Two strangers.
Two broken hearts.
One night to set each other free.
Almost dying from an undiagnosed heart condition means every second of your life is a precious gift to be guarded.
Lena Pettitt was born a miracle.
And her parents never let her forget it.
Even if that daily reminder kept her from experiencing the one thing they were trying to protect most–her life.
Gabriel Martinez’s heart has been ripped out.
His pride has been stomped on.
Oh, and he now has an arrest record that’s caused an even bigger rift between him and his DA mother. All for a love that wasn’t really true.
Now he’s exiled to his grandmother’s, working on his late grandpa’s old Corvair when a shivering girl knocks on the garage door. Lena, left alone for the first time ever, has locked herself out of her house–in the snow. Gabe knows he could help this girl get back inside her house–but that may mean missing the next train to Boston to pick up the part he’s spent eight weeks tracking down. She can wait for him at his grandmother’s or…
A few hours, an aluminum valve cover, and some strong coffee later, neither Gabe or Lena can feign disappointment when they race to the station and arrive just as the last train home from Boston is pulling out.
As jaded as he is, Gabe can’t deny the fact that he’s excited to spend the night exploring a city he knows nearly every corner of, with a girl who sees magic in the simplest things.
Lena has been waiting for her tiny world to crack open her entire life. Now that it’s finally happened, she finds the only thing she can focus on is the unexpected tour guide who opens her eyes to possibilities she never imagined.
All they have is this one night, together, under the bright moon in a city full of hidden beauty.
It’s one night that will change how they see the world and the paths their hearts will take forever.
Did you see Gabe’s Love Note to Lena last week? *sigh* He is just amazing…
Steph’s youngest daughter was born with a rare heart defect called TAPVR. Britta is a happy, healthy three year old now, and also the inspiration for Even the Moon Has Scars. In honor of Heart Awareness Month, Steph will be running a sale on Even the Moon Has Scars from Feb 16-23. We would love for you to join us in spreading the word! #1in100
Making love to her was like sleeping with a starfish.
She loved the thrill of a political protest more than she actually loved me.
She was happy to see me hauled off to jail for her cause, because it added a little drama to her life.
“I don’t know, I guess you can only make exceptions for people for so long before they all just sound like excuses.”
“You, or her?”
I suck in a quick breath before answering, “Maybe both?”
She stares down at her wrist, spinning the blue beads on her bracelet as she says, “But you loved her.”
It isn’t a question.
I nod slowly. “I did.”
“And now–”
“Now, I’ve moved on.” I shrug.
“Have you really?” Lena asks. “Because when she hugged you–”
I don’t really understand why we have to talk about this. So we ran into Jemma, it doesn’t mean the entire relationship needs to be rehashed over pie. Doing that will only lead to me having to discuss my arrest, and that’s not something I want to talk about with the girl who looks at me with those big brown eyes that scream trust and understanding and all the things I don’t even come close to deserving from someone.
I turn my barstool toward her, brushing her knee with my own. The simple touch is more electric and intimate than sex with my starfish ex.
“Look, Lena,” I say, as I wrap a straw wrapper around my index finger. “This isn’t something I want to get into.”
“You’ve asked me a bunch of questions tonight,” she presses.
That’s fair. I’ve spent the last several hours trying to drag every bit of information I can out of this crazy mysterious, beautiful girl.
Our server comes by the table to refill our drinks. “Can I just get the check?” I ask, hopeful she’ll just let it drop after a change of venue.
“I’m not finished,” Lena says, motioning to her half-eaten piece of pie.
“I’m ready to go,” I say.
“Oh, because I asked you a question you don’t want to answer now?” she demands.
“No, Lena. I’m just ready to go.”
“Liar,” she mumbles under her breath. It’d be cute if it weren’t so damn accurate.
I pull out my wallet as soon as our check arrives and hand over my debit card.
“I’m not a liar,” I say, it comes out more harsh than I intend. “It’s just–being in love doesn’t define you. No matter what romantic idea you have in your head, love doesn’t go to the most deserving. It’s not something you collect, like, the more the better. Love isn’t a trinket passed down. It’s a wound left behind. Love changes you, but not always in a good way. It’s a goddamn scar.”
Even the Moon Has Scars by Steph Campbell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*
4 “scars” “hairline fractures” Kisses
Twenty-four hours + two fabulous characters + countless emotions = happy book nerd! 🙂 Seriously…I can’t even get over what Steph Campbell just did. The concept, Lena, Gabe, the angst and feelings it brought out in me…it’s flippin awesome what I just experienced. Even the Moon has Scars was unique…original…captivating…beautifully written and insanely memorable.
Gabriel Bryk Martinez…Gabe…oh my rebel with a big heart. This boy…*sigh*…I dunno what to do with Gabe because…he really just wants someone to love and to be loved back. It’s really that simple. Gabe’s capacity to love blew me away…past his rebel exterior, he doesn’t have a mean bone in him. He’s a protector…he’s smarter than I think people give him credit for…I think he’s a bit of an old soul, which I’ll blame his grandpa for. He’s not perfect…he’s done a few things I think he regrets but he has so much potential, just begging to be set free. I honestly fee that Gabe’s really a great guy, he was just unfortunate enough to get stuck with two parents who didn’t know how to love each other…and he’s the causality of that. His mother has better things to do than be a mother and his father…well, I think his father is still trying to figure himself out. That leaves poor Gabe…has everything he needs provided for him, except for the one thing he wants. I really wasn’t expecting to adore Gabe as much as I do…I feel like I got to know him better…because he’s kind of the ring leader of the nights activities…so I guess that helps, but he surprised me with every new thing I learned about him.
‘There hasn’t been a lot more than small talk since we left Gloucester, but I get the feeling this girl is more than just the cute exterior. There’s something clawing at her beneath the surface. Something that wants out. She just hasn’t shown the true Lena tonight.
I know because I’m pretty damn good at hiding, too. I wonder when the last time she did let her out was.’
Lena Claire Pettitt…doesn’t that just sound like the name of a good, sweet, innocent girl? Well…she really is, through and through. Lena has lived a very sheltered life…it’s not a bad life, she has loving parents, an older sister that tolerates her, a passion for painting…she’s smart, funny, pretty…but the most important thing about Lena is that she has that life at all. She is a miracle…a real bonafied medical miracle…the combination of two heart defects that coulda/shoulda/woulda killed her…but didn’t. The problem with that…her parents treat her like a miracle. To a certain extent…I get it, and they’re protecting her with the best intentions…she’s not like every other child…but the negative impact of never being able to be free and do what she wants is starting to take its toll…mentally and emotionally. I really liked Lena…I may not be able to relate to her completely, but she is a very enjoyable character. While she’s not experienced…she’s not naïve and I loved watching her blossom throughout the course of the book. And all because she took a chance on a boy…
‘Everything about his life is confusing to me.
He has all of this money and freedom, but it’s like it only gets in his way. It’s like having all of those things prevents him from being the person he really is. Like maybe he doesn’t even know who that person is at all.
And maybe he thinks no one cares if he’s a whole person or not.’
I can’t even tell you how hard it is to wrap my brain around the fact that this book revolves around basically a 24-hour period of time. Actually a few hours less than that, but let’s not get too particular here. The bravery it took for both of them to take a chance on a perfect stranger is…kinda awesome if you ask me. They both had to put at least a little bit of faith in the fact that the other wasn’t completely psycho…but even from the beginning…there was just something about the two of them that just clicked. I thoroughly and completely enjoyed getting to know Lena and Gabe…that was all part of this fantastic journey. Coming to understand two completely different and distinctive individuals who still had so much in common. There pull and connection was there…constantly, consistently, so of course that’s what hooked me but watching their bond grow, understanding them both more and more…it’s indescribable…it was all part of the magic and mystery that made me fall in love with them.
‘I link my fingers through hers and with her soft touch, there is a lightness in my chest. A wall has come down. Lena and I aren’t the same people we were a couple of hours ago, sitting across from each other at the diner.
Right now, with her hand in mine, I’d give her whatever she wanted. I’d answer whatever she asks. It’s different being here in this place with Lena. Everything looks exactly the same, but it feels different.
I don’t know if it’s the place or it it’s me.’
It’s funny because when I sit back and think about all that happened…all that they did…it’s nothing extraordinary. I mean…it kind of is for Lena because, well, anything other than staying at home or doing the few list of parental approved activities…that night is the most exciting thing she has ever done. But everything they do is spontaneous and it’s like going on a rollercoaster with a blindfold on. You never know what’s going to happen or what kind of emotions it will bring out in you…but it’s still exciting. I truly wasn’t expecting the kind of angst that I experienced either…gah I was rooting for Gabe and Lena with every word I read. That was the thing…even through the rough times, the awkward times, the times when both of them were forced to face things they didn’t want to…it was still amazing to read. Watching Lena open up to a perfect stranger…admit things she never had…face her scars, I was inexplicably proud of her. And Gabe…he deserves so much better…so much better…and I think that might be one of the many reasons why he was drawn to Lena…because he knew she was better for him.
‘“Tired? I ask. She lays her head on my shoulder and closes her eyes.
“I guess,” she says. “This— this entire night— it just feels like it was a dream.”
I know what she means, but it’s not. Because I can feel the sliver of warm skin on the small of her back where the sweater she borrowed last night has ridden up. I can feel her breath on my neck, and her hair draped over my chest. I can see the thumping of her pulse in her thin-skinned wrist on the hand that she has laying in my lap.
And I’ve never felt anything more real than what I feel right now.
With Lena in my arms.’
I could go on for days about these two characters…days I tell you. They bewitched me. And…now it’s confession time…don’t stone me…but this is my first Steph Campbell book. I know…I know…I’m kicking myself. The flow and pacing was perfection…the transition from Lena and Gabe’s POV was fantastic…I loved the angst…the emotion was spot on…it all mixed together to form a story that entranced me. I still cannot get over that this was only one night…the beginning…the tip of the iceberg for these two. Do I want more? Umm…of course I do, have you met me? I’m the captain of the Clinger Club…and while the epilogue helped, a little, my imagination is running wild with what if’s and all the possibilities that are contained within these two amazingly gorgeous creatures. If the first day they spend together can be that epic…how could I not want more??? But for the record….Oh-My-Goodness…the epilogue. Seriously. Seriously? I’m pretty sure my smile could have been seen from space. That epilogue made me way too ridiculously happy…and considering I wasn’t ready for Gabe and Lena to be over…that’s saying something.
Steph Campbell grew up in Southern California, but now lives in the hot, humid south. She has one husband, four children and a serious nail polish obsession. When she’s not writing or taking care of her brood, she’s reading or scouring travel sites, always ready for life’s next adventure.
This sounds like a good book; I tend to like books that are really character-driven rather than action driven. And of course, I like romances!
Wow it sounds like a good book – the cover is gorgeous too.
Chill bumps…that what I have after reading the blurb, excerpt and review. This sounds like a great book and one my teen and I would both enjoy!
sounds like a really great book. interested in it
This sounds really good and the cover is soooooooo pretty!
Isn’t it beautiful? One of my favorite covers.
This sounds so sweet.