BLOG TOUR - Once Loved (Shattered Past #2) by Cecy Robson

Once Loved

Shattered Past # 2

By: Cecy Robson

Releasing Jan 20^th, 2015

Loveswept: Flirt

Blurb

He’s the campus golden boy. She’s picking up the pieces of her broken past. But in Cecy Robson’s scorching novel of second chances—perfect for readers of Monica Murphy and J. Lynn—their differences only make their connection more explosive.

Every memory Lety Tres Santos has from her childhood comes with a scar—some emotional, some physical. Her father is an abusive drug addict, and her mother enables his destructive behavior. College offers Lety a fresh start . . . until her father finds a way to ruin that, too. Now, after losing her scholarship to kick off junior year, Lety must somehow stay in school, pay tuition, and turn a deaf ear to the whispers that follow her. And she intends to do it all without Brody Quaid’s help.

Brody is a lacrosse star, a 4.0 student—and as a freshman, he fell hard for the beautiful and spirited Lety. But their relationship crashed and burned because he couldn’t break through the walls she’s put up around her heart. With Lety hurting more than ever, Brody strives to win her back and make her believe in real love and true partnership. That will mean opening up secrets locked away in his own past—and trusting someone more than he’s ever dared.

Lety knows how painful it can be to depend on the wrong man. She also knows how much Brody wants to do this the right way. But it takes more than sizzling desire to move on and build a future together.

EXCERPT:

The bus engine roared as it crawled up the steep hill and onto our small campus. The trees on either side parted like a curtain, revealing the collection of buildings spread out along the valley . . . and the police cars with flashing lights angled to the side.

Strobes of blue and red smacked against my window. Our director stood, rushing to the side. “What the . . . ?”

Below us, two campus cops struggled to cuff the densely tattooed arms of a very large and very volatile Latino male.

A chill clawed the length of my spine. No. Oh, God. No.

Carlos, my father, donkey-kicked, toppling the cops fighting to restrain him. They rolled with Carlos backward onto the pristine lawn, landing beside a large stone statue of Saint Jude. The cops regrouped and then tackled Carlos when he tried to stand. Carlos whipped back an arm, punching one cop in the face and kneeing another in the groin.

“Oh!” everyone on board shouted. They climbed over each other, scrambling to get a better view as the bus driver slowly maneuvered around the chaos.

“Who the hell is that?” Dina said, fear shrilling her voice.

“Whoever he is, he’s strong,” Gary added. “I’m glad I’m not down there.”

“Fucking animal,” Razor spat.

Shame had me burrowing into my seat. Holy shitballs, I just wanted to die. And then something happened that I didn’t expect, and the impact raked at my heart. A large hand slid down my arm to intertwine with my fingers. During the commotion, Brody had switched seats with Alice. I didn’t have to glance behind me to know it was him. I remembered the scent of his cologne, and his touch. Especially his touch.

Brody curled against me, shielding me from the barrage of escalating voices and scathing remarks. Without a word, he held me, pretending like me that Carlos was a stranger. But he knew him. He was there the last time Carlos had hurt me and made me bleed.

I clasped my free hand over my mouth, trying not to cry from his show of support or from the memory of that day. For now I was safe. The tinted windows offered protection and kept me hidden. But they failed to spare me from my reality below.

I saw everything clearly—saw how the remainder of the police force arrived to secure the situation, saw my father being dragged away, and saw the large bruises swelling my mother’s busted lip and face. She stood with her arms crossed, watching everything, saying nothing, doing nothing. Just like she always had every time my father beat us.

At that moment, I wasn’t sure who I hated more.

Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/11/once-loved-shattered-past-2-by-cecy.html

Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22890017-once-loved

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Author Info

CECY ROBSON is the New Adult and Contemporary author of the Shattered Past series, and the award winning author of the Weird Girls Urban Fantasy Romance series. A self-proclaimed professional napper, Cecy counts among her talents a jaw-dropping knowledge of useless trivia, the ability to make her hair big, and a knack for breaking into song, despite her family’s vehement protests. A full-time writer, registered nurse, wife, and mother living in the South, Cecy enjoys spending time with her family and silencing the yappy characters in her head by telling their stories.

Author Links: Facebook | Twitter | Website | TSU | Google+ | Goodreads

REVIEW:
I really enjoyed this book in the series, and while there were some emotional moments, I didn't have the shock that I got from the first book (Once Perfect). I think because we already know about Lety's family history and how horrible (which doesn't even begin to describe everything that happened) her life has been. 

What I liked about this book is that even though the school knows how Carlos and Lety are related, her close circle of friends don't judge her for that and clearly care about her and her well-being. I could also understand her obvious reluctance to accept any type of monetary assistance from Brody the several times he offered, but I couldn't understand why she didn't want to accept the car Teo and Evie gave her.

I also loved how much Brody is into Lety, that he wants to be with her regardless of her family situation. He wants nothing more than to make her happy and show her what it's like to be in a loving relationship. Brody also has a tragic story, part of which he feels guilty about because he feels like he didn't do enough to prevent the tragedy from occurring.

I liked how the story wrapped up, I was surprised with one outcome because I thought for sure that aspect would carry over into the youngest sister's story, but it looks like it won't. I'm still excited to read the next story though, just to see how Sofia and Killian get together.

RATING

ARC provided in exchange for honest review.