Stories and Swag!: Blog Tour: Reviews of Remembering Joy by Jenni Moen

Alexis doesn’t believe in fairytales. She knows first hand that life can turn on a dime – that one stupid mistake can shatter dreams and irrevocably shape the future. Even though her memory of that day is hazy, she has spent the last ten years trying to put it behind her and focus on the future.

Armed with the knowledge that her career will be her only legacy, Alexis works night and day to prove that she is more than just her last name. It’s not only that she doesn’t have time for love – she doesn’t have the heart for it. After all, there’s no point in starting something that you can’t finish.

However, when she meets Adam, she’s drawn to him in a way even she can’t deny. The film student is dark and brooding and strangely charming. He’s the perfect distraction from the mundane life she’s created for herself. And, as if fate is pushing them together, he seems to be around every corner. It’s enough to almost make her entirely forget about her past and take a chance.

Unfortunately, Adam’s memory isn’t hazy . . . not in the least. And, what she doesn’t remember, he can’t forget.

Melanie says...

His touch could pull me from the darkest recesses of my mind. He had a way of healing me. - Alexis

Adam did not expect to fall in love with Alexis, the person he has spent the last 10 years hating for destroying part of his family. The only thing is; she doesn't remember her transgression. When Adam sees Alexis across the bar, he decides to seek revenge by destroying her life. Things start to get complicated when he starts to realize that she isn't the monster he had pictured in his head all of those years, but is a generous and kind person.

I still didn’t understand how I could be so attracted to her; I had hated her for so long. Yet, I kept flipping back to that kiss on the sidewalk and how she had pressed her body into mine. I’d felt the charge between us, and I know that she felt it, too... It was going to make getting her to fall for me a little harder ... but not impossible. She would fall for me ... and the harder the better because I was going to break her heart. Even if I smashed into a million pieces, it would only be a fraction of the heartache that she’d caused me every single day for the past 10 years. - Adam

It is hard to write a review without going into the story too much and ruining it for you. What Adam doesn't know that she was also forever changed by that day 10 years ago and she has it in her head that she is broken and doesn't believe that anyone would ever want a relationship with her because she is unable to provide something that most couples seek.

My apartment was my safe haven. It was the only place where I didn’t have to pretend that I was a whole person. In this space, I wasn’t the pretty girl with the perfect job made possible by an Ivy League education and a privileged upbringing by perfectly doting parents. Instead, I was free to be the broken, tired, lonely girl that I really was. In this place, it was okay that I wasn’t allowed to want for more because what I already had took everything in me. - Alexis

This is the first book of a series. It didn't end with a HEA but it wasn't a cliffhanger either. But he story is far from over. There are still a lot of things to tie up and explore. I will be looking forward to reading the next in the series!

4 Stars!

Christina says...

Alexis has been through hell and back. Living through a car accident in High school that took quite a bit from her, has made her a little untrusting in the world.

“I was damaged goods, and I’d learned the hard way that once they learned the truth I wasn’t worth sticking around for.”

Alexis spends most of her days at work earning her way through a branch of her father’s law firm. Thankfully she has Ethan her best friend in the world to help her get through her struggles. Ethan wants nothing more than to protect Alexis.

Adam’s world was rocked 10years ago. He feels nothing but hate and revenge towards Alexis. She took everything from him. What Adam did not expect was to run into Alexis that night while waiting at a bar for a friend. But once he had his eyes set on her, he knew his master plan could finally be set in motion.

“She would fall for me… and the harder the better because I was going to break her heart. Even if I smashed into a million pieces, it would only be a fraction of the heartache that she’d caused me every single day for the past 10 years.”

Adam starts pursuing Alexis. He is bound and determined to crush her. What he never expected to happen was that he could possibly ever love the woman who destroyed him so many years ago. I loved reading Adam’s POV and watching it evolve. The battle inside him to hate this woman is strong , but also the need to love her. It is intense to say the least.

But Lies, they catch up to you. They can tear everything apart.

“I won’t stay away from her.” “And don’t blame me for your mistakes. She should have dealt with this 10 years ago. If she had, she would have known who I was the first time she saw me. You decided to play God, and now we’re both begging for forgiveness.”

This book really gets under your skin. You want so badly for love all around but can there be with lies and secrets? Can those lies and secrets after fully being revealed be forgiven? This book has a lot of angst in it. You are pulled back and forth wanting and not wanting. Hating and loving. I think I will leave you to your own decision on the ending. But this is definitely a 4 star book for me. I can’t wait to see what comes next from this author.

Jenni Moen lives in her hometown in Oklahoma with her husband and three crazy, exuberant kids that have the potential to burn the house down at any moment.

When she's not chauffeuring kids around town, performing her mom duties as a short order cook and maid, or vacuuming for her fastidious husband, she hammers away at her keyboard at her big girl job as a patent attorney. While vodka and exercise have provided some relief from the daily grind, it is reading ... and now writing ... that are her true escapes.