Between Friends Book Blog: My new found love of Mary Catherine Gebhard --L

In the past couple of months I have been lucky enough to receive 2 ARCs from Mary Catherine Genhard. Elastic Heart and Tied (part of the Mouth Rocks the Heart anthology).

I have to say first that her romances are darker than the normal "fluffy" romances I tend to read. However, I think that the darkness really adds to her stories. And honestly I'd love to see the way her mind works while she's writing her books, and the process that she goes through to create the final product!

Elastic Heart is the story of Nami & Law. Nami is a woman who is trying to recover from being raped. Her trust was ravaged by a man who should have used his power to do good for others, and right the wrongs in the world. Instead that man uses his power to hurt those he perceives as weaker and allows those women to suffer.

Nami meets Law in her pursuit of justice and finds a way to heal that was unexpected (at least I think she thought that) to her. When she meets Law she isn't in the place to find someone to love, mostly because she hasn't recovered from her trauma. I think that Law forces her to see what is right in front of her and how to accept the help of those around her. My favorite quote in the book is:

"Are you threatening me?!"

"No I'm trying to date you."

I that's the perfect way to show the struggle that the two have to beat to achieve their HEA.

Tied is the novella that occurs after the first 2 books of her Owned series. I didn't read the first two books in the series; I don't think it was necessary to read them, but i do think it would add to the story of you knew the first 2 books.

Tied is the story of Vera & Charlie. Charlie is a tough man who lives by his own set of rules. He is dealing with the loss of his leg from a previous mission that went bad. Vera is a woman who was trying to move on and better her life. She is perpetually unlucky in love, & that is made so clear when her most recent ex has kidnapped her & tortured/raped her.

Charlie is sent in to rescue her and once he does, he doesn't let her go. From the start they have a weird relationship, but I think that it's the relationship they need to heal from their pasts and move towards the future.

Mary Catherine Gebhard has become one of my new favorite authors. She describes her books this way on her website: "My romance is dark and sometimes unsettling. l tell stories without sugar coating. At first it tastes bitter, but unlike sugar it doesn’t make you feel sick afterward. Hopefully after reading my work, it sticks with you–but in a good way. Sometimes it’s not pretty, but often times life isn’t pretty."

I would definitely recommend y'all check out her books!