Seven years ago, my life changed forever. One accident and the person I saw in the mirror no longer resembled the woman I used to be. I was lost and confused inside my own body. I felt alone and disconnected from the world, carrying the incredible weight of guilt and loss that wasn’t even mine to harbor.
Then fate led me to Leo James. He taught me that crazy could be perfectly normal and it shouldn’t hurt to breathe. Don’t get me wrong. Leo isn’t perfect. He has his own cross to bear, and the truth is, that might be why I fell for him in the first place. But despite everything he does for me, learning to forgive myself is infinitely harder than overlooking the flaws of another.
Now, the secrets and lies of our past have begun to dictate our future—threatening to ruin us before we get the chance to try. Perhaps we were cursed from the start. Or maybe, just maybe, the remnants of our fractured lives will fit together to form one whole, where love isn’t questioned and being happy is…well, easy.
Can a second broken soul be enough to fill the voids of my own? Or will such scarred pasts prove too much for our love alone to overcome?
**Each book in this series can be read as a stand alone.**
Only, in my book, there are no more fresh pages- I’m writing in the margins these days.
In my never ending fashion of doing things backasswards, I dove into this book without having read the first 2 books in the series where the heroine was first introduced. I did read Among the Echoes, which is where I first fell in love with Leo James. When I heard that Aly Martinez will be giving him a story in Broken Course, I absolutely knew that I must read it. Being a reader that tends to be be very hard on the heroines, I’m partly happy that I didn’t read the first two books (YET), because I think that Sarah may have originally turned me off. If you did read the first two books and that is holding you back at all, don’t give it a second thought. Because there’s no way you can continue to hate her after this book. Now on to the review…
Can two broken people make something whole?
In usual Aly Martinez fashion, she gives you a prologue that is guaranteed to suck you into the story. With a chilling introduction like that, how can it not? But this is not as gritty or dark as the prologue makes you think it is, which is actually a big reason why I loved this book as much as I did.
Seven years ago, a devastating accident changed the course of Sarah’s life. Left in the ruins of a life that she can’t remember and a woman that is no longer her, Sarah barely manages to keep her head above water. All she knows is almost irrational anger and guilt. But she’s no longer that woman, she’s made a change and is trying to right the wrongs…when fate leads her straight into the arms of Leo James
Leo is struggling with demons of his own. If you haven’t yet read Among The Echoes, I highly recommend you to because it will give you a much deeper understanding of the man that he is and the dark memories that haunt him.
Leo is instantly drawn to the blonde beauty when he runs into her on a busy Chicago street. There’s just something about her that calls to him, a connection that he can’t explain…or can he?
The author did an incredibly beautiful job handling an extremely sensitive issue. Leo may be sex on a stick, and when he whips out the Spanish in bed he will melt the panties right off of you, but this is a man with a dark past. Struggling with crippling guilt, depression and PTSD, he is by no means perfect. I loved that the author didn’t gloss over his issues, but faced them head on. I also really loved the way that Sarah handled his issues. As broken as both of these characters were, I found them to be absolutely perfect together.
I will not give you more of the story since it simply just has to be experienced. But what I can tell you is I thought this was the perfect book to end this series with. There is no heavy angst, manufactured drama, or really any abundance of gritty or dark events. It’s a story of two broken people that learn to heal one another while realistically dealing with their own issues. This was a more character driven story than anything else, and I loved it for that. Both Leo and Sarah show an incredible amount of personal growth through the book. All the characters from the previous books make an appearance and even if you’re like me and haven’t read those yet, you’ll never find yourself lost.
The romance between Sarah and Leo was steamy and swoonworthy. If Leo doesn’t make your heart all pitter patter I don’t know what will. The story wasn’t quick paced or action packed, but it was emotional and realistic. They each make their share of mistakes, but I never found myself getting frustrated with them because they fit the story and their history. I appreciate that the author never diminished the characters’ issues. Sarah may have worked through her issues with Brett, but it’s never perfect, and I liked that. I wouldn’t have believed it if it had after all they’ve been through.
The epilogue was perfection! It was so great getting that extended peek into all the previous characters, including Leo and Sarah years down the line.
I’m definitely a big fan of this author and highly anticipate what she’ll have in store for her readers next.
Changing Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #1)
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.
