A roller coaster of emotions that you can't miss!!

Just when I didn't think my soul could take any more, S.M. Soto throws another punch to the gut that left my heart irrevocably broken. Ache has all the feels, I mean ALL of them.I was on such an emotional high with devastating lows. The perfect recipe for an outstanding story that you will tell all your friends and even complete strangers to read.

I went in completely blind to this story, not reading the blurb, reviews or any other book by Soto and never once was I disappointed. Bea & Liam are the kind of characters that will stay with you for a long, long time.

Soto did an amazing job at making me understand Bea, the why and how of her actions. Often times it is so easy to judge a person's decisions from the outside. Soto gives us such a raw, gritty look that elicits strong emotions, leaving me devastated at times. I didn't see Bea as a victim but as a survivor.

I listened to the audio version of Ache. Ava Erickson did a PHENOMENAL job of bringing Bea to life. I think having the words brought to life brings a whole new dimension to the story. Joe Arden is one of my favorites and always does an outstanding job. The narrators are engaging, keep you listening and always wanting more.

1 person found this helpful

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️CRUSHING⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!!!!
Wow, this story is really H E A V Y but incredibly beautiful.
If you ever wondered what makes the heart of Heros beat, look no further, this is the book!
Soto has a unique ability to put real human emotions into writing and the always five star performance of Joe Arden and Ava Erickson , make this one for the keeper section💋

2 people found this helpful

Heartbreaking story

This one kept me interested from the beginning. It was heartbreaking at times and hard to hear sometimes. But stuff like this happens. And to have a story where one goes through so much and still comes out with a beautiful ending........beautiful.

Such a great story!

Ava Erickson and Joe Arden did a spectacular job narrating this beautifully heartbreaking story. I knew it was going to be emotional going in but I was not prepared for this book.

Ache is a story about young love that takes a dark and devastating turn. Bea and Liam find each other young in life and both knew each other was it. Life happens though and dreams still need to be reached and when a break is taken the unthinkable begins. I don't want to give anything away but what happens to Bea in her life is not something I can put into words. It's horrifying, however as you continue to read her story you see her struggling to come back to herself. To shine brighter than her tormentor and it is so uplifting to see her fight. Liam does what he thinks is best with only knowing half a story but thru it all he is such a stand up guy you can't help but love him.

It really was a great story and one that I couldn't put down once I began.

beautiful story

my heart brook for the heroine in this book i felt her pain and cried out of her.

my heart! 💔💔💔

Beautiful love story. very hard to read but it doesn't feel like it drags on and on. very beautiful and emotional and romantic.

A heartbreaker

This was an emotional story. It was filled with sorrow, difficult topics and rebuilding.
After Liam moves away, Bea is left with a hollow existence, unthinkable acts and no will TI go on.
It takes Liam coming back to help Bea put her life back together and find the strength to fight!

Explosive Listen!

Audio review:
Ache (A Second Chance Romance) is scripted in very explicit vivid details, told in two parts; past and present with flashbacks. I personally would not categorize this as a second chance romance as it is more like women's literature with a dabble of romance. The romance is not the spotlight and plays a secondary role. The cover is beautiful and a bit misleading, but the title fits. The writing style is eloquent. A very dark listen/read with lucid scenes of rape/sexual abuse, not for the faint at heart. I struggled with the character's decisions and ways of thinking. I was hoping to see more of a survivor finding her courage but it was more about letting someone ride to the rescue. I wanted to love Liam, but couldn't as there was zero character development for him. His character felt two dimensional and extremely disappointing as part of the book is told in his pov. I didn't find the chemistry between Bea and Liam to be very exciting. The ending is the reward with a sweet epilogue.

Narrators Ava Erickson, Joe Arden flawless performance brings the character's to reality. However, this one is all Ava as most of the narrative is told in Bea's pov. Her impeccable performance personifies her talent. Her inflection was smooth and changed when needed. Excellent choice for narrator who brings the character's and narrative to a whole new level.

Difficult Story Such A Great Ending

So much tragedy Bea had to endure. Being trapped as a victim is the most crippling and horrific experience. Connor is truly despicable. Bea’s best friend Miriam and Melody are life lines and Liam is the breath of life that Bea finally needs to inhale to reach for her HEA. Narration is great!

Ache was heartbreaking and raw

Ache was heartbreaking and raw and absolutely pushes every single one of your boundaries.

I read the blurb of Ache when the cover was first released and knew this was a book I wanted to devour. I'd never read a book by S.M. Soto and was excited to listen to the audio version of this.

Bea Norwood's story is one of heart break, pain and survival. Bea is your typical 13 year old girl, who lives next door to her best friend. She's outgoing, happy, and an only child to a solo mum who loves her and dotes on her.

During her first year at High School, Her best friends cousin Liam Falcon comes to live in her town. Liam is gorgeous, talented and so sweet. Bea and Liam have an instant connection that rocks both there world within a matter of months.

But not everything in Bea's world brings her joy. Her mother remarries and moves into there home a new Step Father and Step Brother changing Bea's world forever.

6 years later, Liam Falcon returns to Lakeport to find Bea a shell of herself. Liam is desperate to bring back the Bea he once loved but Bea's been keeping secrets for 6 long years.

I was emotionally exhausted by the time I finished listening to Ache. My heart hurt, there was a lump in my throat and my eyes were stinging with tears. Ache was incredibly well written, with a well thought out plot and character development.

Ache does need a trigger warning, it deals with scenes of sexual abuse that i found very hard to listen too. I enjoy a dark read like most but these themes i find very hard to be able to listen to or read and still remain within the story.

Joe Arden and Ava Erickson are fantastic narrators, they captured the essence of Bea and Liam perfectly. You could feel the tension, the emotion and the pain in there voices. The narrators are what kept me going through this story, the way they portrayed the characters and the honest way they used the emotion of the writing was fantastic.