Brokenhearted Beauty

Divine Creek Ranch #19

by Heather Rainier

Brokenhearted and grieving, Leah Woodworth’s heart is filled with regret for never confessing her love to Patterson Elder. His loss haunts her dreams and she can’t set eyes on his brothers, James and Vincent without seeing his face. Having denied her attraction to them until it was too late, how can they possibly still want her?

James and Vincent were sure Leah was the one from the moment they met her. Patterson had always shared that belief, taking every chance to convince her that she was meant to be theirs. With Patterson gone, James and Vincent are deep in their own mourning and at a loss as to why Leah avoids them. When she is offered an opportunity that may take her permanently out of Divine, they realize time has run out and seize what may be the last chance they have to make her theirs forever.

Genres: Menage, Romance, Erotica, M F M, Contemporary Romance

ebook

First published August 22, 2014

About the author

Heather Rainier lives and writes in South Central Texas. Her stories offer up the content of her fantasies, with humor, tragedy, and triumph mixed in.

Heather's love of romance fiction began as a teenager when her mom gave her copies of Kathleen Woodiwiss's "The Flame and the Flower" and Bertrice Small's "Skye O'Malley". To this day she's pretty sure that was her mom's version of the "birds and the bees" talk.

Heather writes the type of novel she loves to read: More erotic and edgy than the mainstream, with plenty of sweet romance mixed in and a happily ever after guaranteed. Heather's favorite type of hero is the gentle, lovable giant but readers will discover a wide variety of heroes and alphas on the pages of her novels.

When not at her keyboard, Heather is usually busy corralling her teenagers, or loving on her smokin' hot husband, who thankfully loves to cook.

Heather invites readers to e-mail her at heather.rainier@yahoo.com and also to visit her website at www.heatherrainier.com

Reviews

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough one to read from page one. I feel like I spent most of the book trying to read it through tears. With the last book we know that Patterson dies, so I was intrigued how the author would tell this story.

The opening of the book was tough, Leah was telling Patterson good-bye, right before his body was going to have it's organs harvested to help others. You would think that is the worst thing of the book, but no. We also had guilt to deal with, the guilt of those left behind thinking they were the cause and then anger, anger that Patterson did one dumb thing that cost him his life. Once those issues were dealt with I thought, whew...we are done, they can be happy. Then something unexpected popped up, the man that got Patterson's heart wanted to meet his family to thank them and get to know the man that saved his life. Those scenes were so hard to read, the tears really coming. But what surprised me was how much it helped heal Leah, James, and Vincent. It was a way to honor Patterson and say goodbye to him at the same time. After that I just wanted a HEA, they all had suffered, they deserved it.

I find myself intrigued by the few new comers introduced and look forward to seeing how they blend into town.

[Susan Foulkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Rainier has done it again. I can't believe that this is book 19 in the Divine Creek Ranch series..each book surpasses the last. Heather's writing continues to evolve and mature. She is at her best when describing emotions and, believe me, this is a very emotional book. The tissues appeared before I'd even finished the prologue and a couple of times I had to put the book down and compose myself. The subject matter could have been depressing and mawkish but Heather handled the issues of grief and how/when to move on with a delicacy and understanding that I appreciated ,having been recently widowed. There were still lighthearted moments and humour in the story and love, lots of love. The characters were well rounded and it was great to catch up with our favourites from previous stories. That is the beauty of this series - as it continues the characters feel like friends and this reader (and many others!)would love to find a town/community like Divine. Wishful thinking I know...but at least we can dream. Thank you Heather for creating this world.

[Violeta · Rating 1 out of 5]

90% of the time I wanted to strangle Leah...she was one of the most confused and confusing characters I ever read and I agree with her wondering why do those men want her and waited for her to give them a chance for such a long time. She admits to regretting not giving them a chance while Patterson was still alive, goes to bed with them but then she goes all "I might be moving out of town, dad bought me a store to manage, its a huge career opportunity." Until the end of the book I dont think she knew what she wanted, on one hand she wanted to be with them and on the other hand she wanted to leave, start fresh or whatever, was not very clear on her reasons. And no, her career was just an excuse for her running away instead of committing to the guys she says she loves. I also had a real problem with the way she treated her sister and not wanting to believe that she changed...I liked Presley Ann since the previous book and I really was against how badly she was treated by Leah, especially if her doctor might suspect she has a disorder...Cant wait for her book!

[SiKReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Rainier has again captured my heart and had me crying. This book has you crying from the first few pages. My heart broke for Leah and the Elder brothers. As the book progresses, Leah's heart is mended little by little by Vincent and James. I have to admit, I found my heart also healing in sympathy with hers. My favorite part of the whole book was with Leah and Kendry at the dock. I can't say what happens there or who he is without a major spoiler, but if you read this story you will be crying like a baby like I was.

I am loving that not only did Leah open her heart to James and Vincent, but also mended her relationship with Presley Ann. Absentminded Angel is her story, and I can't wait for that to be released.

This is one of my bottle books. Could not put it down!!!! I devoured it! 5 Hearts!

[Julia Lassiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book. You will laugh and cry and cry somemore when the book ends, cause you don't want it to end. Heather has captured my heart again. Loved it. This is one series that you never get enough of. Thanks Heather for another fantastic book. Look forward to more.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a reread from a few years ago. AS I have only been on Goodreads a couple of years, it may be one that I didn't capture in my previous reading challenges. It was enjoyable as the heroine Bunny comes in contact with the owner of Hazelle House a private BDSM club as she was doing electrical work for him. She ended up in the middle of someones fantasy. She is the sole provider of her family, a brother who has a brain injury and her grandmother who took them in and brought them to Divine. Come visit Divine, it is a lovely town that I believe we wish we all lived in from time to time with neighbors helping neighbors. Enjoy the read.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[ValerieC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had been waiting for this book because it gives us some closure for the last story, where Patterson Elder was in a horrible accident, leaving Leah, James, and Vincent without him and his dynamic personality.

Overall, I love this series and have read all of the books. I live in Texas, and am familiar with the area in question.

The part about Leah's trip home from Abilene to Divine was a hoot! And being 'skunked' is no laughing matter - it's a nightmare... I have had that happen to my dogs a couple of times, and even my back porch windows were sprayed once (that smell travels throughout your whole house and makes you sick).

Also, set-ups for future books are in here.

**RANT**I have been buying most of my Siren Publishing books on Amazon because I do my reading on a Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Fire these days and they had begun selling the books there. I don't know what Siren is up to lately, but I waited a while (a week or two) for this to show up on Amazon for my Kindle, and it never did. I finally bit the bullet and bought it from Siren, but their 'Send to Kindle' option is not a good thing. The book is sent as a document, and it's just an overall aggravation. Not the best way to get their books onto a Kindle, and the covers don't show up in the carousel on a Kindle Fire (it's ugly). This is why there are so few 'reads' and reviews for this book. It's a big loser in the marketplace for the authors. I am thinking this may be a problem where some authors don't want to sell on Amazon because of the commissions, but the reduced sales can't be a good thing for them. I like the convenience of downloading by WiFi directly into my Kindle with the correct format. And paying a small bit extra for that is ok by me.**/RANT**

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Heather Rainier’s Brokenhearted Beauty we return once again to Divine Creek Ranch. This book is best read in chronological order as it takes off where Divine Charity ends. While this story deals with difficult issues, I think Ms. Rainier handled it in a way that was respectful of both her readers and her characters. Leah was struggling with the death of Patterson and Ms. Rainier did not flinch from that suffering nor did she gloss over the depth of despair felt. The raw emotions leapt from the page and James and Vincent’s frustration was also clearly laid out. I loved that Ms. Rainier was respectful while at the same time giving us a story of hope, perseverance, acceptance and love. She didn’t focus on the pain even as she showed Leah’s struggle to accept the loss of not only Patterson but what she could have had. I loved that James and Vincent loved Leah enough to force her to begin moving toward acceptance and past her anger. This story was gut-wrenching and tears ran freely as I read each word but I didn’t feel mired down with sorrow. Instead Ms. Rainier allowed us to grieve along with Leah, James and Vincent while showing us light at the end of the tunnel. She showed us that with love and patience pain can be healed if not forgotten. I am a fan of Ms. Rainier and I think this is her best story to date. It is well written and well balanced. She took a subject that could have left the reader feeling negativity and sorrow and instead gave me a story that showed there is light and love at the end of tunnel.

Five shooting Stars and a shining star Award!!

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

AT first reading this was a little difficult because it brought back some very unhappy memories. The further I read, the more I realized I shouldn't have worried. Heather Rainier made this a book to be proud of. Not only did she touch on the grief that the main characters were feeling but the conflicting emotions of anger they felt towards the deceased. Then there is the guilt and confusion for having those feelings. I remember having those feelings as well. She also touched on the conflicting emotions you deal with when the deceased is an organ donor. She did an awesome job of showing just how HARD it is to deal with a senseless death, organ donation and the struggle of going on with our lives. I was thrilled that she allowed Vincent, James and Leah to meet the recipient of Patterson's heart and the very real emotions and actions that went into the meeting. I would elaborate but I don't want to give away more than I have.
Even though I have read every book in this series (all 22 works, 21 stories plus the Insider's Guide), it never gets old. Yes, the underlying premiss is the same but she manages to make each book it's own. I have loved reading EVERY one of them and will impatiently wait for the next to get my Divine, Texas fix. Thank you so much for this book Ms Rainier and I am so, so sorry for your loss. But I want you to know, even though it brought back some bad memories. It also brought back more good memories. So thank you for that.

[Linda Wager · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to be so blown away about Leah's story. I thought Leah was a quiet, demure workaholic that kept her nose down and lived a closed life. I knew she was living in her sister, Presley Ann's, shadow and stayed out of the limelight. I assumed she would end up with one quiet man, live a calm, organized life and remain far behind her sister. Boy! Was I wrong!
Leah's story yanked me back from this idea from page one. I was so devastated by the time I was at 7% that I texted Heather to tell her I was ugly crying & sobbing hard. This was way too real not to feel Leah's heart shattering.
A little farther in the book I texted Heather again to say I absolutely NEVER cry for anything and I was doing it again.

I absolutely LOVE this series and do not think there is one book that didn't completely and totally move me, but Brokenhearted Beloved is the cherry on top of a double chocolate, hot fudge sundae. There is so much emotion in this book from all 3 of the main characters. They all have an aching, painful emptiness that could bring them together or tear them apart. I'm not giving any spoilers because you HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!!!!! The whole series is a masterpiece.
If I could give this book 100 stars I would gladly do it.

[SandyL · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the reviews I was so excited to read this book - I love the Divine Creek series! But for some reason I just could not get into this book or it's characters. Frankly, it was depressing. Leah is still mourning the loss of Patterson Elder, who had been after her for a long time (along with his brothers) but she never let them in. Four months after his death, James and Vincent are tired of waiting and decide to push Leah a bit. At the same time, her dad has offered her a promotion to a new store he just bought in Abilene. The guys talk Leah into experiencing them before she makes a decision so she can see how good they can be. Although their scenes were sexy, the dirty talk just didn't flow. The guys used "the c word" all the time and, although I don't find that offensive and in some stories it's the right word, in this book it wasn't the right word. I always look forward to seeing how all the other Divine Creek characters are doing, but there was little interaction with them in this book. So, overall it was mildly interesting and I'd rate it 3 stars, but that's disappointing to me for this author and series.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leah Woodworth is grieving, not only for the loss of Patterson Elder, but for the endless possibilities he would have brought to her life. Memories bring regret, sleep, nightmares. Day in and day out, she grieves with her whole heart.

Vincent and James Elder have watched her for months, hoping that she would come to them, to let them help her with her grief. Knowing that she can't keep going like this, they go to her, asking to be a part of her life. Vincent and James' love for Leah is tangible and honest. They are quick to passion and to love while respecting her love for Patterson.

Sit back, grab a box of tissues and read Leah's story of grief, acceptance and love. Reading about Leah's love for Patterson broke my heart, and I apprecaited the way Ms. Rainier didn't gloss over his passing, but dealt with it head on.

I felt as though I was walking the same path as Leah grieved and as she loved and was loved. Ms. Rainier has outdone herself once again.

[Denise H.]

Beautiful romance !! Glorious story telling. What a gem! Deep thoughtful, loving caring characters. Interesting story in Divine. Sexy, hot, erotic and romantic ménage tale. We know of these characters from previous books, and this is there time to shine. Heart wrenching, but delightful, romantic, delicious story. Yes we lose Patterson at the end of the last book. A great loss, but here there is adventure for Leah, heart felt friendships and love. The tears flow, and there is laughter, too, (the skunk smells...) The caring and love devour the characters. Anyone who has suffered the loss of a husband, etc., as I have, will relate to the gut wrenching grief that is felt!! I loved how the guys were talking about how to tell her she's beautiful and smells good, and how much they love her. Great advice to tell everyone they talk to how great she is. Please read, and enjoy this as much as I did.
E N J O Y !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marie Brown (Marie's Tempting Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't begin to express how much joy, laughter, tears, and happiness Brokenhearted Beauty brought to me. It was one of the most touching stories I read this year. I cried, I giggled, and I enjoyed EVERY single word of this book. Mrs. Rainier gives us readers what we want. She knows how to put together a book with EVERY single human emotion you could imagine. She makes us feel like we know these characters, like we are LIVING in these moments. She makes us feel what its like to lose someone, then let go of the pain and let it transform into something wonderful. I just can't find enough words to describe how much this book touched me. Mrs. Rainier is a one of a kind gal that can do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING with a story. Thank you Heather Rainier for your books. I hope you never stop writing. Looking forward to Presley-Anne's story and her happily Ever After.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart wrenching & confusing

I just want to start with, I have enjoyed this series right from the first book. This book, however is my least favorite. The first part was heart wrenching and tears were flowing freely. The next part was Leah avoiding and denying her feelings for James & Vincent. Then she admits to loving them but she's considering leaving them and still pushes them away. Which made no sense. Then there is a lot of drama and she still tries to push them away. Which still made no sense. Then the heart wrenching again before she admits her feelings again. What was to think about when you are in love? How could she even consider leaving the men she loved? Just didn't get this story and never got invested. Ok read.

[Cheryl (Gwyneiira's Book Blog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's just something about this entire series that is so addicting! I cried rather badly while reading this because of Patterson ;A; I'm weak against things like that. I quite enjoyed Leah's story though not as much as the others but it would've been perfect if Patterson was around though. I adore his personality from the glimpses we were allowed. I loved how Jamed and Vincent spoiled Leah and how cavemen Vincent was :3 Definitely looking forward to reading Presley-Anne's story!

Full review to come soon.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leah Woodworth is grieving and heartbroken after losing the opportunity to tell Patterson that she loves him after a horrible accident takes him away, but it's not only Patterson that she hadn't come clean with its his two brothers as well...Vincent and James are sick and grieving the loss of their brother and once they realize that a job opportunity might take Leah away they decide they've waited too long and their determined to not lose the love of their lives...beautiful story about seizing the day and going after the love you need...onto the next

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

MFM ..... Balls of tears! Get ready for all the wet pillows or tissues. This isn't some sappy story. This is something that touches the heart and also shows that in time the heart does heal, it just needs a little prodding from the right person OR in this case more than one. You can't help but put yourself into the setting and just be an extra character. IT'S GREAT! WONDERFUL! ABSOLUTELY WORTHY OF YOUR TIME!

[Lisa Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Rainier has managed once again to give us a wonderful story about living life and loving with no regrets. She combines the topics of grief and loss into a wonderful happily ever for Leah, James and Vincent. Heather really knows how to tug at your heartstrings. You will need a box of tissues for this book but you will not regret reading it!! You rock, Heather!!!

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read that is a tear jerker. Emotional storyline that could have been believable. Even with loss, life has to go on. Love this author's writing style and books. She makes you feel the characters sadness, loss, love and laughter. Love the interaction and chemistry between all the characters. Would recommend this book and the whole series. Can't wait for more.

[Alejandra]

Wow I knew I was going to love this story but I had no idea of just how much it was going to truly touch me. To say that I cried like a baby is an understatement it was a very touching book that covers a real tragedy and the aftermath of how some decisions can change so many people's lives. I liked Leah and felt in love with James and Vincent.

[Kimmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book touched something deep in my heart. If you have ever read a Heather Rainier book you know that she puts a little piece of herself into each book and this one was no different. I cried, laughed then cried some more. And cheered at the end. This is a 5 star book....Awesome job Heather!!!!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Rainier has done it again with Brokenhearted Beauty. Tears and laughter are through out this book. You really felt each moment with Leah, James and Vincent. Heather Rainier wrote a simply beautiful book.
I look forward to reading her next book...Thank you Heather Rainier

[Toi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can Love Conquer

Can love conquer the pain of losing someone you love but was afraid of letting them know - Leah loves Patterson, James, and Vincent but when a tragic accident takes one of them away can they get through the pain together or will it tear them apart.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and this story is a great addition. It has its light moments and its heartbreaking moments, but it is all well done and well worth the read.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Heather's books. This was an emotional one more than any other before. Great work and a must read.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read September 2014. Reread.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED this book, and I sobbed through quite a lot of it. So be warned. LOL.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Getting ready for Presley Ann.