REVIEW: Tattered by Devney Perry

In Tattered (Lark Cove #1) by Devney Perry, Struggling to make ends meet has always been the way of things for Thea Landry it seems, with her less than auspicious start to life in New York City and later, her crappy bar jobs. It takes a one-night stand with a gorgeous man who is leagues above her for Thea to leave NYC a few months later. Pregnant and unable to find her one-off guy to give him the news, she heads to Lark Cove, Montana to start over with the two constant people in her life: Hazel and Jackson, the closest thing she’s ever had to a family. And once her daughter Charlie is born, Thea vows to do better for her than what she had growing up and to be there for her every step of the way.

‘The one thing I’d always wanted to be was part of a family. A real family. The illusion of Logan with me and Charlie was too tempting to pass up, even if it only lasted a while.’

Things are fine for almost six years for Thea, Charlie and their family of the heart, until Logan shows up unexpectedly in Lark Cove. Reeling over the knowledge that he’s a father to a five-year-old, everything changes for Logan in that moment. There’s no way he’s going back to NYC without first getting to know Charlie. Or without figuring out if the chemistry between himself and Thea was a fluke or just as strong as he remembers. Thea herself is wary by nature, and is suspicious of Logan’s intentions until it seems he truly does want to get to know Charlie better and be a fixture in her life. But so many people have let Thea down over the years that she’s not sure she trusts things to go right. So Logan sets out to find a way for them to become a family in all the ways that count, even if it means making major changes to their personal lives.

‘I might have only become a dad four hours ago, but that didn’t mean I was going to walk away. Charlie was my daughter and I wanted to get to know her.
I just hoped she wanted to get to know me too.’

Small town romance doesn’t get much more genuine or heartfelt than this. Tattered will give readers *all* the feels and pull at those heartstrings as they fall in love with each character, one by one.

‘Unlike fairy tales, there was more to real happiness than just being with someone you loved.
Loving yourself was just as important. So was finding a place where your soul was at peace.’

Tattered was actually my first time reading Devney Perry. And now that I have devoured this book, I’m ready to run out and grab all of her backlist–I liked her writing style that much. There was a smooth flow of everything from the dialogue to the way each scene unfolded as well as an incredible depth of raw emotions that hooked me from the start. I loved how Perry could go from the little bits of humor woven throughout to deep, dark emotionally-charged moments that brought tears to my eyes. But the characters themselves, how well fleshed out they were to the point that they felt real, that’s what I think drew me in and I hope will for other readers, too.

I will say while I mostly adored Thea and Logan, there were some things that irked me momentarily. Nothing major, thank goodness. But both main characters were very independent and knew what they did and didn’t want. Unfortunately, for Thea, that meant not giving Logan a chance to explain himself or convey his true feelings at times. She made assumptions that meant their issues became more complicated. And likewise, Logan was used to getting his way in most things so he figured he could have Thea and Charlie change their lives around to accommodate him. Their mutual attraction and love for one another was never really in question. It was more about the logistics of becoming a family, staying in Montana or moving to NYC. Of course it all worked out–I love the way Perry brought this story to a close!–and a compromise was made. Getting there was interesting, though. (lol)

Thea’s backstory was a heartbreaking one which we learned about bit by bit as the story progressed. There was also a thread of suspense in regard to some nasty messages she was receiving and it took me quite a while to sort through who the culprit was. So that element added some excitement to the plot. Honestly, though, it was two things that stole the show for me: Charlie and Logan getting to know each other and Thea and Logan’s explosive attraction. Secret babies are not always my favorite trope, but Perry did the storyline just right and made it seem like a plausible situation Thea found herself in. And Charlie was absolutely delightful. She was definitely her mother’s daughter, with her independent streak, thoughtfulness, and her wariness of people. But watching Charlie figure out she was athletic and had a bunch of quirky traits from her dad? Sigh-worthy. And what was even more sigh-worthy was watching Logan become smitten with his daughter and want to soak up every little thing about her–and to never again have to miss anything that happened in her life.

Lark Cove, Montana, was a terrific place to visit. With its offbeat locals who showed us both the good and bad parts about living in a small town, the beautiful backdrop only added to an already epic romance that waited six years to completely unfold.
 

Book Info:

Publication: Published June 19th 2018 | Devney Perry | Lark Cove #1

Thea Landry has always known her place in modern-day society. It’s somewhere just above the trash can her mother dumped her in as a newborn but below the class where much comes easy. With her tattered shoes and bargain-bin clothes, her life has never been full of glamour.

So when a rich and charismatic man takes interest, she doesn’t fool herself into thinking their encounter is anything more than a one-night stand. Months later, she’s kicking herself for not getting his phone number. Or his last name. She’s given up hope of seeing him ever again.

Until one day, years later, Logan Kendrick waltzes into her life once more and turns everything she’s built upside down. This time around, she won’t make the same mistake. She’s going to fight to keep him in her life—not for herself.

But for their daughter.