Love Claimed (Hidden Beauty #6) by Mary Crawford

Love Claimed (Hidden Beauty #6) Reviews

• 
  Joan

  dnf at 6%
  
  The dialogue was awfully clunky to me and it’s first person, present tense alternating POV.
• 
  Becca

  Wow. Wasn't sure what to expect as I'd not read anything to date from this author. But was intrigued as a read the description. Although I haven't read the previous books in the series, I didn't feel lost at all in the storyline. I couldn't put it down, read it all in one night, as I could completely relate to the characters and NEEDED to read to see how their lives changed battling the twists and turns and each other's inner demons. I laughed, I cried, I sniffed and was yelling at the characters in my head. Must read the whole series!!
• 
  Grant Leishman

  Love Claimed by Mary Crawford is the sixth in her Hidden Beauty Novel Series. I had already read the first of this series, Until the Stars Fall from the Sky and was captivated by her style and her characters. I was certainly not disappointed with Love Claimed. It was every bit as good, if not better than the first one I'd read.
  It took me some time into the book before I realised why some of the lesser characters in Love Claimed seemed so familiar to me. I hadn't actually realised that this entire series of books focuses on the same extended family, yet each book uses two of the members as its principal characters. I was then able to happily revisit some of the characters I enjoyed in Until the Stars Fall from the Sky, which was neat.
  Rather than just two, there were three principal characters to this story; Dondra, Jaxson and Gabriel. Dondra, an almost forty, single mum with a teenage son Gabriel, meets Jaxson, a struggling doctor who is just starting his career, later than most. The inevitable happens and they fall in love, but the path of true love rarely runs smoothly.
  One of the things I really like about Crawford's writing is that her characters are usually very clever, successful and intelligent, but invariably deeply flawed or shaped by their difficult pasts. Love claimed is no exception in this way. Both Dondra and Jaxson have had difficult pasts that they have tried to put behind them, but only partly successfully. Dondra especially has a history of molestation and incest, eating disorders and substance abuse. Despite that, she has made an excellent job of bringing up her talented, young, sixteen-year-old son, Gabriel.
  Crawford is never slow to confront evil, such as child abuse, bullying and incest head on in her stories. She doesn't shy away from the subjects, but neither does she exploit them to shock or offend. She is open and honest about the impact of these things on her characters in later life.
  When I find an author's characters who espouse many of the philosophies of life, I hold dear to, I do get a kick out of that. It is clear that Crawford must be an adherent of many of the philosophies of the Law of Attraction as they flow quite naturally into her character's actions and dialogue. I really enjoy that.
  To sum up, Love Claimed is an outstanding love story that would appeal to many outside of her supposed target market. I suspect I'm as far away from her expected readership demographic as you can get and I loved it. If you love romance, tension, and conflict or if you are just a sucker for a squishy romance, as I am, you'll love this book.
  I did and I happily give it the five stars it deserves.
  
• 
  PelicanFreak

  Donda has been through some serious stuff – if you’re not new to this series, you’ve seen it alluded to so now we get the dirty details. She’s a pretty well developed character in regards to how she copes and what her triggers continue to be. She’s down to earth and fairly self aware now.
  
  Another thing you already know if you’re into this series is that she’s got an unbelievable support system. This installment doesn’t disappoint in that regard and we get peaks into many of the other characters while getting to know Donda and Gabriel better.
  
  This read is an interesting mix of both modern and old-fashioned, if that makes sense and it’s cute. Gabriel is a great character that I hope to see more of in the future. Jordan is a fascinating character that I also hope to see more of in the future. Crawford has a really fun way of introducing these new characters while keeping us up to date on the old characters while keeping us in the moment of the protagonist for the current installment. It works well and if you’re into romance and/or drama, you should check this one out.
  
• 
  Micaiah

  Making way for love
  
  Sometimes love is messy and complicated but once you clear the mess you find all the love underneath it. Jaxson and Donda both had past mistakes and hurts to deal with as many of us do, and like them if we work on healing ourselves and forgiving ourselves it can open up a world of opportunities and love. Great story with real and deep seated issues.
• 
  Merle

  This one is a roller coaster ride, based on Donda's past. When she meets Dr. Jaxsen Sheppard he thinks she is wonderful, naming her Ms. Bold. She is unsure because of her single mom and sober-now status.
  
  Crawford takes us through all her issues while finding a man who is strong enough to love her anyway.
• 
  Michaela H

  I’ve been looking forward to this story. It wasn’t what I expected but it was great. The amount of time spent delving into our mains, plus all of our peripheries, was awesome. There was a lot of emotion and decisions and overcoming the past going on. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
• 
  Donna Scoggins

  Embracing Baggage
  
  Two people with their own individual baggage can find love with the help of a loving family and dedicated friends!
• 
  Sharde

  I loved this book. Good Love Story.
• 
  Lavern Winters

  Enjoyed this book. Received An ARC in exchange for a review.
  Love claimed is the sixth book in her Hidden Beauty series. So far I've read them all. Normally I am not a huge fan of romance novels but Mary's first book, Until the Stars Fall From The Sky, got me hooked on her writing style.
  
  Love Claimed has all the same qualities as I've come to expect from this author. Her characters are realistic and well developed. Her plot is about so much more than the budding romance. As always the main characters have real life issues that they must deal with and overcome for any sort of normal relationship to develop. This book touches the subjects of child abuse, sexual assault, and addictions. Both main characters have been affected by one or more of these in some way. There are limited graphic description of the actual events, but, the psychological effects on the victims are covered very well. The story chronicles the doubts and fears of the would be lovers. Their actions and reactions are so realistic you feel along with Donda and Jackson as they tread the waters of recovery to discover love. As always the author helps her characters to deal with and overcome their issues to find their happily ever after. Although some of the subject matter is hard for some to deal with, Mary Crawford writes these issues with tact and compassion. Her novels are clean and have the happily ever after that romance readers yearn for. Appropriate for older teens 16 and over, only because of the subject matter.
• 
  Mary Crawford

  Love Claimed will be released on June 17, 2016. It is my eighth full length contemporary romance novel and the sixth novel in my Hidden Beauty Series, which celebrates the beauty in the differences between us all. Although my books are in a series, they can easily be read individually as they are complete stories. My books are available for free for Kindle Unlimited members and Amazon Prime members through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
  
  As is my practice, I have chosen a charity that is related to the storyline of this novel to which I will donate 15% of my profits. In this case, the charity is
  www.safekids.org . By highlighting this organization, I hope to bring awareness to the issue of children dying unnecessarily in unattended cars.
  
  I hope you will check it out. Donda’s story is powerful and relatable on so many levels.
• 
  Sandie Grise

  I received this book as a gift from the author in exchange for an honest review.
  On a scale of 1-5 I give it a 6
  Ms. Crawford had me glued to this book! I read it in two days! I instantly felt a connection to the characters in this book. The characters are mature and the plot was well written with a lot of attention to the details. It's not what I would consider to be a light beach read, unless you like sobbing while tears are streaming down your cheeks while in public. It does have an HEA, but your heart is run over a few times before Ms. Crawford puts it neck together again ❤️
  
  You could easily see the characters being your neighbors and friends. The issues are real and it's obvious that Ms.Crawford spent many many hours on research for such hard topic.
• 
  Fox Emm

  I've never read any of Mary Crawford's work before, but I will certainly be doing so! She has a knack for creating unique characters that you really want to succeed. (Even if they don't know they deserve it, yet ;) ) -- If you're looking for a less risque romance novel that isn't afraid to take a look at some harsh realities, check out Love Claimed!
• 
  Heather Truett

  Learning to love again, whether it's someone else or yourself....it isn't easy. Mary has shown it can be done.