Gah! I loved Lifers, and enjoyed reading Jordan and Torrey’s story SO much. It’s a beautiful and emotional tale of two people who better one another. Jane Harvey-Berrick did a great job of bringing her characters to life and grabbing you from the beginning. She doesn’t let go until the very last page.
First, there's Torrey – She’s feisty, spunky, a bit wild, but has a good heart. She’s badass, says exactly what is on her mind, and doesn’t have a care in the world whether people approve of her or not. She has a past and is trying to get far away from it. She moves to Texas to live with her mother, mainly as a stepping stone to more in life. That stepping stone just happens to include a lot of one night stands and wild behavior. She ends up finding much more than she expected by coming across Jordan. (I kinda want to be Torrey when I grow up, or parts of her anyway.)
Then there's Jordan – Ahh, I want to hug him. He’s such a good guy, but one night of crazy, fun, teenage normalcy changed his life forever. After 8 years in prison, he’s released, but his life doesn’t get any better. Everyone in his town knows what he did, and they make his life a living hell because of it. He believes he deserves the horrible treatment from past friends who used to be close to him, or people he used to know. He lives and breathes the guilt from the accident. He won't allow himself even a smidge of happiness. Then there is the rough relationship with his parents who don’t side with him, as you would assume. They’re very open about not approving of him being in their house, and don’t want him near. It’s just so heartbreaking to see him living that way, when he should be surrounded by people who love him and welcome him home with open arms.
When Jordan and Torrey meet, *sigh* (there’s a sigh somewhere in all of my reviews. I just can’t help it) To see how much Torrey helps him is amazing. She brings him out of the darkness and makes Jordan see that he CAN be happy. She shows him that he doesn’t deserve to be treated badly, and it takes a bit for him to finally understand, but when he does, you breathe a huge sigh of relief. I loved seeing the change in their relationship, and how much they helped each other. Jordan went from this sad, lonely guy trying to figure out his way in the world, to a guy who smiles, laughs, and jokes around. When you meet him in the beginning, you would have never expected that he could change so much. As much as Torrey changes Jordan, he does the same for her. He breaks through her walls. She was just this wild child who had no intention of letting someone close to her again, yet she couldn't help but fall in love with him.
Their relationship isn't ALL serious, there is a ton of fun between Torrey’s smart mouth and Jordan’s wittiness. They mesh together unbelievably well. There are so many funny or sexy moments, you kind of forget how sad Jordan’s life is for a split second. Their morning coffee dates, interactions with friends, and even their arguments are all fantastic.
Jane leaves it in such a happy place, but I really want to know more. What are they doing now? Where are they? Are they still as happy as they appeared? I kept swiping my screen with my finger, thinking surely book 2 would miraculously appear. No such luck. Yet. Come on Jane! Please! I need more Torrey and Jordan!
I do want to mention that the dialect bothered me a teeny tiny bit. I understand being from the south, but it seemed to be over exaggerated. It wasn’t such a problem that I’d want to put the book down, because I loved the story way too much for that. You do get used to it, and it’s not a big deal. Just a little thing that stuck out.
This probably seems so silly, but you know how they say not to judge a book by its cover, especially with this genre because so many have half naked guys on the front? But with Lifers, REALLY look at the cover. It tells you everything about this story. The colors, the clothes, the background, the mirror imaging. It was perfect, and I LOVE it. Good job Hang Le and Jane Harvey-Berrick!
Overall, I was completely enthralled with this story. Between the blog, work, and kids, it takes quite the book for me to really get so sucked in that I cannot put it down. Lifers did that for me. I can’t recommend it enough. You’ll fall head over heels in love with Jordan and Torrey. It's no secret that I LOVE Jane, and Lifers didn't disappoint.
<3 Erin
Amazon
First, there's Torrey – She’s feisty, spunky, a bit wild, but has a good heart. She’s badass, says exactly what is on her mind, and doesn’t have a care in the world whether people approve of her or not. She has a past and is trying to get far away from it. She moves to Texas to live with her mother, mainly as a stepping stone to more in life. That stepping stone just happens to include a lot of one night stands and wild behavior. She ends up finding much more than she expected by coming across Jordan. (I kinda want to be Torrey when I grow up, or parts of her anyway.)
Then there's Jordan – Ahh, I want to hug him. He’s such a good guy, but one night of crazy, fun, teenage normalcy changed his life forever. After 8 years in prison, he’s released, but his life doesn’t get any better. Everyone in his town knows what he did, and they make his life a living hell because of it. He believes he deserves the horrible treatment from past friends who used to be close to him, or people he used to know. He lives and breathes the guilt from the accident. He won't allow himself even a smidge of happiness. Then there is the rough relationship with his parents who don’t side with him, as you would assume. They’re very open about not approving of him being in their house, and don’t want him near. It’s just so heartbreaking to see him living that way, when he should be surrounded by people who love him and welcome him home with open arms.
When Jordan and Torrey meet, *sigh* (there’s a sigh somewhere in all of my reviews. I just can’t help it) To see how much Torrey helps him is amazing. She brings him out of the darkness and makes Jordan see that he CAN be happy. She shows him that he doesn’t deserve to be treated badly, and it takes a bit for him to finally understand, but when he does, you breathe a huge sigh of relief. I loved seeing the change in their relationship, and how much they helped each other. Jordan went from this sad, lonely guy trying to figure out his way in the world, to a guy who smiles, laughs, and jokes around. When you meet him in the beginning, you would have never expected that he could change so much. As much as Torrey changes Jordan, he does the same for her. He breaks through her walls. She was just this wild child who had no intention of letting someone close to her again, yet she couldn't help but fall in love with him.
Their relationship isn't ALL serious, there is a ton of fun between Torrey’s smart mouth and Jordan’s wittiness. They mesh together unbelievably well. There are so many funny or sexy moments, you kind of forget how sad Jordan’s life is for a split second. Their morning coffee dates, interactions with friends, and even their arguments are all fantastic.
Jane leaves it in such a happy place, but I really want to know more. What are they doing now? Where are they? Are they still as happy as they appeared? I kept swiping my screen with my finger, thinking surely book 2 would miraculously appear. No such luck. Yet. Come on Jane! Please! I need more Torrey and Jordan!
I do want to mention that the dialect bothered me a teeny tiny bit. I understand being from the south, but it seemed to be over exaggerated. It wasn’t such a problem that I’d want to put the book down, because I loved the story way too much for that. You do get used to it, and it’s not a big deal. Just a little thing that stuck out.
This probably seems so silly, but you know how they say not to judge a book by its cover, especially with this genre because so many have half naked guys on the front? But with Lifers, REALLY look at the cover. It tells you everything about this story. The colors, the clothes, the background, the mirror imaging. It was perfect, and I LOVE it. Good job Hang Le and Jane Harvey-Berrick!
Overall, I was completely enthralled with this story. Between the blog, work, and kids, it takes quite the book for me to really get so sucked in that I cannot put it down. Lifers did that for me. I can’t recommend it enough. You’ll fall head over heels in love with Jordan and Torrey. It's no secret that I LOVE Jane, and Lifers didn't disappoint.
<3 Erin
Amazon