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Broken Girl #1

Beautiful Broken Girl

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How far did I get? Who found me? Were they here to take me back?
Starting a new life, Kennedy never thought she could find true happiness. Until him.
Cole was perfectly content coasting through life with no purpose, no real connections. Until her.
"I don't know what you are running from, but I can promise you I am nothing like your past. I'm your future, Kennedy. Does that scare you? Are you scared of falling?"
Will the love between them be enough to help Kenndy move on from her past? Enough for Cole to see a real future? Or will the past always be there to haunt them?

228 pages, ebook

First published February 15, 2016

217 people are currently reading
684 people want to read

About the author

Rachael Tonks

17 books201 followers
Rachael Tonks is a contemporary romance author with a love of books, and a particular love of the romance genre. As a child Rachael could always be found with her head in a book, but it wasn't until the beginning of 2015 when Rachael's love of books really took over.
Reading spurred on her desires to put pen to paper, and write down the story of the characters screaming for their story to be told. Starting out her career with a new adult romance novel, she is currently working on her fourth novel which she plans to release early 2017. Rachael lives in the steely suburb of Sheffield, in the north of England with her family and her 2 crazy dogs. She loves nothing more reading with a good cup of tea and is self-proclaimed chocoholic!

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5 stars
164 (41%)
4 stars
94 (23%)
3 stars
59 (14%)
2 stars
40 (10%)
1 star
39 (9%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
Profile Image for Helen Power.
Author 10 books631 followers
October 3, 2020
This is one of those books where I wish that the heroine’s dark past were revealed earlier. Once her history is revealed, I couldn’t hide my disbelief. It’s what made me give this book four stars instead of five. I couldn’t help but think that Kennedy should have been more traumatized by what had happened to her, and that her perspective should have been a little darker. I’m not saying she has to be a pessimist or negative Nelly, but given how young she was and how long the abuse lasted, she shouldn’t be able to trust and fall in love quite so easily.
That said, I loved the relationship between Kennedy and Cole. Cole was your typical hero love interest, but their chemistry is what made this book so great. Tonks has a delightful writing style, and I was sucked into the story right away, barely coming up for air until I finished the last page.
Profile Image for Lily.
977 reviews56 followers
May 21, 2016
4.5 stars! Awesome debut! ARC review!



Omg I just finished this book and I need the second book in my life like yesterday! First of all, what a debut! I absolutely loved this book. Reminds me a lot of Kirsty Moseley books. Kennedy wakes up in a hospital but doesn't remember how she got there. We know she is running away from someone but we don't find out until later on. She is placed under the care of Jocelyn Peterson. Jocelyn's son, Cole, is a popular high school jock but also a sweetheart. They become friends. They are attracted to each other but Cole has a girlfriend. They try to fight off their attraction but give in. Eventually they get together but Kennedy has a seriously messed up past. They go through some obstacles; some minor and some major ones. I loved that Cole is very protective of Kennedy but she is strong too. She has endured a lot since a little girl. Your heart will break for her. Talk about being brave! But I don't want to give out spoilers so if you want to know what happens next you are going to have to read this book! The end of the book has a major cliffy! I can't wait for more from this author! I hope book 2 comes out soon!
Profile Image for Mandy Desay.
266 reviews12 followers
February 16, 2016
First of all I will say damn you Rachael Tonks Damn you how could you leave me hanging like that!!!! What a rollercoaster of a read, It had some hard hitting situations which Rachael dealt with perfectly, but may be disturbing or triggers for some people.

We first meet Kennedy as she is waking up in hospital in a confused and distressful state. We soon begin to realise that this girl must have been through a horrific experience which we find out just how tramatic it was for her as we get further into book. After the kindest from a woman named Jocelyn at the hospital she is brought to live with Jocelyn until she finds her feet.

Enter the hotness that is Jocelyn's Son Cole, Kennedy feels an electrifying pull towards Cole that she just can't explain, as the two begin to get closer, Kennedy worries that if Cole finds out the truth of her past he will no longer want to be with her, can she risk telling Cole the truth and lose him forever.

A truly wonderful sexy intense and hard hitting read, but for a debut Novel just wow. Be warned there was tears. I need more Kennedy and Cole. What a bang of a cliffhanger!!!! I need more now Rachael!!!
Profile Image for Annamaria.
702 reviews11 followers
June 24, 2016
Five Beautiful Stars! Kennedy has been through things that no one should experience. She is finally able to escape, and she ends up in the hospital not remembering how she got there. Jocelyn offers Kennedy a place to stay and to help her. Cole is the star quarterback and Jocelyn's son finds when he meets Kennedy that he is instantly attracted to her. He finds her to be a beautiful girl but also a girl who has demons in her past. Can Cole and Kennedy over come her demons and will she be able to trust again? This is the debut book for this author and I found it to be well written. Kennedy and Cole have chemistry that is magical! This book has triggers so be warned. I found myself laughing and crying with the characters so keep the tissues close by. This is the first book in the Broken Girl Series and I can't wait for book two! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend!

I received this book as an ARC for an honest review. This book was read and reviewed by Annamaria for Alpha Book Club.

Plot: 5
Chemistry: 5
Pacing: 5
Ending: 5
Character Development: 5
Profile Image for Renes Getaway.
104 reviews9 followers
February 23, 2016
I was offered this book I return for an honest review. For starters, I am soooooo glad I decided to read this book. I have read a lot of books and this one is not like any others that I have read before. I was very impressed. Rachael gives you this great storyline, paired with amazing characters. The main characters of this story are Cole and Kennedy and you instantly fall in love with them. Without getting to descriptive because I severely dislike spoilers in my reviews, Kennedy is running away from a gruesome past and finds herself living at Coles house. The initial meeting of the two is quite comical, but eventually a strong bond is formed and a beautiful relationship begins.

Kennedy's past soon catches up with her future and things become very bumpy between the two. It is an emotional ride from beginning to end, one oh my god.....the cliffhanger ending.....Rachael girl we need to chat! I'm still reeling from how you left it and I am very patiently waiting for the next book.

I am officially a fan for life and will now stalk you! I look forward to working with you more. Thank you so much for allowing me to read this amazing story.
Profile Image for Wendy Livingstone.
20.1k reviews257 followers
May 29, 2016
I received and ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review!
Wow, just wow!! I cannot believe that this is a debut book, and I am totally in awe for Rachael. This is an amazing read.
Not going into details, as I detest spoilers, but this is an extremely difficult and heartbreaking subject matter. Kennedy and Cole are fabulous together, and they have a really beautiful relationship.
This book is a heartbreaking and very emotional read. But damm, it ends on a huge cliffhanger. I will wait impatiently for the next book to find out what happens.
Well done Rachael, you are definitely on my 1-click list and I will be following you.
11 reviews
February 15, 2016
Beautiful Broke Girl is an intense, crazy, hot and steamy ride that takes you on journey right to the last pages. Talk about a Cliff hanger I am already itching to read the next one.

It holds triggers that may be disturbing to other readers however it only made me connect to the main characters even more. Kennedy and Cole is a romance that we dream of.

This book made me laugh, cry and the Sexy scenes got me hot under the collar.

5 stars!!!!!!!

BRING ON PART TWO!!!!
Profile Image for JoDeen .
586 reviews47 followers
May 4, 2016
this book was so good I finished this book in one day there were so many twist and turns and shockers and that ending omg !! Reading about Cole and Kennedy story was such fun . the way Rachael Tonks wrote this book had me just turning the pages i just needed to know what happened next . It was steamy emotional and again THAT ENDING!!! I cant wait for the next books !!
Profile Image for Stacie Besaw.
209 reviews
February 17, 2017
Omg

Wow!! Another great novel!!! Couldn't put it down.. Loved it!! Another emotional and deep book! Going to start on the 2nd book now!!
Profile Image for Tracy W (Tracy&HelensRomanceBlog).
298 reviews58 followers
August 8, 2018
What can I say but wow what an amazing story!

This story had me wanting answers from the very beginning. I was eager to know what had happened to Kennedy, a beautiful girl living in a past she clearly doesn’t want to be in.

Kennedy and Cole are young and meet under not normal circumstances, you can feel the instant chemistry between them and know they’re meant to be together. Throughout the whole story I was completely and utterly hooked, wanting to read and know what was going to happen.

The story took twists and turns I didn’t see coming at all. I was left shocked and when I got to the end let me tell you, I screamed at my kindle. I had to go and download book 2 straight away.

I love Rachael’s books but I utterly adored this one and she has produced a story that can pull at the heart strings, leaving you with such emotions running through you. This book deserves hands down 5 ⭐️ and I wish I could award it more. Now on to book 2.
Profile Image for The Saucy Owl.
29 reviews2 followers
February 12, 2016
Beautiful Broken Girl is a tense read that will provoke a LOT of emotion from people I think. Personally for me, the themes in this book are ones which make me angry. I don’t want to spoil the plot so this will be a hard review to write.

The characters are completely lovely and you are gripped from the start by Kennedy’s story. It’s tense from the moment the book starts, I was drawn to Kennedy and I wanted to know what happened to her. I never could have predicted the horror that Kennedy went through, I’ve read and loved a lot of dark erotica but this was just horrific. I think what made it worse is that I’m positive it actually happens which just made me feel sad and helpless.

The consequences of her torture since birth also spark another debate (sorry for being so cryptic). I wanted it to go the other way to how it went in the story, but then the book would be over pretty quickly if that happened! I like that the author tackled it and put the choice out there and her reasoning behind it. I understood how Kennedy felt and I found I was so emotionally involved that I was actually angry about the whole situation!

Cole is an incredibly sweet guy, he’s very jocky at first and he seems very adult and alpha but he struggles a lot with the consequences of what happens to Kennedy. He acts out at his emotions and doesn't make the best decisions, I think he's got a bit of growing to do, but his heart in the right place and my god is he HOT!

There were incredibly sexy bits, where I got a bit hot under the collar, it's passionate and tense. The connection they have is electric...but then you get a metaphorical bucket of water chucked over your pants when we’re taken back through Kennedy’s past. It’s a really hard read, one minute you’re turned on and then you’re repulsed and frustrated.

I found myself angry at how the book was going which isn’t because I hated the story, I know I’d feel the same if I read it in the news, it’s just that the topic is such an emotional one and the book is written so well that you’re completely pulled in with no choice but to feel for these characters!

I’m very sure that readers will love this book, it's perfect for anyone who wants to get absorbed into the story and have their heart pulled out, people who like to torture themselves basically! :)

Profile Image for 2OCC Reviews.
3,487 reviews254 followers
May 20, 2016
The story kept me intrigued and wanting to know what was going to happen.

From the reviews I read I knew it was something bad and a cliffhanger.

I was anxious to learn kennedys back story and what had happened to her. Cole is definitely attractive but his attitude sucks. He goes from hot to cold and jumps to conclusions way to easily. I understand he's young and still in high school but he gets angry and punches walls way too much for my liking. Also, what he did with Dennis isn't something a normal person would do. Sure we've thought about it but usually you don't actually do it. So getting to the main character Ken.

I could tell throughout the book that author wanted her to be strong and I did get that coming through, but at times I fell like she took it too far. Her back story was much more harsh then how she acted. I couldn't find it believable with what happened to her that she would fall in love with the first boy she saw. She turned over to a normal teenager way to fast. In the short glimpses of her past you could see how she was then. It was like as soon as she was away none of that was part of her anymore. For someone who had it imbedded into her every being all her life I think it would've been more believable to see her struggle with her new reality. It seemed to me she was just going with the normal teenage problems.

I am excited to see how her character is in this next book though and I'm hoping the author can pull of the two personalities she has showed us in this one. I love Jocelyns character but her husband, at this point, seems like a complete jerk. I know there's probably a story but at this time we don't have that. At one point it says something about him having a case but she never directly states what either of Coles parents do for a living. At times, I felt the descriptions were a bit long and I did skip over them. Overload, the story was there and the characters were well rounded. I fell like some parts could just be a bit more believable.

I am anxiously awaiting the second book to read. This author has great potential and I am truly invested in the story.
Profile Image for Dawn.
158 reviews
March 7, 2016
Escaping a hellish upbringing Kennedy was finally free,found and taken in by Jocelyn Peterson Kennedy finally breathes a sigh of relief.Jocelyn has looked after her,supported her given her a home and now shes starting school.Cole is Jocelyns son,drop dead gorgeous,popular in school,dating the mean girl Caitlin he cruises through life not having a care in the world.When he meets Kennedy they both feel the pull and although they try they cant seem to stay away from each other.Cole knows that Kennedy is hiding something but she never talks about her past shes worried Cole wont want her if she tells him the deepest darkest parts of her past.Having dumped Caitlin they are finally together but their journey is only just beginning when suddenly the past she thought shed left long behind her comes back to threaten the new life and love she has found.Can Kennedy finally confide in Cole and how will he take it if she does?When something happens it forces them both to face up to what is happening between them ,they both have decisions to make but will it end up in them being together ? Hit with yet another terrifying ordeal it seems Kennedys past has returned to claim her future…
This book is Rachaels debut and its amazing,it does deal with sensitive issues that are at times hard to read it gives you an insight in to what this young woman experienced as a young child through to young adulthood.The characters are loveable and easy to relate to Ash ,Abby,Pete and Jake are the circle of friends they both have.Dennis and Caitlin….well it was hard to see any redeeming qualities in those two!! Both Cole and Kennedy are wise beyond their young years,Cole has a heart of gold and its so easy to fall for him even though at times I could of slapped him!!Things heat up between them and its hot Cole is so sexy!! They certainly got me hot and bothered….be warned it ends on an almight cliffy I cant wait to see what happens next for Kennedy and Cole.
Profile Image for Amazeballs Book Addicts.
2,811 reviews243 followers
February 15, 2016
Wow, Beautiful Broken Girl is a great read. Kennedy has been through a lot in your life. She's managed to escape and is found close to death. Jocelyn works in child protective services and take Kennedy home with her. Jocelyn has such a big heart and also a sexy son, Cole, who is the same age as Kennedy.

Kennedy is quiet and doesn't talk much about what happened to her. It was a little frustrating because I wanted to know more of what happened to her quicker but wanting to know more definitely kept me reading. Cole is immediately attracted to Kennedy. Kennedy is closed off but even she feels the attraction between them.

It's told in the dual POVs of Kennedy and Cole. So, we get to get into both of their heads and see what they are thinking. I loved that. Kennedy has a lot going on. Cole is a great guy. They are both forced to deal with things that normal teenager wouldn't have to so it seems natural when they emotions biol over and cause tension.

I was totally surprised by the ending. It's a huge cliffhanger and I had no idea that there would be a cliffhanger. I can't wait to read more, I need to know what happens next.

A copy was received for a review.
Profile Image for Jessica .
1,040 reviews21 followers
February 1, 2016
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I give this story a 4.5 star rating. This story is well written, and flows very well. The characters are developed for the most part. This story may contain triggers to some readers.

Rachael made me feel when I was reading this book, I felt what Kennedy was feeling, and it broke my heart at times.

Kennedy has been through hell, her life has not been easy at all. She ran away from a very bad situation. She doesn't talk about her past, she is running from some really bad people. She was taken in by Jocelyn, whose husband and son was out of town looking at colleges.

Cole (Jocelyns) son is star football player. He has a big heart and is a sweet heart

The chemistry between Kennedy and Cole is intense but when things from Kennedys past come up will Cole stick around or will he run?


I need to know what happens. This book left me thinking what the hell is next.
Profile Image for Kelly.
143 reviews3 followers
February 29, 2016
4 Stars for a fab book from a debut author.

Beautiful broken girl is a book that pulls a lot of emotion from you with its great storyline and characters that you can't help but fall in love with and want them to have the happily ever after but this story does end on a major cliffhanger.

Kennedy has been through some traumatic events all through her childhood but she finally escapes and is still running from her past when Jocelyn takes her in and gives her a stable environment to be a regular 17yr old but her past soon catches up with her.

Cole who is Jocelyn's son is the school's football star and when he meets Kennedy its an instant attraction he ends up been Kennedy's rock.

A great book with some sensitive topics that were handled very well and i can't wait for the next installment.

**Reviewed by Little Miss Reader**

Profile Image for Dani Hodge.
973 reviews
February 5, 2016
***ARC RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW ***

Holy smokes! I just finished reading this book, and let me just say Rachael Tonks just had me on the end of my seat with that ending... I need more! Kennedy...were do I even begin. The chemistry between Kennedy and Cole is fierce. They go through so many obstacles to be together. Just when you think things are going smooth..BAM!

I enjoyed this book, the storyline kept me intrigued. The characters were fun, and the ending has my head spinning. I would definitely recommend this book, and I can't wait for the next book to come out so I can see how this story plays out.

If you have any triggers I would read with caution as there are a few scenes that are a little tough to read.
Profile Image for Andrea Britton.
2,100 reviews43 followers
February 29, 2016
What a rollercoaster ride!! I mean like hold the he!! on and keep all arms and legs inside the ride. This was a great debut, I just wish it would have said there was a cliffhanger. I'm not big on them but this one had me so invested that I WILL be reading the next one.

Kennedy has many layers. Her life has been nothing but hell until one day she is rescued. Kennedy had some healing to do and she find that with Cole. But not without some major hiccups in the road. This a very emotional read that will have your head spinning. This touches on some touchy/trigger subjects so read the blurb before reading. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Soxie.
372 reviews
Read
February 21, 2016
Beautiful broken Girl is a Debut Novel from Rachael Tonks .. This book had all the feels was a crazy ride from start to finish .. This book kept me guessing right for the first page wanting to know what the hell happened to her .. I really enjoyed this book and I Look forward to what comes next from Rachael ...
Profile Image for Tiffany Copple.
1,491 reviews66 followers
February 21, 2017
I hardly ever give a book 5 stars but Beautiful Broken Girl deserves everyone of those stars. The story of Cole and Kennedy is toughing, tragic ,emotional and filled with love. I wanted to hug Kennedy and just hold this poor girl for everything she went thru. This book was filled with real emotions , and it kept me captured. This is a great book to read .
Profile Image for Amarins.
1 review1 follower
February 21, 2016
What an amazing book. I won a
The story pulled me in the moment i started reading. During the whole book i could vividly imagine how the scene played out. All the characters were well explained. The cliffhanger has me definitely wanting more! Finished the book in one session.
2,617 reviews25 followers
February 17, 2017
omg this book was awesome! its about a young girl who escapes from her hell. a woman saves her and her son has his sites set on her. its a true love story. people are trying to tear them apart. cant wait to read the next book in this series!
6 reviews
March 13, 2017
Fantastic rollercoaster story.
Unexpected twists and turns!
Absolutely loved this book, couldn't wait for part two!!!

Original, unique storyline that will get your heart racing.

Love, love, love.

Would give 10 stars if I could!!!!
1,127 reviews
March 2, 2017
Wow. R. A

What a good job the author did with this story. Can't wait for the next book. It's a must read.
Profile Image for Lisette.
843 reviews12 followers
January 3, 2019
This book started of good. I like Kennedy, and was really curious about her story. Ever since she started to go to high school I started to loose interest. This reminded me why I rarely read new adult books. They just are not for me. There were so many characters that annoyed me. I also didn't like the insta-love aspect. The book ended with an interesting cliffhanger, yet I don't feel tempted to continue reading the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews

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