Ex-Army Ranger, Brand Killien, has always been good.
A good friend, a good soldier, a good everything. .
The problem is, good hasn’t gotten him anything but a crushed heart.
So after licking his wounds, he decides to move on. And moving on doesn’t include being good anymore.
Bad sounds so much better.
Jaded and detached, Brand is determined to never open himself up to anyone again. It’s not worth the pain. Instead, he becomes closed, hardened, aloof.
But then he’s called back home for a family emergency… a family that he is estranged from. A family that he put out of his mind a long time ago for very good reasons…reasons that involve secrets and pain. Reasons he tried hard to forget.
But home is where the heart is, and it just might be where Brand finds his again.
Why? Because home is where Nora Greene is. A fiery, red-headed spitfire, Nora is a thing from his past. A beautiful, feisty thing. When Brand left, she was away at boarding school.
But she’s back now.
And she wants Brand, scars and all.
5 BRANDed Stars
Being brave doesn’t mean not being afraid, Nora. It means being afraid and doing it anyway.”
If there’s one thing I know when I read a Courtney Cole book it’s that the woman is going to take all my emotions and feels and fuck with them like the sadist that she sure has to be. I’ve been a fan of this series since the very first book, and each one has managed to burrow inside me and stay. While I can’t say I loved the last book, Before We Fall, this one managed to blow me away. Emotional, captivating, steamy and unputdownable, Until We Fly is going to put you on an emotional roller coaster filled with twists and turns, but you’re going to love the ride.
What I love about Courtney’s books, are her characters. Those beautifully broken characters that never fail to tug at every single one of my heartstrings. And Brand? Well Brand I have been dying to get my hands on since first meeting him in If You Leave. He’s so different from most heroes you’d find in books these days. Yes he’s a sexy as hell, tatted up Army Ranger. So what sets him aside? He’s a nice guy. This is not a womanizing asshole. Nope. But he’s broken in his own way. Demons from his past continue to haunt his present, and Brand just learns to deal with it.
I knew that the woman that will finally steal Brand’s heart will have to be special. After putting it all out there and being there for everyone (Jacey in particular), Brand deserves a woman that would pursue him. And that’s definitely what he got with Nora.
Nora has practically been in love with Brand since she was a teenager. But then he left the small town they both grew up in and hadn’t returned since. Now he’s back to settle his father’s estate after his passing, and presents the perfect opening for Nora to make her move. When Brand gets injured rescuing her from the site of an accident, she has her perfect opportunity.
Nora seemingly has it all. Being the daughter of one of the most influential and richest families in town, a Stanford law graduate and on her way to work in her father’s company, her life is set. Only problem? It’s not what she wants. What she wants if even for a little bit, is Brand. Pure, wholesome, clean, hero Brand.
Nora is not shy about pursuing him, and she really doesn’t pull her punches when it comes to her seduction. Stuck in a cottage together with Nora taking care of him, Brand can only resist her for so long.
Nora hides her own demons. Demons that continue to haunt even her waking minutes. Demons that no amount of scrubbing and cleaning will ever cleanse from her soul. Demons that only quiet in the presence of Brand.
Can’t say I blame her, Brand really was absolute perfection
What first started out as a strings-free summer fling, soon begins to turn into something much more for both Brand and Nora. But beyond the love story and the steamy sex scenes was an incredible story about 2 very broken characters and their journey to healing themselves.
This book, for me anyway, was probably one of the most emotional. It was filled with twists that I never saw coming and a story that kept me glued to my Kindle until the very last page. And that last chapter? Well you definitely know you’ve read a 5 star book when the last chapter manages to make you tear up like a baby. I almost didn’t want it to end. I could probably ramble on and on, but why read my review when you can experience it for yourself?
If you haven’t yet read this series, it is a must read. While you could read this as a standalone, I’d recommend starting with at least If You Leave so you can really get a better grasp of Brand’s character. But Courtney certainly gives you enough background that you wouldn’t be lost starting with this book. Definitely a huge rec from me.
**ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review**
Praise for the Beautifully Broken Series:
“I loved If You Stay. Like, really really loved it. The kind of love that kept me reading until 2:40 am and left me crying, smiling, devastated, and elated. The best kind of book love.” – Andrea, The Bookish Babe
“Beautiful, raw, gritty, emotional and breath-taking are just a few of the words I can find to describe this book…reading this book was one of the best experiences I have had.” –Amanda, Globug and Hootie Need a Book
“In If You Leave, we continue the wild ride Courtney Cole started us on in If You Stay. This raw story of heartbreak and hope solidifies Cole’s standing as a rising star in hot contemporary romance.” — New York Times Bestselling author of Down to You, M. Leighton
“Another raw, gritty masterpiece with a sexy-as-hell Army Ranger to swoon over.” — K.A. Tucker, author of Ten Tiny Breaths
Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.
Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.
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