Follow Ren (Rennillia) from the ages of fifteen to eighteen as she struggles to make the right decisions for herself and sometimes works even harder to make the wrong ones.
Hert (Scott Herterand) has a similar less than ideal home life and has been her only friend up until she meets Emerson. When her father arranges a meeting between Ren and the powerful Mr. Roberts son (Emerson) they instantly form a bond that rivals that of her and Hert's.
When Ren's father bans her from all contact with anyone but Emerson, she takes a chance and falls for the charming and flirtatious Jackson. Smitten with him, she defies her father and embarks on a relationship with him.
All the while death, love, hurt, anger and other various family issues arise that eventually lead the four of them (Ren, Hert, Emerson and Jackson) to the paths they will follow into adulthood.
Sometimes, you have to go back to the beginning to get to the end.
*can be read as a stand-alone* (Includes Life with Him novelette)
Romance author M. Sembera writes novels that will make you fall in love, laugh, cry, swoon and believe in second chances. She likes to write strong, flawed, relatable characters and throw them into complicated situations with a bit of humor.
A coffee addict and tea lover, M. plots her novels while highly caffeinated. Since biting the bullet and publishing her first novel in 2010, she has released books in contemporary romance, women's fiction, new adult, romantic comedy and is currently penning her first dark romance. The easiest way to stay up to date on new releases and upcoming novels is to sign up for her newsletter (http://eepurl.com/bdJ_Uj) or follow her on social media.
This story of Rennillia and HIM made my heart go out to her. I've been through a very very similar situation to this. it made my heart pound and made me sick to my stomach in some parts. very well written! I can't imagine how hard this was for M. to write <3 I read this in 20 minutes. It's another book in the series that I was hooked to from the very start.
**HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! but read the series and prequel first**
I received one of the ACR's and read it cover to cover! I am a huge fan of this series, but this was by far my favorite book to date! I found myself switching gears and rooting for characters I hadn't been rooting for. The entire series is made BETTER by the addition of this book, which I didn't think could happen. They are on my favorite books of all time list! Finding myself enjoying the other books even more now as I re-read them!!!
Before She knew the truth, Rennillia was far from innocent but completely naive. She was 15 and rebellious. Her only friend was Hert and all she wanted, was to get out of her parent's house.
This is the story of their friendship, meeting Emerson, dating Jackson and.... HIM
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
After Rennillia 2, Sembera takes you back to the beginning of how Ren, Jackson, Emerson and Hert’s lives become intertwined. She also introduces you to her ex that came into Ren’s life and caused so many issues between the friends.
Ren is already friends with Hert. They both have similar households with their fathers being abusive. Ren’s father is friends with Hert’s father, and doesn’t want Ren anywhere near Hert. Ren, determined not to lose the only friend she has in the world, sees Hert every chance she can, but with a price from her father’s hand.
Ren’s father is always involved in get rich quick schemes and this is how Ren and Emerson’s path cross. As her father does business with Mr. Roberts, Ren and Em become acquainted. She feels comfortable with him and glad to have a friend that is not always angry, like Hert.
Ren is swept off her feet by the charming smile of Jackson Thomas, who has a reputation of dating a girl only once. Emerson and Jackson know each other from sports, and it isn’t long until Hert is introduced and all four are together, with Ren and Jackson dating. But Hert is quick to warn Ren that it will never work with her and Jacks because of her family life. Understanding what he is saying, she breaks up with Jackson because she doesn’t want to lose his friendship.
With Jackson now dating other girls, Emerson in love with a new steady, this gives Ren and Hert time to hang out again. One day when they are out, Ren points out a guy that has been stalking her. Hert informs her that she will not go out with him. Upset at Hert trying to boss her around, she rebels and agrees to go out with him. Henley ends up being very obsessive and abusive with Ren. She breaks away from him, but he keeps pursuing her.
In the end, Jackson is going off to college, Hert won’t talk to her, and Emerson is on to his next love. So when tragedy hits, Ren feels she has nowhere left to turn, but back to Henley.
A Look Back By M. Sembera Book review by Akisha Clark
Passion, goose bumps, desire and heartache; so is the feeling of your first love. The world is new and so is this expansive emotion, captivating your heart . That's where the new read, "A Look Back" takes you. Meet Ren and Hert. Both are from torn, tattered, similar lives. Both Hert and Ren are living in dysfunctional families. Both have abusive fathers. Ren hides her purple and blue bruises with longs sleeves. Hert is unable to hide his black eyes. Both have mothers who refused to stand up for their kids and against the violence. Can Hert and Ren make a house out of rubble?
This book stirred deep emotions of hope, possibility, and sadness from me. Everyone knows I love a true love story and this is it. I couldn’t help but read and read until I reached the cliffhanger at the end. Arrrggghhh….cliffhangers! A professional and well written nail biter. This book makes you look into your own flaws and wonder how it affects your love life. I truly want to hold details so that you can experience this amazing book. Be prepared to fall in love with the characters in this book. I am first in line for the next chapter of this splendid love story.
Ms. Akisha Clark and my rating is 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
complimentary book given for a free review. juliesbookreview.blogspot.com
I give this book 4.5 stars This is a very intense story of how a young girl survives her dysfunctional family and finds a few close friends along the way. Throughout the whole story I kept screaming at my e-reader trying to urge Ren along and help her get through the bad situations she finds herself in. I was sucked in emotionally and had a very hard time putting the story down but at the same time, I just had to step away for a few minutes to digest everything that was happening. M. Sembera has a very strong writing style that will grab hold of your mind and shake it senseless. I even found myself waking up in the middle of the night wondering what I would do if I were in that situation or how I would react if that had happened to me. The only down side is that the story is so intense, I actually had to wait a few days before I was comfortable picking up a new book! Even then, it took me a while to find just the right “fluff piece” to calm down with. I will definitely be checking out the other books in this series!
Simply....AMAZING! My favourite one of the series so far!! still have book 5 and Life With HIM left to read. A Look Back goes back to when Rennillia was 15 to 18. how she met her friends and even HIM. what she endured in her early years certainly shaped her to be the woman she is. She went through hell and all through it she had her friends. I'm used to her quick temper and frustrations now, that it just makes me chuckle
I really enjoyed reading "A Look Back" now everything made sense and the story fell in to place. Especially the story of each character. How they 1st meet and how their friendship began. I'm torn between Hert, Jackson and Emerson but in this particular book I leaning more towards JACKSON. :) Definitely a must READ!!! Highly recommended.
I really liked this book! I have been waiting so long for it to be apparent why these characters were so bonded. I can not say for a fact that I would have liked it any more or less since I have read the other 3 first. BUT, if any of my GR friends out there want to tackle this series... I'd start with this one and then Rennillia book I ;-)
as per usual i love M Sembera’s books. i have become quite invested in this series so it was nice to have the back story. this is a very emotional series and i have loved reading this for mary. I found that having the back story changed my mind on the characters and i can safely say I'm team jacks. and as for miss renillia well she kinda has a reason to be a little selfish.
I want to say I love the Renillia series. M has a way of pulling you into her books. I still don't like Hert no matter what he says or does. I think he needs to be taught a lesson. Hahaha!!!!
I am so lucky to get to Beta read this book. It was awesome
I love love love the Rennilla series but I swear that girls ruffles my feathers. I guess it might be because I know that things could be different.... If you have not read the series yet you need to. This book is a beginning type of book thrown in but it was great to read the past and see where things went right and wrong!
In this prequel of the Rennilla Series we follow Ren from the age of fifteen to eighteen as she struggles to make the right decisions for herself and sometimes works even harder to make the wrong ones. I personally wished I read this prequel first as it goes back to the beginning. An eloquently written novel that is flawlessly written and developed with no plot holes. With character's that are complex with realistic emotions and flaws. With a sensational writing style that I love. One of my top 5 favourite series. A highly alluring novel that keeps you wanting more. I highly recommend reading this prequel first & then book one of the series. As I plan to reread the whole series from the beginning starting with the prequel. I voluntarly reviewed an advanced reading copy.
To me this book should be the Prequel-book 1, not book 3. It gives the beginning background, and defining moments in the development of the characters for the rest of the series...well done! Definitely need to read FIRST!