Today is our stop on the blog tour for BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN by Laura Lee! Check out our post and be sure to grab your copy today!
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Blurb
I KNEW HE WOULD RUIN ME FROM THE MOMENT WE MET. Everything about the man screamed confidence. Sensuality. Intelligence. Worldliness. But it was how he saved me that ruined me most.
Through him, I learned to end my path of self-destruction. I no longer needed to numb the pain with mindless one-night-standsand drunken blackouts. He made me feel worthy. Treasured. Optimistic about my future.
Here I stand four years later, in a coffee shop a world away, still broken…but beautifully so. My scars no longer hold me back. Instead, they give me strength and enrich my appreciation for the good things in life. I have hopes and dreams…faith that anything is possible. I am no longer the lost little girl fighting for survival. I have direction. I have courage. I am not without possibility.
I’ll always have Gavin to thank for that—Mr. Cooper, I remind myself. That’s who he is to me now: just a former teacher. I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry. I was eighteen when we first met. Legally, we did nothing wrong. Morally? Well, I guess that depends on how flexible your morals are.
My name is Kat and this is my story.
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Review
3.5 “Sparkles” stars!
Kat has had a hard childhood. She’s been in the system several times when her mom chose drugs over her. She experienced a lot of awful things and was made to grow up way too fast. She is broken, lost, and just trying to survive. About to start her senior year in high school, she is determined to do well so that she can get into college and get out of town, away from her past.
Kat uses sex to escape the problems plaguing her mind, and as she sits in a bar on her eighteenth birthday (fake ID in hand), the gorgeous man who sits down beside her seems like he could be the perfect distraction. She is straightforward and lets him know exactly what she wants from him, and he wants her as well, but he also wants more than just sex.
Gavin is different than her usual hookups and there is something about him that makes her lower her guard, just a little and just enough to get what she wants. Their hook-up is intense and exactly what she needed to forget about her problems, at least for a little while. However, it doesn’t matter how talented Gavin is in the bedroom, one night of passion is all she can afford.
After sneaking out, she has no intention of seeing him again. This proves difficult when she walks into school and meets her new teacher, Mr. Cooper. Gavin and Kat are in for a rollercoaster of emotions when they discover that Gavin is her new teacher.
They can’t seem to keep their feelings in check and struggle to keep things professional. However, it’s not long before they find themselves wrapped up in each other’s arms.
“Gavin, wha-”
He leans into my ear. “Do you want me?”
“Yes,” I pant.
His fingertips dig into my hips so hard I’m sure they’ll leave marks. “This has to be the last time. To get it out of our systems.”
My panties are soaked just thinking about what’s going to happen. “I’m good with that.”
Though they really can’t be together, it doesn’t change how Gavin affects Kat. The moment he walked into her life, it was forever altered.
I’m consumed by him – by everything he is and everything we are together.
Beautifully Broken is a story about love, loss, friendship, and persevering. It has sweet and swoony moments, funny banter, intense situations, and some hot steamy times. It’s a forbidden romance as well as a second-chance love story that encompasses a whole lot of emotion and brings on the feels.
Kat and Gavin had a deep connection even though they weren’t at the same stage in life. She needed a friend and I love that Gavin supported her. He fought his desires to be there for her without making it about more than friendship. They enjoyed each others company and I loved that he was her safe place and made her feel protected. Watching her finally open up to someone was great and I was glad it was Gavin. His encouraging demeanor calmed her fears. Kat and Gavin have more in common than they thought and I loved how their friendship grows.
I really liked Gavin from the start. He wasn’t going to go along with Kat’s requests without getting to know her better. Something drew him to her and I loved that he wanted more than a one-night stand. He was honest, loyal, and really sweet.
“You’re incomparable, Kat. Everyone around you is riveted when you walk into a room. How have you gone your entire life without knowing how truly exquisite you are? You’re easily the smartest, bravest, most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”
I loved his relationship with his family and how deeply he loved. There was a twist that threw the story for a loop which was the set up of their decline and I thought it was well done even if I didn’t agree with the decisions made because of it.
We know from the start that Kat has major trust issues and has had a difficult life. An incident her freshman year changed her life and it takes a while before we find out what went down. When it is revealed my heart shattered. I liked how the truth came out bit by bit through flashbacks. Each one gave us just a glimpse into the past and left me racing to find out the truth.
I thought the blurb was a little misleading because I went into this book expecting it to start at the present time, then flashback four years to show when Gavin and her began and how she got to the place she is now. Instead it is the present story about when they meet and it’s not until the last 10% that we jump four years. Even though it was different than I expected, it did not take away from the story. Beautifully Broken is written entirely from Kat’s POV with the exception of the sweet Epilogue which was in Gavin’s POV. Even though I enjoyed Kat’s POV, I am glad we got a glimpse into his head and got to feel his love for her. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from Laura Lee.
“I love you. I think I was born to love you.”
*ARC generously provided by the author and Inkslinger PR in exchange for an honest review*
Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card
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About the Author
After working a 9-to-5 gig for many years, Laura Lee happily traded it for a rewarding career as a self-published author. Laura is the author of the bestselling Karli Lane and Dealing with Love series. She is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America focusing on contemporary, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance.
Laura’s passion has always been storytelling. She spent most of her life with her nose in a book thinking of alternate endings or continuations to the story. She won her first writing contest at the ripe old age of nine, earning a trip to the state capital to showcase her manuscript. Thankfully for her, those early works will never see the light of day again!
Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wonderful husband, two beautiful children, and three of the most poorly behaved cats in existence. She likes her fruit smoothies filled with rum, her cupboards stocked with Cadbury’s chocolate, and her music turned up loud. When she’s not writing or watching HGTV, she’s reading anything she can get her hands on. She’s a sucker for spicy romances, especially those involving vampires or cowboys!
EMAIL: http://lauraleebooks@gmail.com
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