I used to wonder if soul mates existed. I know now they’re real. Our love was true, raw, and deep—our connection, magical. Every day with him was a gift, and I knew it. He was my forever, yet our forever wasn’t long enough. Each second that passes without him hurts, and maybe it always will. They say that time heals all, and I hope they’re right. Perhaps time will save me, or maybe love will. When it comes to soul mates, who’s to say we get just one? Book Two in The Beautiful Souls Duet. Book One, Bared Souls, should be read prior. **For mature readers, 18+
Ellie Wade resides in southwest Michigan with her husband, three young children, and two dogs. She has a Master’s degree in education from Eastern Michigan University and is a huge University of Michigan sports fan. She loves the beauty of her home state, especially the lakes and the gorgeous autumn weather. When she is not writing, you will find her reading, snuggled up with her kids, or spending time with family and friends. She loves traveling and exploring new places with her family.
This was absolutely the best healing book after book one. I was curious where this was going and couldn’t have been happier. This book is the perfect ending for Almos, Love, and Amos. Consider me obsessed bc this book really was the perfect ending.
Love after loss was so hard for Alma and it was difficult to read. I definitely got teary eyed more than once especially when she was struggling on how to live without him and then how to move on.
Did I want her and Amos to be end game? NOWAY but in the end he was what she needed after tragedy. He loved her since he was 7 and he stayed in the background keeping his love to himself and remained her best friend through all of her life moments. Always being supportive, always being there for her. His love for her was the epic love story you’d hope for yourself.
I really enjoyed that this book gave us the HEA from the first book. All of the characters in this story deserve the world, and it was so nice to see them get it. That said, I ended up rating this one a little lower than the first because everything played out pretty much as expected. Unlike book one, there wasn’t much unpredictability or surprise.
Still, if you’ve read the first book, I would definitely recommend picking this one up. It’s a satisfying continuation that ties everything together for these characters.
Diving straight into this review—you need to read the first book, Bared Souls, before picking up this one. I absolutely love Ellie’s emotional writing, and I can’t wait to read more of this series and her other work. This book was raw and beautiful. I’m obsessed with Amos and Alma together. I had a feeling he’d be the one to pick up the pieces—he always has.
These two have always been drawn to each other, and I’m so glad Alma was able to move on and get her happily ever after. Also, Love is the cutest, most beautiful child I’ve ever read in a story. I adore this little family and the character progression from the first book, especially when it comes to Alma’s mother.
This one is more character-driven, but it’s absolutely worth it for the heartfelt, intimate storyline.
Genre/Type: Adult Romance 18+ APK: Kindle and Audiobook Pages: 338 Audiobook Length: 7hrs 21mins Narrators: Teddy Hamilton and Savannah Peachwood - Dual Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5 Spice: 🌶️🌶️ Series or Standalone: Book Two In The Beautiful Souls Collection Tropes or Themes: Love After Loss, Single Mum, Best Friends To Lovers, Chemistry, Its Always Been You, Mine, Grief, Sexual Content, Dirty Talk, Shower Scene, Outside Scene and Kitchen Scene Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
OMG! This is the book I never knew I needed but can’t be happier that I got it. I absolutely loved it. I was one of those rare readers that was content with how book one ended (not happy with it but I was definitely content). BUT, I was wrong. This is the perfect ending for Alma (and Love). It’s true you will never get over your first love but this is the perfect “finding love again” story.
If you read Bared Souls, you know the definition of heart-wrenching. Leo and Alma's story was beautifully tragic. With Kindred Souls, Ellie Wade does what she does, and pieces your heart back together by giving Alma her HEA. The tears that came with this book were therapeutic a cleansing of the soul, so to speak. This series is a must read reminder to live life to the fullest, love those put in your path, and never settle for one epic love when you can have two.
I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t get over Leo. To be fair to the book that is not it’s fault, but I just could connect them as soulmates after reading Alma and Leo together. Sorry not sorry. It took me way too long to read this book too. Like my interest was so low I forced myself to finish because I was buddy reading it. She didn’t like it either btw. So I know I’m not alone. If I didn’t read book one first I probably might have had more interest in this one.
𝐀𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐚 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐫 (h) has had a rough four years ever since she unexpectedly lost her husband and had to raise her child on her own. Even though she knows Leo wouldn’t have wanted her to be alone forever, she doesn’t know if she can love someone else. However, her best friend 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐬 (H) has always been there for her, and since she lost Leo, he had ensured she always had someone to uplift her when times got hard. When he makes a move one night, she realizes that she might have a chance at love again, especially with someone as special as Amos. However, if she isn’t willing to let go of Leo, it might be more challenging for her to love someone completely.
༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰
I enjoyed this book way better than the first one and was just able to connect to the relationship compared to Alma and Leo. Don’t get me wrong; my heart broke for what could’ve been between them, mainly because he never met his daughter. However, Alma and Amos were the prominent pair from the beginning, and I’m not sure why she didn’t see it sooner. It was so sweet that he was there for her from the start and didn’t expect more because he wanted to respect her boundaries. Until he realized they probably had a chance and made a move, but even then, he was patient with her healing process. He was sweet with her child and was there every night to make her feel special, but he never took away from Leo being her father; he just wanted to be involved too.
Alma's healing process was a realistic timeline, especially because she felt that moving on would betray Leo, but she knew he would want to see her happy. When she could move on and let go, acknowledging that he would always be one of her greatest loves, she could let in Amos completely. I loved that they already had a shared history and understood each other better than anyone, so he was patient with her. Even when he doubted she could move on, he wanted to be there, even if it was as a friend. He was never willing to risk losing her friendship, and he preferred to be in her life than not at all. Alma deserved to find happiness again, and while it didn't work out for her and Leo, she could still say that she loved him, and her child is a reminder of that. The book wasn't perfect, but I loved Alma's growth compared to book one, so I could not rate this any less. It felt like she was a different person who had significantly matured, perhaps because losing Leo took a toll on her. I feel for her and what she lost, but she got a second great love story because of it. Deep down, it was always going to be Amos and he waited his entire life to be loved by Alma. She was resilient and the best mother to her daughter despite her circumstances, so it was great to see that she was able to allow herself to be happy and loved again.
*. ⋆𝐎͢𝐕͢𝐄͢𝐑͢𝐀͢𝐋͢𝐋͢
I enjoyed how Alma’s story was executed and she found love with someone she already cared about but on a deeper level. She always loved Amos but it shifted from platonic to romantic when she realized that he was the one person always on her side. When she started appreciating how special he was, that is when she knew they had a chance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I’m trying to get better at completing reviews for my books. That being said, I can’t not write a review for Ellie Wade! I’ve loved each and every one of her books! I fell in love with Leo and Alma’s story in the first book and now it’s Alma and Amos! Alma and Amos feel right! They’ve been best friends since moving in next door to each other. Alma’s broken home was also what shaped Amos into the man he is. He learned how to be there for Alma and what exactly she needed in desperate or sticky situations. He’s the glue holding her together and they deserved this love story! I can’t wait to see where their relationship goes from here!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
At the end of Bared Souls I was so sad for Alma and Love. She did not get her happy ending in the traditional sense but I knew she was going to be okay. I love Alma and her will to carry on a live her dream while raising Love. Amos while an amazing man and best friend to Amla just wasn't my favorite. I love that he stayed around but he was almost too perfect. I am happy that they get their happy endings but he wasn't it for me. I understand why it happened and how we were set up for this ending starting in Bared Souls but I will always miss Leo. To me Almas happy ending was and will always be Love. Ellie wrote a beautiful story about love and loss and finding yourself again after tragedy. This was a definite read.
This was a fantastic story, I couldn’t put it down from the minute I started it, I loved Alma’s story in Bared Souls and I love her story in this, it really pulled at my heart string and would thoroughly recommend this book, it made my heart happy x
Leo has been gone for almost 4 years now. And although Alma still misses him with every fiber of being, she is learning to accept life without her soul mate. But when someone else emerges and wants to lay claim to her heart, will she be able to finally let Leo and their past relationship rest, or will the ghost of Leo keep her from true happiness?
Let me first say, I was absolutely devastated at the ending of the previous book. Like imagine finding your soul mate and they are viciously ripped away from you! Then to find out you’re pregnant and will be raising you guys’ child alone; the anger, the sadness, the fear that I would be feeling, my goodness! Like the first book left me in shambles, even though I loved the entire ride. I think I expected too much from this book, and that’s why I was ultimately let down. To be fair, a book would have to be pretty fantastic to beat “Bared Souls” anyway.
Starting out, I think some of the things I loved about the first book I started to dislike it this book. For example, I loved how mature each of the characters were in the previous book. No petty arguments, no silly misunderstandings, nothing left unsaid. In this book, I wished for some of that drama. Everything just happened so conveniently. Too conveniently. Love doesn’t always have to come with ups and downs like the beginning of Alma and Leo’s relationship, but the relationship between Alma and Amos just didn’t feel as intense. The sex scenes were admittedly hot, but I didn’t feel the passion between them. They didn’t have any arguments, they didn’t have to make any difficult decisions between the two of them, it just felt kind of blah. They were just so understanding of each other and each other’s feelings, but it made for kind of a boring read after the masterpiece that was “Bared Souls”. I also got so sick of reading Amos’s love confessions to Alma. I felt like his inner monologues had more passion than he showed her. Maybe because they had been friends for so long, the relationship didn’t have to change, but it felt like they were friends who had sex with each other, instead of friends who were in love and were transitioning to a relationship. I'm glad they fore-shadowed what could have been between the two in the previous book; they were not shy about their attraction to each other, but I don't know if I liked them better as friends or as a couple.
I spoke on this, but I hated just how convenient everything turned out to be. Amos is conveniently an accountant and can quit his job and step right into an accounting role at the “Lion’s Lair”. He and Alma conveniently had not dated anyone in the almost 4 years Leo had been dead, so it was easy for them to start their relationship without any other relationship complications. Her mom conveniently decides to move on from her husband’s death with the man who ran the bar Leo and Alma would frequent on their date nights. Her father conveniently dies right around the time Leo dies, so Alma and her mother can bond more over their shared loss. Everything just tied together a little too well for my liking. And maybe this is a me problem, and not a book problem, but I legit just wanted something to happen that wasn’t part of a perfect little plan.
Lastly. I really liked Amos in the previous book, but we never really knew a lot about him since he went to a different college than Alma, and that’s where her story with Leo started. I thought we’d get a glimpse into who he was more in this book, but all he wanted to think or talk about was Alma. It wasn't written in a cute way either. He seemed obsessed. He claims to have loved her since they first met when they were 7 years old! I've always found it ugh when people say things like that because a 7 year old can't comprehend what relationship love is yet so them to be so sure that their 7 year old crush is their soul-mate. The first time they had sex, he proclaimed that he’d never feel like he felt again because Alma was everything to him. He also only cared about her happiness never his own, and I thought it odd that he up and quit his job to basically work at a non-profit. Like he didn’t have to do EVERYTHING with Alma. Running the Liars Lair was an Alma and Leo thing. I didn't know why he'd want to step into that role if he wanted to carve his own space in her heart. I felt like some separation was needed. He just didn’t seem to have a personality aside from loving her. And I get it, that’s his girl, but goodness. I wanted him to find a hobby or something. Alma for her part, was amazing. She was my favorite character then, and still is. There’s something about her that I just absolutely loved. Made me wish she was my friend too.
This wasn't a bad book per se, I was just disappointed. I don't think I'm over Leo yet, maybe that's why I don't quite like Alma and Amos together even though I know they make the most sense.
This book is so healing, if you are a mess after the destruction of Bared Souls, I highly suggest picking up the sequel. I held off picking up this book because kind of like Alma I had a hard time moving past the first book and her first love. It hurt me in such a good way! I felt like if I picked this up too soon it wouldn't have felt as good as it does now. In this continuing journey with Alma, it's a struggle for her to move on. Having her daughter Love that connects her and Leo is a huge help! Her mother comes back into her life needing help which turns out to be a great thing since she becomes such a great grandmother to Love making up for not being the best mother during Alma's childhood. And of course we have Amos, Alma's best friend since they were kids. Nothing more has ever happened between them over the years other than friendship. Even from the first book I always thought that they would've been a better fit together than her and Leo. I still did even after everything Alma had went through to have Leo. But Amos was the true rock for Alma that she deserved. Amos was always that constant in her life that she could truly depend and count on. Unfortunately, Leo was not the person and was never meant to be. For a short time, Alma and Leo had a beautiful love, but it wasn't meant to last. Amos and Alma's love to me has always been bigger than that. They felt like true soul mates. Amos had always been in love with Alma, but was afraid of ruining their treasured friendship. It's been almost four years since Leo's death and it may be time for Alma to finally move on and be happy once again. Amos is ready to make Alma his accepting that Alma will always hold a space for Leo in her heart. We see Alma struggle with the ups and downs of moving on with Amos once again being her rock and just proving how worthy he has always been of Alma's love. Everyone is encouraging of Alma moving on to be happy finally. But Alma feels immense guilt for even trying to move on in the moments where she forgets about Leo. She wants to be happy and move on as well, but in order to do this she has to find a path beyond her love and grief of Leo to get another chance at happily ever after. I truly loved this book and I am so happy that it was written! I very much loved Alma and Amos together more than her with Leo. Leo was of course a huge part of her life, he was her first everything, but in my eyes, Amos is the true soul mate. Her fairytale prince that can her and Love their happily ever after.
First I want to say I loved this book. Ellie has such powerful and beautiful way of writing. You feel like you’re going through the emotions of the characters. With that said, I can tell you I know I would have loved and appreciated the book more had I not read it and Bared Souls back to back in a 24 hour period. Truth be told, I wasn’t emotionally ready for it so soon after Bared Souls. ***STOP HERE TO AVOID SPOILERS***
The books had a 9 month gap in release, but coming late to the game I read them back to back. In Kindred Souls the book starts out nearly 4 years after losing Leo. To me, it was only minutes. I fell in love with Leo right along with Alma, so when Kindred Souls leads Alma to falling in love with Amos, I was still grieving Leo. I wasn’t ready to fall in love again because my heart still hurts over losing Leo. Granted, I had a hunch this is where the book would go since the first chapter of Bared Souls, but still, the pain of the loss was still so overwhelming. I hope that speaks to the skill and gift Ellie has with her words. I was so encompassed by her words, I literally feel like I am grieving the loss of someone I deeply loved. That is how powerful her storytelling words are. Had I given myself a gap in reading, I know I would have fallen in love with this book as much as I did Bared Souls. I plan on reading the book again in a few months where I know it will touch my heart with the love it expels allowing me to feel the joy it was intended to hold. Absolutely the top of my favorite book series list. Can’t wait to read the rest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
~Kindred Souls follows up from Bared Souls as we all know Alma lost her soul mate Leo due to drugs and during that big loss she found out she was blessed with a little miracle and named her Love. Alma struggled a bit with her grief over Leo. It was hard for her to let go of the love she has for him knowing he is gone and no longer there, since her love for him is epic and she knew he was her soul mate. Family and friends had mentioned to her that it’s okay to move on since it’s been 3 years of Leo’s passing. Amos, her best friend since childhood, has been there through thick and thin. If you read Bared Souls we all can see that Amos was already developing feelings for Alma but kept them secret from her since their friendship meant a lot to them. But now that she’s widowed , single mother; he thought this would be the best chance that he could confess his feelings for her. Alma finally gave in, but it was a struggle for her. This is when she realizes it’s not wrong to have two epic loves. She knew deep down she had feelings for Amos, but never gave in to them because their friendship is important to them. But what a beautiful pair they make!!! They were made for each other. He was there for her during her grief and during the pregnancy till birth!!! What a man!!! I’m just glad Alma gave herself a chance for a happy ending.
3.5 stars rounded up because I know my issues with this book are more of a me thing. I am not someone who likes friends to lovers stories unless they are done perfectly. I loved the first book in this duet so much and I was excited to see Alma's HEA after so much heartbreak. I loved the way this story progressed, but the friends to lovers aspect of this bother me a bit. I loved Amos and his relationship with Alma in the first, but some of the things he says in this story have me questioning how I saw him in the first book. I loved that their relationship was platonic in book one, but the whole time Amos was in love with Alma and just waiting for his shot. That just always rubs me the wrong way. I don't like the "I've always loved you" declaration. Maybe their relationship could have worked if they both had the love realization at the same time. For me it felt like the only reason Amos stuck around and helped Alma was in the hope that he would get to be with her and I don't like that.
I would have preferred if Alma and Amo's story would have stayed a platonic friendship.
I still loved the relationship that was developed and I loved how Amos treated Alma and Love, but his intentions were a little creepy to me personally. I would definitely still recommend this book because I know a lot of people love that relationship dynamic, it's just not my favorite.
Kindred Souls (Book 2 of the Beautiful Souls duet) by Ellie Wade
5/5 ⭐️ 1/5 🌶️
I honestly didn’t think I was going to emotionally recover from Bared Souls to even be able to finish the duet. I had to breathe through it.
Lifetime Best friends are a funny thing. We love them and cherish them and sometimes we forget that we love them in a way that is all consuming because we don’t want to mess it up and lose them forever.
Grief is a terrible mistress and it tends to take hold when we least expect it. Grief has no timeline - love has no timeline - having a soulmate is an amazing thing - having two is an unspoken amazingness.
I truly loved Alma, she was everything I love about an FMC. She is strong, confident, beautiful, kind, and loving. Her story brought me joy, it brought me pain, but most of all it brought me happiness.
Amos was her protector for over 20 years, he loved her unconditionally, he loved her through it all - and the fact that he would’ve waited forever for her was beautiful. There was no timeline for him - she is/was his forever and always would be.
I think if you’re willing to go through the heartbreak that is Bared Souls, this book is worth it to get to the other side.
4.5⭐️ wow… truly wow! i am so in awe of ellie’s words and how much they have been able to touch my heart. this book was so amazing and exactly what i needed after the first book. this book is about grief, family, friendship, and healing. this book shows you that it’s possible and that it’s okay to let yourself love again, after a loss. i loved how it shows the rawness and reality of grief, and talked a lot about the ugly side of it, and just how much grief can affect someone. i just love these two so much. i immediately adored their bond from the first book. i loved the childhood best friends to lovers dynamic that was going on in here, and loved how they were always there for each other. Alma is seriously the strongest character ever, i was so in awe of her strength and her kind soul. Amos was such a sweetheart, he was so supportive and so comforting toward Alma while she was going through a time of grief. the epilogue had me crying so many happy tears… their happy ending couldn’t have been more perfect 🥺😭
I had a hard time with this book... heck with the whole series! I'm not a fan of sad books. I did go into this story without reading the synopsis so it's my fault. I enjoyed it until about 88% in from there it was like a dumpster fire that just destroyed the story for me.
Going into book two I had a feeling who Alma would end up with. I was getting total Taking Chances by Molly McAdams vibes which I am not a fan of. I read it years ago and still despise it. I honestly don't know why I didn't just stop with book one. I guess not knowing for sure who the hero was going to be just hooked me. I needed to know..
I couldn't see Amos and Alma. I couldn't feel the connection. I never felt Alma had those feelings. She even stated in book one at 22% talking to Quinn (she wasn't with Leo at this point)... "Plus, he's like my brother. I don't see him like that. He doesn't see me like that either." WHAT!!!!???
After this long review, I will say this book brought out a lot of emotions. I don't think I've written this long of a review in quite a while.
yet to read book 1 or 2!??!?! Captivated Souls - book 3 (read in the 1st spot) Fated Souls - book 4 (read it in the 3rd spot) Entwined Souls - book 6 (reading in the 2nd spot) i read these all out of order, because they were not available in the order they have be read in. LOL!! i am reading book 5 now. so silly. i think book 1 is like a 6 month wait?? are you kidding me ...this is through my local library leaning program. ... so silly. wouldn't u think that they would allow more copies of a kindle book if they noticed lots of folks wanting to read it ... right??! -- update ... i have now read book 2 & 6 ... funny how it said a 6 month wait ...but i got 2 and 6 ... so i am waiting on book 1 ... i have read these all silly like but i have enjoyed them so. i hope to read more from Ellie soon.
i am thinking i loved book 2 more ...now as i have said i have yet to read book 1 ... which is kind of hilarious that i am reading all of these so (what is the saying??!) ass backwards ... "in a manner contrary to what is usual, expected or logical." i am smiling. aren't you?
Well, I was left partially broken in part one of this Duet and am so glad this book was able to almost put me back together. I had a feeling from the beginning he always loved her but I think there really is a perfect time for everything and things happen for a reason even when they are so very difficult. I believe this was a much lighter and beautiful story that wrapped up the beauty and pain from the first. I loved Alma and Leo so much and yet I just as much love Alma and Amos. Amos has held a special place for me from the beginning. Beautiful duet and I’m looking forward to reading more in this world now.
Since chapter one of book one, I was waiting for this conclusion. And it was so sweet. Though I could never have predicted the journey this couple would take and that made the series that much more. I’ve never felt so connected to three characters in a love triangle but the way they navigated life together was wonderful- what a sweet, sweet love story.
This is a perfect happily ever after to the first book. You got to see the happiness and the healing after the previous tragedy. You see that there’s not just one soulmate, but maybe more one per part of your life. The one that’s meant to help you achieve certain goals in life lessons.. this was another can’t put down reads once you picked it up. You just had to read through and read so beautifully and you still developed the characters as you read through. Looking forward to reading more.