Complicated Hearts (Book 1) is truly one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I have been afraid to dive into MM, MFM, MM type of books but I was so intrigued by the blurb that I decided to buy it and boy was I glad I did. This book is an emotional, raw, intense and griping tale about life, love and how complicated or complicating it often is to be ourselves or accept others when we don't follow society norms. Throughout the book I was amazed by Ashley's creative genius and her writing skills. From the first words, she takes right through the story and makes you live, feel every character's journey, struggle. Once you start the book, you will be physically unable to put it down. You will go through a variety of emotions: you will smile, laugh, cry, curse and yell at the characters but also at Ashley (sorry Ashley) for such turmoil, such apocalyptic read. It's rare to end up loving every single character of a book. Only Ashley Jade can do that!
With Complicated Hearts (Book 1), Ashley Jade makes us abandon our misconceptions and naivete about love, relationship, following society rules and belonging to really grasp, be in tune of what really matters, what really is important but most of all what it is all about.
Take this journey with Breslin, Asher and Landon that will fight and struggle to overcome their past, deal with life wrenching secrets, self-worth search and society's hypocrisy to become the best version of themselves worthy of love, of living life as they are meant to.
I intentionally did not give too much details about the characters to avoid any spoilers and entice you all to grab a copy. You will sure be glad you did!
Complicated Hearts: Complicated Hearts, Book 2
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars | 4,170 ratings
Price: 13.62
Last update: 01-06-2025
About this item
Things are going to get...complicated.
This is book 2 (the final book) of the Complicated Hearts Duet. Book 1 must be listened to first.
Warning: This book is not for everyone. These characters are flawed, and the situation is intense and frustrating. Emotions - all of them - run high. If you're looking for perfect characters and a perfect story...this book isn't for you.
Top reviews from the United States
Isabelle D'A5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! WOW! WOW. An unbelievable and so eye opening read. 10 stars+!!
Summer smith4.0 out of 5 stars Just one girl's opinion
IMHO, Love is a verb, shown by actions!
MS Jade has a magical way with words and weaves an engaging story. The writing creates vivid character that evoke emotion. Kudos to this talented author.
After reading the story, I was left with admiration for her writing skills. I was als conflicted, is this a love story of a different vane, or is it the all to common story of women who want to be loved so badly, that they blame themselves, or take ownership for the actions of males who profess to love them.
Both male characters declare their love for the young woman, and yet their actions do not show it.
Her first boyfriend withholds information from her under the guise of protecting her, Granted, these are quiet young people at the time, but keeping serious events and experiences secret from the person you profess to love does not build trust. Omission is paramount to deceit. Sexual fluidity does not equate to orientation. He was a wealthy kid with resources at his disposal for many years, yet made no effort to contact her, no attempts to make sure she was well. He went on his way, having relationships that demonstrated a preference for male on male actions. It appears as if he made choices, and yet still held on the ideal of loving the young woman. Did not look like love to me
The second young man professed his love for the heroine, and yet it took one week to discover his new sexual attraction to another male, it took one more week to let someone block his phone to prevent his communication with a young woman he supposedly loved who was alone in a foreign country, maybe she might have needed him. I don't know, does not look much like love to me.
Even though this was a well written story, it gives me anxiety, Love words are thrown around rather easily,
Actions show love. It seems to me any young woman deserves to be a priority with the man who supposedly loves her. If this story ends like many, where the young woman accepts that maybe she is not enough in a relationship and that the male needs more to complete him; she takes what is offered her and somehow should be happy, I would just say, that words matter and actions speak loudest.
I work with many female patients with life threatening diseases given to them by men who could not choose, and carelessly wreck havoc on people's lives. Yes, words matter, but actions show love.
If this is a story about love, I think the heroine would learn to love herself, and wish the boyfriends, a long and happy lif. She deserves so much better than a couple of closeted men who throw around the L word!
MS Jade has a magical way with words and weaves an engaging story. The writing creates vivid character that evoke emotion. Kudos to this talented author.
After reading the story, I was left with admiration for her writing skills. I was als conflicted, is this a love story of a different vane, or is it the all to common story of women who want to be loved so badly, that they blame themselves, or take ownership for the actions of males who profess to love them.
Both male characters declare their love for the young woman, and yet their actions do not show it.
Her first boyfriend withholds information from her under the guise of protecting her, Granted, these are quiet young people at the time, but keeping serious events and experiences secret from the person you profess to love does not build trust. Omission is paramount to deceit. Sexual fluidity does not equate to orientation. He was a wealthy kid with resources at his disposal for many years, yet made no effort to contact her, no attempts to make sure she was well. He went on his way, having relationships that demonstrated a preference for male on male actions. It appears as if he made choices, and yet still held on the ideal of loving the young woman. Did not look like love to me
The second young man professed his love for the heroine, and yet it took one week to discover his new sexual attraction to another male, it took one more week to let someone block his phone to prevent his communication with a young woman he supposedly loved who was alone in a foreign country, maybe she might have needed him. I don't know, does not look much like love to me.
Even though this was a well written story, it gives me anxiety, Love words are thrown around rather easily,
Actions show love. It seems to me any young woman deserves to be a priority with the man who supposedly loves her. If this story ends like many, where the young woman accepts that maybe she is not enough in a relationship and that the male needs more to complete him; she takes what is offered her and somehow should be happy, I would just say, that words matter and actions speak loudest.
I work with many female patients with life threatening diseases given to them by men who could not choose, and carelessly wreck havoc on people's lives. Yes, words matter, but actions show love.
If this is a story about love, I think the heroine would learn to love herself, and wish the boyfriends, a long and happy lif. She deserves so much better than a couple of closeted men who throw around the L word!
The Princess5.0 out of 5 stars 5 billion stars!!
OK wow… This book was everything for me. I have never read an Ashley Jade novel, but this story has made me a fan for life. I usually like very dark, twisted type books, but this was one of kind. I am pretty obsessed with this, so I’ll try to keep out all the fun plot twists and spoilers. No promises.
Breslin grew up in a trailer park with trash for a father. She was made fun of a lot for it, but that all changed when Asher showed up and protected her from a bully. A few days later, he shows up at her house and from that moment on, they are inseparable. Since Asher comes from a conservative and wealthy family, they decide to wait for sex, but by the time senior year rolls around it’s becoming very difficult, especially for Breslin to keep their relationship non sexual. They are nominated prom King and Queen and when she tells him she can’t wait anymore, he mentions having a hotel room. Asher is a jock and a football God. So when they leave for the hotel, there is an awkward exchange between Asher and another teammate, Kyle (the bully from earlier). They have a romantic time together, but after they have sex, Asher begins to cry and admits his confession.
“Breslin…there’s no easy way to say this…but I think…I’m not sure. But I think I might… have feelings that I’m not supposed to.”
I have absolutely no idea what to make of that statement.
“Can you be a little more specific? What kinds of feelings?”
“The kind I can’t tell anyone about. The kind I don’t know how to deal with, because I don’t know what they mean.” His face falls. “The kind that might make me lose you.”
I shake my head, still baffled. “Unless you’re about to tell me you’re a serial killer I’m pretty sure we can deal with whatever it is you’re going through together. So please, before I have a heart attack, tell me what’s going on.”
“I think I might-“ He looks away. “I sort of think I might be gay.”
She does not handle the news well, and plus there is more to it than that. She tells him she never wants to see him again and he is heartbroken. He truly does love her, and he is completely crushed, so he does what he feels like is his best option which puts him in a manipulative relationship for years.
Fast forward four years later and Breslin is college, following her dream, dating an amazing guy named Landon, and living with her best friend. Landon is crazy about Breslin and she likes him a lot too, but is having a hard time letting things get serious because she can’t let go of Asher. Landon doesn’t ask a lot of questions, but he knows she’s been hurt and he hates the guy that did this to her. When the opportunity arises for her to leave the country for a class, she decides this is the perfect opportunity to clear her head. She tells Landon that she wants no attachments and being the awesome guy he is, even though he’s hurt, he loves her and wants to give her space.
“I’ll wait for you,“ I say before I take her mouth again because I can’t help myself.
“Don’t.” Her voice is broken and fragile, defeated. “I don’t want you to wait for me.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. Round and round we go again. “Why?”
“I don’t want any obligations or commitments. Not while I’m in Europe.”
“Bre-“
“No.” She backs away. “We’ll check in when I get home, see where we both stand by then. But you’re free to do what you want. It’s just the way it has to be.”
“What I want is you.”
She leaves and he is heartbroken. Meanwhile things go south for Asher and he finds himself playing football for a less than popular team. His team mates make fun of him and because of his grades, he is forced to get a tutor… which is Landon. While their relationship has a rocky start, they quickly build a friendship. Though, it doesn’t take long for Asher to become smitten with this sexy, smart, musical nerd. He knows his feelings aren’t good though because not only is Asher still in love with Breslin, but Landon is straight and in love with a girl named “B” (who we know is Breslin, but Asher doesn’t.). He wonders if Landon has any feelings for him, but doubts it because of being constantly reminded that Landon’s still hung up on this girl. Still, the more time they spend together, the harder Asher falls.
He opens his eyes again, and this time they’re trained on me. I can feel my Adam’s apple bob against my throat and something inside my chest shifts. The air in the room becomes even more charged with every second that passes between us.
Landon has to know I’m into him, there’s no way he can’t at this point.
But that’s not the cause of my current sweaty palms and racing heart…it’s that fact that maybe…just maybe.
He might be into me too.
While this is happening, Breslin has spent her time in Europe trying to get over Asher. Even though she never achieves that, she does come to the realization that she loves Landon and wants to do everything in her power to make things works with him. Yeah…
Things are about to get complicated.
This book was beyond five stars for me. There were moments I could almost hear Landon’s music and feel the things the characters were feeling. I have never read anything like this before and it has messed with my head. It was so dang hot and heart wrenching at the same time. This is the first book in a two part series and I don’t know how I’ll ever make it to August waiting for the conclusion. The cliffhanger on this thing was epically brutal. If I was ever going to suggest a romance novel, this would be it. The only thing I hated about it was how quickly it ended.
Breslin grew up in a trailer park with trash for a father. She was made fun of a lot for it, but that all changed when Asher showed up and protected her from a bully. A few days later, he shows up at her house and from that moment on, they are inseparable. Since Asher comes from a conservative and wealthy family, they decide to wait for sex, but by the time senior year rolls around it’s becoming very difficult, especially for Breslin to keep their relationship non sexual. They are nominated prom King and Queen and when she tells him she can’t wait anymore, he mentions having a hotel room. Asher is a jock and a football God. So when they leave for the hotel, there is an awkward exchange between Asher and another teammate, Kyle (the bully from earlier). They have a romantic time together, but after they have sex, Asher begins to cry and admits his confession.
“Breslin…there’s no easy way to say this…but I think…I’m not sure. But I think I might… have feelings that I’m not supposed to.”
I have absolutely no idea what to make of that statement.
“Can you be a little more specific? What kinds of feelings?”
“The kind I can’t tell anyone about. The kind I don’t know how to deal with, because I don’t know what they mean.” His face falls. “The kind that might make me lose you.”
I shake my head, still baffled. “Unless you’re about to tell me you’re a serial killer I’m pretty sure we can deal with whatever it is you’re going through together. So please, before I have a heart attack, tell me what’s going on.”
“I think I might-“ He looks away. “I sort of think I might be gay.”
She does not handle the news well, and plus there is more to it than that. She tells him she never wants to see him again and he is heartbroken. He truly does love her, and he is completely crushed, so he does what he feels like is his best option which puts him in a manipulative relationship for years.
Fast forward four years later and Breslin is college, following her dream, dating an amazing guy named Landon, and living with her best friend. Landon is crazy about Breslin and she likes him a lot too, but is having a hard time letting things get serious because she can’t let go of Asher. Landon doesn’t ask a lot of questions, but he knows she’s been hurt and he hates the guy that did this to her. When the opportunity arises for her to leave the country for a class, she decides this is the perfect opportunity to clear her head. She tells Landon that she wants no attachments and being the awesome guy he is, even though he’s hurt, he loves her and wants to give her space.
“I’ll wait for you,“ I say before I take her mouth again because I can’t help myself.
“Don’t.” Her voice is broken and fragile, defeated. “I don’t want you to wait for me.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. Round and round we go again. “Why?”
“I don’t want any obligations or commitments. Not while I’m in Europe.”
“Bre-“
“No.” She backs away. “We’ll check in when I get home, see where we both stand by then. But you’re free to do what you want. It’s just the way it has to be.”
“What I want is you.”
She leaves and he is heartbroken. Meanwhile things go south for Asher and he finds himself playing football for a less than popular team. His team mates make fun of him and because of his grades, he is forced to get a tutor… which is Landon. While their relationship has a rocky start, they quickly build a friendship. Though, it doesn’t take long for Asher to become smitten with this sexy, smart, musical nerd. He knows his feelings aren’t good though because not only is Asher still in love with Breslin, but Landon is straight and in love with a girl named “B” (who we know is Breslin, but Asher doesn’t.). He wonders if Landon has any feelings for him, but doubts it because of being constantly reminded that Landon’s still hung up on this girl. Still, the more time they spend together, the harder Asher falls.
He opens his eyes again, and this time they’re trained on me. I can feel my Adam’s apple bob against my throat and something inside my chest shifts. The air in the room becomes even more charged with every second that passes between us.
Landon has to know I’m into him, there’s no way he can’t at this point.
But that’s not the cause of my current sweaty palms and racing heart…it’s that fact that maybe…just maybe.
He might be into me too.
While this is happening, Breslin has spent her time in Europe trying to get over Asher. Even though she never achieves that, she does come to the realization that she loves Landon and wants to do everything in her power to make things works with him. Yeah…
Things are about to get complicated.
This book was beyond five stars for me. There were moments I could almost hear Landon’s music and feel the things the characters were feeling. I have never read anything like this before and it has messed with my head. It was so dang hot and heart wrenching at the same time. This is the first book in a two part series and I don’t know how I’ll ever make it to August waiting for the conclusion. The cliffhanger on this thing was epically brutal. If I was ever going to suggest a romance novel, this would be it. The only thing I hated about it was how quickly it ended.