Bent (Back to Brooklyn Book 1)

I don't usually read romance novels, but I decided to give this one a chance. While I felt like it started off slow, about a quarter of the way through it I realized my night would be spent reading. The story is convincingly real, which I think was why I found myself unable to put it down until it was finished. I look forward to the next novel.

Julia was probably the hardest person to like I n this book. She was wishy washy and frustrating to read. She couldn't make up her mind until the very end of the book, and she supposedly loved Micah. The story ended when the characters finally got it together. I can't say I'd recommend this book or author for that matter to anyone else. Thankfully it was free.

Not bad, but not great either...it had potential, but there were too many set backs on a too quickly rekindled relationship which seemed hard for me to buy into. And I married my high school sweetheart, but I still didn't quite believe the 'first loves' bond burning for 12 years of absence after cheating had occurred!

**ARC provided by author for an honest review**

When Julia left her hometown of Brooklyn 13 years ago, she left with a broken heart and a vow never to return. But life had other plans. When her marriage ends, she goes back home but only plans to stay along enough to get her life back in order. She never counted on reconnecting with Micah or the way he can still makes her feel.

The first night Micah sees Julia again he is floored. She is the last person he ever expected to see again. He quickly realizes he is going to have to come clean as to why he broke her heart all those years ago. He only hopes that she can somehow forgive him. He knows this is his one and only shot at having a second chance with her.

I have to admit, I was a little confused as to how after all these years, not one person had told Julia anything about Micah and what he was going through. The only think I could chalk it up to was the fact maybe they thought she didn't want to hear about him? And then when she did find out, she forgave him rather quickly. Like 3 days quickly, if you know what I mean (wink wink!).

Julia and Micah can't seem to stay away from one another. The more time they spend with each other, the harder it is to fight all those feelings that resurface. It brings to question, do you ever really get over your first love? And if presented with the opportunity to try again with them, would you?

As the story progresses, so does the relationship between Micah and Julia. But it all seems to be too much too fast for Her. And she gets spooked when he makes an off handed comment about parenthood. Julia makes the decision to run. But this time, Micah isn't letting her go without a fight. He had to let her go once and he knows he can't do it again. He is willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. Will that be enough? Well, you are just going to have to read the book to find out!

This book has...
mild heat
lots of angst
some lack of communication
first love
forgiveness
a HEA
And NO CLIFF HANGER!!

All which make for a pretty good read if you ask me! I am looking forward to reading Carly and Adam's story!

Having just got divorced, Julia Sanders decide to go back to her hometown of Brooklyn in Wisconsin the town that holds a painful memory, the town she left 12 years before with a broken heart. The plan was meant to be straightforward enough, catch up with her best friend, and plan what to next in her life, which was how to make the dreams that she had put on hold for so long come true. What Julie didn't plan was that on her on her first night back in town she would see Micah Anderson her childhood sweetheart. The boy who was responsible for the heartbreak that, she has never completely recovered from. Reconnecting with Micah leaves Julia questioning her plans and what she wants to do next.

"There was that ridiculous pull in her heart that knew the first, and possibly only, man she loved was back in the life. Why can't the heart forget the love and remember the hurt."

Micah never stopped loving her he had spent the last 12 years regretting the night when he let Julia go, regretting the lie he told and not being honest with her. Seeing Julia again means he has to face his past, he has to tell her the truth as there is no way he will not be able to keep the reason for that lie a secret. Can Micah get Julia to forgive him, and if she does can they have a second chance at a future together.

"I made the biggest mistake in my life when I left you. I don't want to do that again. You are the only woman I've ever loved. I think I loved you even before we were a couple. I know I loved you when I shouldn't have. I never stopped loving you" ~ Micah

For the most part I liked Julia, she was confidant character, and if you pissed her off she would tell you exactly what she is thinking, but she did frustrate me at times with some of her choices, the word selfish comes to mind. Micah was lovely Julie is not a push over, so he has to work hard if he is going to get her to forgive and trust him again. He really pulls out all the stops, I did love the roses scene I thought it was extremely cute.

The storyline it made me laugh, smile; it was about that first love you never forget, forgiveness, and how honest is the best policy. It had plenty of drama, was high on the romance, touching and had a crazy ex wife that added a twist to the story. I liked that you find out quite quickly what Micah did all those years ago that left Julia devastated, and yes she has every right to be pissed. I liked the secondary characters Julie's brother Adam and her friends Annie and Carly; however, I didn't like that they seemed to be Team Micah and even though they knew the truth and they never told Julia.

I would recommend this book overall an enjoyable read. You will be happy to know that Bent has no cliffhanger, H.B. Heinzer gave me a sweet ending that left me with a big fat grin on my face. ☺ So I'm excited that after finishing this review, I'm going to sit down with a cup of tea and read an ARC of the next one in the series Breaking The Rules which is Adam and Carly story.

Bent gets 4 stars from me

Some more quotes:

"Her head told her she needed to stay mad at Micah. Her heart has always turned to warm putty in his hands and was threatening to do that again. No, this was a time to listen to her head. Her heart was foolish." ~ Julie

"Do you think there's a chance that someday your heart will heal from everything I've done to you so you can really love me again?" ~ Micah

"I know you're freaking out. I don't blame you. But he's changed. You need to let him show you that" ~ Carly

"I think you guys have proved your point. That bitch is nuts" ~ Julia

Julia is returning home to her small town of Brooklyn, Wisconsin after a long absence. She has to face the man who broke her heart 13 years ago, find out what has happened to him during that time, and try to come to terms with who she is and what she wants out of life.

I completely adored her first love, Micah. Yeah, he messed up. He knows he did and he has no problem admitting it or trying to make up for it. He is a little rough around the edges and a single father. He is sweet, protective, vulnerable, determined, and romantic. Julia is guarded, independent, stubborn, but loving. Together they are flirty, feisty, and fall back into old habits.

(Quote)How could the man who ripped her heart out still make her feel this way?

I was immediately pulled into their story. About 1/4 of the way through, I was wondering what the rest of the book was going to be about. Everything seemed to be going to so well...And then the drama hit. The past keeps rearing it's ugly head. And there are misunderstandings, lies, secrets, fears, and life situations that make things difficult for this couple. There was never any doubt in my mind that this couple loved each other and wanted to be together. The problem was more if they could converge their lives and make it work.

(Quote)Micah gently pulled on Julia's shoulders until her face was inches from his. "Do you think there's a chance that someday your heart will heal from everything I've done to you so you can really love me again?"

"Micah, even with everything that's happened in our lives, I don't think there was ever a time when I didn't love you. You've bent the hell out of my heart but for whatever twisted reason, I never stopped loving you."

I had a real soft spot for his son Caleb. And loved her brother Adam, her friends Carly, Annie and Lizzie. They all added a depth to the story and made you really want to live in this town where people cared about you so much.

I will be interested to see what story will be told in Breaking the Rules(Back to Brooklyn#2) coming out in Late Spring 2013. HB Heinzer has a very engaging writing style that just draws you in. It flows impeccably and she allows you to identify with the characters and their feelings. She makes you see their flaws and their strengths and did not make it easy on them to make it work. And even though I kept hoping that all of their problems would just go away so they could be together, I was a little sad when the last page ended since I loved spending time in Brooklyn with these characters.

Thanks to HB Heinzer for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review

I have had the opportunity to read this awesome book by HB Heinzer, Bent.

This is one of those books you just cannot put down. I have been sick for the past week and I sat down tonight to read it and I just couldn't put it down.

Bent is a very well written, exciting, fun romantic book. I can't say there was even a small part that wasn't exciting to read. Never a dull moment and keeps you on your toes. I love the detail she has written with but not so much that the story gets lost but that it creates this lovely image of a story unfolding before you. I never got bored or lost interest just as you were sure where the story was going there was a twist or turn to keep you wondering what happens next.

The characters are full of life and interesting, the story keeps you wanting to learn more about them. Each character seems very real!

I have truly enjoyed reading this book. I do believe I will be cracking it open for a second read in the next day or two. I say go get yourself a copy and sit back relax and get lost in this story! Here is the easy way to find it on the store.

I finished reading this book last night and absolutely loved it.

Micah, while drunk ended up sleeping with someone else. That night cost him Julia, but gave him Caleb.

Now 12 years later Julie returns to town unaware of the real reason Micah broke up with her and to say it doesn't go down to well is an understatement, but he could't exactly hide a 12 year old boy.

This story is about a love that never really died, and two people trying to get back what they once had, while someone else tries to keep them apart.

It has a happily ever after, which made me smile and say a silent thanks to the author.

Book two is about a different character from book one, which i'm looking forward to.

Thank you for providing me with an ARC, I loved it.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a great summer read. It is very well written and will make you want to jump out of your seats while reading it. I loved Micha and his personality from the very beginning, he just made me want to love him even more with each page I read. Bent is addicting and you find it hard to put it down. You too will fall in love with Micah and rooting for Julia and his relationship to rein over the evil crazy one. I loved it and I can't wait for the sequel Breaking The Rules (late May release). Go out and get this book!!! Micha left Julia and knows he screwed up big time and needs to know find a way that he can fix what he messed and get back what he and Julia had once. I really liked this book its a great read and everybody will love it.

This book was quite a roller coaster ride. I loved all the characters in this story and couldn't help but hurt for them when things got rough. I even had sympathy for the "villain" in the story. Julia's reactions to most of the situations were realistic and I could see where she was coming from. While some might get frustrated with her need to do things for herself, I completely empathized. You can't help but fall in love with Micah and admire his decision to be a good father. In a day when so many men throw their children away it was refreshing to read about one who put his child first. There were some editing issues through out the book but nothing that took away from the story. There is some sexual content and language. I recommend this read for 17 yrs. and older.

This is an amazing story. Julia and Micha were in love as teenagers but when Julia goes off to college their relationship ends. She goes on to get married and then ends up divorced. She goes back to her hometown to find herself and get back on her feet. What she doesn't expect is to run into her first love and find out the real reason they broke up. She becomes a lifeline for Micah's son. As much as she tries to fight him, Micha gets under her skin and shows her they are meant to be together. They go through many up and downs but in the end find that they belong together. Very well written. No cliffhanger. Can't wait for the next one in the series.

This book starts with a good premise, high school sweethearts reconnecting as adults years after graduating, however the story failed to deliver. The storyline is convoluted, some of the characters have no depth, events and people are randomly introduced etc. The author has the main character alternately referring to herself in the first person, by her name . The main character was all over the place, the story just did not flow well.

This is an amazing story. Julia and Micha were in love as teenagers but when Julia goes off to college their relationship ends. She goes on to get married and then ends up divorced. She goes back to her hometown to find herself and get back on her feet. What she doesn't expect is to run into her first love and find out the real reason they broke up. She becomes a lifeline for Micah's son. As much as she tries to fight him, Micha gets under her skin and shows her they are meant to be together. They go through many up and downs but in the end find that they belong together. Very well written. No cliffhanger. Can't wait for the next one in the series.

This book starts with a good premise, high school sweethearts reconnecting as adults years after graduating, however the story failed to deliver. The storyline is convoluted, some of the characters have no depth, events and people are randomly introduced etc. The author has the main character alternately referring to herself in the first person, by her name . The main character was all over the place, the story just did not flow well.

I was disappointed in the Character development and it felt disjointed. Something in the writing was missing. I didn't love any if the characters. In fact, I was getting annoyed with them at some points. I didn't feel emotion from them. But, the biggest distraction was how haphazard the story line unraveled. I understand wanting to keep the reader mystified about Micah's history, but it felt over done and never truly delved into it. The emotional rollercoaster they go on seems more schizo and left me hard to follow. The main character had me so confused a good portion of the book that I was getting really annoyed with her. I think better character development would have helped this and maybe more dialogue from the character herself.

This novel had it all - good writing, plot, characters you care about and instantly fall for, and a sweet love story that melts your heart. I love the way the author told the story, weaving past scenes into the present so that the reader slowly puts the puzzle together of what happened to the characters. Wonderful second chance at love story!

"Bent" is simply a heartwarming, and emotional tale of love, regret, and forgiveness. I felt as though I was watching the lives of good friends change before my very eyes. My heart broke for Julia, because of the situations she went through in the past, that lead up to the day she set foot back in her home town. I appreciate HB Heinzer's treatment of the characters. So much of the book rang with truth, and understanding of the difficult decisions that we must make when we find love in the most unlikely of places. I am very much looking forward to reading more from HB Heinzer in the near future!

I really enjoyed reading this one. After a couple people rec'd it to me I thought what the heck. I wasn't disappointed. The beginning may have been a bit slow but it picked up toward the middle and the end. I would recommend this one for sure!

For a debut novel, this book was good. Not great, but definitely worth taking a look at. It has a sweet love story that touched my heart and made me happy I read it. Sometimes I want an easy book to read without a lot of angst, this was it.