and Lincoln were doing especially after she was diagnosed with the brain tumor. I was not expecting their relationship to hit a speed bump such as it did with the surprise visit of her long lost husband!!!

Book three truly kept you on your toes. You kept rooting for the loving couple. I wanted to kick Lincoln in his butt and make him see and hope Derek would leave but I knew everyone was just doing what they thought was right.

[J. Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third of three books in the series. I hope you read the other two, or you will miss the depth of character that Ms. Carr gives you.

Each of the characters has a flaw or more, that’s why they are human. And they are human in the sense that they could be you, your neighbor, your friend, your relative, or the friend you haven’t met yet. The author makes you care about the characters at the same time you are thinking of your own life.

Spend the day with Kalli, Lincoln, Theo, Derek, Marvin and everyone in their world. I think you will come away with being glad you did. A beautiful ending to a wonderful series!

My review is an honest assessment of the ARC that I received.

[Gem Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have completely adored this trilogy - such an honest, complex and well written story of love in the real world. I sometimes get irritated with romance novels as they don’t seem to paint a realistic account of the messy and real way that relationships happen sometimes. This trilogy is heartbreaking and hopeful and I fell in love with the characters ... all three books have been 5 star reads and I can’t recommend them highly enough. A full review of the trilogy is available here - http://www.gemmaromanbooks.co.uk/book...

[Denise M · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all of Charlene Carr's books I have read so far, the story grabs you from the first line. Enthralling with all the twists and turns but her stories make me think about what I would do in each of the characters situation. I feel as though I have made a friend with each character and thinking about what they are doing now - long after I have finished the book. I would highly recommend this trilogy

[Vicki Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this entire trilogy! Charlene Carr wove an interesting love story and is becoming one of my favorite authors. She has captured my attention from start to finish of "The Stories We Tell" After reading the first two books in the trilogy, I could hardly wait for the third book to be written, then as I read it, I was sad to see it end. I hope she writes more stories with these same characters. I was given this book free for an honest review.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Loved it all the way. A great read for men or women!

Just read this trilogy again after a few years, and loved it once again. I had such torn feelings, wanting Kali to end up with Lincoln, but yet also wanting her to honour her marriage vows. The author kept us guessing all the way. A great read for men or women!

You will definitely want to read all three books in this trilogy. You will not regret it.

[Tania Gresham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Lincoln and Kali. I wish their story would continue. Their journey was one I couldn't get enough of. However, I would like to see more at the end. Maybe something like all the adults and Theo doing something together with Lincoln and Kali being secure in their future. You know like a peak into the future.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book by Charlene Carr! I have read all of Charlene Carr’s Books and have enjoyed them all. This trilogy was my favorite, I had to wait patiently for The Stories We Tell, Book 3. The only thing I can say is that I didn’t want it to end, it was just so good!

[Cherill Fannin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book of a beautiful trilogy

I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more to the ending. It was still a great book, full of all the feels. I felt the pain that Lincoln and Kali were feeling too. This was a very well written trilogy.

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where did the Epilogue go?!

The Behind Our Lives Trilogy are my first books by this author and I’m not sure I’ll read anymore. I waited until after reading all three books before giving my review; complete review of the whole story. After three books in just as many days, I’m thoroughly disappointed! I loved this series and after staying up until 2:00am all I get is some sage saying for an epilogue! I truly feel cheated!

I love Lincoln and Kali and they deserved better than the sparse, lackluster ending/epilogue they received. Their story was too powerful to have such a scanty ending! It’s like she couldn’t think of anything else to write so she just cuts it off.

Maybe the last chapter should be the epilogue! There was suspense because it looked like she was going back to Derek, but the way it ends just feels incomplete!

The story is awesome but don’t expect much from the ending!

[Raymond Cushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using my criteria for assigning stars, this book deserves five stars. It completes a great trilogy. I give 3 stars if a book is an enjoyable read. This one was borderline for me. For a particularly well-written book, I move my rating up to 4 stars. If I think the plot structure and character creation were especially creative and memorable, I move it up to 5 stars.

As a reader, I found the indecisiveness of the main characters became a bit tedious in this the third book of the series. Otherwise, I loved the book.

As a writer, I say Bravo Charlene Carr. Excellent writing.

[Lu]

I don’t regret reading the series, but this third book and where the storyline and characters went in it was a letdown. I was able to ignore the melodrama in the earlier books, but the final wrench that was thrown in in this one and how it was subsequently handled was such a disappointment. In truth, it kind of left me feeling that they would’ve been better of not working out, their relationship only for a season. I felt Lincoln deserved better, at least.

[Sharondblk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in a series. If you haven't read the previous ones, this won't make sense. Go read them first. Then read this. In Carr's signature style there are no goodies or baddies, just people trying to do their best - and occasionally failing. It's so heartwarming. This finished Kali's story, but I hope we'll see her again.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great trilogy!

Loved the suspense, the characters, and the story in general. All of Charlene's books I've read so far are awesome.