{"id":31230,"date":"2018-03-14T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=31230"},"modified":"2018-03-12T07:49:52","modified_gmt":"2018-03-12T11:49:52","slug":"blog-tour-arc-review-excerpt-the-scars-i-bare-by-the-bay-2-by-j-l-berg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=31230","title":{"rendered":"Blog Tour, ARC Review & Excerpt: The Scars I Bare (By the Bay, #2) by J.L. Berg"},"content":{"rendered":"

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READ TODAY!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 iBooks\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Nook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Kobo\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 <\/strong>Google Play<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

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Synopsis<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Every scar tells a story…
\n<\/em>Some are etched on the skin, for the whole world to see.<\/em>
\nOthers are buried deep, so deep, only the heart can truly find them.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dean Sutherland was the quintessential guy next door. Strong and dependable, with a heart of gold, he knew exactly where his life was headed. Until one fateful night at sea ripped away everything.<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s adrift, a man without a purpose.<\/p>\n

Cora Carpenter thought she had the perfect life. A successful career, an affectionate husband and a daughter who adores her. But soon that perfect world is crashing down around her, and she\u2019s in need of a fresh start. Moving to a remote town on the coast of North Carolina seems like the perfect plan. That is until she finds herself face to face with a kindred soul from her past.<\/p>\n

Dean and Cora have more in common than either are willing to admit. Both deeply rooted in their pain, they can\u2019t help but find hope in each other\u2019s eyes and passion entwined with every touch. But can two broken hearts make a whole?<\/p>\n

Will the scars they\u2019ve bared to one another poison their happily ever after, or can love truly heal all?<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cSomeday, you\u2019re going to realize your life didn\u2019t end \u2026 Someday, you\u2019re going to look past those wounds and scars that ripped open your body and realize you have more to give, more to live, and more to love.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3.5 stars!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I really enjoyed this book. With a gorgeous yet tormented hero, and a heroine who is a strong yet damaged single mother, this is a sweet, heartfelt love story between two broken people, and a gorgeous story of healing from the past and finding happiness<\/p>\n

You could easily read this book as a standalone, but be aware that you will be missing some of the backstory and context that takes place in the first book in the series \u2013 The Choices I’ve Made<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We were introduced to Dean in the first book and saw him go through a trauma which left him scarred inside and out, and I was so excited to see that we would be getting his story in full. It\u2019s been three years since the accident that changed his life, and in the present day – and through his past journal entries – we get to see just how much it has altered him, how lost he feels, and how hard he is finding it to find his new normal.<\/p>\n

I thought I could go back.
\nBack to my life.
\nBack to normal.
\nBut what is normal now?<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cora is a single mother who is newly divorced and starting a new life for herself and her young daughter. She is also scarred from all that she\u2019s been through, and her life is a bit of a mess as she\u2019s keeping some pretty significant secrets, but she has high hopes for her move to the small island of Ocracoke, starting with a new job with none other than Dr Jake Jameson (hero of book #1).<\/p>\n

Dean met Cora while he was in hospital recovering from his injury. She was his nurse and he fell for her in a big way, but she wasn\u2019t available, and her absence from his life felt like another loss. So when she shows up on his island, he is both stunned and excited, knowing that this may be the second chance he never thought he\u2019d get. But he can see that she\u2019s been through hell and is also struggling to find her place.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t know what had happened to Cora in her life since I\u2019d been her patient, but I recognized wounds and battle scars, and the woman who stood in front of me was bathed in them. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is such a gorgeous story. Dean and Cora are gorgeous together, with great chemistry. Obviously there are issues there that they need to deal with, but the drama is handled well, and they don\u2019t let their baggage get in the way of them getting to know each other again. Instead they slowly open up and help each other to heal, and though they have their back and forth, it\u2019s all understandable and their love story is functional, sweet, emotional and sexy. It moves at a great pace, and I was easily swept up in it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then what?\u201d he asked.
\n\u201cAnd then\u2026everything.\u201d
\n\u201cEverything?\u201d
\nI nodded. \u201cEverything. I want it all. With you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Adding to the wonderful dynamic is Cora\u2019s daughter, Lizzie. She plays a huge part in the story, and the adorably precocious, genius five year old is not only a gorgeous addition to Dean and Cora\u2019s love story, but she\u2019s a wonderfully developed character all on her own. I particularly loved seeing her develop her relationship with Dean. She\u2019s a true scene stealer, I just loved her.<\/p>\n

Lizzie organised her backpack for the tenth time. There were literally three things in there, but she was convinced it was necessary to know exactly where they were at all times.
\nHow I\u2019d managed to give birth to the female version of Sheldon Cooper was beyond me. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I also loved the inclusion of Jake and Molly from book #1. They have some great story progression, and I really enjoyed seeing the dynamic between them and Dean. It\u2019s unusual, but they handle it well. The two boys in particular have a great friendship, and I laughed out loud at their antics and banter.<\/p>\n

I really enjoyed this book. It\u2019s a quick, sweet and easy read, and I\u2019m looking forward to getting to know more of these characters as the series continues.<\/p>\n

3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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By the Bay<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Choices I’ve Made (#1) <\/strong>(Jake & Molly)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The Scars I Bare (#2) <\/strong>(Dean & Cora)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Lies I’ve Told (#3) <\/strong>(Aiden & Millie)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mistakes I’ve Made (#4) <\/strong>(Taylor & Lani)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Secrets We Keep (#5) <\/strong>(Macon & Marin)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Bridges I’ve Burned (#6) <\/strong>(Zander & Elena)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

By the time I arrived at the inn for dinner, I was a goddamn mess. Sweat was running down my back from the heat, even after changing my shirt twice. I\u2019d changed my mind three times on whether to bring flowers for Cora, doubling back to the house at the last minute to grab them after I firmly decided to leave them at home.<\/p>\n

When I finally arrived, I was a solid twenty minutes late and probably looked like a psychopath from all the sweat and the mangled flowers in my hand.<\/p>\n

But all of this was forgotten the moment the door opened, and Cora greeted me.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus,\u201d I cursed, giving her a once-over before she even had the chance to say hi. \u201cYou look insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInsane is good?\u201d she asked, pink staining her cheeks.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d never seen her in anything beyond scrubs and shorts. Granted, this woman could wear a paper bag and be the hottest woman in the room. Tonight though, she\u2019d dressed up, wearing a short, strappy number with tiny pink flowers dotting the fabric.<\/p>\n

\u201cInsane is really good,\u201d I clarified.<\/p>\n

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Meet J. L. Berg<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I\u2019m a California native, who lives in the South \u2013 Virginia to be exact. I still prefer sushi to fried chicken, avocados to okra, and I absolutely loathe humidity. I do love watching the seasons change though. My husband and I have been here for over a decade, and I still get giddy like a school girl every time it snows. It\u2019s magical!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m married to my high school sweetheart, and we\u2019ve been blessed with two beautiful daughters and two rescue pups I like to call my \u201ccoworkers\u201d. I\u2019m obsessed with chocolate, minions, anything Harry Potter and I love to watch re-runs of Friends and Gilmore Girls!<\/p>\n

Connect with J. L. Berg:<\/p>\n

Facebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Twitter\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Website<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  READ TODAY! Amazon\u00a0 |\u00a0 iBooks\u00a0 |\u00a0 Nook\u00a0 |\u00a0 Kobo\u00a0 |\u00a0 Google Play   Synopsis Every scar tells a story… Some are etched on the skin, for the whole world to see. Others are buried […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":3.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,9,29],"tags":[59,808,282,48],"class_list":["post-31230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-by-the-bay","tag-j-l-berg","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/The-Scars-I-Bare.jpg?fit=150%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-87I","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}