ARC Review - Publish Date May 9, 2023
Author: Abbie Roads
Series: Book 2 in Beautiful Nightmare Series
Category: Dark Romance
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
"He'd never known how intimate cradling a small palm against his could be, or how protective it'd make him feel, or how strongly he'd desire to rip off the glove and touch her, skin to skin." - Latham
It was tough to classify this book. Broken Dreams is tagged as a dark romance, but I would argue it is more of a thriller with lots of romance thrown in. I waffle between calling it a thriller with romance or paranormal dark romance. Regardless of the official genre, the book delivers.
I was on the edge of my seat from start to end. The pacing is quite quick, keeping characters on their toes and throwing problem after murderous problem at them in rapid secession, even the reader doesn't get a break. It was almost a relief when I finished, I don’t know how Abbie Roads fit so much heartbreak, evil, and triumph into one book. Broken Dreams doesn't deal in mystery like a typical "whodunnit", but uses the knowledge given to readers early on to induce anxiety and horror as we continue the story wishing we could tell our hero and heroine what we know.
Evanee, aka Honey, had a terrible life permeated with evil since she was young. There is no way not to feel sorry for her, what she was been through, and the constant fear she lives in. Honey was very naïve for being a fighter and survivor, perhaps because her abuse started at such a young age. Her desire for affection and protection clouded many decisions that she made throughout the book.
"She was a total and complete hypocrite. She hated hypocrites. Hated herself for how she'd reacted when he'd handled her issues with grace and treated her with dignity." - Honey
Latham was such a unique character, I almost don’t know how to describe him. He was complex, with scars that ran just as deep as Honey's did. His protectiveness towards her was immediate and he does everything in his power to make Honey safe. Their connection was instant, and though neither understands really what is going on, they come to rely on each other for comfort and support as they work to uncover whoever is out to get them.
"Everything vanished except the vivid sensation of her feminine curves burrowing into him, seeking his safety, his comfort, his warmth. She was cool where he was on fire. She was soft where he couldn't bend." - Latham
The end of the book took a wild swing in the wrong direction for me, rather than ending on a huge high note. There were some elements that didn't make sense and out-of-character decisions took me out of the story.
"The last fragile thread bearing the full weight of her sanity snapped. Evanee heard the soft snap, felt the pressure release resonating through her body. Hopelessness smothered her, killing the will to live." - Honey
Ultimately, Broken Dreams is not for the faint of heart. Sexual abuse, physical violence, and torture themes are very prevalent in the story, so please read the trigger warnings before picking this book up. At the end of the book, we are giving a small teaser into what book three will be about, I am dying to know more about Thomas.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tropes and Themes: Abuse, Insta-love, He Falls First, Powers and Abilities, Serial Killer, Mystery, Suspense.
Blurb
A stalker. A killer. A virgin hero who will sacrifice himself to save the woman he loves.
FBI Special Skills Consultant Lathan Montgomery has a genetic anomaly that he uses to solve cold cases, but it forces him to live in seclusion. When he saves a woman from a roadside attack, instead of her presence causing him to lose control, she soothes him. For the first time in his life, he experiences love.
But someone is watching them and planning to make them both suffer.
Trigger warning: Depictions of SA and violence.
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