STUBBORN LOVE (I Love You #2) by NATALIE WARD

Reviewed by Jenny & Gitte

Gitte: What brilliant and clever writing by Natalie Ward. I absolutely loved ‘Stubborn Love’ – loved Mia and Jared’s story. Loved the fact that I spent one of the most intense days listening to them as if I was in the same room, sat on tenterhooks wanting them to be okay. Because they’re not okay, they have a lot to sort out and work through.

“I want him, I need him. I want what was between us….I want that back.” – Mia

“…I’m beginning to realise this girl is just as fucking stubborn as her brother.”

Mia is Luke’s sister and Jared is his best mate; we met them both in book #1 and their story is given to us through both pov’s and past/present jumps. Some pov’s overlap which I thought was so well thought out, as we got both reactions to the same scene. As I said; brilliant.  It was flawless and so very unique I was glued to my kindle.

So, ‘Stubborn Love’ runs alongside ‘I Love You to Death’ (I Love You #1) timeframe wise, which at first confused me slightly, however, I was soon up to speed with where and ‘when’ everything was story-wise. However, I would recommend either reading book #1 again or refreshing your memory somehow. Though, perhaps that was just me, as it’s been a long while since I read book #1. What do you think Jenny?

Jenny:  I agree Gitte.  For those of you who read I Love you To Death a year ago like us, maybe a skim through is in order before heading into this one. But as you said, once you realise the gist of what is going in regards to the parallel story and timelines with ILYTD you are in awe of how Natalie Ward did this. My head was spinning at how she tied everything into that timeframe.

“He told me that life is too short to live without the things you want, to not fight for the things you love…”

Gitte I love it when a book makes you think. When it tests you and isn’t handed to you on a platter and that is exactly what Natalie Ward gave us with Stubborn Love.  I love the fluidity of her prose and this book was so beautifully written and so cleverly executed that you are not only gifted a new story and a new understanding, a new awareness of the characters involved, but you’re also afforded a new perspective on some of the events which unfolded in I Love You To Death and I was hooked!

I was so excited when I heard we were getting Jared and Mia’s story.  They intrigued me in ILYTD. I wanted to know what caused the animosity and coolness between these two. Just what had transpired between them that brought them to that point.

“I want whatever is there, waiting to happen between us, to be real. Because at this moment, the feelings I have for her are the most real thing I have ever felt.”

By allowing us to be with them in “real” time as they shared their pain and stories to the flashbacks where we witness their relationship develop, well, I have to say I fell in love with these two and their story really did captivate me.

Gitte: So, Mia and Jared shared a beautiful love a love that grew throughout our peeks at their past history. A love that started out as a secret in fear of hurting and upsetting Luke, a fear that turned out to be avoidable and unnecessary.

“I turned her down at a time when she needed someone, something to make her feel good, feel wanted…”

Their love never faded or died, but their relationship did when Mia put a stop to it for reasons only known to her.

“He’s fighting for me, fighting to keep me, but I can’t let him.” – Mia

So we join them in the present when an intensely fateful day/night takes place. Mia opens up to Jared and we hear just why. She didn’t let him or us in easily though, the emotion was palpable and so intense I think I needed a drink or two to carry on. The flashbacks were beautiful and so very passionate that the balance was just perfect.

“I know I’ve messed things up and I know I have a lot to be sorry for, but I want him to know that I am sorry. I want to ask for his forgiveness. I want to try and fix things, no matter how hard it’s going to be.” – Mia

“….all I feel is regret…” – Jared

Her pain and anguish really did get to me Jenny. I hate when love gets interrupted, but I love second chance love too, so phew…..My heart ultimately broke for Jared though, because he had no clue as to why or anything, did he Jenny?

“…it’s his eyes and what I see in them that really kills me. They are filled with hurt. Hurt and regret and misery and it hits me, like a hard punch in the gut, all the things I’ve done to this man, to this amazing, beautiful man who I love, so much.”

Jenny:  Oh Gitte I felt so sorry for Jared. I adored this man. He was open, honest and really did wear his heart on his sleeve so you were in no doubt whatsoever about the love he felt for Mia.

“Don’t ever think that I don’t want you Mia.”
“Because I do, more than you’ll ever know.”

The fact that she ostracised him the way she did, the confusion he felt over her coldness towards him really did throw him for a loop. He honestly had no idea why she acted the way she did.

Listening to them both pour their hearts our via alternating POV’s of the same situations really did make you feel every bit of anguish, sorrow and complete despair at the miscommunication, the misunderstanding and the sheer waste of time they spent apart feeling resentment and hurt towards one another.

“God, I miss him. I miss him so badly that it physically hurts. A deep ache, which permanently lives inside my chest…..”

In saying that I did finally understand Mia’s reasoning. She thought she was being selfless but had misconstrued the situation. Seeing their feelings laid bare to one another, sharing their pain, their hurt, their love and their anger felt real and it felt raw and I was completely riveted to every minute of it.

“What about me? What about making me fucking happy?”

I cried a few times through this book at the realness of the emotions I felt through the pages.

Gitte: So overall, despite my initial confusion, I absolutely loved this story and all the characters. It was beautiful and so emotionally intense. Oh and ummm Jared…you naughty naughty man!! That….is…..all…..

 “All of the wasted time apart, the misunderstandings and my own stupidity and cowardice, drive us together, drive us into each other….” – Mia

Jenny:   Following this story as it culminated into the tragic events of ILYTD ruined me. I can tell you now….Luke’s book will KILL me. My heart broke for this beautiful man and the life he had lead. How he turned out so kind and so loving is beyond me. A true testament to the man himself.

The underlying relationships explored through Stubborn Love were so engaging and beautiful. To witness the depth of the bond between Mia & Luke was just wonderful.   Mia carries so much guilt over Luke’s childhood and these two have a really special relationship that I loved exploring further in this book.

But this was Mia and Jared’s story and what a story it was. It was heart-breaking. It was frustrating. It was painful and it was sad.

“For the first time, I can see that both of us have been hurting because of this.”

But it was also beautiful, passionate, intense and extremely moving. I was completely in love with this story.

“It was like I meant nothing to you, as though we and everything we had together , meant nothing to you.”

You know you’ve loved a book when you finish it with a smile on your face and you need to take that moment to absorb, to reminisce and you never want to let go of the characters. Yep!  That was me with Stubborn Love.

Oh and yes and I agree G.  Jared, you naughty, sexy man!

 Gitte: 4.5 Stars
Jenny: 4.5 Stars

ARC Supplied by author in exchange for an honest review

I LOVE YOU SERIES can be purchased below

I LOVE YOU TO DEATH BOOK ONE : amazon us || amazon uk
STUBBORN LOVE BOOK TWO :  amazon us | amazon uk
I LOVE YOU, ALWAYS BOOK THREE : amazon us | amazon uk