BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN SPIRIT
by CATHERINE COWLES
She’s always been his safe place to land.
Jensen has shared a special bond with Tuck for as long as she can remember, their friendship a language that never needed words. But as life threw her one curveball after another, that secret language turned to stony silence.
He’s always been her protector.
Tuck has looked out for Jensen since the day she was born. As his best friend’s little sister, he’s tried to keep her firmly in the friend category. But she’s always been more.
All it takes is one moment of weakness to send Tuck’s fiercely guarded walls crumbling to the ground. As a new fire burns between them, someone watches. Someone who doesn’t like the new life Jensen’s building for herself.
And they’ll stop at nothing to keep her in the dark.
"Couldn't stay away, Wilder. You're like a drug."
I must admit, Catherine Cowles surprises me. With each release of hers I'm reading, I'm falling more and more in love with her voice, her style of writing - her stories in general. She has such a unique flow to her words. There's a real intimacy to her small town romances and she completely sucks me in from the first page. The innocence and the familiarity of the town and its people, that's what makes me love her. This being my fourth book of hers, I am completely devoted to her stories now. Might as well plan my calendar around her releases now....I'm a goner.
There’s such a softness to her words, and she tells the story as if it was one passed down over the years, generation after generation. I can feel the sense of awe in her words when she talks about a love so powerful that there is no denying it. A beauty your eyes can’t put into words, but the vision steals your thoughts. A land so majestic that the stories, you can hear them on the wind. Her storytelling is like that, for me. I love the pace, the story, the visuals, and the love between her characters.
Was I watching Jensen grow from a worried, lost girl who had her heart broken into a tough, no effs given badass? Yes. Yes I was. And boy, was that a journey. I loved her strength, but I also loved her vulnerability, even though she wanted to hide behind it. There was so much reality and truth to her fight and her emotions that I couldn't help but connect with her on a deeper level. Her sarcasm made me giggle, but I also loved the way she didn't give up and kept fighting for HERself. She definitely gave me a better mental picture of a strong woman.
But, saying how strong Jensen was, it definitely took a confident man to know when to stand next to her and when to carry her. A man smart enough to know that difference is seriously the sexiest thing to ever read or see in a man. Tenacity. Strength. Adoration. Tuck had it all and gave it out so generously to Jensen, but watching their relationship morph from one level to the next definitely had its growing pains. I couldn't put this book down and it read so smoothly and easily.
"You don't fight fair."
"Never said I would."
The visual alone, the one Cowles gave my mind's eye a view of - that was perfection. I envisioned Tuck and his comforting arms holding her. The strength in his convictions and the protective side of him showing while he ground his jaw together in frustration - I saw that muscle in his cheek jump. And with Jensen? I could see her hair floating on the breeze, and her running around ragged at the Kettle while trying to think about Noah and her horses. I saw the excitement of those horses and the worry they shared; the fear their pacing provided. Cowles gave me a story that I could envision AS it happened, and that's all because her words were descriptive and flowed amazingly clear.
''Being around Jensen was the most beautiful form of torture."
I won’t even begin to be able to put into words how this book affected me; how it made me feel - let alone, the reading experience was pure joy, no matter how hard Tuck and Jensen had it. This love had the perfect balance of give and take. The hidden smiles, the real fears, the angering reality, but it also had the true love. Oh gosh, that love!! This kind of love is what love stories are made of. <sigh>
This little town has some seriously crazy antics happening in and around it - aka, drama. But while that all happened - for me, the drama didn't detract from the story. It brought out the family strengths and the truth of their love for one another. It brought out the realization of a love someone wasn't too sure they were good enough for. Yes, drama was in the storyline, but it had its place and I really enjoyed this story as a whole. This was definitely a romantic suspense, so the drama fit the storyline for what it was. Was it predictable? Sure, some of it was - but that never stopped me from reading further, since I wanted to see how it all buttoned up.
My favorite part, besides their whole love story? Their nicknames. I laughed so much!
I love when books are centered around my own home state. With Cowles' words, I could picture the foothills of the mountain, the hills and rocky crags that littered the valleys. And I could most definitely sense the hitch in my breath at the beauty before me standing atop a mountain. Our state is absolutely beautiful, and I feel Like she blended beauty with her words exceptionally well. She gave me a 'picture' to see while I was reading this book. I am so in love with this series and I cannot wait for Beautifully Broken Control. Like, I am ridiculously giddy for that one.
''He was comfort and fire all at the same time."
~BEE
My review: http://bit.ly/2NgO66I
~MEET CATHERINE COWLES~
Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she's not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.
~FOLLOW CATHERINE~
❤ your review Bee
ReplyDeleteLove your review!
ReplyDeleteLove this!!!!
ReplyDeletewow, amazing review!!
ReplyDeleteGreat review Bee...I love when the book is written so that I see the story and can "envision AS it happened".
ReplyDeleteWow ! You made me wanna read this book ASAP with your review Bee. You have this way with words that affects me so deeply. Can't wait to read this.
ReplyDelete