Jace Riley and Audrey Mills had a tender and irresistibly passionate romance…until Audrey shattered his heart. Years later, she still can’t stop thinking about him. They shared kisses that she’ll never forget, and one brief, explosive encounter that she wishes she could. But no boy could rescue Audrey from her nightmarish home life, so she rescued herself, got through college and got into … graduate school…only to find herself at the same school as Jace and his identical twin brother, Jaxon, who has his own complicated history with her.
It takes only one glimpse of Audrey’s long legs and brown eyes for Jace to ache for her once more. Yet he’s determined not to fall for her again. She ripped apart his heart and betrayed his brother…or so he thought. But what if Jace made a terrible mistake about Audrey? And what if he has one last chance to fix it?
Revised edition: This edition of Beautiful Broken Mess includes editorial revisions.
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Before I jump into this review, I have a confession to make: I could not finish the audiobook due to the narrator. I am pretty sure that it is the same woman who narrated Beautiful Broken Rules. The one that ruined my reading experience for the first book. Maybe I am too harsh, but her voice acting is really distracting. Not only did all her men sound like old Cajun women with laryngitis, but Audrey sounded like she really needed to spit. My hair is standing on end just thinking about listening to this audiobook with earbuds; the stringy-saliva sound was amplified. And for the ones that read my BBR review, Em’s voice was still equivalent to nails on a chalkboard. I really don’t recommend opting for the audio with this one guys. I quit listening about a third of the way in, and I didn’t regret it at all.
Audrey Mills got a character makeover in this installment. The once bratty, wannabe home-wrecker has a difficult past. Who would have thought it? She tells us about her terribly abusive parents and wanting to escape immediately after her high school graduation. She was just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel when she met the Riley brothers.
Jace Riley had never been drawn to a girl in his life. After his father’s passing, he had been too consumed by keeping his twin brother tamed than to try to start courting some girl. Yet Audrey was different. After he knocked her down on the street, he took her for coffee and invited her to Cole’s party. He was prepared to take the leap of faith with this girl. It all gets shattered when he walks into the party to find Audrey kissing his brother Jaxon. But that is just the beginning of their story.
Audrey managed to escape after graduation just like she had planned. What she hadn’t planned was wrecking her relationship with the Riley brothers – especially Jace. She is now in grad school and conveniently, or inconveniently, at the same school as them. Lane, her best friend, tries to get her to tell Jace and Jax the whole story. However, Audrey is tired of seeking them out only to have them toss her aside. If they truly cared, they would listen. Right?
Jace is beside himself when he realizes that Audrey is attending his school. They are like magnets that keep gravitating towards one another. As much as he wants her, she is still off limits. He doesn’t want Jax’s sloppy-seconds even if, technically, she was his first. There is just too much history there for them to start over. He just wishes it didn’t hurt like hell.
I loved seeing this couple come together. Jace has always been my favorite twin from the beginning, and I was thrilled that he was getting his own book. I must say that I was surprised that Audrey was his love interest. I totally blame the author for that. She made us hate Audrey in BBR; I was wondering how she was going to redeem her character. Lauren was really able to revive her, but it didn’t match up to the Audrey in the first book. It didn’t feel cohesive to me. However, I did enjoy this one much better than the first.
4 stars!
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Oh my gosh, I didn’t think I could love this book more than Beautiful Broken Rules. I mean, I absolutely loved Jaxon and Emerson’s story. But, Jace and Audrey? Oh, my! Their pain level was off the charts and their chemistry and passion was through the roof amazing! I literally cried for Audrey and Jace. I wanted their happy ending as if it was my own happy ending. Seriously, Kimberly Lauren takes all the angst she can find, and bundles it up into the perfect romance novel! Absolutely stunning! If you are looking for a quick, light-hearted read, don’t grab this one. If you want a book that is 5 star worthy, beautifully written, and will leave you in a blubbering mess through, then absolutely grab this read, and let Lauren take you on that roller coaster ride of emotions. Fabulously done, Ms. Lauren. I can’t wait to see what’s in store with Promises!Kimberly Lauren