Strength

I was one of those people who read Challenge and immediately started stalking the author only to discover Vi had her own book in a different series (in case you're one of those don't-really-read-the-blurb people, Strength is the original story, That One Moment, with new, never before published scenes and epilogues). So of course I had to go read anything that had more of those crazy Harris brothers. There are a lot of characters that carry over from the London Lovers and Lost in London series, so reading those first will give you a lot of background, but I thought it worked perfectly well read as a standalone.Vi and Hayden's story has a lot of the humor but a lot of heartache as well. Vi is tough and independent--well, between growing up without a mother and all those brothers, she'd have to be--but she isn't without her vulnerabilities. Hayden is sweet and sad, sexy and moody as he deals with trying to get his life back on track. I alternated between wanting to give him a Gibbs' style wap across the back of the head while telling him to open his eyes to what's in front of him, to just wanting to give him a hug for all he's been through. Vi has pretty much the same reaction, with the additional bonus of off the charts chemistry, so their relationship is an epic rollercoaster ride.One of the things I love about both the Harris Brothers and London Lovers series is the relationships. Here, I especially loved Hayden's "baby whisperer" status to 3 month old niece Marisa and Vi's relationship with her brothers, but there are plenty of other great secondary characters around, all adding another layer to the story.Great characters, great relationships and a story that alternated between laughter and tears all added up to a 5 star read for me.

I don’t know how I missed this one! I thought I was totally caught up with Amy’s London Lover’s series so I moved onto the Harris Brothers Series. I loved Vi in that series and kept wishing I knew more about her and Hayden’s story. Luckily their story is here and it is EVERYTHING! It was beautiful, emotional, and uplifting. I loved Vi and Hayden so much. Both of them had gone through so much, and had struggled for so long. In each other they found strength, courage, love, and acceptance. It was gut wrenching at times, but their love for each other was strong enough to put back all the broken pieces moment by moment. I loved Vi’s relationship with her brothers. She loved them and took care of them for so long. She was a great sister and held her family together. But she and Hayden found everything they had been missing in each other.For those of you who are new to Amy Daws’ work, Strength was originally titled That One Moment and was part of her London Lover’s series. It’s the same story, but after Vi’s brother’s got their own series, it seems fitting that Vi and Hayden’s story be included in that series with a cover that matches the rest. I adore this cover revamp and the bonus content and extra epilogue is awesome. I think their story fits perfectly into the Harris Brother’s series, so if you haven’t yet, definitely check it out. If you’ve read That One Moment, I’d still recommend grabbing Strength for all the bonus content and extra epilogue that has been added to the original story.

I loved this story so much. It has angst and humor and it gave me so many emotions in between. Vi truly is that woman that can see past all the walls Hayden is putting up and sees him for the man he’s trying to be…but they’ve got some serious hurdles to get over!!There’s a few times that I wanted to slap him upside the head, although Vi’s brothers kind of took care of that for me…. And when they have a “meeting” with Hayden, I so respected how he reacted and proved how much he loves Vi. Hayden is a man that is so scarred and surviving in a world that doesn’t necessarily understand him and his feelings….with the exception of Vi!I loved Vi so much!!! She’s the sister of those four alpha men, The Harris Brothers, which she has no problems putting in their place. And even with all of the BS that Hayden puts her through, she remains true to herself and the love she knows she can have with this man. He truly is her other half!!Kudos to Ms. Daws for writing a character that’s living and surviving with the demons that haunt Hayden. It’s clear she did her research which is so very important when writing about this topic. I loved every single thing about this book!!!

Oh.my.gosh! This book made me a blubbering mess but also made me smile bigger than I ever have before!Vi and Hayden’s story is one enveloped in darkness, vulnerability, loss, and so much love. To see two halves of a whole come together. To see two halves make each other complete, to be each other’s twin flames is such a beautiful sight to behold.This is the type of story that reminds you that life isn’t perfect, that there are things that will try and maybe even succeed in bringing you down and drape you in darkness. But there is also always a light somewhere that can rise you up and remind you that life is worth living. That without the bad there is no good. That without darkness there is no light. That no matter how much you feel like giving up there is always something that will keep you living and whole.This story was outstandingly beautiful and raw. The vulnerability, the emotion, the heart-aching loss and love was an epic sight to behold.And outstanding 5 stars to Amy Daws. If I could give infinite stars I would.

This is Hayden and Vi's story, a prequel to the Harris Brother's series in a way. It was previously released as That One Moment, it has been updated with a new cover and some additional scenes.Vi is a beautiful, bright soul and feels like she is just finding her freedom out of the family home and away from her over-involved brothers. Hayden is focussed on his survival, his health, he has overcome so much and asks Vi to help him complete a task set by his doctor which brings them closer together.There was a lot of turmoil in this story, the relationship beset with hurdles. Vi feels unlovable and Hayden feels incapable of loving someone at this time in his life. I was so grateful for their happy ending, for Tanners light-heartedness and the general over-protectiveness of those brothers.

I first read this book a while ago when it was titled 'That One Moment'. I enjoyed it so much I also listened to the audio book edition. With duet narration, that is fantastic and not to be missed. Since this book, Amy Daws has written books featuring each of Vi's footballing brothers-a spin-off series which became The Harris Brothers Series. Now she has re-titled this book as 'Strength' and it has a snazzy new cover which ties in great with the other Harris Brothers books. As well as the amazing original book, there is also some new additional material, new scenes and two new epilogues.Straightaway: those words, they had so much emotion and meaning. I couldn’t tear myself away, it was hypnotic! Such power in such a short prologue. What a start-I knew I was in for a treat! Each book in the series and sub-series is a cameo of a character or a couple of characters and in each one Amy Daws weaves in some of your favourite characters from the other books. It's great whether you've already read the others but you don't have to have had-you'll probably want to though when you've read one!She describes what Hayden has gone through so convincingly, it was so believable. The writing really got to me, it was so profound, so beautifully constructed. It felt so real too: chapters are presented by the different characters, from their point of view and I felt almost like I was reading their true stories, it was all so vivid and just so totally gripping. I had to remind myself it was fiction! Such brilliant dialogue, you just get caught up in it, it was totally engrossing. Because Amy Daws' books are so dialogue-driven, the interaction between the characters is always so compelling-I can really imagine them working as a TV mini-series.I love how her books are such a great mix: sadness, tragedy, tension, humour, romance, some sex scenes which are all vital to the story and it's not absolutely loaded with it/not just for the sake of it. Such a great build up, she creates the stories so expertly. It's such a great series and has such potential for developing: the writer introduces new characters, relatives of present ones, their friends etc. They all have their different stories to tell and you can see more books sprouting out from this one, as in previous ones in the series.I read all the time, always have a book with me and read in-between work etc. but with Amy Daws' books, I always like to save each new one for when I have a few days off work/bank holiday weekend etc. They deserve to have my undivided attention so I can just read in total luxury without having to put it down in an important bit! These books are something really special, I can't wait for each new one, she never disappoints.The books are essentially love stories-but so much more too, on a whole different level. As well as the ‘will they won't they’, break up, reunite, intense emotions, suspense, the happy times-the characters also have their problems to deal with-these are sometimes unexpected things but all totally believable and it's easy to become totally lost and absorbed in their lives. A real treat, pure escapism. Leave the housework!

Vi Harris is the only mother figure her younger brothers have ever really known. They and her older brother Gareth are very possessive and protective of her. Sometimes too much though.Vi meets Hayden Clarke when she literally bumps into him when going to the opening of a friend's bar. She instantly feels a spark. Unbeknown to her, she has the exact same effect on him!Hayden has a complicated past, and their path is far from smooth, but what a wonderful story. Love, passion, sorrow and laughs fill this story, and really I feel should be read before the Harris brothers series (the opposite of what I did). Brilliant series full of loves and laughs.

I’d read her brothers stories as hadn’t realised this one was first. Really hard topic to write about but thought It was done really well. So many emotions reading this book, goosebumps, laughter and tears. Lots of tears. Theirs is such a beautiful story about holding on and letting in love once you’ve found it.Vi and Hayden bump into each other and they have an instant connection towards each other. They both feel it but don’t act on it. Until they meet the second time but then it’s off to a shaky start. Hayden is going through a lot and can’t quite let Vi in. It takes a while for him to get there and he almost loses her in the process.

I adore this final instalment of “London Lovers”. Strength is the revamped “That One Moment” and it’s such an amazing story of Vi and Hayden. Their story certainly has its ups and downs and really pulls at your heart strings. It’s another fabulous book by Amy and sets up the Harris Brother series nicely.