I’m barely holding on. I’m always on the edge, even after all these years.Ashton: I live every day the same and I can’t change who I am no matter how much I try. My new neighbor won’t give up asking my name and trying to make conversation with me. If he knew me he wouldn’t keep trying. I’m a lost cause. Lincoln: Catching sight of my neighbor’s ass in the hallway the day I moved in more than … hallway the day I moved in more than piqued my interest. It’s not just the body that has my attention. She’s mysterious, hiding behind sunglasses that cover most of her face. I ask her name and try to get her to talk on the rare occasions I see her in the hallway, but every time she ignores me and turns away. I need to know more about this woman, I can’t get her out of my head. Do I keep trying? Do I keep asking her name?
Warning: Some people might consider this a Dark Romance. Recommended for 18+ due to graphic details and language.
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A Flaw So Beautiful by Alora Kate was intensely realistic, yet incredibly beautiful. The author shows us that it’s okay to have scars, inside and out. It’s okay to have gone through a horrific event and SURVIVE. But it shows us it’s okay to move on when we are ready to start living again because otherwise THEY win. This is not your typical love story where boy meets girl and they fall in love and live happily ever after. This is a story about how life works sometimes and reality can be dark and ugly. Lincoln is persistent with Ashton. He knows something has happened to her and all he wants to do is help. He knows what the after effects of a traumatic experience looks like first hand. They may have had different circumstances but misery is misery. Some people come out of it and some retreat into themselves. After perseverance on Lincoln’s end, Ashton finally gives him an opening. She finally opens to him and is rewarded with the same. Hence, a bond begins. This author has come up with a storyline a lot of us can relate to, her voice strong with emotion. This book is highly recommended!
First I should state I won an arc in CoHos fan friday. This book is not for the faint of heart, and it isn’t your mama’s romance. This book deals with a woman named Ashton who has the most horrific past. As a result she has anxiety,PTSD, Panic Attacks, and OCD. While it doesn’t give many blow by blow accounts of her past, it does talk about it enough that it should be okay for people with this issues, just use caution.
Ashton is was big mess, and she is trying to just live day to day. Whats so hard for her is when she has a new neighbor move in, and he in turn is intrigued by her, having no idea that she really has issues that prevent her from in her words “being normal”. Lincoln is her new neighbor and he struggles to understand what she has been through, going so far as to let her in on his past, which was a mess in his teen years.
They come together through thick and thin, and really form a bond as he tries to help her recover her sense of self. This is heart wrenching and well researched and thought out. There are no glib one liners or anything that screams that the author is not most sincere about the issues that plague her characters.
First I have to say this, A Flaw So Beautiful is in my top 5 of the most emotionally driven books I’ve ever read. Coming from this abibliiophobiac who reads quite a bit more than the average bibliophile, that is darn good! Second, if you have yet to read this book, you should!
Ashton is a Survivor (yes with a capital S) who has lived through some of the most horrific moments you could ever think of. She was once a carefree teenager who was loved deeply by her family and she in return. Her life was pretty good, until she made a mistake that would change her world forever. She lives through years worth of trauma and is literally broken when she comes back to the the protective bubble she came from. But like most Survivors, it’s not that simple. She hides behind the battle scars that have stayed with her in an attempt to keep herself safe. If she has control of her life and every moment of it, she feels somewhat “normal”. Any disruption to that and her coping mechanisms bring the darkness all over again. She was doing pretty well considering. Until she met Lincoln…….
Lincoln is also a Survivor and who has lived through hell but was saved from his darkness by a loved one. One of the hardest things to live with is the guilt, anger, and sadness that remains when the physical scars heal. He knows what it takes to come out of the darkness and to really breathe and see things all over again. His life has improved dramatically and he knows how to keep himself going on a good path. But he’s not immune to the darkness just yet. The moment he meets Ashton, his world brightens a little more. But can he reach her before it’s too late? Can he help her to change her world and keep them both in the light?
Creative adoration (positives): I loved this book so freaking much. I cried my eyes out, I laughed, I cheered for them, I got angry for them. I was emotionally drawn to these characters and the incredible journey they face. Surviving isn’t easy and each person deals with it in different ways. Alora did an incredible job in showing how Ashton and Lincoln pull themselves together and to each other. It takes a lot of creative strength for Alora to bring this story to light. It couldn’t have been an easy journey for her and it makes me respect her that much more.
Creative indifference (negatives): I don’t have any negatives. Not unless you count the box of tissues I went through reading it?
Creative appraisal (overall): This book has so much more to it than the characters and their journey inside of it. It has the opportunity to understand, accept, cope and even heal portions of your own cracked heart. When I was done reading it, I sat and cried my eyes out. It hit home on many levels for me. The first book that made me feel like this was Danielle Steele’s Malice. Both have incredible characters who show you their inner workings and how to grow and change the course of your life for the better. This is a truly incredible book, and Alora’s best book to date.