A slow-burn, low-spice small town contemporary novel
Can love mend what life has broken?
In small town Kentucky, Scarlett has spent the last five years caring for her nephew, Ben, while trying to grow her baking business. Life has never been easy for Scarlett, but it takes a complicated turn when she loses her biggest client and gets behind on her rent. And to make things worse, Scarlett’s sister goes missing at the same time Ben's estranged father suddenly demands custody, leaving Scarlett to find a way to keep Ben.
As she tries to keep her life from falling apart, Scarlett crosses paths with Tristen, a musician struggling to revive his career while embroiled in a paternity suit with a girlfriend he hasn’t seen in years. Sparks fly immediately, but Tristen is planning to leave town and needs to focus on his career. It wouldn’t be fair to get involved with Scarlett. And yet, he can’t stop thinking about her…
Will love be the key ingredient to overcoming their obstacles, or will the pressures of family and ambition tear them apart? Discover a heartwarming tale of love, trust, and redemption where the sweetest moments can mend the deepest scars.
Will Scarlett and Tristen find the strength to let love in?
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Since assuming full-time guardianship of her nephew, Kentucky-based baker Scarlett has struggled to make ends meet. Without the right business connections, expanding her horizons to include private catering has proved unsuccessful. It seems she is doomed to be a small-town-farmers-market baker forever. With Ben’s father back in the picture and filing for full-time custody of Ben, and Scarlett’s slum landlord threatening to evict her, Scarlett needs a miracle to keep her nephew.
Amidst the dark clouds of doubt, a silver lining in the shape of a handsome, aspiring musician appears. Scarlett isn’t used to guys like Tristen—he is kind and attractive and interested in more than just a one-night stand. But how can Scarlett even contemplate the prospect of love when her life is falling apart?
Tristen has his own baggage—he’s currently fighting a case to prove he is not the biological father of his ex-girlfriend’s child (his twin brother is). He’s working several jobs, hoping to make it as a musician and leave Kentucky. Still, Scarlett has captivated his attention, and he can’t help but want to be near her.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Scarlett and Tristen, but no one ever said love was easy. Will they see past their collective challenges and give their relationship the attention it deserves?
“Bended Love” by Kat Caldwell is the highly anticipated second installment of the Bended Duet series. Despite being part of a series, it can certainly be read as a standalone, but I emphatically recommend both novels. Readers are immersed in Scarlett and Tristen’s complicated lives in this raw but heartwarming contemporary romance. Both weary from the perils of their circumstances, the pair find solidarity and chemistry in the presence of one another. But things get messy when you’ve got family drama, legal issues, and trauma to contend with. The refreshingly raw and relatable storyline highlights complex issues in modern relationships, appealing to readers looking for a romance with more substance.
Kat Caldwell has a remarkable talent for creating flawed, relatable characters you can’t help but root for. The personalities in this novel are no exception. Scarlett’s lack of confidence stems from a dysfunctional childhood where she was abused and neglected, and this seemed to bleed into all areas of her life. It prevented her from advancing in her career and demanding more respect from others when she felt cheapened by their words.
I wanted to reach inside the book, hug her, and then shake some sense into her! Caldwell allows readers to witness Scarlett’s evolution as she slowly develops a backbone and begins to see her worth (partly thanks to Tristen), and it fills my heart with pride. Tristen—whose journey I’ve followed through two novels—has risen from an insecure underdog to a self-assured man, and the transformation is wildly attractive and praiseworthy. To say the character development in “Bended Love” superseded by expectations is an understatement!
So, what do a tattooed-ex-boxer-musician and a small-town baker raising her eleven-year-old nephew have in common? A sweltering chemistry and the inability to surrender when things get tough. Don’t miss out on this gritty novel that will have you cheering, crying, and, ultimately, swooning.