It’s no secret that I absolutely LOVE all things Nashoda Rose. Heck, I practically sing the woman’s praises every single time I finish a new book by her. Why? Because with each new book she just continues to blow me away with her incredible characters, their heart wrenching stories and heart melting romances. Shattered By You is a bit different from anything she’s written before. It’s not the dark and angsty that readers that are familiar with her work would expect from her. This was more contemporary romance with a friends to lovers trope that broke my heart and melted it all at the same time. It’s packed full of feels and while it’s not the super steamy erotic romance that Nashoda has written for previous books in this series, it still has it’s side of sexy. I absolutely loved this book and it’s not often my picky self gets a a five star read. So when I do, of course I have to share it with you all.Make sure you check out the excerpt below along with my 5 star review and don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win one of 2 ebooks of Shattered By You or a signed paperback of Shattered by You.
Shattered by You
Series: Tear Asunder #3
Author: Nashoda Rose
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 22, 2015
What started out as a deal quickly became a friendship that conquered monsters.
I killed, but I escaped hell. Emotionless. Disconnected. Cold. A mannequin. It’s what I’d become in order to survive the years held in captivity. I was able to endure the abuse and devastating loss as long as I remained detached.
But he wouldn’t let me.
Crisis, the bass guitarist in my brother’s rock band, Tear Asunder. He’s cocky, rude, a total man-whore. But the rock star has far more beneath the surface of his inked skin, and he’s determined to make me laugh again.
He made me a “deal”, but really, it was blackmail.His terms were simple. Until his playful honesty became the building blocks to something unexpected. Something strong enough to pull me from the eye of the storm.
Because even though I escaped years of abuse, it didn’t mean I was free.
For mature audiences only.
Shattered by You is written as a standalone, however, it is recommended you read Book 1 and 2 in the Tear Asunder series.
Words: 98,000
This is a Contemporary Romance.
“I swore to never drink, but they tasted good, not like the beer.”
I half-smiled. She was cute tipsy with her cheeks flushed and her voice softer, sexier.
She reached up and touched me right between my eyes, the pad of her finger caressing back and forth. “The crease is there. You only get that when you’re worried about something.” My breath stalled. “And when you’re angry, your voice gets all gravelly and deep.” I closed my eyes a second and swallowed. Her finger trailed down my nose off the tip to my lips and it took everything, I mean everything, I had to not draw her finger into my mouth. “I love it when you sing. I can’t figure out which is better, when you sing or laugh. Because when you laugh, it makes my chest all warm and tingly. It’s nice.”
She rested her head against the wall, arm lowering to her side. Oh, fuck. I was putty, fuckin’ melted putty that was a puddle on the floor at her feet.
“You flirted with me today. At school.”
It took me a second to answer because fuck if she wasn’t the most stunning woman I’d ever seen and I was crawling back up from the puddle. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
I couldn’t very well tell her because I wanted to fuck her so badly my cock hurt. So instead, I said, “Things need to change between us.”
By her frown, she didn’t get what I was saying and probably wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning.
“We’re friends.”
“Yeah, baby.”
“I like when you call me that.” She sighed then bit her lip. “I probably shouldn’t say that. It’s safer as friends.”
Fuck no. No, it wasn’t safer. Safer would be making her mine and kissing her, then scooping her up in my arms, taking her home and putting her in my bed, and then waking up to her in the morning. Kite was right. If we went home together, I’d fuck her if she’d let me. “Yeah. Whatever you want, Haven.”
Because that was what it came down to. What she wanted.
I’d been good. Fuck, I’d been an angel, but the angel was losing its fight against the devil who wanted to kiss her. Take her. Make her mine. But I was determined that she had to come to me. Her past was too screwed up to have it any other way. She may not have told me what happened, but we all knew it was really fuckin’ bad.
She was looking at me with parted lips, eyes a little droopy and if I pressed in a little closer, our lips would touch. Her warm breath drifted across my face like a sweet caress and I automatically leaned in closer.
Her breath hitched.
I felt it. Heard it.
“What’s your real name?”
“Vincent.”
We all know the definition of shattered: to break into pieces; to weaken, destroy; to damage, as by breaking or crushing.
But my story isn’t about being shattered.
It’s about surviving the pieces.
Every single time I think Nashoda Rose can’t possibly top the last book I read by her, she goes and blows me away. Her writing is poignant, sensual, and emotional; which make her books completely unputdownable. With each new book I read by her, the woman proves just how talented she is as an author because none of her characters sound the same. She gives you her signature writing style without giving you that feeling of “I’ve read this before with a different character name.” Her characters and their stories are so full of depth and I have to say that Crisis and Haven’s story was probably the most emotional one that I’ve read from her to date. Their story broke my heart and melded it back together piece by devastating piece. It’s quite a bit different from her other books because there’s no dark or grit (besides Haven’s memories). It’s an incredibly emotional romance that while isn’t heavy on the steam, it still gives the reader just enough to satisfy. I absolutely loved it.
If you haven’t yet read Overwhelmed by You, I highly recommend you do. While you may read it as a standalone, you will enjoy it much more read in order. Some story arcs get carried over in the next books and it will help truly understand each character’s background but in this case; Haven’s
Haven is Ream’s twin sister that he long thought died from a drug overdose. What he never knew was the hell that Haven lived through at the hands of monsters. Forced to surrender her body and her mind, lost to the haze of drugs that were forced on her; Haven was a shell of the girl that Ream once knew. Now back in his life after rescuing him from his own hell by killing the woman that was the cause of it all, Ream hopes that he’ll soon get his twin back, but that woman is gone. She’s too damaged; drowning in the demons of her past and the nightmares of what she’s survived.
Crisis has always been the most lighthearted member of Tear Asunder. He’s had a happy upbringing with 2 amazing parents that adopted Ream at 17. He’s never suffered for female attention and he’s never denied himself a meaningless night spent between the thighs of a band groupie. But then a pair of haunted eyes change him and his life completely. He wants Haven but he knows he has to work for it. He knows she’s damaged but he doesn’t know the extent of it…no one does. But he’s willing to put in the work, even if it takes him months.
I adored Crisis in this book. While he may have come off as the unrepentant manwhore and jokester in the previous two books, there’s so much more to him. He systematically begins to wear down all of Haven’t walls. He’ll be her friend first if that’s what it takes; he’ll be there for her. He knows that they need that foundation before anything else because of her history.
Don’t get me wrong, while this book was more emotional than erotic; Crisis definitely still had his edge. He was a dirty talking bad boy who at his core was also an incredible man.
The romance element while very much predominant throughout the entire book is a slow build. I loved that Nashoda stayed true to both of these characters and didn’t make things happen in a few weeks. It took them months to get to where they are and the reader gets to experience every devastating memory of the past and each swoon worthy memory of their present.
I honestly think this may have been Nashoda’s best book to date.
Don’t get me wrong, while this may have been a touch less on the steam then the previous books in this series, that doesn’t mean it was any less hot.
His voice vibrated against me and I swear it was why he spoke. “Please won’t work this time, Ice. Melting is a slow process.
When these two finally get together, they burn up the pages.
But their road there was also a believable one. It wasn’t easy and filled with many bumps but the one constant that remained through it was Crisis. Did I mention just how much I adore him? Haven was an amazing heroine. For everything that she’s been through (and nothing will prepare you for just how devastating her past is) she still has this core of strength. Her pieces may be a little more broken than most, but she’s determined to put them back together again.
I don’t think I can name one thing I didn’t love about this book. Crisis and Haven’t story was everything I’d hoped it would be and yet so much more. Then there was also a peak into Kite, and holy mother of ovaries does Nashoda know how to tease you with a future character because GAH! A piercing (I’ll let you imagination full in where), a penchant for the kinky and rough sex, and perhaps even a Dominant streak? Oh mama! Sign me the hell on. I’m calling dibs now. I NEED his book.
If you haven’t read this incredible series yet, I can’t recommend it enough. The boys of Tear Asunder will ruin you for all other men, that much I can guaran-fuckin’-tee you. Trust.
