Ticket Home

by Serena Bell

This edition is out of print.

Is that a cell phone in his pocket...or is he just happy to see her?

A Strangers on a Train Story
When Amy Moreland left Seattle, she never expected to see her workaholic ex-boyfriend again. Encountering him on her Connecticut-to-New-York-City commute is the surprise of her life. He seems hell-bent on winning her back, but every time his cell phone rings, it's a painful reminder of how he failed to put her first.
Jeff Havers can't help that his phone keeps interrupting his carefully composed apology speech, but having Amy sic the Metro North security team on him is a bit much. Once he talks his way out of handcuffs, he focuses on coaxing Amy to talk about the fears that drove her away.
As the train ride takes them through the landscape of their lost life together, sparks fly and remembered heat reignites. But if they're not brave enough to overcome the still-fresh pain of old wounds, it could be too late to pursue what really matters--their ticket home.

Warning: This book contains steamy train-car action, sex on the stairs, and a hero determined to give his velvet-and-heels-clad woman exactly what she's looking for.

Story length: 19,000 words, or 78 pages.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Erotica, Trains, Short Stories

78 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2013

About the author

Newest Release!


USA Today bestselling author Serena Bell writes contemporary romance with heat, heart, and humor. A former journalist, Serena has always believed that everyone has an amazing story to tell if you listen carefully, and you can often find her scribbling in her tiny garret office, mainlining chocolate and bringing to life the tales in her head.

Serena’s books have earned many honors, including an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, Apple Books Best Book of the Month, and Amazon Best Book of the Year for Romance.

When not writing, Serena loves to spend time with her college-sweetheart husband and two hilarious kiddos—all of whom are incredibly tolerant not just of Serena’s imaginary friends but also of how often she changes her hobbies and how passionately she embraces the new ones. These days, it’s stand-up paddle boarding, board-gaming, meditation, and long walks with good friends.

Sign up for new release updates here! http://www.serenabell.com/newsletter

Reviews

[Alp · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

It took me over half a year to finish this short story!

During the first 40% of the book, things moved so slowly that I felt extremely bored. I picked it up and put it down several times until I finally gave up and then completely forgot about this novella. I still don't know why I got back to it and took up where I left off. Good thing I did because as the story moved along, it started to pick up its pace and became much more interesting.

Jeff is a workaholic man and Amy couldn't stand being the second priority in his life anymore. She moved out of their apartment without a word, and began her new life in a new place far away from him—across the country instead of across the town. After six months of misery, Jeff came to realize that he couldn’t live without her, so he flew three thousand miles, took the same train as Amy, and sat next to her. He asked her for a second chance, but obstinately, she refused to go back.

But Jeff is a man on a mission. He caught her train again at the end of the day, and this was where they started to talk and have a real conversation. Thankfully! At this point, I rooted for them to work things out and get their HEA eventually.

By the end of the story, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the second half of this novella and didn’t want it to end! I’m happy I decided to continue reading this one.

Overall, this was lovely, sweet, and well-written. If you love reading short story, Ticket Home is for you.

[Charlotte Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - this was not what I was expecting at all. Full disclosure: I know Serena. We're kind of buddies. But that just means that I thought her work would be warm and sweet, like her.

It's not warm and sweet. It's raw and powerful and honest in a way that completely sucked me in. When reading this, I had flashbacks to a million conversations with friends about their husbands, and the way that these husbands let them down. I can't explain it - I just had this visceral, gut-check reaction to the feelings and interactions and motivations in this book. It all rang so real to me I was disturbed - but in the best sort of way. Truly good fiction should move, and reflect life. This does both...and then to have it surge towards hopefulness and happiness and love...

It was like the ending life never gets to have. I felt so relieved and full of catharsis and other weird feelings I never expected to get from a short sexy novella from my sweet friend.

Though I want to also make it clear: the sexytimes are fooking hot. Because apparently, she's also amazing at writing them. I should hate her, really, but she's so cool I'm just thrilled for her. And excited, to see what she comes up with next.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

When things started to fall apart between Amy and Jeff, Amy broke up with him, moved to Connecticut, started a new job, and created a new life for herself. But one morning Jeff shows up on her train as she's commuting to work. Every emotion imaginable rose to surface as Amy took in all of Jeff for the first time in months. And, to her utter shock, Jeff is determined to have her back in his life. However, Amy is unsure if she wants him back. Major things in their relationship must change in order for them to be in a solid and happy relationship again.

Ticket Home is different from the other three short stories in this collection I read. There are several issues between Jeff and Amy that cause quite a bit of angst between them. It’s apparent from the moment Jeff and Amy see each other for the first time, after breaking up six months prior, they still love and miss each other. But Amy is not going to roll over for Jeff, no matter how many times he asks for her back. Amy is not ready to go back into a relationship where she came second to the company he owns. If he wants her back, he is going to have to prove that he is ready to slow down at his job and be in a relationship full-time. But Amy also recognized that running away from Jeff didn’t solve anything. She needed to reevaluate how she handled things in their relationship and not stand in the shadows, ignoring the obvious problems. Will this couple be able to work through their issues and have a second chance at love?

This is a lovely and sexy second chance story. From the moment I met this couple, I rooted for them the entire way. I wanted nothing more than for them to work out their problems. Serena Bell does sexual chemistry well. In the short amount of pages we get, there is a lot of heat and steam. I felt Amy’s temptation to take Jeff back right away, but I was glad that she didn’t succumb to his charm and stood her ground. This is Serena Bell’s debut story, and I’m anxiously waiting to see what she comes up with next.

Rating: B+
Heat: Warm


-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review

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[MaggieReadsRom · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 stars

I'm a sucker for marriage/relationship in trouble and reunion tropes and this contribution to the Strangers on a Train collection just cemented this love.

It was emotional and gripping! I was flipflopping between rooting for Jeff and agreeing with Amy that he was an ass who didn't deserve a second chance.

I must admit that when I reached the second before last chapter I was fearing there would not be a HEA. It seemed beyond repair and I was wondering how Ms. Bell was going to fix this. But she did! And in a very satisfying way.

I was pleasantly surprised by the very hot sex scene at Amy's place. The sexy side of this story totally blindsided me as I was completely focused on the conflict between Amy and Jeff but Serena Bell writes fabulous sexy times!

Fave Scene:
- the stairs > sexy times on the stairs! Need I really say more??

Fave Quotes:
It was impossible not to listen, of course. His mouth was a foot from her ear. His voice was a low, dark baritone that had always weakened her knees. She could scramble the words in her head, but that voice would crawl inside her and twine itself around her vulnerabilities and wear her down.

They’d been doing so well. He should have kept going with the niceties. But God help him, he wanted to have a real conversation with her. He wanted to know what she was thinking and what she was feeling. He wanted to crack her open and suck out all the sweetness. Or all the venom, if that’s what it would take. He could do that.

He banged the back of his skull on the soft seat behind him. “Amy.”
Why was that sexy? What was wrong with her? It was too many hours spent too close to him. Months of living with him and having constant access to sex had conditioned her to associate the sight, smell and sound of him with mind-blowing orgasms. And then she’d deprived herself of all sexual contact for six months, and this was the inevitable outcome. He banged his head on the seat, and she wanted to climb on and straddle him.

“We should go to the bedroom.” It would be a better venue for the kind of life-changing, mind-altering—fuck that, ragingly possessive—sex he wanted to have with her. He wanted her to know everything. His desperation, his fear, his determination. What she did to him, how she made him feel.

[Jaime Arkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy left Seattle, and her workaholic ex boyfriend Jeff in the dust when she escaped across the country to NYC. She never expected to have him show up on her commuter train determined to win her back and have her come home with him.

Jeff Havers has always been committed to his work and attached to his phone. But he's never realized the impact it's had on his life until Amy finally spills all the reasons why she left him.

Can Amy let go of the past in order for Jeff to make amends and win her back, or is he just like her father was?

I really enjoyed Amy as a character. She was strong and independent and although she was partially at fault in the end of their relationship the growth in this short novella for her was wonderfully written.

You'll definitely have to read Bell's contribution to the Strangers on a Train novellas to find out how this one ends! You won't be disappointed, I promise.

This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think author does a really nice job with bringing angst into a short story. Hero and heroine have been separated for six months due to hero being a workaholic and heroine moving across the country to pursue her career. Hero wants her back though. So they both have to reevaluate their lives

The sex is really hot too.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very nice addition to Strangers on a Train. of all the novellas, this one stood out as the best use of the train and train analogy. Well written with just the right amount of honest and angst, this was a pleasure. I look forward to reading more from Serena Bell.

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ticket Home is a sigh worthy novella about a broken up couple struggling to mend the rift between them.

Amy sees Jeff as a workaholic who always put her second to his job. Jeff sees Amy as the woman who left rather than have a conversation to work out whatever drove her across the country. But Jeff still loves Amy. He misses her. She left him, but he leaves his business in Seattle to find her in NY. But can he convince her to give him a second chance when his iPhone is ringing off the hook?

Amy and Jeff had explosive chemistry. I almost felt bad for them how helpless they were once they were in each other's space, smelling each other, remembering how good it had always been between them. It was awesome watching Amy's honest dilema as she fought to remember that she'd moved to NY to be her own woman, make her own career number one. But her lingering feelings for Jeff gave her independence a run for its money. Boy, was if fun to go on this ride with these two.

They both made mistakes in the past, and they both experience epiphanies, Amy by way of a surprising stranger on the train, and Jeff, unsurprisingly, by way of his phone. Love has a chance to overcome an impossible dichotomy of goals, but only if Amy and Jeff can both make sacrifices. Watching them find their way back home to each other was a sweet, spicy good time filled with plenty of laughs and endearing honesty.

[Jill Sorenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look at that cover! Maybe I should round up to 5 stars just for the visual feast. This story grabbed me from the start and didn't let go. I loved how the heroine walked away from the hero and (sort of) reported him as a nuisance to the ticket inspector. He totally deserved it. The author did a great job revealing the backstory in small doses and winning me over on the romance. I had a small issue with the heroine's sudden realization at the end, even though I appreciated her taking responsibility for her role in the breakup. Nicely done.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked how the couple actually talked through and worked out their problem - because it was a pretty big problem. I loved how they both took responsibility for their part in the break-up.

I really would have liked another chapter (or more) after the end though to cement that they were going to make it. I wasn't in complete belief about either one of the epiphanies. I knew it'd work short term, but I wanted to see them make it work long term.

Overall, good writing and good story, and I look forward to reading more by Serena Bell.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G 4.5 stars!
So much feelings in a short story!
I'm impressed, really. I loved it.

[(✿◠‿◠) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short one by new author, Serena Bell. I'm always a sucker for a second-chance romance, and this one gave me everything I look for.

I'm glad I was able to sample Bell's writing in this anthology, as I'll definitely be on the look-out for her upcoming single releases.

[Dabney · Rating 4 out of 5]

this review was originally published at DearAuthor.com

Ticket Home is a debut work by Ms. Bell and it's damn good. It and Ms. Knox's Big Boy are my favorites in this collection. (There are five novellas compiled in a book entitled Strangers on a Train.) Ms. Bell's tale has heart, heat, and hope. It's an excellent first try and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Bell's prose.



The leads in Ticket Home are introduced while riding a train--a commuter headed into Manhattan--but they are anything but strangers. Six months before the novella's opening scene, Amy Moreland left Seattle and her never-stopped-working-even-while-they-were-in-bed boyfriend Jeff Havers and moved to take her dream job in New York. Now, Jeff wants her back.



From the moment Jeff shows up on Amy's morning train, Amy begins what I hoped would be a losing battle between her longing for Jeff and her anger at how he placed his job, always, each and every day, above their relationship. It's clear Jeff is crazy about Amy. It's clear Amy is crazy about Jeff. As they sit next to each other on the swaying train, all they can think about is how they were together, how incredible the fit of their bodies was, how their minds flew down the same pathways in casual conversation. But, both are still angry; Amy at Jeff for letting his job rule their life and Jeff at Amy for running away rather than staying and fighting for what they had.



Jeff, however, is ready to let go of his anger--one of the reasons it tool six months to come after Amy is that it took him that long to move past his own ire and pain. Amy is not. She rebuffs Jeff the first time he shows up her train, even reports him to the conductor but, that evening, he's at the station.

He was waiting for her on the platform at the end of the day, leaning on a pillar, a study in male nonchalance.

Her insides got tangled as her heart tried to leap at the same time her stomach tried to sink, and then she knew half of her had hoped he’d go back to Seattle while the other half had been hoping just as hard he’d be here, on the train.

Stupid workaholic Jeff with his stupid phone. 

As she stepped through the sliding doors, he pushed himself up off the pillar, an uncoiling of muscle, and closed the distance between them. Aligning himself at her side, matching her stride. 

She sped up, ran for the train, and he chased her, bounding on behind her and following her up the aisle. 

There was, of course, no place to go. No way to get away from him. Unless— 

There was a conductor at the end of the car, and she started toward him, but Jeff caught her wrist again and spun her around to face him. He was very close, so close she could see the circles under his eyes and the brown stubble on his jaw. So close she could remember the exact feel of that well-formed lower lip. 

“No more games.” 

.....“I’m not playing games,” she said. “I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to fix things up. I want you to get off the train and leave me alone. It’s over.” 

“And I want you to come home with me.” 

He said it so simply, it stopped her dead. She eyed his soft, wavy hair, the lean strength in his neck, the rough line of his shoulder under his dress shirt, and she couldn’t move.

Just about everything in the brief work works. Ms. Bell is an excellent writer. She's got mad descriptive powers.



Like here, where she describes what Amy sees as she looks out the window as she rides into the city:

The sky was nearly light, a gleaming pale-blue tribute to morning over the increasingly urban landscape.

Or here where Jeff is thinking about the way Amy sounds when they make love:

He wasn’t sure he’d ever told her this, but it was those noises that made him come, every time. Sure, there was all that heat and friction and wetness, all the grappling and groping, her fingers reaching into the space between where their bodies met to move slickly over his balls, his thumb finding her clit, and all the kissing, endless hot, wet and hungry—but every time, those little whimpers were the final straw, picking him up and hurtling him into mindlessness.

And though the story takes place in less than a week, Ms. Bell gives Amy's and Jeff's struggle to find happiness, to change in ways they both must for them to again be together believable heft. Her characters feel emotions deeply be it anger, sadness, awareness,  lust, or love. It's no easy to feat to create intensely sympathetic, utterly real characters in 78 pages. Ms. Bell does so with the panache of a veteran novelist.



She also throws in a fellow rider, a middle-aged guy from Brooklyn who serves as a savvy, wry Greek chorus. He's a hoot. Here's hoping we've not seen the last of Brooklyn Guy.



There are two things that kept this novellas from being an A read for me.



The first is a symbolic act taken towards the story's end. It didn't work for me.



The second is the way Jeff's devotion to his job is presented. Amy asserts repeatedly Jeff is an asshole for not valuing her job as much as he does his and for making his job, not her, the most important thing in his life. I found myself feeling defensive for Jeff. Jeff owns a company he and  a friend started. It's clear he makes more money than Amy--in Seattle, she was a financial aid officer at University of Washington--and has more responsibility for his workplace's success. I'm not saying that makes his job more important than hers. But I do wonder if they ever talked about their finances while living together. Did they split their cost of living equally or did Jeff contribute more? Did Jeff support the work/life balance Amy chose when they were together?



Jeff is in his early 30's, a time where many men and women do work long hours, trying to create (if they are lucky) enough financial security to buy a place, have a child, save for the future. Amy loves the job she has now, but it's clear her work doesn't define her as Jeff's does. She's found a work/life balance she likes. I don't see her choices, however, as being morally better than Jeff's. Yes, Jeff needs to make time for Amy if the two of them are going to have a strong, healthy, happy relationship. But caring so much about his job doesn't make Jeff a jerk.



All in all, however, Ticket Home is a well-done work. It gets a B+. 

[Viktoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the concept and it has an appeal to work with a workaholic and a communication problem, but I didn’t feel invested and just really didn’t like Amy’s voice. It wasn’t first person narrative, but I just didn’t click with the story.

[Romance Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short one by new author, Serena Bell. I'm always a sucker for a second-chance romance, and this one gave me everything I look for.

I'm glad I was able to sample Bell's writing in this anthology, as I'll definitely be on the look-out for her upcoming single releases.

[Liz F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Sara at www.HarlequinJunkie.com! :D

Review copy courtesy of the publisher...


I think it's been a while since I've read something that has a character that I can really identify with and even understand the issues between the characters in a book. Ticket Home, another installment of the Strangers on a Train series, is one of those books and it really hit the mark for me.

Amy is our heroine in this one and I really liked her. She seems like a real woman. Normal, average. She goes to work, comes home to her man and tries to be as happy as she can. The only problem Amy really has is that her boyfriend, who she lives with, is always preoccupied with his job. He may be there physically but he sure isn't there mentally. And when Amy tries to talk to him about an amazing job opportunity in New York (they live in Seattle), he just shuts her down and says no. No discussion, nada. So Amy takes matters into her own hands, packs up and takes off for New York. And that's why I liked Amy right off the bat: she's only going to take so much shit before she decides that she's had quite enough and does what she wants to do. Is that immature? Maybe. But I loved her for it. It's tough enough to leave a man who is pretty great overall. And then to move across country for a new job? By yourself? Even more tough. So you can say that Amy's behavior is immature if you like but I still loved her moxy!

Now, Jeff is another matter. Of course, I didn't like him at all when we first meet him. I felt like he was smarmy and cocky and I was just like "Oh puh-lease dude!" See, he shows up on Amy's commuter train after six months of her being at her new job. He's there to do whatever it takes to get Amy to come home with him... But maybe not the one thing she needs him to do. Jeff owns this company and not only does he own it but he and a friend built it from the ground up. So he's involved in every single aspect of the inner workings. His phone is constantly ringing and he's constantly answering it. Amy feels like she comes second in his life and she's just not willing to be second anymore. Jeff needs to be willing to step away from the company a little and he just doesn't think he can do that. But the more he works and the harder he works to win Amy back, I found myself liking him that much more. You can see that he's sincere and that he really HAS missed her. You get these little glimpses of what they are like together and they are a really great couple. So half way through the novella, I was actually rooting for this guy!

Although Jeff doesn't start out as the most sympathetic character, I love the fact that he grows on you. That's a story element that I always like to see: when a character realizes the mistakes that they've made and they work to fix those mistakes or at least make up for them. Also, I love that even when Amy's resolve starts to weaken, she still manages to REALLY put her foot down and stand up for herself and for what she wants. There's not much worse than when a character you're rooting for just goes along with the flow. I want my characters to fight for what they want! Maybe it's because in real life, we can't always fight for what we want and we DO have to go with the flow. It's nice to live vicariously through these books, right??

Overall, I thought this was really well written. I enjoyed the POV switches throughout so that I could get a better sense of who Jeff was and what he was really trying to accomplish. There was a couple of laughs and few really sweet and moving scenes. It wasn't too hot and steamy but this one certainly won't leave you cold! I would definitely recommend this novella!

[Stephanie Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say this was my favorite story of the five. I adored it as it felt like a full length story rather than a novella. You get a good feel for who they were in Seattle and honestly where they needed to go in the future. This takes talent to accomplish in this shorter format and Serena succeeds completely. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for more from her in the future.

Amy left Seattle to try to make a life away from the man she loved with all her heart. She felt that he always put business in front of their relationship and that he didn't really value her for her but saw her more as the accessory he needed. She moves to Connecticut and starts working a job she loves to try to become her own person. She's understandably shocked when she runs in to her ex on the train and what follows is a painful yet needed confrontation of what they were and what she needs to feel like she matters to him. She wants his attention and for him to invest time in them versus always dropping plans and things with her to take care of his business. Does she want him to quit his dream completely? No. She just wants to feel like she is as important to him as the money his business brings in. I liked that she didn't back down but I also liked that she owned up to her part in the failure of their relationship. He can't be a mind reader and know she's hurting if she won't speak up and let him know. She needed to force the issue as much as he needed to pay closer attention to the signs.

Jeff is not a bad guy. He's just wrapped up in making his business a success and his personality doesn't take to giving up a bit of control easily. He honestly doesn't understand what the issue was or that she was so unhappy. He's very clueless but as the story progresses you learn it isn't out of meanness or general asshole behavior. He was trying to make a life for them that would make sure her every need was taken care of without realizing that she wasn't in it for the money or security that brings but she just wanted him. Time with him, life with him and a chance to take trips like other couples do. She didn't want to be this corporate wife where she only saw him during those brief periods he wasn't working she wanted a partner. I loved how he really did try to understand even though it took something extreme for him to finally wake up but that he also didn't try to push back everything on her. They both made mistakes and all he wants is the woman who owns his heart and soul.

This was a lovely story of two people who really do love one another finally getting the courage to speak up for what they want and to voice those things they never were capable of telling one another while they were together. I loved them both and would love a chance to see them happy later in their lives maybe as side characters in another story (hint hint).

I have to thank Ruthie Knox for giving me the chance to be a part of the fun surrounding this release and giving me the chance to read all of the wonderful stories…

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Amy decided to walk away from her workaholic boyfriend she left her home in Seattle to start again in New York City. The last thing she expects is for Jeff to turn up on her morning commute six months later desperate to win her back. It was incredibly hard for Amy to walk away from Jeff, it wasn't that she'd stopped loving him she just wasn't prepared to always come second in his life and she was sick of him putting work first. Jeff built his company from the ground up and making it a success is incredibly important to him, he didn't understand how Amy was feeling so was shocked and hurt when she walked away from him. Jeff didn't realise what he had with Amy until she left but can he convince her that he really is prepared to change his ways and put her needs first for a change?

Ticket Home is one of the five stories in the Strangers on a Train series published by Samhain, each of the stories has been written by a different author (the authors involved in the collaboration are Ruthie Knox, Meg Maguire, Serena Bell, Donna Cummings & Samantha Hunter) and is currently available as an ebook but I believe there will be a print bind up containing the whole series published sometime next year. These stories can be read in any order, they are linked only by the common theme that each couple start out as strangers who meet each other on a train, so there is no cross over of characters or story lines.

Amy and Jeff are obviously so in love but neither of them has ever fully understood where the other was coming from, Amy never really took the time to tell Jeff how she was feeling and even when she did attempt to talk to him he was usually too distracted to listen properly. It isn't going to be easy for them to reach a compromise that keeps them both happy but as Jeff starts to realise what is really important in life he knows what he needs to do. That doesn't make it easy to convince Amy he's sincere though and she needs proof that he has changed his ways. I loved the fact that Amy was so independent and that she wasn't willing to settle for second best any more, she knew what she wanted and if she couldn't have it then she'd rather walk away and be on her own. Jeff took a little while to grow on me, he really didn't have a clue why Amy was so upset with him and in the beginning he didn't seem to feel that he needed to change to win her back. As you get to know him you start to see that he really does care about her and by the time he has his epiphany I was rooting for him to win Amy back.

This is another great instalment to the Strangers on a Train series, I've been enjoying all of these novellas and am looking forward to reading more from all of the authors involved in the future. These stories are all perfect for when you only have an hour to spare but want to read a full story that reaches a satisfying conclusion and I'd recommend them to all contemporary romance fans.

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slick's review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

4.5 Stars

Ticket Home is a little bit different from the other stories in this anthology in that the hero and heroine already know each other. After reading the story though, I figured out that while they were lovers and even lived together they weren’t really connecting as a couple and there is a lot they don’t know about one another, thus they are essentially strangers. There is a lot of hurt between these two and watching them try to work out their differences while riding the commuter train from Connecticut to New York is entertaining and at times amusing.

Amy has moved across country for a job, leaving Jeff and their life together. She’s moved on and is learning to enjoy her new life when one day Jeff appears on the train she’s commuting to work on. He wants to talk and try and convince her to come “home” to Seattle. She doesn’t want to talk and ends up somewhat inadvertedly setting security on him. That doesn’t discourage him and he continues to join her on her commute to and from work sometimes “entertaining” the other people in the cars as they discuss their failed relationship.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this story. It was evident that even though Jeff was hurt from Amy leaving, he was trying very hard to make up for his mistakes. He’s far from perfect; in fact he proves he’s not, but I do think he was truly trying. Amy has some baggage from her past that is keeping her from believing that Jeff intends to change. While that’s understandable, she’s punishing him for the deeds of others. While I can understand her issues, I sometimes felt she was really hard on Jeff.

Following some very sexy moments where it looks like they might reconnect, life once again intrudes and they go back to being on opposite sides. Thankfully Jeff receives some very sage advice from his business partner and Amy gets some from a very unlikely source, a man only referred to as “Brooklyn Guy”, who rides the train with her.

Brooklyn Guy is one of those characters that I’m sure the author expects to be a minor character but I’m half in love with him because he’s funny, outspoken, and asks some really important questions that makes Amy think.

Ticket Home is a well developed and gratifying story for a novella. I found myself totally caught up in this story and these characters. While I’m happy with the way it turned out, I’ll admit I’d like to know what happens on the second leg of Amy and Jeff’s journey. I’m hoping one day we’ll find out.

Review copy provided for an honest review.

[Christi Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review:
This story was just heartbreaking, but it was that way because I couldn't see a way for these two people who were so obviously in love to come out of this situation with a happily ever after.

Six months ago, Amy left Jeff...not because she didn't love him, but because he didn't love her enough to put her first before his company and the constant emergencies and ringing phone. She moved clear across the country because she knew her resolve would crumble if she had to face him. Now, it's six months later and Jeff is begging for her to come back. BUT he hasn't gotten a clue yet...he still jumps when the phone rings. Seriously, it was heartbreaking watching both of these characters get crushed.

There was so much about this story I could relate to. I loved Amy, even with her struggle to explain to Jeff exactly what's wrong. No one wants to be the clingy, needy person that says, "I need you to put me first." That's mortifying enough, but you're also opening yourself up to all kinds of rejection if that person isn't willing to do so. And poor Jeff....he's a guy, he doesn't have a clue about Amy's real reasons for leaving.

The scenes on the train were great. I especially loved Brooklyn guy who kept saying he wanted them to go somewhere else with their drama, but didn't think twice about getting right into the middle of it with them. Just another great novella in this series. They all five were done SO INCREDIBLY WELL. I highly recommend all five of them!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is set in New York and most of it is set on a commuter train. Amy is riding to her job at NYU in the financial department. She moved here from Seattle six months ago, after a traumatic break up with the man she loved, and still loves. Suddenly, he appears! " Is this seat taken?" Her emotions flow through joy, anger, and a little bit of fear. How could she risk her heart again after all this time? They had been apart for six months without any contact.

What follows is a sometimes heartbreaking , sometimes laughable journey toward forgiveness. It is not an easy journey. They both admit they love each other, that they should have talked before she made this momentous decision to move across the country. Amy cannot get past the memories of work always coming first. They take a few steps forward, then his phone rings or he receives a text and there are a lot of steps back. Their refusal to compromise kind of drove me a little crazy. I wanted to jump in and say "Talk to each other"!

This was another installment in the group of novellas called Strangers on a Train. I highly recommend all of the delightful stories. Each is very different, but all involve....what else? A train!

I received this novella for an honest review. No compensation was offered nor accepted.

[Rosario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Next came Ticket Home, by Serena Bell, an author whom I haven't read yet, but whose books I'm aware of (in fact, I've a recent one of hers in my TBR).

Amy left Jeff when he showed that in his view, her ambitions and aspirations were clearly less important than his. This only added to the many, many instances of his putting his work before her. Amy moved across the country and, in the months since, has built another life. And then Jeff shows up on Amy's commuter train, clearly determined to win her back.

I really liked this one. It's a story where the 'falling in love' bit has already happened, so the focus is on working out the issues that have made the relationship fail. They are very real issues, too. I thought Bell judged it all exactly right. Amy's doubts and reluctance are very reasonable, and Jeff starts out as clueless, but is determined to understand and fix what's gone wrong. It's not easy, and it's not portrayed as such. By the end of the story, I was satisfied that I was seeing the start of real change, so the HEA ending really worked for me.

In fact, the story worked really well for me on the whole. It felt fresh and different and the author really dug into the characters and their motivations. I'm now really looking forward to trying the book by her in my TBR.

MY GRADE: A B+.

[Thaliath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fine, fine book that I never thought I'd enjoy this much. I loved the realistic, authentic feel of this story. Both MC read like normal, everyday people with real life problems and genuine dreams and ambitions, well-balanced with strenghs and shortcomings everybody can identify with. The issue between them was also real, as was their love.

The heroine was very much likeable; she actually had a solid backbone and I wholeheartedly agreed with her reasons for leaving; just like her, I thought the hero was a total jackass who needed a wake up call to set his priorities straight. As for the hero, his reasons were understandable enough and the author managed to get across the reasons why the heroine liked him.

There were no screaming overdramatic sequences yet this story was far from being without dramatic tension, with actual stakes and a fair share of angst. And although the sex was hot, I appreciated that it wasn't enough to magically sweep every problem under the rug; rather, it was cleverly used as a device to advance the story and help the MC talk through their issues and grow as characters.

Although short, this story proves that a good author doesn't have to produce a whole novel or some epic saga about the last hero douchebag trend to write something truly good. I'll definitely be reading more Serena Bell.

[UltraMeital · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ticket Home (Strangers on a Train) - Serena Bell This is my 5th book in the "Strangers in a Train". I loved it!We meet Amy who left Seattle and Jeff to pursue a work opportunity. Jeff was upset with how this thing all played out. But after a while he realized how much he misses her and how much he is willing to do to bring her back home to him. He figures he'll take the train she usually takes to work and make her listen to him while on the train - she has no-where to go on the train.. Amy doesn't want to return back home with Jeff. their relationship had its problems and she doesn't think that coming to talk to her on the train will make any difference. In her eyes HIS work always came first - before her - so the opportunity of this new job was what she needed (as an excuse) to leave him. So we are left with Amy and Jeff on the same train day after day - Him trying to convince her it's going to be different and her trying not to yield to her attraction and love for him when she is trying to make the right decision for herself.

[Kelly_Instalove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade: B+

“So is that why you ran away?”

“I ran away, she said through gritted teeth, “because you were an asshole.”

I was floored when I learned this was Bell’s first published title. More like this, and she’ll be on my auto-buy list.

The only thing that kept this story from an “A” grade was the bit with the daddy issues — it felt like a too-much-thought-out attempt to give the heroine an angsty backstory to explain away her reluctance. The hero was an asshole, and his bringing up her manipulative father was just as manipulative.

I wavered on the final grade a bit…. Use of the phrase “ate his mouth like a starving woman” was groan-inspiring, but then I had to give bonus points for Big Brooklyn Guy’s one-liner at the end.

[Las · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reunited lovers story didn't work for me at all, partly because I'm usually not a fan of the trope. But there are some books with this theme that I love, and the two other stories in this anthology that I've read have been so great, so I decided to give Ticket Home a try.

The main problem I had with this story was the conflict that led to the breakup. The heroine leaves the hero because he's a workaholic, which, fine, that's definitely stressful for a relationship, but she never tried to discuss that with him while they were together. It made it impossible to understand her anger and resentment, and I felt annoyed on the hero's behalf. He works his ass off to make a success of his company, and his girlfriend walks out without ever giving the tiniest hint what the problem was. And while the heroine does come to realize this near the end, it was too late for me.

[Stevie Carroll · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first out of a whole series of books about train journeys, which I read recently while travelling on trains. This probably wasn't the best one for me to start with: the hero came across to me as unlikeable and borderline abusive as well as a workaholic, and there was no indication that those first two qualities were going to change even if he cut down on his off-the-clock working hours. Plus the message seemed to be that the only way to solve the rift was for the heroine to give up on her aspirations and the rise in status she'd achieved by moving away, and going straight back to the hero's hometown, rather than any other form of compromise. A shame, because there was at least one worthwile minor character in there as well.

[Keertana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. Despite merely being of novella length, it was infused with so much palpable tension and had my heart in my throat while I frantically flipped the pages, desperately needing a HEA while wanting to savor the writing...slowly. Will definitely be checking out more of Bell's work following this one. And, gosh, these Strangers on a Train novellas are ALL fantastic. *happy sigh*

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella so much!
The hero and heroine are at crossroads and there doesn't seem to be a solution that could keep them together. But obviously the author finds one and the way to their HEA is so sweet and funny and sexy (very sexy, let me tell you!).
I can't wait to read more from this author!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this! I was a little afraid that all of the issues couldn't be solved in the short time frame of a novella, but I was very satisfied. I really believe in the conclusions both characters came to and I think they'll be okay. Loved the character of "Brooklyn"!

Thanks to Amber Lin for the book! Opinions are my own.