Tied

I absolutely love this book. Tyler and Holly were the best couple. I loved how much they understood each other and were able to navigate each other's traumas.Holly was such a great character because as naive as she was from being held captive for so long, she was so strong and bold. She was determined to live the life she deserved and she was determined to break through Tyler's brick wall.Tyler was a tough nut to crack, but when he did he was amazing. He was so sweet and attentive to Holly and let her take her time discovering what she likes. He never held her back and, in most cases, helped her move forward when no one else would.My heart broke throughout this whole book and there were definitely some moments that were hard to digest. This book was absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a break from rom coms and lighthearted books.

Tied is book two in the All Torn Up series of interconnected standalones. This is Tyson (Toren’s brother from book one) and Holly’s story. And what a beautiful and heartbreaking story it is! This is a story of two broken souls finding each other and learning to love themselves and finding happiness. They both have tragic pasts and had me crying more than once! I absolutely loved both of these characters but Tyson was everything! I loved the way he was with Holly and his pets. He has a kind sole but others don’t want to look past his disability…and his grumpy attitude. But Holly breaks down those walls and wants nothing more than for her prince to be happy and loved. This was one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever read and one I think everyone should read!

This story was extremely different than book 1. I did enjoy the age gap and how their story spans over years and years. I love that Holly can see in Tyler what the world overlooks. Now I do think it was wrapped up a little quickly and a little too perfectly, but overall it was a really good story.

I've loved everything I have read by Carian Cole in the past and have no idea why I never read this one but I am so glad I finally did. If you have read Torn, you know some about Tyler, the brother in the woods who longer connects with people or his family for the most part. Tied is Tyler's story and it is a doozy. We find out what happened to him - why he is so "asshole-ish" and why he chooses to distance himself from his loved ones. His act of heroism thrusts him back into the world in some ways and little does he know how his life is about to change. Everything happens for a reason is a tough pill to swallow for both Holly and Tyler but in this case, the terrible things they have both been through have brought them together in order to finally heal. While difficult to read with certain triggers, it was delicately written by Carian.

Reviewed by Klaire Sutherland on behalf of KFFWow! I’m not sure where to start with Tied in all honesty, I guess if you haven’t read Torn, the first of The Devil Wolves book then you really should. It’s not imperative that you do in order to understand Tied, as both can be read as standalones, but Torn is so good you’d be doing yourself a disservice by skipping it. Tied left me wondering how on earth this author was going to manage to write a story about the “savage” in the woods.“We’re kinda made of the same ripped-up cloth.”And that is the essence of Tied – two absolutely messed up people meeting in the middle and finding their own way. This book is less to do with The Devil Wolves MC and concentrates on Holly and Tyler. One hides, and one was hidden. Watching both come together and building something is quite a wonder.On first meeting Holly; it’s unpleasant. She’s an 18-year-old child who is dragged from a hole in the woods. I use the word child in the most literal of senses. Carian Cole wrote Holly beautifully, portraying a young woman who saw the world through the eyes of a child. The writing was perfect, hauntingly sad in all the right places, emotion simply pouring and weaving throughout most of the book. I felt Holly’s journey from start to finish. Many authors build on the emotion and then pummel the reader hard and fast, all at once. Tied isn’t like that, it comes at you from all angles, sometimes with surprise and sometimes not. It’s a constant drip feed of intensity and sadness interspersed with some beautiful moments. Yet the story written doesn’t smother or drown the reader, it propels…the emotion finely balanced.“She’s like the star on top of the Christmas tree – that final glittering touch that brings it all together.”Both Holly and Tyler tell their stories yet somehow Tyler becomes and remains the most instrumental character throughout the whole book. He tells a lot of Holly’s tale, which I found quite surprising, but immensely clever. I loved the way Carian Cole wrote this and how she gets under your skin for most of the book. And just when you think you’ve read the worst…well, you haven’t. Tied is not graphically detailed however I don’t think it needed to be. You can piece together both histories without the grit and gore that obviously happened, to have written so descriptively of those scenes would have sullied the beauty of Holly and Tyler, it didn’t belong in Tied.A convoluted fairy tale style of story is the base of Tied, a little Beauty and the Beast. I didn’t feel like I was reading a re-cap of an old fairy tale though no matter how many connotations there were. Some delicious and unseen twists often stopped me in my tracks, supporting characters played their part well however difficult or mean they seemed. Everyone had a reason. Both Holly and Tyler were easy to fall in love with too. Holly should have been a snivelling mess due to her ordeal and Tyler should have been meaner in retrospect. Neither gave me cause to dislike them, both strong characters, very appealing.“We have so many f’ed-up gray areas between us we’re practically a black and white movie.”My only “gripe” about this whole book is the ending. Being the practical person I am I found it a tad ridiculous, a little too much but you know what – it was perfect for them and for that I can’t really grumble about it so I’m not going to. Highly recommended, I can’t punt this author enough. Every time she writes something she bowls me over, sweeps me off my feet. Personally, Tied has surpassed Torn for me, a stellar five star read that you’d be a fool to miss. Keep your eyes peeled for Boomer, the little guy is something else!

This book has my heart! It was a masterpiece that I continue to read over and over. Carina’s writing is so beautiful! I will never not recommend this book it brought back my love of reading!

Wow I cried and my heart broke over and over again for Tyler and holly. And then the most beautiful story emerged.

Very different from book one, but also a beautiful story. They are meant to be and I loved them together.

What a wonderful book. Very emotional and heartbreaking but it also gives you hope for the future after having gone through such horrible experiences. I loved it. And here I was thinking Asher's book was the most emotional one. I love reading books where emotions and feelings pour out of the pages and make the reader feel every emotion possible and you start to believe you are the main character. Only then do you know the book is perfect. Like really, really great. That was what I was feeling reading this book and I loved every second of it.

At first, I was afraid to read this because of the history of torture in both their lives but I was glad to find out it didn't have much page-time nor was it painted in descriptive details. Their love felt genuine, sweet, healing. But sometimes during the read, I felt confused, like was bombarded with too many feelings at once. Like I can't sort through all the feelings but wanted more of it regardless. Overwhelming, yes but beautiful nonetheless. Also I wanted more intimate scenes but they came too late in the book and only lasted for like the last 25% of the book.