Super sweet

I enjoyed the story very much. I would’ve liked to hear ILA explain the fact that she really didn’t know her brother but it never came. I thought Rhett was a good guy that was really hurt. I wasn’t offended at all. The end of the book stopped a bit abrupt but over all a decent-listen. Narrators were good too. .

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Horrible heroine

I couldn't finish this book. The heroine is a horrible person and I couldn't get past how she was a snarky lying beast to a man who was obviously hurting. Total sociopath. There was nothing in the story that hinted at a happy ending. I'm sure there was a "happy ending," but nothing made me want that for the heroine.

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too much heartache.

really liked the book but parts of it felt a little rapey and then a good chunk was just sad. it ended well but I can't say I'll be listening again.

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Great story

Great story, great narration. I have reread this several times and each time I find something new to appreciate. I love the imperfection of the characters.

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Love it!

This book has been on my kindle for a long time, I do not know why I have not read it. I am so happy that I got the chance to listen to it. It was an entertaining, angst filled, and heartwarming story. I enjoyed every single moment of this book.

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A good read.

I love the ending to this book. At the beginning, I didn’t know I wanted to because it was kind of on the slow side. But I warmed up to the story, and I like the way the romantic dynamic went along with falling in love yes, finally a happy ending baby. I’ll see if I lose it.

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Rhett & Ayla’s Story Is A Dark Dive!

Rhett & Ayla’s Story Is A Dark Dive Into Deceit Twisted With Grief! Ayla Hopes To Learn About A Half-Brother That Hated Her, But Learns There Is More To The Story Than She Had First Known. Rhett Turns Into A Crude And Cold-Hearted Monster As His Personal Life Crumbles.


Ayla Coldwell, twenty-five, never had a chance to meet her half-brother before the accident that took his life. At twenty-six, Bryce Renner was living the high life in New York. He was supposedly very popular with the ladies. His contract to play hockey for the New York Spartans had earned him a lavish lifestyle. As his only surviving family member, Ayla leaves her Los Angeles home and heads to New York to help settle her brother’s estate. She hopes to learn more about Bryce from his teammates. She had desperately wanted to establish a relationship with him since she had first learned of his existence twelve years ago, but Bryce had adamantly refused all attempts she made to contact him. He had hated her. He probably resented her existence, given that her mother nearly destroyed his parents’ marriage. But his mother had succumbed to a brain tumor years ago, and still he refused her. His father – the father that Ayla had never met – died more recently. So Ayla finds herself living in the apartment of a brother she has never met as she settles his affairs, trying to understand who Bryce was.

Rhett Carson, probably late twenties, likes his privacy and has no interest in PR stunts. That is why he chose to keep his engagement to Damiana Westwood – Victoria’s Secret Angel and highly sought after supermodel – out of the press. It was not common knowledge. Like so many of his teammates, Rhett had played the field when he first got his NHL contract, but he soon tired of it and sought something steady. He loved Damiana and looked forward to their future together. Bryce had been his best friend and his death hit Rhett hard. Bryce was the only person that really understood him, so his death left Rhett ungrounded. But the news that really sent him in a tailspin was the fact that Damiana had been in an accident, too. Lost and all alone in a world of pain, he vows never to get caught up in feelings again. He turns cold-hearted.

Ayla is not terribly surprised to learn that her existence had previously been unknown to Bryce’s teammates, but that doesn’t stop them from making her feel welcome. Between the services and Coach Harris’ desire to help her set up a foundation in her brother’s name, she ends up seeing the players occasionally even though it is the off season. She learns a few things about her half-brother – he is a slob and was sometimes difficult to get along with – but his teammates suggest his best friend Rhett will have more answers. Yet Rhett is strangely absent from the activities and there are hushed whispers that hint of a problem, but that only increases her curiosity about the mystery hockey player. She checks him out on social media, so she recognizes him immediately when she shows up to meet her college roommate Bostyn at the Prescott Club on a quiet Monday evening.

Rhett and Ayla begin a no-strings relationship that doesn’t involve much talking. It is how Rhett wants it. He is cold and demanding. Ayla struggles with the need to come clean versus helping soothe his troubled soul – because Rhett will certainly push her away once her identity is known. His feelings about Bryce are too twisted and fresh. Her mother’s saying – that the people who are the hardest to love are the ones who need it the most – has her temporarily abandoning the need to reveal her identity. She wants to help him, but soon feelings begin to creep in, further complicating the matter.

Rhett and Ayla’s story is deep and dark. It is about loss and detachment. Rhett spirals into darkness as his personal life crumbles. He turns into a crude and cold-hearted monster. But his loss is real, and his reaction might be wrong but it is heartfelt. His plight is sympathetic, and his behavior is a misguided reaction that serves to humanize his dark side. Ayla senses that he needs love, but there is a real underlying connection that ties them together. But Ayla will eventually need to return home to LA, and the truth has a way of coming out. What is already an unstable relationship built on a shallow foundation is destined to fail when tested. They each have to analyze their lives and work through their pain, and their road is full of challenges.

NOTE: there are hints of a story to follow in a Hearted series – Locke Hearted – but at this writing it is not to be found. Lock Carson, twenty-five, is Rhett’s younger brother and a millionaire playboy. He developed and sold several apps. Here he becomes a single dad and decides the best gift to his daughter will be to give her a mother. Bostyn Beckford, a writer and Ayla’s college roommate, enters the picture and there are signs of a story to be told.

Rhett and Ayla’s story is a dark dive into deceit twisted with grief. Ayla hopes to learn about a brother that hated her, but learns there is more to the story than she had first known. Their story is nicely written. The plot sucks you in as the truth is gradually revealed. The characters’ journey through grief is complex. Pairing it with a new relationship only adds fuel to the fire. Their story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Rhett and Ayla. I rate this book 4.5 stars.

As for the Audio: it is well-performed and consistent with the book.

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Overall A+!

I liked this story; enjoyed it cover to cover. Liked the moral struggle Ila had with herself; her lie of omission that would have-did-change everything between Rhett and herself. I liked his struggle with the old betrayal that haunted him and, conscious and otherwise, governed his inability to accept emotional intimacy. I liked that their feelings, hurt and betrayal notwithstanding, were strong enough to bring them together again and again. I liked his breakthrough allowing him to accept...and admit...his love for her and hers for him. Did I mention? I liked this lust to lovers to sweethearts story

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Heroine is Pathetic

Can we at least have a heroine who has some dignity Jesus Christ she was PATHETIC love or not love don’t ever be a doormat. I know it’s a story however it is still Gross.

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Aptly titled - but too cold for me.

Misunderstandings happen in life and in romance, but I don't read or listen to be immersed in so much misery. The title is "cold" and the emotional temperature between Ayla and Rhett is truly frigid at times. The first few minutes put me off, and listening for an hour more didn't make me feel any better. Many readers and listeners loved this one, but it was the first Romance package title I didn't bother to finish.

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2 people found this helpful