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Learning to Live Again

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When Zoey leaves her small home town for the city, she hopes to be able to live the life she’s always dreamed of. She wants to leave behind the sheltered young woman she knows and become a confident woman of the world. The first item on her list (oh yes, there’s a list, two in fact), is to rid herself of her V-card.

A night out sees her meet Austin. Flirty, fun, gorgeous and tattooed, just the cure for that virginity. However, when the night doesn’t quite go as planned, she ends up leaving in a hurry and hopes she’ll never have to see him again.

Austin rarely sees a woman twice, and if he does, it’s purely as part of an arrangement. However, when one night stand Zoey turns up at his workplace, his first thought is that she’s stalking him. Already angry and frustrated that she may well have broken a rather sensitive part of his anatomy, it takes some convincing before he realises she’s not the desperate, crazy woman he first thinks and a tentative friendship is formed.

As they get to know each other, Zoey becomes a soothing balm to the pain Austin hides and it’s not long before he finds himself wanting to take care of her and feeling more than he knows how to deal with.

Zoey feels safe with Austin, knows they have a connection and yet begins dating just to help keep her own feelings at bay. With lines blurring, neither knowing exactly where they stand and both of them unwilling to risk their friendship, the pair struggle silently. What ensues are arguments, apologies and moments so loaded with meaning that sometimes it leaves them both wondering.

A story about going after what you want, becoming who you want to be, being lost and most importantly, being found.

Warning: Contains swearing, scenes of a sexual nature and themes/mentions of loss, grief, kidnapping, murder, addiction and suicide

518 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2022

1 person is currently reading

About the author

Riley Rowan

4 books3 followers
Hi, I'm Riley Rowan and I'm a London based author of romantic fiction.

I am a lifelong writer and have been creating characters, worlds and stories from a young age. I like to be real in my writing and so if it happens in life, it can happen in one of my novels. You have been warned!
What I will promise you though is that there will be good times, comedic moments, great characters you'll want to root for and there will always be the inevitable heartwarming HEA!

When I'm not writing, I can be found reading an obscene number of books, enjoying romance and comedy movies, annoying my partner by singing along (badly) to music or being creative in some way.

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Profile Image for Alex E..
516 reviews17 followers
May 7, 2022
this book was intense but there were some parts that I didnt like.. In general, I loved the characters and their development. I enjoyed Zoe's family and how her brother's gather around her and protect her or think that they protect her.. I loved how Austin was with her especially after the first chapters and how she grew up with him and became a more mature version of herself. Her decision towards the end was probably the best as it was the wake up call that Austin needed. Could she have acted differently? Probably but then we wouldn't have his "grovelling" .
I liked Austin after the first chapters. He is a troubled character with a horrific past but I can't ever ever accept his past as an excuse for his lifestyle. I didn't like at all the chapters with him sleeping with other women, imagining that he is with Zoe again. I get that they weren't even together but on the last occasion Zoe was his housemate and she practically heard everything. Since I have set my mind that this is a couple's story I dont want to look into their sex life before they became a couple. :(
l'll read more books from this author though as it was entertaining!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for W.A. Edwards.
Author 1 book63 followers
November 14, 2022
This is the second book I have read by Riley Rowan and I lived this one too.
It is emotional and the characters are relatable. It is also very funny.
I loved the end, I had a tear in my eye.
Great book, highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

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