carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I liked this one even though it wasn't the kind of book that I would normally pick up. I did have some issues with the book but nothing too overwhelming. I have had a review copy of this book for over five years but put off picking it up during that time largely due to the fact that this is the third installment in the Beautifully Broken series and I worried that it wouldn't work well as a stand-alone. I had no reason to worry since this book told its own story and read just fine without any knowledge of the rest of the series. 

This was a pretty dark romance. The romance was a lot more erotic than I usually read. I am not opposed to either of those things but this book did take me out of my comfort zone just a bit. One thing that I really don't enjoy in a romance is seeing one of the main characters engaging in sexual acts with someone else. I really do prefer stories to focus on the two main characters and their relationship with each other. I do have to admit that some of the acts in this book left me with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth because I felt like one party was destined to be hurt.

Dominic and Jacey are the focus of this story and they both have dealt with some terrible things in their past. Dominic is a famous actor who refuses to get close to each other but doesn't hesitate to get physical with others when he feels the need. Jacey seems to always pick the wrong guy but she is trying to start over when she meets Dominic.

Dominic and Jacey are forced into a situation that requires them to spend time together. They do have a lot of chemistry together. Their problem is letting each other in and trying to trust each other. As things about their past were revealed, I did understand why they acted as they did. I actually found myself liking this book more and more as the story progressed and I think that was largely due to the fact that I started to understand the characters, although their behavior did also change. 

I decided to listen to the audiobook version of this book and I thought both narrators did an acceptable job. I did prefer the female narrator over the male simply because of some of the voices that were used. I did think that they both did a good job overall and I am glad that I decided to listen to the book. 

I would recommend this book to readers who like a darker, more erotic romance. I found this book to be a good way to mix up my reading just a bit and try something a little different. I would definitely read more of Courtney Cole's work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

Initial Thoughts
This is not the kind of book that I normally pick up but I did like it. This was a darker romance between two characters dealing with some pretty big issues. I liked this book more as it progressed but had some issues with some of the earlier sections. I listened to the audiobook and I thought that the narrators did a good job. I preferred the female narrator's overall performance. Some of the female voices that the male narrator used could have been better.