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Wrecked and Ruined #3
Broken Course
Seven years ago, my life changed forever. One accident and the person I saw in the mirror no longer resembled the woman I used to be. I was lost and confused inside my own body. I felt alone and disconnected from the world, carrying the incredible weight of guilt and loss that wasn't even mine to harbor.
Then fate led me to Leo James. He taught me that crazy could be perfectly normal and it shouldn't hurt to breathe. Don't get me wrong. Leo isn't perfect. He has his own cross to bear, and the truth is, that might be why I fell for him in the first place. But despite everything he does for me, learning to forgive myself is infinitely harder than overlooking the flaws of another.
Now, the secrets and lies of our past have begun to dictate our future—threatening to ruin us before we get the chance to try. Perhaps we were cursed from the start. Or maybe, just maybe, the remnants of our fractured lives will fit together to form one whole, where love isn’t questioned and being happy is…well, easy.
Can a second broken soul be enough to fill the voids of my own? Or will such scarred pasts prove too much for our love alone to overcome?
Then fate led me to Leo James. He taught me that crazy could be perfectly normal and it shouldn't hurt to breathe. Don't get me wrong. Leo isn't perfect. He has his own cross to bear, and the truth is, that might be why I fell for him in the first place. But despite everything he does for me, learning to forgive myself is infinitely harder than overlooking the flaws of another.
Now, the secrets and lies of our past have begun to dictate our future—threatening to ruin us before we get the chance to try. Perhaps we were cursed from the start. Or maybe, just maybe, the remnants of our fractured lives will fit together to form one whole, where love isn’t questioned and being happy is…well, easy.
Can a second broken soul be enough to fill the voids of my own? Or will such scarred pasts prove too much for our love alone to overcome?
296 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2014
186 people are currently reading
3429 people want to read
About the author
Aly Martinez
53 books8,113 followersOriginally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her four young children.
Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, charcuterie boards, and her mildly neurotic golden retriever. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.
She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.
Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, charcuterie boards, and her mildly neurotic golden retriever. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.
She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.
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November 13, 2014
::: FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED ::: 4.5 STARS :::
“Seven years ago, my life changed forever. Then fate led me to Leo James. He taught me that crazy could be perfectly normal and it shouldn’t hurt to breathe…”
I loved this book!! It was a gorgeous romance and a perfect conclusion to this series -- a sexy, heartwarming story of two broken people finding love in the most unlikely of places. I highly recommend these books for all fans of unique love stories, second chances, and protective Alpha males.
My strong recommendation is to read this series in order. Chronologically, Broken Course is actually the fourth (and last) book you should read about this set of characters. While each book is a standalone about a different couple, all the stories are strongly tied in together and I promise you'll have a much stronger emotional attachment if you read them in order. (See the bottom of this post for more details.)
This is Sarah and Leo's story and it was so fitting to have theirs be the final part of this series. Since the beginning, Sarah's journey has been tragic, painful, and while I would understand why some reader might have even disliked her, I personally felt pity for her. What happened to her was life changing and devastating and I was so happy to see her finally reach a place of happiness and healing. Seven years ago, she was involved in a horrific accident that she survived but at the cost of the losing the woman she used to be. Her personality change was like turning into a new person. Overcome with guilt, she struggled for years with her new reality, feeling utterly unworthy of love or life and just wanting things to end. Her previous emotional connections were no longer meaningful and she felt lost, and completely alone...
Leo James was protective by nature and profession, and tortured by a past he was forced to relive each day in his head. The never ending guilt of the horrific things he was forced to do while working as an undercover agent haunted him. Both him and Sarah reached points where they thought they couldn't make it any further, both so broken by their pasts that they lost any hope for their future. But somehow, together, they were able to build something beautiful.
Now, despite the pain in their pasts, this book was actually a lot of fun. I really appreciated that the author lightened it by incorporating oodles of humour. I must have laughed right out loud at least once per chapter. Everything from their hilariously horrific first date, to their non-stop banter, to their flirty texts really balanced out the more emotional sides of the story.
I actually think that Sarah's best friend said it best. Her accident had essentially made her into a new person and the only hope she had of building a future would be to embrace that new person with someone who would accept her as she was now without judgment.
And I loooooved the way Leo was with her. As someone with a dark past of his own, he understood the need to be accepted and there were no double standards in his mind. He was calm, patient, caring, and protective of her... allowing her the safety to just be herself and willing to stand up for her no matter what.
This story has a really wonderful way of standing on it's own while tying together all the parts of the stories in the series so far. All these people had had their lives entwined in some way. Everything all tied back to that fateful accident that changed all their lives and this was the last piece to be healed.
And, true to this author's style, there's a twist towards the end that added an absolutely wonderful storyline in that honestly just made the book. It was the missing link and perfectly rounded out the story. But I won't say anything because it's a really great surprise to discover as you read.
Ooooooohh!! And lets not forget the infamous vegetable report!! Its here. *waggles eyebrows* Pretty sure I'll never look at parsnip and plantain the same way again!
Gah. And the epilogue was perfect!! I literally just started crying when I saw whose POV it was in. Truly a gorgeous way to end all these stories. It tied everything up, was loaded with emotion, and brought the stories in all the books full circle in every way.
I highly recommend this series as a top favorite. These love stories are quite unique and unconventional but that's what makes them so wonderful. They're emotional, funny, angsty, heart-wrenching, sweet, and everything you could ever want. I'm such a huge fan of Aly Martinez's writing. I've now read every book in this series and loved every one. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
_______________________________________
Each book is a standalone but I strongly recommend to read them in the following order (they're very interconnected).
✦ Changing Course ➜ http://bit.ly/1mgFtAy
✦ Stolen Course ➜ http://bit.ly/1lNpici
✦ Among The Echoes ➜ http://bit.ly/1EvFtYr
✦ Broken Course ➜ http://bit.ly/1tYbsMR
_______________________________________
For more of my reviews, book news and updates:
✦ Main blog: Aestas Book Blog
✦ Facebook Blog Page
✦ Twitter
“Seven years ago, my life changed forever. Then fate led me to Leo James. He taught me that crazy could be perfectly normal and it shouldn’t hurt to breathe…”
I loved this book!! It was a gorgeous romance and a perfect conclusion to this series -- a sexy, heartwarming story of two broken people finding love in the most unlikely of places. I highly recommend these books for all fans of unique love stories, second chances, and protective Alpha males.
My strong recommendation is to read this series in order. Chronologically, Broken Course is actually the fourth (and last) book you should read about this set of characters. While each book is a standalone about a different couple, all the stories are strongly tied in together and I promise you'll have a much stronger emotional attachment if you read them in order. (See the bottom of this post for more details.)
This is Sarah and Leo's story and it was so fitting to have theirs be the final part of this series. Since the beginning, Sarah's journey has been tragic, painful, and while I would understand why some reader might have even disliked her, I personally felt pity for her. What happened to her was life changing and devastating and I was so happy to see her finally reach a place of happiness and healing. Seven years ago, she was involved in a horrific accident that she survived but at the cost of the losing the woman she used to be. Her personality change was like turning into a new person. Overcome with guilt, she struggled for years with her new reality, feeling utterly unworthy of love or life and just wanting things to end. Her previous emotional connections were no longer meaningful and she felt lost, and completely alone...
"My world may be filled with people, but somehow, I still find myself completely alone in the shadows of my mind… I had every memory from my old life but none of the emotions to match them. "
Leo James was protective by nature and profession, and tortured by a past he was forced to relive each day in his head. The never ending guilt of the horrific things he was forced to do while working as an undercover agent haunted him. Both him and Sarah reached points where they thought they couldn't make it any further, both so broken by their pasts that they lost any hope for their future. But somehow, together, they were able to build something beautiful.
"I like her despite her past, and in some sick way, I'm hoping that, if I can overlook the things she did, maybe she will be able to do the same with me."
Now, despite the pain in their pasts, this book was actually a lot of fun. I really appreciated that the author lightened it by incorporating oodles of humour. I must have laughed right out loud at least once per chapter. Everything from their hilariously horrific first date, to their non-stop banter, to their flirty texts really balanced out the more emotional sides of the story.
"I really fucking hope you cleaned the cobwebs out of your panties, because... I want you to run into that man's bed, strip naked, and let him kiss you wherever the hell he wants. You did NOT tell me he was that good-looking."
"Yes, I did!" I whisper-yell back to her while glancing over my shoulder to make sure Leo can't hear us. But, much to my dismay, he's very obviously listening. His confident shit-eating grin is impossibly wide.
I actually think that Sarah's best friend said it best. Her accident had essentially made her into a new person and the only hope she had of building a future would be to embrace that new person with someone who would accept her as she was now without judgment.
"Everyone in Sarah's life has known her for years. I think someone final needs to hear her side of the story without the clouds of the past fracturing her truths. Someone needs to finally know that woman standing in the parking lot right now."
And I loooooved the way Leo was with her. As someone with a dark past of his own, he understood the need to be accepted and there were no double standards in his mind. He was calm, patient, caring, and protective of her... allowing her the safety to just be herself and willing to stand up for her no matter what.
"Aw, did you get upset because someone made me cry?" ...
"I'm serious, Sarah. I was pissed."
She wraps her arms around my waist and starts laughing again. "Oh God. What did you say?"
"I don't even remember exactly. But I'm pretty sure I called you my woman and pissed on someone's leg."
This story has a really wonderful way of standing on it's own while tying together all the parts of the stories in the series so far. All these people had had their lives entwined in some way. Everything all tied back to that fateful accident that changed all their lives and this was the last piece to be healed.
"He takes two giant steps forward, pulling me into his arms. "We're going to be okay. I refuse to accept it any other way."
And, true to this author's style, there's a twist towards the end that added an absolutely wonderful storyline in that honestly just made the book. It was the missing link and perfectly rounded out the story. But I won't say anything because it's a really great surprise to discover as you read.
Ooooooohh!! And lets not forget the infamous vegetable report!! Its here. *waggles eyebrows* Pretty sure I'll never look at parsnip and plantain the same way again!
Gah. And the epilogue was perfect!! I literally just started crying when I saw whose POV it was in. Truly a gorgeous way to end all these stories. It tied everything up, was loaded with emotion, and brought the stories in all the books full circle in every way.
I highly recommend this series as a top favorite. These love stories are quite unique and unconventional but that's what makes them so wonderful. They're emotional, funny, angsty, heart-wrenching, sweet, and everything you could ever want. I'm such a huge fan of Aly Martinez's writing. I've now read every book in this series and loved every one. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
_______________________________________
Each book is a standalone but I strongly recommend to read them in the following order (they're very interconnected).
✦ Changing Course ➜ http://bit.ly/1mgFtAy
✦ Stolen Course ➜ http://bit.ly/1lNpici
✦ Among The Echoes ➜ http://bit.ly/1EvFtYr
✦ Broken Course ➜ http://bit.ly/1tYbsMR
_______________________________________
For more of my reviews, book news and updates:
✦ Main blog: Aestas Book Blog
✦ Facebook Blog Page
July 15, 2015
4 Healing Stars
In my never ending fashion of doing things backasswards, I dove into this book without having read the first 2 books in the series where the heroine was first introduced. I did read Among the Echoes, which is where I first fell in love with Leo James. When I heard that Aly Martinez will be giving him a story in Broken Course, I absolutely knew that I must read it. Being a reader that tends to be be very hard on the heroines, I'm partly happy that I didn't read the first two books (YET), because I think that Sarah may have originally turned me off. If you did read the first two books and that is holding you back at all, don't give it a second thought. Because there's no way you can continue to hate her after this book. Now on to the review...
Can two broken people make something whole?
In usual Aly Martinez fashion, she gives you a prologue that is guaranteed to suck you into the story. With a chilling introduction like that, how can it not? But this is not as gritty or dark as the prologue makes you think it is, which is actually a big reason why I loved this book as much as I did.
Seven years ago, a devastating accident changed the course of Sarah's life. Left in the ruins of a life that she can't remember and a woman that is no longer her, Sarah barely manages to keep her head above water. All she knows is almost irrational anger and guilt. But she's no longer that woman, she's made a change and is trying to right the wrongs...when fate leads her straight into the arms of Leo James
Leo is struggling with demons of his own. If you haven't yet read Among The Echoes, I highly recommend you to because it will give you a much deeper understanding of the man that he is and the dark memories that haunt him.
Leo is instantly drawn to the blonde beauty when he runs into her on a busy Chicago street. There's just something about her that calls to him, a connection that he can't explain...or can he?
The author did an incredibly beautiful job handling an extremely sensitive issue. Leo may be sex on a stick, and when he whips out the Spanish in bed he will melt the panties right off of you, but this is a man with a dark past. Struggling with crippling guilt, depression and PTSD, he is by no means perfect. I loved that the author didn't gloss over his issues, but faced them head on. I also really loved the way that Sarah handled his issues. As broken as both of these characters were, I found them to be absolutely perfect together.
I will not give you more of the story since it simply just has to be experienced. But what I can tell you is I thought this was the perfect book to end this series with. There is no heavy angst, manufactured drama, or really any abundance of gritty or dark events. It's a story of two broken people that learn to heal one another while realistically dealing with their own issues. This was a more character driven story than anything else, and I loved it for that. Both Leo and Sarah show an incredible amount of personal growth through the book. All the characters from the previous books make an appearance and even if you're like me and haven't read those yet, you'll never find yourself lost.
The romance between Sarah and Leo was steamy and swoonworthy. If Leo doesn't make your heart all pitter patter I don't know what will. The story wasn't quick paced or action packed, but it was emotional and realistic. They each make their share of mistakes, but I never found myself getting frustrated with them because they fit the story and their history. I appreciate that the author never diminished the characters' issues. Sarah may have worked through her issues with Brett, but it's never perfect, and I liked that. I wouldn't have believed it if it had after all they've been through.
The epilogue was perfection! It was so great getting that extended peek into all the previous characters, including Leo and Sarah years down the line.
I'm definitely a big fan of this author and highly anticipate what she'll have in store for her readers next.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
For more reviews visit
Only, in my book, there are no more fresh pages- I'm writing in the margins these days.
In my never ending fashion of doing things backasswards, I dove into this book without having read the first 2 books in the series where the heroine was first introduced. I did read Among the Echoes, which is where I first fell in love with Leo James. When I heard that Aly Martinez will be giving him a story in Broken Course, I absolutely knew that I must read it. Being a reader that tends to be be very hard on the heroines, I'm partly happy that I didn't read the first two books (YET), because I think that Sarah may have originally turned me off. If you did read the first two books and that is holding you back at all, don't give it a second thought. Because there's no way you can continue to hate her after this book. Now on to the review...
Can two broken people make something whole?
In usual Aly Martinez fashion, she gives you a prologue that is guaranteed to suck you into the story. With a chilling introduction like that, how can it not? But this is not as gritty or dark as the prologue makes you think it is, which is actually a big reason why I loved this book as much as I did.
Seven years ago, a devastating accident changed the course of Sarah's life. Left in the ruins of a life that she can't remember and a woman that is no longer her, Sarah barely manages to keep her head above water. All she knows is almost irrational anger and guilt. But she's no longer that woman, she's made a change and is trying to right the wrongs...when fate leads her straight into the arms of Leo James
Leo is struggling with demons of his own. If you haven't yet read Among The Echoes, I highly recommend you to because it will give you a much deeper understanding of the man that he is and the dark memories that haunt him.
Leo is instantly drawn to the blonde beauty when he runs into her on a busy Chicago street. There's just something about her that calls to him, a connection that he can't explain...or can he?
The author did an incredibly beautiful job handling an extremely sensitive issue. Leo may be sex on a stick, and when he whips out the Spanish in bed he will melt the panties right off of you, but this is a man with a dark past. Struggling with crippling guilt, depression and PTSD, he is by no means perfect. I loved that the author didn't gloss over his issues, but faced them head on. I also really loved the way that Sarah handled his issues. As broken as both of these characters were, I found them to be absolutely perfect together.
I will not give you more of the story since it simply just has to be experienced. But what I can tell you is I thought this was the perfect book to end this series with. There is no heavy angst, manufactured drama, or really any abundance of gritty or dark events. It's a story of two broken people that learn to heal one another while realistically dealing with their own issues. This was a more character driven story than anything else, and I loved it for that. Both Leo and Sarah show an incredible amount of personal growth through the book. All the characters from the previous books make an appearance and even if you're like me and haven't read those yet, you'll never find yourself lost.
The romance between Sarah and Leo was steamy and swoonworthy. If Leo doesn't make your heart all pitter patter I don't know what will. The story wasn't quick paced or action packed, but it was emotional and realistic. They each make their share of mistakes, but I never found myself getting frustrated with them because they fit the story and their history. I appreciate that the author never diminished the characters' issues. Sarah may have worked through her issues with Brett, but it's never perfect, and I liked that. I wouldn't have believed it if it had after all they've been through.
The epilogue was perfection! It was so great getting that extended peek into all the previous characters, including Leo and Sarah years down the line.
I'm definitely a big fan of this author and highly anticipate what she'll have in store for her readers next.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
For more reviews visit
January 4, 2015
”Jesus Christ. Aren’t we a fucking pair?”
This was a great conclusion to the series as our crazy broken Sarah Erickson finds love and peace with Leo James who is just as tormented as she is.
A reader needs to read all the books in this series to understand that Sarah has been and put people through hell and still struggles seven years later…
Leo James is lost since Erica married Slate. His guilt over that one night eats at him and leaves him immobile at times…
These two broken characters have great banter and a whole lot of sexy chemistry. Their love and support of one another was perfect. My only complaint would be
Overall, this was a very good ending for all the characters in the series and I’m looking forward to the spin off series coming next month.
"I'm thankful for the broken course that led me to here. All of the wrongs somehow feel right. And if Leo James is all I ever get, I can honestly still say that this life would be an absolute win."
This was a great conclusion to the series as our crazy broken Sarah Erickson finds love and peace with Leo James who is just as tormented as she is.
A reader needs to read all the books in this series to understand that Sarah has been and put people through hell and still struggles seven years later…
Leo James is lost since Erica married Slate. His guilt over that one night eats at him and leaves him immobile at times…
These two broken characters have great banter and a whole lot of sexy chemistry. Their love and support of one another was perfect. My only complaint would be
Overall, this was a very good ending for all the characters in the series and I’m looking forward to the spin off series coming next month.
"I'm thankful for the broken course that led me to here. All of the wrongs somehow feel right. And if Leo James is all I ever get, I can honestly still say that this life would be an absolute win."
November 14, 2014
4--Broken--Stars!!
Going in to this I really had to wonder how Sarah could ever win me over. She was awful in Changing Course. But being able to get in her head a bit more helped me to see things a bit differently.
And I will mention that I did not read book 2, Stolen Course, featuring Emma and Caleb. However, they are featured in this book quite a bit.
Bottom line, the wreck that Sarah endured...the one that killed her best friend...it changed the course of Sarah's life, it stole so much from her, and at times it left her completely broken.
It's been several years since the wreck. Sarah has been through counseling, she's tried to move on from her past. Sarah's late for a job interview when she meets Leo.
There's an immediate connection between Sarah and Leo. For Sarah, Leo represents a chance to start over. She's the new Sarah now, not the old Sarah.
While she still struggles with her past, when she's with Leo she forgets. She's afraid to tell Leo about the old Sarah for fear that he won't accept her. But Leo has his own demons. Demons that he's reluctant to share with Sarah too.
Sometimes it's just easier to forget..
I really liked the first half of the book....I loved Sarah and Leo together and their dynamic. That all kind of shifted the second half and there was a bit more back and forth and drama as their pasts were revealed.
Going in to this I really had to wonder how Sarah could ever win me over. She was awful in Changing Course. But being able to get in her head a bit more helped me to see things a bit differently.
And I will mention that I did not read book 2, Stolen Course, featuring Emma and Caleb. However, they are featured in this book quite a bit.
Bottom line, the wreck that Sarah endured...the one that killed her best friend...it changed the course of Sarah's life, it stole so much from her, and at times it left her completely broken.
It's been several years since the wreck. Sarah has been through counseling, she's tried to move on from her past. Sarah's late for a job interview when she meets Leo.
There's an immediate connection between Sarah and Leo. For Sarah, Leo represents a chance to start over. She's the new Sarah now, not the old Sarah.
"Why are you so bold in some moments and timid in others?"
"Because, in some moments, I'm lost in myself, and others, I'm lost in you."
While she still struggles with her past, when she's with Leo she forgets. She's afraid to tell Leo about the old Sarah for fear that he won't accept her. But Leo has his own demons. Demons that he's reluctant to share with Sarah too.
"...we're both crazy. That's the best fucking part about this relationship. Together, we're just normal."
Sometimes it's just easier to forget..
I really liked the first half of the book....I loved Sarah and Leo together and their dynamic. That all kind of shifted the second half and there was a bit more back and forth and drama as their pasts were revealed.
"No matter how fucked up it may be, in this moment, I'm thankful for the broken course that led me to here. All of the wrongs somehow feel right."
November 10, 2014
★★★★4.5 Stars★★★★
Book 3 in the Wrecked & Ruined series, it was definitely my favourite. When I heard that we were getting a book for Sarah I was in utter shock, she is a terribly broken and crazy lady who was mean to her ex-husband and most of the people around her. Apparently Leo is a character in her stand alone book Among the Echoes, which I haven't read yet but I fell in love with him almost immediately.
This book was swoony and the thing I loved most about it was the banter. Sarah and Leo were perfect for each other and with her tragic past and the guilt, depression and PTSD that he suffers from, they were able to help each other see the good and support each other through the bad.
Loved this hard <3 <3 <3
Book 3 in the Wrecked & Ruined series, it was definitely my favourite. When I heard that we were getting a book for Sarah I was in utter shock, she is a terribly broken and crazy lady who was mean to her ex-husband and most of the people around her. Apparently Leo is a character in her stand alone book Among the Echoes, which I haven't read yet but I fell in love with him almost immediately.
This book was swoony and the thing I loved most about it was the banter. Sarah and Leo were perfect for each other and with her tragic past and the guilt, depression and PTSD that he suffers from, they were able to help each other see the good and support each other through the bad.
I'm not going anywhere. We might be a mess, but you're my mess, Sarah
Loved this hard <3 <3 <3
November 8, 2014
★•**•.★ ITS LIVE ★•**•.★
Broken Course (Wrecked & Ruined #3) is LIVE EARLY!!!!!!!!
Are you ready for Leo & Sarah?
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/110AaBg
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1tjkoqL
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1AvaR9U
B&N: http://bit.ly/1z64C7U
Broken Course (Wrecked & Ruined #3) is LIVE EARLY!!!!!!!!
Are you ready for Leo & Sarah?
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/110AaBg
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1tjkoqL
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1AvaR9U
B&N: http://bit.ly/1z64C7U
November 14, 2014
“My life hasn’t been all that stable over the last few years. However, I’m a firm believer that, when you find someone who fits, you claim them. Immediately.”
4.5 stars
This is an absolutely fantastic ending to the Wrecked and Ruined series. Funny and sexy with lots of feels and a hefty dose of drama (that’s good, heart-wrenching drama, not stupidly annoying drama), it’s an amazing love story which held me captivated from the very first page.
The series began with Changing Course, and tells the story of a group of people whose lives were changed in an instant following one devastating tragedy.
If you’re a fan of this series, then you will already know Leo and Sarah (and you haven’t read these books – get on it now!), so I’m not going to into their backgrounds. Suffice to say, they have both been through A LOT! They have lost and suffered and grieved, and suffered some more. They have both done things that they are not proud of, and have been crippled by guilt because of it. But they’re trying to move on and get their lives back, and no matter how you feel about all that went down in their pasts, you cannot deny the strength and tenacity that they both show, and you’ve got to respect them for that. My heart ached for them watching them struggle with the demons of their past, and I loved watching them find each other and truly start to move forward.
Leo and Sarah meet randomly and share a strong attraction. Leo asks her out, Sarah takes a chance, they date, they share some intense chemistry, some unexpected experiences (intro to the ‘parents’ and first date food poisoning – gross but hilarious!), their attraction continues to grow, and then it’s all on.
Holy hell, this book is hot! They both have dirty minds, dirty mouths, and they are insatiable for each other. It’s all kinds of steamy, and the intense physical connection that they have is both passionate and emotional.
But it’s also absolutely freaking hilarious! I laughed so many times reading this book. Both Leo and Sarah are so funny, and their banter is sensational!
I love Leo! I fell for him in Among the Echoes, and he just reinforced my love for him in this book. My heart broke for him and all that he has been through, and is still going through, but the way he so determinedly pursues Sarah, and does everything he can to be there for her, he’s absolutely amazing, and seeing him fall in love was truly beautiful.
He’s also so freaking funny, and his narrative is sensational!
And Sarah completely redeems herself from when we met her earlier in the series. I love to hate a bastard/bitch book character, and I truly hated Sarah in the beginning. I don’t think I’ve ever had a turnaround of opinion like this one. Bravo, Mr Martinez! You have done the impossible and made me like, and genuinely care for her! She’s strong and stubborn, but with a wicked sense of humour and a heart-felt desire to find happiness again.
I loved watching her move past everything that she had been through, while also being able to stand strong for Leo. And likewise, he was able to be strong for her when she needed him. Neither of them have had it easy, but they are an incredible couple!
But they are both keeping secrets from each other - secrets that could tear apart what is building so beautifully between them. You might think that you know everything that is going on based on the previous books, but while a lot of what they are keeping to themselves has been revealed, there are even more reveals in this book, and OMG! I was totally shocked, but gleefully excited as it all finally came out.
Aly Martinez has really pushed the feels in this series, and never more than in this book. Sarah and Leo’s torment is beautifully written, and underneath it all is the love and respect that they have for each other and their determination to try and build something special together. And it was in turns exciting, heartbreaking, and amazingly beautiful to watch.
I absolutely loved this book! It’s fast moving, it’s beautifully emotive, and the love story is funny, sexy, and absolutely heart-clutchingly beautiful! It’s a very fitting ending for the series as the last of the characters that we have come to know and love get their happy ending. Each of the couples of the previous books appear in this one, so we get the opportunity to check in on each of them, and there were a lot of special moments there. And there’s even an epilogue which gives us a glimpse into the future to see where they’re all at.
This is a fantastic series if you want a bit of depth along with your romance. Aly Martinez’s writing sucks you right in, and each book just gets better and better.
4.5 beautiful stars.
4.5 stars
This is an absolutely fantastic ending to the Wrecked and Ruined series. Funny and sexy with lots of feels and a hefty dose of drama (that’s good, heart-wrenching drama, not stupidly annoying drama), it’s an amazing love story which held me captivated from the very first page.
The series began with Changing Course, and tells the story of a group of people whose lives were changed in an instant following one devastating tragedy.
If you’re a fan of this series, then you will already know Leo and Sarah (and you haven’t read these books – get on it now!), so I’m not going to into their backgrounds. Suffice to say, they have both been through A LOT! They have lost and suffered and grieved, and suffered some more. They have both done things that they are not proud of, and have been crippled by guilt because of it. But they’re trying to move on and get their lives back, and no matter how you feel about all that went down in their pasts, you cannot deny the strength and tenacity that they both show, and you’ve got to respect them for that. My heart ached for them watching them struggle with the demons of their past, and I loved watching them find each other and truly start to move forward.
Leo and Sarah meet randomly and share a strong attraction. Leo asks her out, Sarah takes a chance, they date, they share some intense chemistry, some unexpected experiences (intro to the ‘parents’ and first date food poisoning – gross but hilarious!), their attraction continues to grow, and then it’s all on.
“Give me your control. Lose yourself in me.”
“I’m not sure I’d have any other choice.”
“Good answer,” he purrs before demanding, “Get up, Sarah. We’re going to the bedroom.”
Holy hell, this book is hot! They both have dirty minds, dirty mouths, and they are insatiable for each other. It’s all kinds of steamy, and the intense physical connection that they have is both passionate and emotional.
But it’s also absolutely freaking hilarious! I laughed so many times reading this book. Both Leo and Sarah are so funny, and their banter is sensational!
Me: Can we order takeout tonight? You’ve been out of town for, like, three days. I won’t make it through dinner without mole-sting you.
Leo: Ah yes. Mole-sting. My favorite.
Me: Molesting* Fucking autocorrect.
Leo: Don’t lie! If you want to get kinky, just say so. I’m not sure how I feel about moles, but I’m willing to discuss.
I love Leo! I fell for him in Among the Echoes, and he just reinforced my love for him in this book. My heart broke for him and all that he has been through, and is still going through, but the way he so determinedly pursues Sarah, and does everything he can to be there for her, he’s absolutely amazing, and seeing him fall in love was truly beautiful.
“We might be a mess, but you’re my mess, Sarah.”
“I don’t think you really understand what you’re getting into.”
“I don’t think you really understand that I’m not getting into anything. I’m already in so deep there isn’t a chance in hell that I could ever turn back.”
He’s also so freaking funny, and his narrative is sensational!
I’ve given it a seriously less than mediocre effort, but I can't seem to stop touching her. It’s just something about the way every connection sends a spark of electricity through… Okay, fine. She makes me hard.
And Sarah completely redeems herself from when we met her earlier in the series. I love to hate a bastard/bitch book character, and I truly hated Sarah in the beginning. I don’t think I’ve ever had a turnaround of opinion like this one. Bravo, Mr Martinez! You have done the impossible and made me like, and genuinely care for her! She’s strong and stubborn, but with a wicked sense of humour and a heart-felt desire to find happiness again.
I loved watching her move past everything that she had been through, while also being able to stand strong for Leo. And likewise, he was able to be strong for her when she needed him. Neither of them have had it easy, but they are an incredible couple!
“I love you. I love you despite it all, and now, I’m standing here, begging you to love me despite it all too."
But they are both keeping secrets from each other - secrets that could tear apart what is building so beautifully between them. You might think that you know everything that is going on based on the previous books, but while a lot of what they are keeping to themselves has been revealed, there are even more reveals in this book, and OMG! I was totally shocked, but gleefully excited as it all finally came out.
Aly Martinez has really pushed the feels in this series, and never more than in this book. Sarah and Leo’s torment is beautifully written, and underneath it all is the love and respect that they have for each other and their determination to try and build something special together. And it was in turns exciting, heartbreaking, and amazingly beautiful to watch.
“You rescued me. You shattered my force field and magically began repairing parts of me I didn’t even know were broken.”
I absolutely loved this book! It’s fast moving, it’s beautifully emotive, and the love story is funny, sexy, and absolutely heart-clutchingly beautiful! It’s a very fitting ending for the series as the last of the characters that we have come to know and love get their happy ending. Each of the couples of the previous books appear in this one, so we get the opportunity to check in on each of them, and there were a lot of special moments there. And there’s even an epilogue which gives us a glimpse into the future to see where they’re all at.
This is a fantastic series if you want a bit of depth along with your romance. Aly Martinez’s writing sucks you right in, and each book just gets better and better.
4.5 beautiful stars.
February 28, 2019
Everyone needs a hero but even a hero needs a savior. That is what i get listening to this book. Leo is that hero. He has this impulses to protect and saves the world. Sarah is surviving her past. When she feels she just able to stand her own feet, she stumble into Leo. She never knew that she needed Leo as her hero. But Leo needs her more as his savior.
These two characters really completed each other. Their dialog really fun and alive. Their development is in sync with the story. The story slowly progress into deeper shit. Like peeling one layer one of the time. Many times I feel like I am giving up on this book. But I am marching forward and I am not disappoint.
4 stars
These two characters really completed each other. Their dialog really fun and alive. Their development is in sync with the story. The story slowly progress into deeper shit. Like peeling one layer one of the time. Many times I feel like I am giving up on this book. But I am marching forward and I am not disappoint.
4 stars
July 19, 2023
Definately my favorite one in this series. I really loved Sarah in this book, she became one of my favorite heroines. Ofcourse Leo's hotness was also a plus ! This book made me laugh, cry and swoon. So 4,5 stars from me...I thought it was an awesome story.
November 10, 2014
Overall all rating: 5 "Angel" Stars!!!
Triggers:
Cheating:
Love triangle:
Sex with om/ow:
HEA:
My review:
Let me just say that this is my favorite of the series so far! I freaking LOVED this book with all of my heart!
Leo and Sarah are both so broken and if their lives wouldn't have been on this "broken course" they never would have found each other and found this great love. They were a wonderful couple. I loved their banter so much. This book was very low drama. Leo was a fantastic hero that knew what he wanted and didn't play games about it. Sarah was also a fantastic heroine (gasp - I know, I absolutely HATED her in book 1). Her sassiness and sense of humor were awesome. I am glad we got to revisit the vegetable report in this one LOL! I liked how I got to see all of the couples full circle in this book. I LOVED the twist at the end and the epilogue. OMG WAS AMAZING!!!!
I swear this book did not contain ONE book trigger for me. Not even SLIGHT AND it wrapped up with a LOVELY epilogue. What more could a girl want?!?!
Triggers:
Cheating:
Love triangle:
Sex with om/ow:
HEA:
My review:
Let me just say that this is my favorite of the series so far! I freaking LOVED this book with all of my heart!
Leo and Sarah are both so broken and if their lives wouldn't have been on this "broken course" they never would have found each other and found this great love. They were a wonderful couple. I loved their banter so much. This book was very low drama. Leo was a fantastic hero that knew what he wanted and didn't play games about it. Sarah was also a fantastic heroine (gasp - I know, I absolutely HATED her in book 1). Her sassiness and sense of humor were awesome. I am glad we got to revisit the vegetable report in this one LOL! I liked how I got to see all of the couples full circle in this book. I LOVED the twist at the end and the epilogue. OMG WAS AMAZING!!!!
I swear this book did not contain ONE book trigger for me. Not even SLIGHT AND it wrapped up with a LOVELY epilogue. What more could a girl want?!?!
July 20, 2015
***** 5 MESSY LOVE STARS *****
Book 3 in the Wrecked and Ruined Series did not fall short of Amazing.
This is a definite winning story to bring this series into a full circle of GOODNESS!!
After the first 2 books, I really did not like Sarah at all. She did some pretty horrible things in book 1 and granted she had a lot of issues but I just did not like her at all. I think the author meant for us to not like her because this story makes us love Sarah by the end.
Sarah is finally on her own, learning to live her life again as normal as possible. She meets Leo James on her way to a job interview and they connect. They both see it in each other's eyes they have some spark.
“My life hasn’t been all that stable over the last few years. However, I’m a firm believer that, when you find someone who fits, you claim them. Immediately.”
Leo pursues Sarah with only her in his sights. He has to have her, get to know her, learn everything about her.
Sarah is scared but she can't help but feel drawn to Leo. He knows what to say to her to comfort her inner demons that she fights daily. What she doesn't know, Leo knows Sarah and all about her past.
As their relationship moves fast, Sarah learns Leo has his own demons he is fighting. She knows he needs her by his side to fight through the darkness.
As they begin to work through their demons together they know they can fight everything if they are together. Demons are one thing to fight but when Leo continues to lie to Sarah she is not sure she can fight the lies along with all the other evil they share from their past.
"“I love you. I love you despite it all, and now, I’m standing here, begging you to love me despite it all too.”
As Sarah gets an eye opening advice from the one man she thought would never be on her side, she realizes Leo is her home. She needs to fight everything to keep him and help him learn to love himself.
As good as this story was and I mean this was really good. The Epilogue had me smiling, really BIG SMILING. Loved the full circle finale of all these characters. Amazing series!!
Book 3 in the Wrecked and Ruined Series did not fall short of Amazing.
This is a definite winning story to bring this series into a full circle of GOODNESS!!
After the first 2 books, I really did not like Sarah at all. She did some pretty horrible things in book 1 and granted she had a lot of issues but I just did not like her at all. I think the author meant for us to not like her because this story makes us love Sarah by the end.
Sarah is finally on her own, learning to live her life again as normal as possible. She meets Leo James on her way to a job interview and they connect. They both see it in each other's eyes they have some spark.
“My life hasn’t been all that stable over the last few years. However, I’m a firm believer that, when you find someone who fits, you claim them. Immediately.”
Leo pursues Sarah with only her in his sights. He has to have her, get to know her, learn everything about her.
Sarah is scared but she can't help but feel drawn to Leo. He knows what to say to her to comfort her inner demons that she fights daily. What she doesn't know, Leo knows Sarah and all about her past.
As their relationship moves fast, Sarah learns Leo has his own demons he is fighting. She knows he needs her by his side to fight through the darkness.
As they begin to work through their demons together they know they can fight everything if they are together. Demons are one thing to fight but when Leo continues to lie to Sarah she is not sure she can fight the lies along with all the other evil they share from their past.
"“I love you. I love you despite it all, and now, I’m standing here, begging you to love me despite it all too.”
As Sarah gets an eye opening advice from the one man she thought would never be on her side, she realizes Leo is her home. She needs to fight everything to keep him and help him learn to love himself.
As good as this story was and I mean this was really good. The Epilogue had me smiling, really BIG SMILING. Loved the full circle finale of all these characters. Amazing series!!
March 12, 2015
**4 Crazy Normal STARS!!!**
So good!! I have said it before, and I will say it again...this will go down as one of my fave series of the year. Each book packed a ton of FEELS, romance, steam, and big time story!!
A quick word about the reading order: I read these kind of out of order but, looking back, I highly recommend the order that I read them in. I think I would be knee deep in a bottle of vodka and out of Xanax by now if I read these the traditional way. I started with Fighting Silence (met and fell in love with Slate FUCKING Andrews) and then went to Among the Echoes. Then I went back to where it all began with Changing Course and went in order from there. If you read them this way, you do get a few spoilers, but nothing huge. And the angst is much lower. Otherwise, this can be a really, REALLY angsty series, in my opinion (which is definitely not a bad thing).
So by the time you get to Broken Course, you will already know Sarah and Leo pretty well from the rest of the series. When I got to the end of Among the Echoes and learned about the twist involving these two, I had to read this book!! I was already totally intrigued by the elusive and fiercely protective Leo James and both loved and hated Sarah's dark persona.
Sarah is a tough "heroine" to embrace. I never hated her although, could totally see how some people did. I mainly pitied her and at times, she did annoy me as well. But I don't think that her issues were drug out or OTT at all. I just think she had a shit way of dealing with them.
The prologue absolutely sucked me in, as they all have in this series. It goes back to Sarah, at one of her darkest times. She has struggled for years with her new reality and has felt utterly unworthy of love or life. Her previous emotional connections were no longer meaningful and she felt lost, and completely alone...
But, rest assured that this isn't a "dark" book. Yes, both MCs have some really dark places in their souls but in this story, with their coming together, it is all about healing and transcendence. This is the quality that attracted me to this book so much; give me one damaged and flawed character and I am a happy camper but two? When and where baby!!!
Leo James is a former DEA agent, who now owns his own personal security company. He has a pretty dark and troubled past as well and is still struggling with some serious depression. When these two meet, they are taking life day by day, trying to stay above water...but meeting each other gives them a whole new reason and motivation to stay healthy.
"Why are you so bold in some moments and timid in others?" he growls. "Because, in some moments, I’m lost in myself, and others, I’m lost in you."
In what I have come to recognize as Aly Martinez's amazing fashion, this story has some wonderful light moments to balance all the heavy stuff that I so loved. And by this point in the series, I loved that we had ALL the characters from books 1 thru 2.5 which made for some priceless banter.
I loooooved the way Leo was with her. As someone with a dark past of his own, he understood the need for Sarah to feel accepted and there were no double standards in his mind. He was calm, patient, caring, and protective of her... allowing her the safety to just be herself and willing to stand up for her no matter what.
"Aw, did you get upset because someone made me cry?"
"I'm serious, Sarah. I was pissed."
She wraps her arms around my waist and starts laughing again. "Oh God. What did you say?"
"I don't even remember exactly. But I'm pretty sure I called you my woman and pissed on someone's leg."
And OMG were these two HOT!!! There was this whole slow sexual seductive build between them that was oh-so-hot and fun to read!!!
"What do you say we skip dinner and you can run to my bed? It might not be the most conventional first kiss, but I can definitely think of a few places I’d like to taste.
I loved that their first highly anticipated um...union? was filled with non-sexy, sex-gone-wrong faux pas...made them even more real to me (because yeah the thing with the knee? Seriously happened to me once...LOL!).
"How do your balls feel?" I ask with a genuine concern. "Not the way they are supposed to be feeling right now. That really started off well in the kitchen." I let out a disappointed sigh. "It really did." "You think, if I try to take this back in that direction, you could keep that ninja knee under control?"
I just love the men that Aly writes. They are all protectors, swoony, funny, hot as hell, and filthy little dirty talkers between the sheets! YES PLEASE!! I can't even pick a favorite anymore.
Leo and Sarah work to heal each other and to solidify what they have found in one another but it doesn't come easily for them. I don't think it would've been believable if it did. These both have been through so much and while, they are growing, they still have their hard days. I really saw the overall growth by the end of the book in both of them.
There were a few things that would've made this book perfect for me but again, by the time I got to this installment of the series, my expectations were pretty high. I was just greedy for story here. There were a few time jumps that frustrated me, like the trip to Puerto Rico for example. But again, this just came from how much I was loving the story and I wanted every moment to happen on the page...LOL! I do wish that Minor things really, overall. I still loved the hell out of this read and didn't want it to end.
Once again, there was another huge twist at the end and that epilogue? Gah... *clutches chest* I can't even! BEAUTIFUL!!! I loved who's POV it was in. Perfection! I was bawling at the end, not because of the subject matter but because it was ending. I have seriously just spent the last two weeks reading all five of this author's books, and these characters were written in such a realistic, tender way, that they felt real to me. I felt like I was saying good bye to friends.
I have so loved this series, and I would highly recommend it to any and everyone!!! You will love this crew! <3
"He takes two giant steps forward, pulling me into his arms. "We're going to be okay. I refuse to accept it any other way."
"No matter how fucked up it may be, in this moment, I’m thankful for the broken course that led me to here. All of the wrongs somehow feel right. And if Leo James is all I ever get, I can honestly still say that this life would be an absolute win."
So good!! I have said it before, and I will say it again...this will go down as one of my fave series of the year. Each book packed a ton of FEELS, romance, steam, and big time story!!
A quick word about the reading order: I read these kind of out of order but, looking back, I highly recommend the order that I read them in. I think I would be knee deep in a bottle of vodka and out of Xanax by now if I read these the traditional way. I started with Fighting Silence (met and fell in love with Slate FUCKING Andrews) and then went to Among the Echoes. Then I went back to where it all began with Changing Course and went in order from there. If you read them this way, you do get a few spoilers, but nothing huge. And the angst is much lower. Otherwise, this can be a really, REALLY angsty series, in my opinion (which is definitely not a bad thing).
So by the time you get to Broken Course, you will already know Sarah and Leo pretty well from the rest of the series. When I got to the end of Among the Echoes and learned about the twist involving these two, I had to read this book!! I was already totally intrigued by the elusive and fiercely protective Leo James and both loved and hated Sarah's dark persona.
Sarah is a tough "heroine" to embrace. I never hated her although, could totally see how some people did. I mainly pitied her and at times, she did annoy me as well. But I don't think that her issues were drug out or OTT at all. I just think she had a shit way of dealing with them.
The prologue absolutely sucked me in, as they all have in this series. It goes back to Sarah, at one of her darkest times. She has struggled for years with her new reality and has felt utterly unworthy of love or life. Her previous emotional connections were no longer meaningful and she felt lost, and completely alone...
But, rest assured that this isn't a "dark" book. Yes, both MCs have some really dark places in their souls but in this story, with their coming together, it is all about healing and transcendence. This is the quality that attracted me to this book so much; give me one damaged and flawed character and I am a happy camper but two? When and where baby!!!
Leo James is a former DEA agent, who now owns his own personal security company. He has a pretty dark and troubled past as well and is still struggling with some serious depression. When these two meet, they are taking life day by day, trying to stay above water...but meeting each other gives them a whole new reason and motivation to stay healthy.
"Why are you so bold in some moments and timid in others?" he growls. "Because, in some moments, I’m lost in myself, and others, I’m lost in you."
In what I have come to recognize as Aly Martinez's amazing fashion, this story has some wonderful light moments to balance all the heavy stuff that I so loved. And by this point in the series, I loved that we had ALL the characters from books 1 thru 2.5 which made for some priceless banter.
I loooooved the way Leo was with her. As someone with a dark past of his own, he understood the need for Sarah to feel accepted and there were no double standards in his mind. He was calm, patient, caring, and protective of her... allowing her the safety to just be herself and willing to stand up for her no matter what.
"Aw, did you get upset because someone made me cry?""I'm serious, Sarah. I was pissed."
She wraps her arms around my waist and starts laughing again. "Oh God. What did you say?"
"I don't even remember exactly. But I'm pretty sure I called you my woman and pissed on someone's leg."
And OMG were these two HOT!!! There was this whole slow sexual seductive build between them that was oh-so-hot and fun to read!!!
"What do you say we skip dinner and you can run to my bed? It might not be the most conventional first kiss, but I can definitely think of a few places I’d like to taste.
I loved that their first highly anticipated um...union? was filled with non-sexy, sex-gone-wrong faux pas...made them even more real to me (because yeah the thing with the knee? Seriously happened to me once...LOL!).
"How do your balls feel?" I ask with a genuine concern. "Not the way they are supposed to be feeling right now. That really started off well in the kitchen." I let out a disappointed sigh. "It really did." "You think, if I try to take this back in that direction, you could keep that ninja knee under control?"
I just love the men that Aly writes. They are all protectors, swoony, funny, hot as hell, and filthy little dirty talkers between the sheets! YES PLEASE!! I can't even pick a favorite anymore.
Leo and Sarah work to heal each other and to solidify what they have found in one another but it doesn't come easily for them. I don't think it would've been believable if it did. These both have been through so much and while, they are growing, they still have their hard days. I really saw the overall growth by the end of the book in both of them.
There were a few things that would've made this book perfect for me but again, by the time I got to this installment of the series, my expectations were pretty high. I was just greedy for story here. There were a few time jumps that frustrated me, like the trip to Puerto Rico for example. But again, this just came from how much I was loving the story and I wanted every moment to happen on the page...LOL! I do wish that Minor things really, overall. I still loved the hell out of this read and didn't want it to end.
Once again, there was another huge twist at the end and that epilogue? Gah... *clutches chest* I can't even! BEAUTIFUL!!! I loved who's POV it was in. Perfection! I was bawling at the end, not because of the subject matter but because it was ending. I have seriously just spent the last two weeks reading all five of this author's books, and these characters were written in such a realistic, tender way, that they felt real to me. I felt like I was saying good bye to friends.
I have so loved this series, and I would highly recommend it to any and everyone!!! You will love this crew! <3
"He takes two giant steps forward, pulling me into his arms. "We're going to be okay. I refuse to accept it any other way."
"No matter how fucked up it may be, in this moment, I’m thankful for the broken course that led me to here. All of the wrongs somehow feel right. And if Leo James is all I ever get, I can honestly still say that this life would be an absolute win."
April 27, 2021
"Sarah, we’re both crazy. That’s the best fucking part about this relationship. Together, we’re just normal."
Hands down my favorite book in this series! No wonder Brett was so obsessed with Sarah, lol, she's pretty freaking awesome. I also loved Leo so freaking much. Loved him since Among the Echoes and now love him even more. Like I said, I've pretty much read every Aly book except for a few, so now I realize I have read about Sarah and Leo since they appear in the Fighting books and the Guardian Protection books <3 now I want to re-read those so I can keep up with my girl Sarah and my bae Leo! So so good! Aly Martinez is definitely in my top author list, and it's pretty cool seeing how her writing just gets better and better with each book.
Hands down my favorite book in this series! No wonder Brett was so obsessed with Sarah, lol, she's pretty freaking awesome. I also loved Leo so freaking much. Loved him since Among the Echoes and now love him even more. Like I said, I've pretty much read every Aly book except for a few, so now I realize I have read about Sarah and Leo since they appear in the Fighting books and the Guardian Protection books <3 now I want to re-read those so I can keep up with my girl Sarah and my bae Leo! So so good! Aly Martinez is definitely in my top author list, and it's pretty cool seeing how her writing just gets better and better with each book.
November 29, 2014
I'm always in awe of authors that can manipulate my emotions and Aly Martinez ranks at the top.
I still haven't read the first book in this series (I know, shame on me) but I read her other works and just love them. Especially Caleb from Broken Course.
Going into this book, I'll admit that while I wanted to read it, I was almost not looking forward to it because of Sarah. I just couldn't imaging a) liking her and b) reading a whole book about her because I didn't like her. But I was beyond pleasantly surprised. I actually liked Sarah. She was different from the last time I'd met her in Caleb's book. She'd pulled herself together, turned her life around and was starting fresh. And she met a man...Leo.
Leo is a unique case. He first appeared in the book Among the Echoes. And to be perfectly honest, while I liked the book and Erica & Slate, Leo was by far my favorite part of Among the Echoes. You know how some secondary characters jump off the page and totally steal the show? Well...that was Leo for me. So when I saw he was going to be the hero of Sarah's book, I was beyond excited. MORE LEO!!!!! However, while I loved him in the beginning, he seemed to change. He wasn't the same Leo I fell in love with in Among the Echoes. Yes, he was an alpha, but he was also borderline domineering. And I didn't love that quite so much. My other big issue was that while he didn't care about Sarah's past, he was blatantly unwilling to deal with his own past. He seemed to want to be a martyr. He was always there to reassure Sarah that he loved her for who she was today and her past didn't matter to him yet he wasn't worthy of anything good because of his past. I just wanted to drop kick some sense into him! My other issue with him...his lack of honesty and communication with Sarah. Time after time, he kept things from her. He didn't outright lie, but he constantly held back the truth. And that drove me crazy.
But overall, this was a great book. I was very pleased with Sarah's story and I loved catching up with all the couples in the epilogue.
***An advance copy of this book was generously provided to me in exchange for an honest review.***
I still haven't read the first book in this series (I know, shame on me) but I read her other works and just love them. Especially Caleb from Broken Course.
Going into this book, I'll admit that while I wanted to read it, I was almost not looking forward to it because of Sarah. I just couldn't imaging a) liking her and b) reading a whole book about her because I didn't like her. But I was beyond pleasantly surprised. I actually liked Sarah. She was different from the last time I'd met her in Caleb's book. She'd pulled herself together, turned her life around and was starting fresh. And she met a man...Leo.
Leo is a unique case. He first appeared in the book Among the Echoes. And to be perfectly honest, while I liked the book and Erica & Slate, Leo was by far my favorite part of Among the Echoes. You know how some secondary characters jump off the page and totally steal the show? Well...that was Leo for me. So when I saw he was going to be the hero of Sarah's book, I was beyond excited. MORE LEO!!!!! However, while I loved him in the beginning, he seemed to change. He wasn't the same Leo I fell in love with in Among the Echoes. Yes, he was an alpha, but he was also borderline domineering. And I didn't love that quite so much. My other big issue was that while he didn't care about Sarah's past, he was blatantly unwilling to deal with his own past. He seemed to want to be a martyr. He was always there to reassure Sarah that he loved her for who she was today and her past didn't matter to him yet he wasn't worthy of anything good because of his past. I just wanted to drop kick some sense into him! My other issue with him...his lack of honesty and communication with Sarah. Time after time, he kept things from her. He didn't outright lie, but he constantly held back the truth. And that drove me crazy.
But overall, this was a great book. I was very pleased with Sarah's story and I loved catching up with all the couples in the epilogue.
***An advance copy of this book was generously provided to me in exchange for an honest review.***
January 7, 2015
Title: Broken Course (Wrecked and Ruined #3)
Series: Standalone series
Author: Aly Martinez
Rating: 3 stars
POV: Dual
HEA:
Heat/Steam 3/5
Triggers?
Cliffhanger: . No.
Intolerable Heroine .No.
Über Douchebagery .No.
Taboo Subject Matter .No.
Cheating:
Love Triangle
After not having really enjoyed the previous books in the series I was skeptical of reading this one. I actually completely skipped book 2 because I read a few things I knew I would never be okay with. However, I decided to give this one a chance and I ended up quite enjoying it.
Most people hated Sarah but she had always been my favorite heroine in the series. I love a confident, sassy, and slightly crazy heroine and Sarah is exactly that. The book offers relatively low angst and issues are resolved very quickly and was more of just a building of her and Leo's relationship.
Leo was kind and patient and always knew how to diffuse the situation whenever Sarah would get overwhelmed by something. My only complaint is the plot twist around the 82% mark. I felt like Sarah's reaction was completely justified. I also felt like the author tries to trivialize Sarah's feeling and reaction to finding out what Leo was hiding from her. I didn't like how Caleb accused her of being selfish because she absolutely wasn't. I would have been just as upset about not having known something that huge after Leo had already proposed. She deserved to know and it wasn't the same as her holding back some of the information about her past. Like she said, she wouldn't have accepted his proposal had he not known everything about her so it's not fair for her to have been accused of overreacting.
Besides that it was an enjoyable read but I think I'm probably going to keep any future books from this author on the back burner.
November 10, 2014
I could not ask for a perfect ending for this series. Sarah has always been my favourite character regardless of her previous actions. As much as I wanted to hate her in the first book, I felt more pity for her. She was so broken and lost herself along the way. I loved Leo in Among the Echoes. He has been harbouring this guilt for the last years from being an undercover agent. I was thrilled that these two broken characters with a past that were filled with heartache and guilt found their way to each other. If anyone deserves a happily ever after, it would be Sarah and Leo. This book also has the best epilogue from all the previous characters. I enjoyed this series and Sarah and Leo's story was a perfect way to end the series.
November 7, 2014
***If you HAVE NOT read any of this series before, STOP RIGHT NOW. This review will have spoilers that you will obviously learn from other books in the series.***
I am a GINORMOUS fan of Aly and every word she's written. I have been enthused with this series from word one. I will be completely honest and say this was the hardest book to get into. IT WAS!!
Not because it wasn't good-it is so good.
Not because the writing wasn't pulling me in- it was. I was hooked, page to page.
Not because the storyline was crap- not.at.all.
And definitely NOT Leo. I'm not idiot!!
SARAH-Sarah is the reason it was so hard to get into. I had so much hate for her as a character through the other books, even finally knowing ALL the truth in Stolen Course, I still loathed her.
We were first introduced to Sarah in Changing Course, and the beginning of my hate campaign for Sarah started. I knew Leo and Sarah's story would be a mountain to climb because of my feelings for her. Now, truly she can't be blamed, I mean head case yeah sure. But she had a brain injury so why can't I just go on and release that hate. I DON'T KNOW!!!!!! So, I guess Broken Course had a job to do and boy by the end it was done.
Instantly, Sarah was a great character that, in any other book I would have wanted to be her best friend. She made me laugh and she was adorable. But I knew who she was. I now know who she is. She had a hell of time these past few years but she's done the work and time and invested into making herself someone again. Not her, just someone. There is no going back. I loved when times got dark and tough for Leo that she didn't give a second thought to what he needed. She stepped up and was physically there for him even if he barely spoke ten words to her.
I was grinning when Sarah and Leo first met. I loved how he got in and didn't let her go. I loved that even though she question the absurdness of their "relationship" I was smiling in and out as I read it. This is really my only issue with their story. It wasn't exactly insta-love but there was insta-claiming. I would have loved to see Leo work to get Sarah just a bit and not move so fast. (I think maybe that's the Sarah hate in me)
Having met Leo in Among The Echoes, I knew that his character would be amazing. He had me as he took care of Erica in AtE and there was no doubt he would the same awesome Leo for Sarah. Leo seemed to know the exact way to be with Sarah, or that he was just built to be the Leo Sarah needed.
My gosh, LEO! Damn, he was beyond hot in and out of the bedroom. There needs to be a new term for panty melting because when he does his Spanish whispers he makes all your entire dresser panty free. Leo has his own demons (no spoiler here, but you must read Among The Echoes to get the real Leo story) and unlike Sarah, he isn't as free of them as she seems to be. Along with his own tragic history, Leo has a little secret. It was a big deal to Sarah but really it wasn't that huge but knowing how Sarah thought about herself, for their story, THIS was a big deal.
I was also happy for Brett. Damn, he has had it rough watching who he thought was the love of his life spiral through years of heartache. Of course, I was happy he was in the book because he popped my Aly cherry and I loved him so very much but I was happy that he saw Sarah get her life in order. Saw her happy. Free.
"Leo, there's an invisible chain that has bound the six of us together since the wreck. I need you to break it. Sarah deserves a happy ending too, and I'm going to need you to give that to her."
I loved this conclusion of the series! All the characters I have fallen for have had their rough and hard times but when you read that epilogue- I will admit I teared up! That was a perfect epilogue! I can't believe that I am actually happy for Sarah now. To go from where I started to now. That shows you it's an amazing book!
5 Stars-
"You struggled, just like we all do, and that you didn't succumb. you would've had to fight to get where you are today, and that kind of strength should no ever be interpreted as a weakness. That kind of strength is a rare thing of beauty."
I am a GINORMOUS fan of Aly and every word she's written. I have been enthused with this series from word one. I will be completely honest and say this was the hardest book to get into. IT WAS!!
Not because it wasn't good-it is so good.
Not because the writing wasn't pulling me in- it was. I was hooked, page to page.
Not because the storyline was crap- not.at.all.
And definitely NOT Leo. I'm not idiot!!
SARAH-Sarah is the reason it was so hard to get into. I had so much hate for her as a character through the other books, even finally knowing ALL the truth in Stolen Course, I still loathed her.
We were first introduced to Sarah in Changing Course, and the beginning of my hate campaign for Sarah started. I knew Leo and Sarah's story would be a mountain to climb because of my feelings for her. Now, truly she can't be blamed, I mean head case yeah sure. But she had a brain injury so why can't I just go on and release that hate. I DON'T KNOW!!!!!! So, I guess Broken Course had a job to do and boy by the end it was done.
Instantly, Sarah was a great character that, in any other book I would have wanted to be her best friend. She made me laugh and she was adorable. But I knew who she was. I now know who she is. She had a hell of time these past few years but she's done the work and time and invested into making herself someone again. Not her, just someone. There is no going back. I loved when times got dark and tough for Leo that she didn't give a second thought to what he needed. She stepped up and was physically there for him even if he barely spoke ten words to her.
I was grinning when Sarah and Leo first met. I loved how he got in and didn't let her go. I loved that even though she question the absurdness of their "relationship" I was smiling in and out as I read it. This is really my only issue with their story. It wasn't exactly insta-love but there was insta-claiming. I would have loved to see Leo work to get Sarah just a bit and not move so fast. (I think maybe that's the Sarah hate in me)
Having met Leo in Among The Echoes, I knew that his character would be amazing. He had me as he took care of Erica in AtE and there was no doubt he would the same awesome Leo for Sarah. Leo seemed to know the exact way to be with Sarah, or that he was just built to be the Leo Sarah needed.
My gosh, LEO! Damn, he was beyond hot in and out of the bedroom. There needs to be a new term for panty melting because when he does his Spanish whispers he makes all your entire dresser panty free. Leo has his own demons (no spoiler here, but you must read Among The Echoes to get the real Leo story) and unlike Sarah, he isn't as free of them as she seems to be. Along with his own tragic history, Leo has a little secret. It was a big deal to Sarah but really it wasn't that huge but knowing how Sarah thought about herself, for their story, THIS was a big deal.
I was also happy for Brett. Damn, he has had it rough watching who he thought was the love of his life spiral through years of heartache. Of course, I was happy he was in the book because he popped my Aly cherry and I loved him so very much but I was happy that he saw Sarah get her life in order. Saw her happy. Free.
"Leo, there's an invisible chain that has bound the six of us together since the wreck. I need you to break it. Sarah deserves a happy ending too, and I'm going to need you to give that to her."
I loved this conclusion of the series! All the characters I have fallen for have had their rough and hard times but when you read that epilogue- I will admit I teared up! That was a perfect epilogue! I can't believe that I am actually happy for Sarah now. To go from where I started to now. That shows you it's an amazing book!
5 Stars-
"You struggled, just like we all do, and that you didn't succumb. you would've had to fight to get where you are today, and that kind of strength should no ever be interpreted as a weakness. That kind of strength is a rare thing of beauty."
November 9, 2014
So after I pretty much trashed the last book I was really not sure about reading this one. I'm so glad I did!
Huge improvement and perfectly executed.
I loved Sarah (shocker) and Leo was alpha perfection.
Huge improvement and perfectly executed.
I loved Sarah (shocker) and Leo was alpha perfection.
November 7, 2014
★★★★★★
6 I Heart Leo James Stars
ARC received from the author for an honest review
Review also posted on Mara's Bookshelf
Aly Martinez, you are fracking amazing! Broken Course popped up on my Kindle around 1AM and I nearly finished it in one-sitting had I not slept for 5 hours. But I sure did finish it less than 24 hours after I started reading, that include sleep, lunch breaks and okay, work. I couldn't stop reading Leo and Sarah and it is also a huge treat to see the rest of the "family" again.
"Every single day, good people do bad things. And I'm no different. The hardest part about life is putting one foot in front of the other to move past that pain. But I swear to you, inch by inch, you will get past it. It doesn't disappear, but it's no longer staring you in the face. You'll see -- just like I did."
In Changing Course, we've met Sarah Erickson -- angry, drowning in guilt, pushing everyone away. At a certain time, she considered ending her own life, she did try and fortunately, she didn't succeed. Now 2 years later, she finally coped. With the help of the truth coming out and the guidance she had from Foundations, the group therapy session she had there helped her in handling the pain inside her.
From the Sarah I met in CC to the Sarah I just finished reading in Broken Course, Aly Martinez made me respect and admire her as a person. As a really strong, sassy, and beautiful woman. Of course in CC, I mostly disliked her and eventually dialed it down to just simple sympathy towards her. Now, I understand her better, I met her in a deeper sense than the first time and I adore the Sarah Erickson now. The Sarah now is enduring, she mentioned in her farewell speech at Foundations that she's not fixed or healed and it's true, Sarah still feels the emotional hurt from that accident and the guilt over everything she'd done to cause the people who loves her pain, but she's able to understand and deal with it way, way better than before.
And I believe that this new, reborn Sarah was just the perfect woman for my Leo James. Like with Sarah in CC, the first time I met Leo in Among The Echoes, I had mixed feelings of dislike and admiration for his courage only lasted until after Chapter 1. After that, I mostly wanted to hug him and now, now I love him! He's still the protective guy who's always concerned about Erica, only now, he also have Sarah in his life. Leo was funny! I didn't even think he had that... that lightness in him but the whole time I was reading this book, he had me smiling and laughing and falling in love him. His humor and personality really shined bright.
Sarah and Leo are two guilt-filled people, you would think that a relationship between these two is doomed from the start but no, Aly Martinez created these characters to be soulmates, ying and yang, and she succeeded, it was palpable to me throughout the book. Their flaws and guilt actually balance each other's and they just... make it work and it was spectacular to read! The struggles they lived through made them the perfectly broken people that they are today. Seeing these characters strive and succeed in dealing with their pasts, admirable! *slow claps*
I love how their relationship developed and worked out, all the witty conversations and extremely panty-melting scenes, Aly Martinez wrote something painful and tragic and turned it into a beautiful love story. This might be my new favorite in the series -- sorry, Caleb!
The surprise in Leo's life caught me off guard. I totally did not see that one coming but it was so good and added more spice into the story.
And oh, oh, oh! Epilogue! People, if you are a sucker like me for Epilogues, Broken Course's kicks ass!
Stars: 6 stars
POV: First person. Dual POV.
Recommended to: Everyone who wants to get lost in an emotional and romantic world.
Series: Yes. Interconnected characters.
Extra Comment: Epilogue. Seriously, guys! And it may not seem like it but this book made me laugh and smile most of the time. Loved it!
6 I Heart Leo James Stars
ARC received from the author for an honest review
Review also posted on Mara's Bookshelf
Aly Martinez, you are fracking amazing! Broken Course popped up on my Kindle around 1AM and I nearly finished it in one-sitting had I not slept for 5 hours. But I sure did finish it less than 24 hours after I started reading, that include sleep, lunch breaks and okay, work. I couldn't stop reading Leo and Sarah and it is also a huge treat to see the rest of the "family" again.
"Every single day, good people do bad things. And I'm no different. The hardest part about life is putting one foot in front of the other to move past that pain. But I swear to you, inch by inch, you will get past it. It doesn't disappear, but it's no longer staring you in the face. You'll see -- just like I did."
In Changing Course, we've met Sarah Erickson -- angry, drowning in guilt, pushing everyone away. At a certain time, she considered ending her own life, she did try and fortunately, she didn't succeed. Now 2 years later, she finally coped. With the help of the truth coming out and the guidance she had from Foundations, the group therapy session she had there helped her in handling the pain inside her.
From the Sarah I met in CC to the Sarah I just finished reading in Broken Course, Aly Martinez made me respect and admire her as a person. As a really strong, sassy, and beautiful woman. Of course in CC, I mostly disliked her and eventually dialed it down to just simple sympathy towards her. Now, I understand her better, I met her in a deeper sense than the first time and I adore the Sarah Erickson now. The Sarah now is enduring, she mentioned in her farewell speech at Foundations that she's not fixed or healed and it's true, Sarah still feels the emotional hurt from that accident and the guilt over everything she'd done to cause the people who loves her pain, but she's able to understand and deal with it way, way better than before.
And I believe that this new, reborn Sarah was just the perfect woman for my Leo James. Like with Sarah in CC, the first time I met Leo in Among The Echoes, I had mixed feelings of dislike and admiration for his courage only lasted until after Chapter 1. After that, I mostly wanted to hug him and now, now I love him! He's still the protective guy who's always concerned about Erica, only now, he also have Sarah in his life. Leo was funny! I didn't even think he had that... that lightness in him but the whole time I was reading this book, he had me smiling and laughing and falling in love him. His humor and personality really shined bright.
Sarah and Leo are two guilt-filled people, you would think that a relationship between these two is doomed from the start but no, Aly Martinez created these characters to be soulmates, ying and yang, and she succeeded, it was palpable to me throughout the book. Their flaws and guilt actually balance each other's and they just... make it work and it was spectacular to read! The struggles they lived through made them the perfectly broken people that they are today. Seeing these characters strive and succeed in dealing with their pasts, admirable! *slow claps*
I love how their relationship developed and worked out, all the witty conversations and extremely panty-melting scenes, Aly Martinez wrote something painful and tragic and turned it into a beautiful love story. This might be my new favorite in the series -- sorry, Caleb!
The surprise in Leo's life caught me off guard. I totally did not see that one coming but it was so good and added more spice into the story.
And oh, oh, oh! Epilogue! People, if you are a sucker like me for Epilogues, Broken Course's kicks ass!
Stars: 6 stars
POV: First person. Dual POV.
Recommended to: Everyone who wants to get lost in an emotional and romantic world.
Series: Yes. Interconnected characters.
Extra Comment: Epilogue. Seriously, guys! And it may not seem like it but this book made me laugh and smile most of the time. Loved it!
December 1, 2014
4.5 Stellar Stars!
Review by Jen Hagen
At the very end of “Among the Echoes” I was doing a fist pump because even though we learned a lot about Leo, it was evident that his story was going to be continued along with a secondary character from the previous two books. If someone were to ask “can Broken Course be read as a stand alone?” I would be hesitant to answer that as a yes. Although it features secondary characters, so much of their back story is portrayed in the previous books and I believe the reader would be missing out on the emotional pull that these characters can make you feel. My thoughts of Sarah did a complete 180 from the first book and I want others to feel that same sense of pride from a character’s growth.
Sarah’s life was a picture-perfect Norman Rockwell Christmas card when she was married to Brett. Seven years ago she suffered a traumatic brain injury from a car accident and she hasn’t been she same since. She has been divorced from Brett for several years. There is a lot of bitterness and past history between Sarah, Brett, and Sarah’s brother-in-law, Caleb. This is where knowing the back story would be very helpful.
Leo is the owner of a security company, having spent years undercover for the DEA. This is where you will want to have read “Among the Echoes” to know his story and the event that still haunts him. Leo is a very good guy with a lot to offer a woman – he is funny, sexy, and so capable of love that he will do anything to protect those around him—even if it means walking away from them.
Sarah and Leo meet as strangers and end up as lovers. They have to have the worst dates in the history of dating…food poisoning and awkward kneeing the balls during intimacy. But yet they overcome these moments and find something real exists between them – something neither of them ever expected to find again-- Love. Leo sees Sarah as the new person she has become and doesn’t hold her past again her, and Sarah sees Leo in the present also. She doesn’t know what sends Leo into a spiral of darkness and what else he is keeping from her. Sarah has not come clean about the events that transpired following her accident. They spend a lot of time with each other, but yet they really don’t know each other that well. Both of them are keeping secrets and they both seem to be following the “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule. Most of their time seems to be spent with wordless conversations between the sheets. And these conversations are HOT HOT HOT!!
But eventually the control you have over how much information you share becomes unmanageable…
It’s suddenly very clear to me that my worlds have officially crossed.
And the option of full disclosure is your only recourse…
“The truth, Leo. How about, for once in our entire f#*king relationship, you give me the entire goddamn truth.”
I have come to place Aly Martinez on my list of authors that I will read anything they write. She just keeps adding more and more to her writing style and I love it! These are characters that are more mature in their age (in their 30s) and have experienced a world of pain but manage to persevere through the darkness. Every single book has an angst factor, which is a must have in my reading requirements, and the road to happiness is not paved but rather laced with boulders. The male tends to be a little on the alpha side, but the female is strong as well (I do not like a weak female). All these characteristics make up a series that is not to be missed. The epilogue in this book was phenomenal and a good epilogue always seals the deal for me. A perfect ending to this wonderful series.
“As I look around the room today, it’s easy to recognize that we all found the right course eventually.”
For those of you that have read the entire series and are curious…”I need the vegetable report” is included.
Review by Jen Hagen
At the very end of “Among the Echoes” I was doing a fist pump because even though we learned a lot about Leo, it was evident that his story was going to be continued along with a secondary character from the previous two books. If someone were to ask “can Broken Course be read as a stand alone?” I would be hesitant to answer that as a yes. Although it features secondary characters, so much of their back story is portrayed in the previous books and I believe the reader would be missing out on the emotional pull that these characters can make you feel. My thoughts of Sarah did a complete 180 from the first book and I want others to feel that same sense of pride from a character’s growth.
Sarah’s life was a picture-perfect Norman Rockwell Christmas card when she was married to Brett. Seven years ago she suffered a traumatic brain injury from a car accident and she hasn’t been she same since. She has been divorced from Brett for several years. There is a lot of bitterness and past history between Sarah, Brett, and Sarah’s brother-in-law, Caleb. This is where knowing the back story would be very helpful.
Leo is the owner of a security company, having spent years undercover for the DEA. This is where you will want to have read “Among the Echoes” to know his story and the event that still haunts him. Leo is a very good guy with a lot to offer a woman – he is funny, sexy, and so capable of love that he will do anything to protect those around him—even if it means walking away from them.
Sarah and Leo meet as strangers and end up as lovers. They have to have the worst dates in the history of dating…food poisoning and awkward kneeing the balls during intimacy. But yet they overcome these moments and find something real exists between them – something neither of them ever expected to find again-- Love. Leo sees Sarah as the new person she has become and doesn’t hold her past again her, and Sarah sees Leo in the present also. She doesn’t know what sends Leo into a spiral of darkness and what else he is keeping from her. Sarah has not come clean about the events that transpired following her accident. They spend a lot of time with each other, but yet they really don’t know each other that well. Both of them are keeping secrets and they both seem to be following the “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule. Most of their time seems to be spent with wordless conversations between the sheets. And these conversations are HOT HOT HOT!!
But eventually the control you have over how much information you share becomes unmanageable…
It’s suddenly very clear to me that my worlds have officially crossed.
And the option of full disclosure is your only recourse…
“The truth, Leo. How about, for once in our entire f#*king relationship, you give me the entire goddamn truth.”
I have come to place Aly Martinez on my list of authors that I will read anything they write. She just keeps adding more and more to her writing style and I love it! These are characters that are more mature in their age (in their 30s) and have experienced a world of pain but manage to persevere through the darkness. Every single book has an angst factor, which is a must have in my reading requirements, and the road to happiness is not paved but rather laced with boulders. The male tends to be a little on the alpha side, but the female is strong as well (I do not like a weak female). All these characteristics make up a series that is not to be missed. The epilogue in this book was phenomenal and a good epilogue always seals the deal for me. A perfect ending to this wonderful series.
“As I look around the room today, it’s easy to recognize that we all found the right course eventually.”
For those of you that have read the entire series and are curious…”I need the vegetable report” is included.
November 2, 2014
Oh Aly Martinez knows how to write a freakin' book. I don't know if you have read the other books in this series, but if you have not- you will if you read this one. (I would HIGHLY recommend reading them all- they are A-MAZING) Just remember :: you can't have Caleb - he is #Mine :)
So Broken Course is Sarah Erickson's story.. At the end of Among the Echoes we know her and Leo James have ran into each other. This book picks up exactly where that one ended. Leo convinces Sarah to go on a date with him. Mind you, she hasn't dated for 7 whole years. NOTHING. She agrees, mainly because he is seriously good looking. They have a connection immediately. Something about their two broken souls - just works.
In Aly's other books, I honestly hated Sarah. Loathed her even. She was a horrible person and I never believed you could make me feel anything but hate for her. I was WRONG. Not only did I forgive Sarah, I fell in love with her. She has a horrible past, yes. But something about her with Leo just feels right. Leo who is equally as broken as Sarah, makes her a better person. The entire book I thought he was fixing her but in by the end-they didn't "fix" each other- they completed each other. They aren't fixed, they are just whole again. Just absolute perfection.
Let's talk about the good stuff. (S-E-X.)
Santa Madre de Todos (Holy Mother of ALL)
Leo's sexy spanish speaking filthy mouth foreplay will send you over the top. Geez-louise, that man is so flipping hot. He could have been saying - go make me a pancake but I was still swooning --- (Aly did subtitle all of his spanish- so you actually do know what he is saying)
Sarah and Leo's sexytime made Caleb and Emma look boring (I KNOW- HOW?!)
CALIENTE CALIENTE CALIENTE
(Hot hot hot)
There were a lot of surprises in this book and I was absorbed in every single page. Aly has a way of sucking you in and not letting you out until that last word is spoken. She has a perfect mixture of drama, romance, mystery, steam, humor, and emotion. Many times I was sobbing and crying at the same time. I feel like her writing makes me a tad bi-polar but I embrace it and have fallen completely in love with Aly Martinez writing style once again.
WELCOME BACK ALY MARTINEZ -- ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL NOVEL UNDER YOUR BELT:)
CINCO ESTRELLAS ENORMES
FIVE HUGE STARS!!!!!
WANT A STEAMY,SEXY, FUNNY, ROMANCE THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL TO YOUR BONES--- THIS IS IT. FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC
So Broken Course is Sarah Erickson's story.. At the end of Among the Echoes we know her and Leo James have ran into each other. This book picks up exactly where that one ended. Leo convinces Sarah to go on a date with him. Mind you, she hasn't dated for 7 whole years. NOTHING. She agrees, mainly because he is seriously good looking. They have a connection immediately. Something about their two broken souls - just works.
In Aly's other books, I honestly hated Sarah. Loathed her even. She was a horrible person and I never believed you could make me feel anything but hate for her. I was WRONG. Not only did I forgive Sarah, I fell in love with her. She has a horrible past, yes. But something about her with Leo just feels right. Leo who is equally as broken as Sarah, makes her a better person. The entire book I thought he was fixing her but in by the end-they didn't "fix" each other- they completed each other. They aren't fixed, they are just whole again. Just absolute perfection.
Let's talk about the good stuff. (S-E-X.)
Santa Madre de Todos (Holy Mother of ALL)
Leo's sexy spanish speaking filthy mouth foreplay will send you over the top. Geez-louise, that man is so flipping hot. He could have been saying - go make me a pancake but I was still swooning --- (Aly did subtitle all of his spanish- so you actually do know what he is saying)
Sarah and Leo's sexytime made Caleb and Emma look boring (I KNOW- HOW?!)
CALIENTE CALIENTE CALIENTE
(Hot hot hot)
There were a lot of surprises in this book and I was absorbed in every single page. Aly has a way of sucking you in and not letting you out until that last word is spoken. She has a perfect mixture of drama, romance, mystery, steam, humor, and emotion. Many times I was sobbing and crying at the same time. I feel like her writing makes me a tad bi-polar but I embrace it and have fallen completely in love with Aly Martinez writing style once again.
WELCOME BACK ALY MARTINEZ -- ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL NOVEL UNDER YOUR BELT:)
CINCO ESTRELLAS ENORMES
FIVE HUGE STARS!!!!!
WANT A STEAMY,SEXY, FUNNY, ROMANCE THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL TO YOUR BONES--- THIS IS IT. FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC
March 8, 2015
4.5 stars.
loved this book. while i really enjoyed book 1 and book 2 was good, i found sarah's story to be by far my fave from the series. who would have thought that possible?
aly martinez is a fantastic author and only she could endear me to a character i really didn't care overly much for going in. i wasn't sure i even wanted to read sarah's story at one stage which was why it took me so long between book 2 and 3, but my mistake! this was the best book in the series.
sarah has had a tough self journey and the same goes for leo. together they make the perfect team.
while both are funny and sarcastic at heart, they are each hiding so many feelings and emotions from painful pasts. when they come together though, they are smokin' hot, funny and hilarious with their ongoing smart ass remarks. regardless of their past mistakes and experiences they each have such loving and strong personalities. they are so deserving of this second chance at life and are there to help eachother to accept the past and move forward.
this book had a few twists and suprises too, it was also really hot at times! maybe that's just because i found the chemistry between leo and sarah to be off the charts but these two really played well off eachother.
this was a great book and if you're not sure you wanted to read sarah's story or you think it's not important because of the way she's acted in past books, that would be a missed opportunity because she along with leo easily turned out to become not only the best couple in the series but the most emotional story within the series as well. if nothing else, you'll want to read this one for the great group epilogue!!
loved this book. while i really enjoyed book 1 and book 2 was good, i found sarah's story to be by far my fave from the series. who would have thought that possible?
aly martinez is a fantastic author and only she could endear me to a character i really didn't care overly much for going in. i wasn't sure i even wanted to read sarah's story at one stage which was why it took me so long between book 2 and 3, but my mistake! this was the best book in the series.
sarah has had a tough self journey and the same goes for leo. together they make the perfect team.
while both are funny and sarcastic at heart, they are each hiding so many feelings and emotions from painful pasts. when they come together though, they are smokin' hot, funny and hilarious with their ongoing smart ass remarks. regardless of their past mistakes and experiences they each have such loving and strong personalities. they are so deserving of this second chance at life and are there to help eachother to accept the past and move forward.
this book had a few twists and suprises too, it was also really hot at times! maybe that's just because i found the chemistry between leo and sarah to be off the charts but these two really played well off eachother.
this was a great book and if you're not sure you wanted to read sarah's story or you think it's not important because of the way she's acted in past books, that would be a missed opportunity because she along with leo easily turned out to become not only the best couple in the series but the most emotional story within the series as well. if nothing else, you'll want to read this one for the great group epilogue!!
October 20, 2014
So because Aly is awesome I got to beta this book and just finished it and OMG it's like the best ending to a series EVER!!! I won't give anything away but the ending AAAHHHHHHHHHH so GOOD!!! I even cried little happy tears.
November 6, 2014
Wow, Again I'm blown away by another Aly Martinez book. I kinda did this series backwards. I read Among the Echoes first, and didn't get the little shocker at the end, when Leo bumped in to Sarah. So I had to immediately start the Wrecked and Ruined series, and have loved it.
Broken Course is the third book in this series, that tells the story of how a car crash had messed up a lot of lives. Sarah was in that fatal car crash and the only one left to tell the tale. Although that would be hard as she lost her memories of that night, and has no idea what happened. The version she has been told, is what she has to believe, and live with.
After Sarah lost her best friend Manda in the car crash, she has felt lost and guilty ever since. She pushed away everyone who cared for or loved her, and was pretty much left with nobody by the end.
By Broken Course, we have seen how some of the others involved in the crash, have managed to reclaim their lives back and find happiness. Except for Sarah. Until she meets Leo.
Leo James, has also had a really rough time too. His story was in Among the Echoes, where we learn quite a lot about him. Not everything though.
I absolutely loved this story, and it was by far my favourite of the three. Both Leo and Sarah were 2 of my favourite characters across the books, and I couldn't wait to find out more from their POV's. Both Sarah and Leo, are in a lot of pain. They are hurting from their past actions, and sometimes find it hard to just live their lives normally. Right from the start the writing was captivating, there wasn't a single part of this book that didn't have me hooked. The story was gripping, the humour between Sarah and Leo was hysterical, and the hot scenes, were utterly smoking. Leo was of course, gorgeous and addictive. I thought Caleb was yum, but I think Leo topped him.
The twists and turns in this book, amazed me again. There was plenty of them in the other books in the series, but they were complete shockers in this one. Had me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole story.
I didn't want this story to end, and by the end I was pretty much all out of tears. This story is heartwarming and painful but lots of feel goods.
A well deserved 5 stars.
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
Broken Course is the third book in this series, that tells the story of how a car crash had messed up a lot of lives. Sarah was in that fatal car crash and the only one left to tell the tale. Although that would be hard as she lost her memories of that night, and has no idea what happened. The version she has been told, is what she has to believe, and live with.
After Sarah lost her best friend Manda in the car crash, she has felt lost and guilty ever since. She pushed away everyone who cared for or loved her, and was pretty much left with nobody by the end.
By Broken Course, we have seen how some of the others involved in the crash, have managed to reclaim their lives back and find happiness. Except for Sarah. Until she meets Leo.
Leo James, has also had a really rough time too. His story was in Among the Echoes, where we learn quite a lot about him. Not everything though.
I absolutely loved this story, and it was by far my favourite of the three. Both Leo and Sarah were 2 of my favourite characters across the books, and I couldn't wait to find out more from their POV's. Both Sarah and Leo, are in a lot of pain. They are hurting from their past actions, and sometimes find it hard to just live their lives normally. Right from the start the writing was captivating, there wasn't a single part of this book that didn't have me hooked. The story was gripping, the humour between Sarah and Leo was hysterical, and the hot scenes, were utterly smoking. Leo was of course, gorgeous and addictive. I thought Caleb was yum, but I think Leo topped him.
The twists and turns in this book, amazed me again. There was plenty of them in the other books in the series, but they were complete shockers in this one. Had me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole story.
I didn't want this story to end, and by the end I was pretty much all out of tears. This story is heartwarming and painful but lots of feel goods.
A well deserved 5 stars.
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
February 15, 2017
Now this is how you finish off a series! I hesitated to read Among the Echoes for quite a while, still can't work out why I did but I really wanted to read Leo's story so as soon as I finished that I dove right into this one.
I admit I was nervous. I had no idea how Martinez was going to handle Sarah's story, she was not the most endearing of characters in Changing Course and although she put Brett through hell I still felt sorry for her then even though I did not like her much. Now, I don't like my heroines to be limp and weak and crying all the time so was prepared to dislike Sarah intensely in her book. That. Did. Not. Happen. I bloody love how Martinez turned her character around, if ever there was a character that needed redeeming, it was Sarah and the author handled it so damn well. We get right into her head, and the flashbacks helped with the reasoning behind her actions after the accident. In fact, Martinez did this so well I wasn't liking Brett much in this book. Hows that for a transformation! Just brilliant with no ridiculous unnecessary angst for angst's sake.
Leo is just awesome, despite his demons (and he had some doozies) he was there for Sarah to lean on, always. He LISTENED to her, even when he was in his "dark periods" he still listened.
This is a story about redemption, acceptance and learning to forgive yourself as well as others and unconditional love all rounded off with a superb epilogue. The story did slow down a bit towards the end but not enough to affect my reading experience or take away one of the 5 bright shiny stars.
A really brilliant series that has become one of my favourites.
I admit I was nervous. I had no idea how Martinez was going to handle Sarah's story, she was not the most endearing of characters in Changing Course and although she put Brett through hell I still felt sorry for her then even though I did not like her much. Now, I don't like my heroines to be limp and weak and crying all the time so was prepared to dislike Sarah intensely in her book. That. Did. Not. Happen. I bloody love how Martinez turned her character around, if ever there was a character that needed redeeming, it was Sarah and the author handled it so damn well. We get right into her head, and the flashbacks helped with the reasoning behind her actions after the accident. In fact, Martinez did this so well I wasn't liking Brett much in this book. Hows that for a transformation! Just brilliant with no ridiculous unnecessary angst for angst's sake.
Leo is just awesome, despite his demons (and he had some doozies) he was there for Sarah to lean on, always. He LISTENED to her, even when he was in his "dark periods" he still listened.
This is a story about redemption, acceptance and learning to forgive yourself as well as others and unconditional love all rounded off with a superb epilogue. The story did slow down a bit towards the end but not enough to affect my reading experience or take away one of the 5 bright shiny stars.
A really brilliant series that has become one of my favourites.
August 16, 2015
BEST Aly Martinez book I have read so far!
I really enjoyed reading Sarah's (and Leo's) story. It was well-written, surprised me and kept me interested. I loved the characters (despite all of their flaws) and was rooting for them from the start.
The epilogue was perfect and includes updates on all of the characters from the series.
I enjoyed this series and I am very interested in reading Martinez's new series, On the Ropes!
I really enjoyed reading Sarah's (and Leo's) story. It was well-written, surprised me and kept me interested. I loved the characters (despite all of their flaws) and was rooting for them from the start.
The epilogue was perfect and includes updates on all of the characters from the series.
I enjoyed this series and I am very interested in reading Martinez's new series, On the Ropes!
October 10, 2015
Brilliant series
Loved this series and this last installment finishes it off beautifully, characters from previous books all come together and its brilliantly written.
Sarah's turnaround from previous book was a joy to read she did a total 180
Absolutely loved Leo James.
Alpha males, roller coaster plots, lovable characters, angst,drama and steamy hot sex what more could you want.
Recommended series available in box set for a bargain.
Loved this series and this last installment finishes it off beautifully, characters from previous books all come together and its brilliantly written.
Sarah's turnaround from previous book was a joy to read she did a total 180
Absolutely loved Leo James.
Alpha males, roller coaster plots, lovable characters, angst,drama and steamy hot sex what more could you want.
Recommended series available in box set for a bargain.
March 19, 2015
Even though I love this series I wasn't sure about Sarah's story but I was so surprised! I loved Sarah and Leo. And the epilogue was fantastic.
November 10, 2014
Lindsay: Nikki, I need to start with a confession...
Nikki: Uh Oh... *biting nails* That never seems to be good *covering eyes*
Lindsay: LOL. Well...it's not entirely bad. I just have to admit that while I love Aly Martinez and always look forward to her next book, going into this one, I was scared. I didn't like Sarah in the previous books so I really didn't see how I was going to make it through this one when it's all about her.
Nikki: Ahhh. Yes, I understand. I felt the same way. Especially in Stolen Course. I wasn't a fan of hers and I wasn't sure how Aly was going to pull off the transition from antihero to heroine. But, lucky for us (and her other readers) she did a fantastic job with Sarah!
Lindsay: I completely agree. I didn't expect to like her but she ended up being the best part of the book. She still had her moments but you could tell that she wasn't the same person we'd met in the previous books. She had pulled herself together and started a new life.
Nikki: Exactly. It was a great transition and I loved how you could still see her struggle, which I would see as a normal occurance with everything she'd been through. The wreck changed her, but she was no longer solely in that dark place. Yes, she had times when it tried to pull her in, but you could see her fight to regain herself from it. It was awesome to see.
Lindsay: It really was. It was also heartbreaking to see the flashbacks and just how lost she was. In Broken Course, all you saw was her brand of crazy...and it wasn't pretty. It was actually really horrible. But with the flash backs, you saw the evens from her POV and it really did make me feel for her. Don't get me wrong, her actions were deplorable but you could see just how broken she was and just how dark of a place she was at. Aly Martinez is seriously amazing with what she pulled off.
Nikki: I agree! Aly Martinez did a fantastic job with Sarah. I felt so bad for her in the flashbacks and could feel her pain. It was a dark place to be and, while I agree that her actions were deplorable, you could just understand that she really wasn't in the right frame of mind.
Lindsay: Exactly. And because we saw just how dark she was and just how much she changed, I couldn't help but root for her and for her to get her HEA. Speaking of that HEA....let's discuss Leo.
Nikki: Oh boy. Yes, Let's discuss Leo.
Lindsay: Leo...I really loved him in Among the Echoes. Erica and Slate were good but Leo was amazing. He was, by far, my favorite part of the book. You know how some secondary characters jump off the page and totally steal the show? Well...that was Leo for me. So when I found out he was going to be Sarah's hero, I was excited...and scared. Excited because MORE LEO!!! but scared because I didn't like Sarah and wanted better for him.
Nikki: Ahhh yes. In AtE, I loved Leo as well. He really did stand out as a secondary character stealing the show. And I was excited he was going to get his own book which would lead to him getting a HEA as well.
Lindsay: However, all was not to be. (Don't misunderstand me, there IS a HEA)...but Leo...changed. I realize that AtE wasn't his book, so it didn't delve into his head and motives, but the guy that I loved in AtE was different. In the beginning of Broken Course, you could clearly see the Leo of yesterbook. But as soon as he hooked up with Sarah, his personality seemed to change for me. He went from being a hot alpha to more of a domineering alpha, and that didn't work for me.
Nikki: Yesterbook... LMAO. But I agree. While I knew he had his own dark issues to deal with (more on that in a sec) his personality did a complete makeover. I didn't like it too much. He did start out funny and sweet while still being the hot alpha we knew and loved, but then when he started to act more like a dictator than a lover, I was not happy either. There were times periodically throughout after the change that we'd get the funny and sweet Leo of 'yesterbook' and those parts I loved. But I agree with you, I didn't like the seemingly new Leo all too much.
Lindsay: I feel bad for saying I didn't like him because I loved him during the sweet funny moments, but the domineering parts of his personality didn't work for me. And like you said, he had his own dark issues to deal with. And speaking of those issues, I thought they were handled well by the author. She made them real and believable and I can totally see an alpha guy reacting the way he did and having problems dealing. HOWEVER, I really didn't like that he acted like a martyr, willing to fall on his sword because he refused to accept help. It was ok for Sarah to deal with issues from her past and move forward with her life, but god forbid that he should do the same.
Nikki: Ok, you stole those words right out of my mouth! I don't even have a reply, because you said it so well! :P ;)
Lindsay: There was one more aspect that I didn't like. I didn't like the way Leo constantly kept things from Sarah. She told him time and again that she hated surprises and didn't handle them well. But he never seemed to learn. There was always something he was hiding or neglecting to tell her. And it never went well for him when she found out. I won't go into the actual events/info since they're spoilers (and pretty big ones at that), but he handled everything wrong. I know he had issues and he was avoiding dealing with them, and that was part of him keeping secrets, but I just kept wondering how they could ever have a successful relationship when he wasn't willing to even try dealing with his issues and get better. I hate to say it, but at one point, after his millionth secret came out, I wanted Sarah to walk away and find someone else for her HEA. And I hated the implication that she was being selfish and jealous in how she reacted to this particular secret. I didn't blame her in her reaction one bit. It wasn't the information itself that upset her so much as that Leo kept it a secret. And I think she had every right to be mad and walk away and reevaluate their relationship when he refused to share his life with her.
Nikki: I concur.
Lindsay: LOL. That was a very succinct response.
Nikki: Well, seeing as you pretty much jumped in my head and said all I would have, there wasn't much left ;)
Lindsay: LOL. I'm a ninja like that. ;)
Nikki: LOL. Ok, as for our supporting characters, as ever, Caleb was fabulous! ❤ Emma and Jesse were great too. Brett was kind of a jerk, but it was to be expected. Not much else to be when faced with that awkward situation. However, I will agree with Leo when I say I don't understand how Sarah could continue to be friends with Casey. I know she explained herself, and to a point I get it, I'm just not sure I could go there myself.
Lindsay: OMG! I totally spaced on Casey and Eli. I have to say, I hope they don't get a book because I want nothing to do with them. That was one part I did agree with Leo on...Sarah should NOT have stayed friends with them. I'm sorry, but there's no redeeming them for me. As for Caleb, he was by far my favorite part. I live for Caleb moments. *happy sigh* I could read more books about his life with Emma.
Nikki: Lol. Overall, I liked the book a lot. While there were parts that got to me, such as when Leo blurted out a certain something and I screamed 'OMG' and accidentally threw my poor kindle in the air *blushing*, there were also a lot of good parts. Aly Martinez is definitely a great writer and she knows how to draw an array of emotions from her readers.
Lindsay: Rotfl! I can't believe I forgot about that moment! (you throwing your kindle in the air, not the revelation) That was one moment I was glad to be eating dust. You got there first and warned me something HUGE was coming and I held tight to my beloved kindle. ;) But I agree with you, Aly Martinez is a master at her craft. She had me pacing the floors at another 'OMG' moment because it was so shocking. And overall, I did like the book. I would give it a solid 4 stars.
Nikki: I gave it 4 stars as well! :D
February 23, 2020
się z Sara chyba nigdy nie zaprzyjaźnimy jakoś specjalnie. przez Bretta. chciałabym nie wiedzieć tego o niej co wiem. wtedy dalabym 10 gwiazdek. zapunktowała u mnie przez małą Liv masakrycznie. ale nie bedzie 10 gwiazdek. bedzie tylko 5. fantastyczna budząca skrajne emocje i duzo wiele dzikich emocji.
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