Briggs,
Remember when we parted ways in Germany? It was the day I broke your heart. What you didn't know was that I was breaking mine too.
I thought they’d be enough–my husband and my son. That I’d get home and everything would go back to the way it was . . .
Before the war. Before the ambush. Before you.
But, no matter how hard I try, I can’t erase the trauma we shared. I can’t seem to forget the way my heart beat in time with yours.
The truth is I’m lost without you.
I thought the nightmare was over when they pulled us from that hole in the ground, but nothing could have prepared me for the war I’d face at home.I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but, please, I have to see you one last time. . .
All my love, Scottie

I went into this book blindly on the whim. I wanted something different. I want a romance, but I wanted something I’ve never read before. I stumbled onto Heartbreak Warfare and boy did this book take me by surprise.

Emotional, dark and gritty are a few terms that come to mind. The romance is angsty, the characters are amazing and well fleshed out. The two authors take you on a rollercoaster ride from the beginning of how Briggs and Scottie got thrown together, through the horrors they have undergone and how these events eventually frame them as a person.

This romance is not for the faint of heart. It comes with its own trigger warnings, including abuse, cheating, and rape. Some parts were hard to read, some parts were downright heartbreaking and hard to get through. I thought the two authors did an amazing job crafting the story, crafting the characters that felt so real you couldn’t help but care for them. I found myself on the edge glued to the pages wondering how everything would turn out.

I love how the romance was handled, I love the way the authors handled everything. It really makes me want to explore what else I missed from them.

WSJ bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills delivers a gripping enemies-to-lovers, secret admirer, high school romance.
The rich and popular Sharks rule at prestigious, ivy-covered Camden Prep. Once upon a time, I wanted to be part of their world--until they destroyed me.
The last thing I expected was an anonymous love letter from one of them.
Please. I hate every one of those rich jerks for what they did to me. The question is, which Shark is my secret admirer?
Knox, the scarred quarterback.Dane, his twin brother.Or Chance, the ex who dumped me. . .
Dear Ava,Your eyes are the color of the Caribbean Sea.Wait. That's stupid.What I really mean is, you look at me and I feel something REAL.
It's been ten months since you were here, but I can't forget you.I've missed seeing you walk down the hall.I've missed you cheering at my football games.I've missed the smell of your hair.
And then everything fell apart the night of the kegger.
Don't hate me because I'm a Shark.I just want to make you mine.Still.
Mature Content. Recommended for 18+.
A short excerpt of Dear Ava appeared in Team Player 2. (No longer available) This all-new, full-length version is 376 pages and 100,000 words.

An enemies-to-lovers, secret admirer, older high school romance.

Ava used to want to fit into the Sharks world, a bunch of rich and popular kids who ruled Camden Prep until one party that ruined her.

No one believes her when she says she was sexually assaulted, and the last year was supposed to be her way of taking back control of her life, revenge and finding out who hurt her. And then there’s Knox and a secret admirer love letter that keeps appearing in her locker.

Dear Ava, is another gritty romance that tackles sexual assault and how some victims that don’t remember, because she had been drugged, may cope.

Ava and Knox drew me in. I love the whirlwind of emotions between them that had me hooked. I loved the banter. I loved the tension. I thought Ava was a strong character despite everything that life threw at her and I admired her strength and resilience in a world that was stacked against her. I admired Knox and what he did for her as well. I thought the two were great characters.

The characters in this book are both 18 years old, it’s not a high school romance for the younger audiences.