Helena Conway has fallen in love. 
 Unwillingly. Unwittingly. 
 But not unprovoked. 
 Kit Isley is everything she's not--unstructured, untethered, 
 and not even a little bit careful. 
 It could all be so beautiful ... if he wasn't dating her best friend. 
 Helena must defy her heart, do the right thing, and think of others. 
 Until she doesn't. 
 "The best kind of love is the love that isn't supposed to happen." 
 "You don't start searching for the truth until something goes terribly wrong and you realize that you need it. There's no going back after that. The emotional concrete is poured. A foundation laid. This is what is feels like to go mad." 
 I need to start this off with: #fucklove #drankthekoolaid #hooked. The wait is over. Finally. I tried savoring the story, but it was too good and I'm a glutton for her painful words. This was well worth the wait! I thought the story was going to go a certain way, then I read the first chapter. So, I continued on thinking, "Okay, this is what's going to happen." Nope. I realized I was Jon Snow and I know nothing. 
 "I ignited something in your heart, and then left you to burn on your own. Forgive me, Helena. I wanted to protect you from the world's cruelty, not become it." 
 Her characters are so relatable. So human. She introduces real people in real life situations. Life isn't going to have some rich alpha male swoop in and fix your life and suddenly everything is perfect. Life isn't always about having every "i" dotted and every "t" crossed. It's messy and flawed and our choices have consequences. That's what Tarryn's stories have and I love it. (Most) People like to go through life avoiding looking at the ugly and the reality with rose-colored glasses, and I think that's why so many people love contemporary romance novels. Tarryn's writing forces you to look at life as it is, the good and the bad. She creates beauty from those situations. I think that's why her writing speaks so passionately to so many people, myself included. 
 I think a lot of people can identify with Helena. She's a strong and strong willed character with an old soul. She shows it when she cares for her best friend, Della, who tends to be self-centered and constantly looking for validation. After Neil cheats on her, she's disappointed but just keeps going. Even when she first realizes she's falling in love with Kit, she has such an internal struggle to do the right thing. She goes so far as to move across the country. As much as she thinks she's despicable for loving her best friends boyfriend, she really goes above and beyond trying to do what's best for everyone around her. Until she finally gives in. 
 Greer was my favorite character, secondary to Helena. I love that Greer is so comfortable in her skin that she's confident enough to be kind to everyone around her, even if that means seeing the guy you love with someone else. She's like the fairy godmother every girl needs. She's full of wise advice and she will even drag you halfway across the country to see the guy you're crushing on and handing you a hot new outfit. 
 "We were both on the search for something true at the same time. Sometimes a person's truth is another person's love." 
 I had so many moments where I was worried it wasn't going to end with a HEA. Then, situations would arise and I would wonder if there should be a HEA for Kit and Helena. I was anxiously reading and biting my nails. I felt like I binged on oatmeal and decided to ride Tower of Terror. That's how invested you get in her characters. Her words will gut you and rebuild you. 
 "There is only war in love," he says. "If anyone tells you otherwise, they're lying. The constant fight to keep love relevant, while growing and changing as a human, is the battle. You fight for them, fight to keep them, fight to love them. Do you fight for yourself, or do you fight for the relationship? What can't you live without? There's your answer." 
 I usually try to post a summary in my own words, but I can't do this story justice. For Mud Vein and Marrow, I went in blindly and it made the stories all the more special. If you've read a TF novel before or if you're looking for an original story about what happens when humans fall in love, this book is for you. If you've had your heart left shredded and bloody by love, this story is definitely for you. Thank you, Tarryn, for sharing pieces of your soul with us. 
 "You can't run away to find yourself. Yourself is there no matter where you go. The difference is, if you're running, you'll be too busy to pick up the sword and face your enemies. Sometime your enemy will be you; sometimes it will be those who have the power to hurt you. Take off your shoes and stop running. Live barefoot and f*cking fight."