Title: Beyond Broken (The Bay Boys #3)
Author: Emilia Winters
Release Date: March 21, 2016
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"You want a taste of what I can give you? Well, you know what, princess?" he sneered. "Get in the fucking line.”
Words that describe Caleb Montgomery: sinfully erotic, unbearably cold, beautifully devastating. Once upon a time, Maddie Ashby thought that he was the man of her dreams. But the boy with obsidian eyes that she’d once adored is long gone, replaced by a man whose broken past has molded and shaped him into someone unrecognizably cruel and hardened.
One mistake brings them together. Another will change both of their lives forever.
Note: Intended for mature audiences over 18+. This is a STANDALONE novel and can be read on its own even though it’s part of a series. No cliffhanger!
Words that describe Caleb Montgomery: sinfully erotic, unbearably cold, beautifully devastating. Once upon a time, Maddie Ashby thought that he was the man of her dreams. But the boy with obsidian eyes that she’d once adored is long gone, replaced by a man whose broken past has molded and shaped him into someone unrecognizably cruel and hardened.
One mistake brings them together. Another will change both of their lives forever.
Note: Intended for mature audiences over 18+. This is a STANDALONE novel and can be read on its own even though it’s part of a series. No cliffhanger!
I loved this book! Maddie is a character who always sees the good in people, even when they try to hide who they are, but she's also got quick wit and a great sense of humor. Despite Caleb's initial impression that Maddie is irresponsible, she proves to be anything but. She's definitely got her goals and plans for her life, but a mistake involving her car is all it takes to change the course of her life.
I will say that you might have the strong urge to choke Caleb out during the first half of the book, simply because of his behavior towards Maddie. He's the very definition of hot and cold with her, yet she somehow manages to see through the layers that is Caleb to the man she knows is there. He's a man who does NOT trust easily, and trusts women even less. But the more you learn about his past, the easier it is to understand why he's built a fortress around himself and doesn't allow himself to believe that he could have something good and beautiful in his life. And while he seems reluctant, almost rude to Maddie, he soon finds that he's drawn to her more than he likes.
I thought the issue involving the sexual abuse was an interesting story arc, I've not read a book that features that type of abuse committed against the victim. It took Caleb a good long while to finally understand that Maddie didn't feel pity for him and what happened, but that she was outraged on his behalf that he suffered time and time again by some of those who claimed they cared for him. Once he realized that she wasn't disgusted by what happened when he was younger, it seemed as if he finally allowed himself to believe in her feelings for him. Caleb's big turning point in acknowledging his feelings for Maddie was when she needed emergency surgery, and the subsequent talk he had with her mother.
I enjoyed the way the story wrapped up with everyone happy and coupled together.
ARC provided in exchange for honest review.
Caleb’s eyes followed the pink flash of her tongue. A shot of adrenaline pumped through her body when she saw him swallow, hard. His voice was huskier when he asked, “You want to be kissed, princess?”
Maddie sharply inhaled. She didn’t even need to answer. Caleb saw her enthusiasm, the way her eyes widened ever so slightly, how her cheeks flushed pink, how she leaned forward.
He gave her a dark, knowing smirk that made her breath quicken. Stepping even closer, although their bodies still didn’t touch, he murmured, “Do you want to know something, Maddie? I haven’t kissed a woman in almost eight years.” Her brows drew, struggling to process his words. “But I have fucked a lot of women in eight years. What does that tell you?”
Maddie ignored the searing flash of jealousy and the bitter burn of humiliation that swept through her. How many women had experienced the man she’d once wanted all to herself?
Her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth. “I know what you’re trying to do,” she whispered.
“And what’s that?”
“Scare me away,” she answered truthfully, the words tumbling from her lips. “But do you want to know what I think? I think you’re scared of me.”
“And why would I be afraid of you?” he asked, his defenses rising. A tangible wall. His eyes swept over her. His desire was gone, replaced with something that made her want to shrink away, something like disdain. The high that she felt taking charge had disappeared and she was left shaking as she came down. “You’re just some irresponsible, spoiled, desperate little girl, wanting a taste of what I can give you. Well, you know what, princess? Get in the fucking line.”
Maddie sharply inhaled. She didn’t even need to answer. Caleb saw her enthusiasm, the way her eyes widened ever so slightly, how her cheeks flushed pink, how she leaned forward.
He gave her a dark, knowing smirk that made her breath quicken. Stepping even closer, although their bodies still didn’t touch, he murmured, “Do you want to know something, Maddie? I haven’t kissed a woman in almost eight years.” Her brows drew, struggling to process his words. “But I have fucked a lot of women in eight years. What does that tell you?”
Maddie ignored the searing flash of jealousy and the bitter burn of humiliation that swept through her. How many women had experienced the man she’d once wanted all to herself?
Her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth. “I know what you’re trying to do,” she whispered.
“And what’s that?”
“Scare me away,” she answered truthfully, the words tumbling from her lips. “But do you want to know what I think? I think you’re scared of me.”
“And why would I be afraid of you?” he asked, his defenses rising. A tangible wall. His eyes swept over her. His desire was gone, replaced with something that made her want to shrink away, something like disdain. The high that she felt taking charge had disappeared and she was left shaking as she came down. “You’re just some irresponsible, spoiled, desperate little girl, wanting a taste of what I can give you. Well, you know what, princess? Get in the fucking line.”
Emilia Winters has been reading and writing stories since childhood. She discovered her passion for writing romance early on and never looked back. After graduating from the University of California, Irvine with a B.A. in English, she happily pursued her dream of becoming a self-published author. When she's not dreaming up sizzling moments between her characters, she's either watching old reruns of The Golden Girls or drinking tea. She currently lives in California, secretly hoping for rain as she soaks up the sun. Visit her at emiliawinters.com.
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