The Fractured Heart A smoldering, sexy tattoo romance

Scarlett Cole — 2016

Thrown together by fate and friends, a bad boy tattoo artist and down on her luck waitress are about to find that opposites really do attract in the follow-up to Scarlett Cole's The Strongest Steel. All things, when placed under pressure, eventually break or leave a mark. Tattoo artist Brody "Cujo" Matthews knows how to keep things simple. Tattoos, a good time with friends—and steer clear of relationships.Abandoned as a child by a mother who refused to stick around to raise three boys she didn't want, he has no interest in getting involved with complicated women. That all changes when he’s asked to help organize his best friend Trent's engagement party, which means working with Trent's fiancée's best friend, Drea, the definition of high maintenance and sizzling curves. And the one woman he doesn’t want to walk away from. Andrea "Drea" Caron is broke and tired. After years of caring for her ailing mom, she's at the end of her rope trying to manage the piling medical bills, two jobs, and a life placed on hold. She certainly doesn’t need the added frustration of a sexy playboy tattoo artist messing up her best friend’s engagement party or her carefully balanced life. But when Drea witnesses the abduction of a woman from the café she works at, she can’t help but turn to the sexy, inked Cujo, who’s determined to prove to Drea that he’s someone she can count on forever. But as they attempt to bring the truth to light, someone is working to bring that forever to a sudden, deadly halt. The Fractured Heart is a full-length romance in the Second Circle Tattoos series that can be read as a standalone!

Reviews

Samantha Emery@samj

Oct 17, 2021

Check out this and my other reviews at My Blog, Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest Copy received via netgalley in exchange for an honest review ★Book Basics★ Genre : - Cont. Romance Series : - 2nd in the series Love triangle? - (view spoiler)[No (hide spoiler)] Cheating? - (view spoiler)[No (hide spoiler)] HEA? - (view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)] Would I read more by this author/or in this series? - Yes Rating - 3 stars ★Review★ Having read the first book in the series, which I really enjoyed, it was a true emotional journey and despite me having some issues with regards to the writing, my REVIEW for book one here, I was really looking forward to this book. And while I did enjoy it, I did not love it and had some major issues. It felt like there was A LOT going on in this book, that actually detracted from the relationship and the emotion. I feel like the book suffered as it had too much packed in. The drama with her mother, his mother, them not liking each other to start, his issues and history, her issues and history etc, then the whole suspense aspect with the fracking drama. In all honesty, I lost track of the whole suspense part, the fracking business, and just who was meant to be who etc. For me, that entire business could have been left out. The author, as she has proved with book 1 can write a truly emotional story, but for some reason in this book felt like she had to add in extra drama to keep readers interested, when it did the opposite. It would have reached another lvl for me, IF she had left out all the extra suspense part, that was superfluous for me, and wrote a story about two people with fears and issues, and getting together despite their lives being in turmoil. I just feel like the author should have had confidence in her ability to write a really good story, without unnecessary drama. As she can write a good story. Instead the extra drama just served to make Drea seem a bit daft at times, and had me shouting at my kindle so many times "JUST CALL THE BLOODY POLICE WOMAN". She was getting very close to TSTL territory. And the suspense part of the story relied on some pretty big random coincidences to move it along. Drea just "happening" to be in the right place at the right time. Also, I am not a huge fan (and this is just a personal preference) of oh so vague and mysterious references to something terrible having happened in the past that makes them feel unworthy of love. This is dual POV and we were in Cujo's head, yet we get vague references to "something" that happened, or his "scar", or how he does not want children, until he actually tells Drea what is going on. But a lot of authors do that. I just do not like it. However, all in, it is a solid 3 stars, maybe a 3.5, as I enjoyed it, liked how the relationship built and liked the emotional side of it, I just feel like that part that I truly enjoyed was lessened for the sake of a drama that was unnecessary. But I am looking forward to the next book and will be reading it.

Sarah Hayes@smdj1

Oct 15, 2021