5 SMOOCHES
Synopsis
Despite destroying Cassie Taylor twice before, Ethan Holt now wants another chance, but how can she possibly take him back knowing it could all go to hell again? And yet, knowing how much she still loves him, how can she not?
Second chances are hard to come by. Third chances, even more so.
Shakespeare once wrote, “The course of true love never did run smooth.” Next to that quote, he should have included a picture of Cassie and Ethan.
Review
“He’s right. I am hollow without him. I always have been. But what do I have to offer other than a shell of the woman he fell in love with.”
The moment I finished Bad Romeo I knew I would be on eggshells waiting for answers. Answers only Broken Juliet could give me so when an advance copy arrived at my house months before the release I don’t think I had ever been happier. Cassie and Holt had taken over my heart and my brain and I needed to how everything went down and exactly how Holt managed to fix any of it.
“Loving you, is the stupidest, most selfish thing I’ve ever done, but I can’t stop. God knows, I’ve tried.”
Switching between the present and the past allows Broken Juliet to walk the line between Contemporary and New Adult exceptionally graceful. Fans of both genres will be delighted with the beauty of what Leisa has done. I am typically not a fan of books that span years, often getting angry over the wasted time but somehow the way Leisa go about it, swapping throughout the whole book instead of separating the book into two parts, makes the time passing not only bare able but enjoyable.
“You can’t just swear off all men because Holt broke your heart. Men are like vibrators. Just because they’re dicks, it doesn’t mean you can’t use them to have a good time.”
Picking up where Bad Romeo left off Broken Juliet fill in the blanks on the two times Holt broke Cassie’s heart and makes you fully understand why she is unable to move forward with him and how impossible it is to just trust him. Never have I doubted that Ethan loves Cassie but he has never been able to love Cassie the way she deserves. Now years later and infinitely wiser, Ethan has worked restlessly on his issues determined to be a better person. The kind of person who deserves love and can love others the way they deserve as well.
.“Ethan. Bastard Ethan. Beautiful Ethan. My Ethan. Forever mine, regardless of whether we’re together.”
Now, after all these years it seems the roles have been reversed. Holt is fully in and desperate for a commitment, it is Cassie who is running and scared. So much is the same and so much has changed. Rightfully, Cassie is untrusting of Holt and his ability to have done an about face and for his part Holt is determined to prove that he can be who she needs.
“You walk into this party looking like sex in woman form and expect me to be anything but hard? That’s fucking laughable.”
While much of this book is serious and thought provoking, much like it’s predecessor, Bad Romeo, it is full of witty one-lines that break up the angst and prove once again that Leisa Raven can write her ass off. I often say that humor, knowing where to inject it and where to hold back a bit, is harder to master than any dramatic scene. Leisa gives us just enough to make the story sparkle and helps us get through the toughest of times. Times where our hearts are breaking and we can see the end of what was coming. She guides us along with the quick wit of the youth and the refined quirks of years of wisdom mixed with beautiful banter.
“Do you think it’s possible that soul mates who love each other aren’t actually supposed to be together?”
Breathtaking, powerful and tense Broken Juliet is a story that will withstand time. I was deeply affected by this series and have found myself recommending it to anyone who will listen. Holt is a hero you can love and hate and Cassie can be easy to love and deeply frustrating all at the same time. Leisa Rayven is an supreme writer and I will forever read anything she produces.
~ miranda
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