When you’re heartbroken, it lies beneath everything that you do. It’s in all of who you are. Foreshadows who you’ll be.
It hides underneath your smile, rests between your laugh, revels in your tears and taunts your every thought. You wish it away but are too terrified to let it go….
When Cal first disappeared I swore my heart had broken, and before all of this is over I swear it will shatter into pieces.
Portia Moore is an Amazon and iBooks bestselling author of romantic suspense, including the popular If I Break series, the Her series, and the Collided series, which combined have sold over one million copies across all platforms. Located in the chilly Midwest, her favorite vacations are anywhere that's hot and sunny with a beach, reading the same kind of heart-pounding, twisty, edge-of-your seat romantic thrillers that she loves to write. When that's not possible, she loves drinking wine, cooking (also with wine) and spending time with her little family of one human child and two furbabies, one that barks and one that meows.
I'm so sad this is over. I will love this series forever and make sure to tell everyone I can about it. What Portia Moore was able to do for me was amazing... You know when you read about a love triangle, you always like one of the guys more than the other? Well, she wrote three perfect men, all different, and I loved them all! I suppose if I had to pick, I loved Cal the most but I wonder if I'd 'met' one of the others first if I'd have liked them slightly more. One Last look at one of my favorite book families...
This book is listed as the last one in the series but strangely, the book before that "Beautifully Broken" ended with resolution and gave the readers the HEA we needed. Therefore, I wondered what this additional book was about and it turns out that this book was not that necessary and I could have said my goodbye to this series at the end of "Beautifully Broken".
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The last chapter of "Beautifully Broken" begins with a title "6 Months later" and we are given a summary of what happened during that time and then we have our HEA.
This book "Shattered Pieces" tells us what happened during that period of 6 months in very much detail. It is nearly 300 pages and after we get our HEA, it doesn't feel as much necessary because what it deals with is no fun but mostly a torturous period. That's why, I can say that for the first time while reading this series, I got bored.
I strongly believe that whatever is told in this book should have been inserted into "Beautifully Broken" with 2-3 chapters. It is meaningless to read this while we know what will happen in the end.
To add a surprise effect, this book reveals one piece of new information. We blamed someone for something in the previous book and in this one, we learn who really was to blame. Other than that piece of new information, there is not much of a surprise.
The book ends in a weird way, welcoming a new character and I have no idea in which book this person will be dealt with and I really don't wanna care. As far as I am concerned, this interesting journey should have ended after Book 3 (Beautifully Broken) and it actually makes the number of books you need to read 4 because there is Book 1,5.
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Let me write you the list of the books and the order you need to read them if you are interested in this series. Book 1 - If I Break Book 1,5 - Before I Break Book 2 - Almost Broken Book 3 - Beautifully Broken
As you see, these are the 4 books that must be read.
And the 5th book, "Shattered Pieces", should be optional, if you ask me.
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Last word:
I really loved this series and it felt like a breath of fresh air among the same old - same old romance books. I can recommend them to any reader who is not strict about safety and perfection as we have imperfect characters here. However, their story is unique, their love is imperfectly perfect and it really is an interesting reading experience.
My biggest criticism is that those wonderful books need to be edited seriously because all those grammar mistakes really taint the perfection of these books.
And my humble opinion is that some clipping of the length would also be good in some of the books in the series.
However, despite these flaws, they are still books I believe deserve a chance.
Because I tried to be as spoiler-free as possible in my reviews, I may not have been able to give a clear safety information. You can always p.m. to ask if the series has your pet peeves or not.
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Buddy-read
I read this series together with my gr friends, Halime & Bookylicious. I don't think I would have survived this journey without talking to them at each step. So I thank my friends for the buddy-read of this daring series :)
When you’re heartbroken, it lies beneath everything that you do. It’s in all of who you are. Foreshadows who you’ll be.
It hides underneath your smile, rests between your laugh, revels in your tears and taunts your every thought. You wish it away but are too terrified to let it go….
When Cal first disappeared I swore my heart had broken, and before all of this is over I swear it will shatter into pieces.
The conclusion to the If I Break series. The epic love story of Lauren and Cal. This was so good! Those holes and suspicions are brought to light in this book. However, I still have some questions and was a little confused at the end. This is way I didn't give it 5 stars. I'm also really greedy when it comes to Cal and I didn't get enough of him here. We do get to meet Collin (one of the alters). I actually really liked Collin. More than Chris.
Lauren is still the hero of the story. This poor woman has been through so much. She continues to stick by Cal/Chris/Collin's side no matter what. Her character has grown so much since the first book. She gets stronger and stronger and her loyalty is unwavering.
Quotes:
"I've always wanted him to be my Prince Charming, but today--if it has to be every day from this day forward--I'll be his superhero." --Lauren
"To me, Lauren isn't just a woman who had my child, or a ticket to what some call sanity. She's my everything. My love for her is still as raw as the day I admitted to myself that she was the one. At the time, I didn't even know what that meant--what was the one? Then I met her and I realized the one was the person I'd fight for, the one I'd give myself up for just so she could have peace." --Cal
This is a fantastic series and I can't recommend it enough. The first book is free, so go check it out! You won't be disappointed.
I read this book as recommended by the author to get more of an understanding of Gwen and Will’s reconciliation. I ended up learning nothing new, but quickly got annoyed with the ridiculous characters! Strangely Chris/Cal/Collin and Lauren where not my problem. Lisa, Will and Gwen were. The dynamics didn’t work! The ending was the worst part! I don’t appreciate authors making you dislike a character who betrayed her friend, who slept with a man married to a woman who treated her Like a daughter, who abandoned her child selfishly, then wrote a bloody book about her shenanigans; We then have The author doing a 360 and trying to make you sympathise with the character and give her a happy ending? Lisa had issues, who doesn’t! But she is a selfish and nasty cow who did all those terrible things. Does she make amends properly? Does she suffer? Not really! No in this book she returns after writing a messed up novel about her exploits that makes money (screw hurting Will and Gwen and Cal any further), she finds love, and is accepted by Lauren and Cal again as a friend? Seriously after she had an affair with Will? After she played a part in messing up Cal? After she abandoned her daughter? How was any of this plausible? I wanted the author to show me how amazing Will and Gwen were and for all the series to make sense, it did not. This book was a waste of words and too much drama, this series has gone on too long. I don’t think I will be reading anymore of this authors work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Me decepcionó este libro...!! Le faltó como desarrollar más sobre estos tres personajes (quien lo leyó sabe a quienes me refiero) y que al final no se supo quien era el principal (que era lo que YO quería saber!!!!)
No sé, no fue lo que esperaba, me hubiera quedado con el 3ero y como quedo ahí y ya!! listo el pollo... pero nooo.... tuve que leer este y que gran decepción como arreglaron todo, al William lo perdonaron, se quedaron cuidando a la niña fruto de su infidelidad (pero claro ella no tiene la culpa, eso lo sé) y a la otra imbécil también la perdonaron y hasta se quedó con el amigo de Chris.... WTF!! no no no no eso no me gustó nada y hasta bromeaban al final.... no pude con eso!!
En fin... espero que el próximo libro que lea de esta autora sea mejor!!
Well, this book was a disappointment. What made it so disappointing was that up until 80%, I actually felt this story was the best in the series. Sadly, the heroine’s lack of self worth, desperation, and disfuction where the hero was concerned completely ruined the rest of the book for me. I lost complete respect for her, and because of that, I no longer cared about the characters or their story. Plus, the story just became ridiculous and over-the-top. It’s sad when a plot has such great potential only to gets lost in its own indulgences. Oh well...moving on.
Considering I kept reading a series that I knew wasnt working for me books ago, I decide not to post my reviews of this series in my update feeds.
Okay ..the author was just dragging the plot in this one & it seemed like it was all over the place for the last 2 books. I think if she'd consolidated it better. The entire series could've been reduced to a more compact 3 part series. With only necessary scenes included this could've been a break out series, if she'd done it right this had the potential to be a chart buster. Alas... My conclusion : Hated Chris - boring & as the author puts it - a pussy & a Hufflepuff. Liked Collin at times - too rigid & a ravenclaw. Loved Cal , didn't give him enough material - he should've been present more. Bad boy in the house , author says he's a griffindor I say Slytherin.
Quise leer este libro por que me quedaron muchas dudas en el libro anterior, se resolvieron muchas de mis dudas, pero ese momento final ahhhhh me deja con más teorías 😂.
El final de Cal/Chris y Lauren era tal cual esparaba pero eso de la posible hermana 🙂 me deja dudas.
Here is the thing... I have a problem with not knowing what happens within a story. I need to know the ending no matter how horrible it is. I got to know! And there lies my struggle with reading a book or series I can't stand to read but have to read for the sake of my curiosity.
So I find my self actually writing my first review because of this dame series! What intrigued me, in the beginning, was the fact that the main male lead was dealing with a mental disorder. As a psychology student, I was all in!
I have read other books where male leads suffer from a mental disorder and it made for an interesting conflict. When a story has an easy way out of its problems then it starts to become dull so I can appreciate when the story is more complicated than it seems.
But! as complicated as the DID integrates the main relationships (i.e. Lauren, Cal, and Christopher) this threesome had to be the stupidest characters within the series. I find it funny how every side character from Lauren's aunt to the "bitch" Jenna had more sense than them. The conflict became more like superficial drama to try to make the story unnecessarily more complicated than it already was.
From the very beginning, I honestly did not mind Lauren and Cal's relationship even though he was a dick to her at times he was sweet. The problem for me here is that they had a clear rift or bump in the relationship that both Lauren and Cal chose to ignore. We find out later he is selfish in pursuing a relationship with her despite knowing that he has DID.
This is where I lose my mind. Lauren not knowing her husband Cal -at this point in the story- tolerates him leaving for weeks on end and on top of that when he leaves for 2 years! she is still loyal to him. I'm sorry but I can't... I can't. I understand that their marriage was new but once you tolerate your partner to disrespect you and omit the truth, which is no better than lying, by the way, I suggest you reevaluate your marriage.
But! that's not even the worst part of it! when she does find out he has DID she just hops into Chris's life like nobody's business. She thinks and hopes that the current fiance Jenna will just disappear and that Chris and her will be a normal family (and because the author wants an easy out she does smh).
I mean are you serious?! THIS man has a MENTAL DISORDER and all she cares about is being his wife again and fuck everybody else! LIKE! WHAT!
Instead of oh, I don't know making sure goes to a psychiatrist and is getting help instead of figuring out y'alls marriage status Lauren would probably not have suffered as much but I am convinced she is a dimwitted masochist.
Writing this review is a bit cathartic but all in all the third book was a filler and the happy endings were empty and not even worth the struggle that was this series.
I gotta say I always try to see what the author wants me to get out of this story and I get it. The story revolves around forgiveness and happiness. But what I couldn't forgive was Lauren's absolute lack of self-respect. Cal's unwillingness to make Lauren aware of his illness especially since she had a daughter. And Chris's overly pussy behavior.
Portia Moore owns my heart and soul with her Shattered Pieces Series! So unique and beautiful... I just want to re-read them all!
This is book 4 in this amazing series, and let me tell you.. its the one we have been waiting for!!!
Portia has made us cry, laugh, get tingles, be soooooo tense and unable to breathe! and all the heart-stopping shocks.. omg... seriously... so much feels! This story gives you all of it... and the wonderful, amazing, omg I needed this ending!
As you know by now... Lauren.. sweet sexy and stronger than she knew Lauren, has been through the ringer. She loves deep... she loves hard... and she can't ever choose, can she? Her daughter is her world... and she needs her husband to be right there with her... She wants her HEA... because honestly... how much more can she take??
This story takes us on an incredible journey of love/loss and more of these men in her life... Chris/Cal/???? seriously... how can you choose between them?? I love them all. I want them all. Can Chris ever heal? Will one win out over the other... will it be the one she wants??
Boy, do those twists keep coming!! I love Lauren, Caylen and Cal/Chris/Collin. When I found out PM was writing another book for these 3 (well 5) I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.
This one starts off right after the infamous dinner table scene at the Scott's house. If you've read the other stories in the series (Mr. Scott's/Gwen/Lisa/Aiden) then you are jumping back in time just a bit. The focus of this story is really how Cal/Chris/Collin integrate. We knew this happened with the epilogue and wedding from the previous book, but this one really digs deep into this process. We get to know Collin a lot more in this one. These characters are so real. The way Portia describes the inner battles of someone with DIDs seems realistic and makes sense. I have to say, I am still partial to Cal, but that may be just me.
Lauren is a trooper for sure. She sticks by her man (men) through everything. I love how selfless Cal/Chris/Collin are when it comes to her. They really love her and want the best for her. Those were some of my favorite scenes where all of them fight for her!
If there is anything I could change about this one it would be to see more scenes with Caylen and her dad, and more family scenes in general. I also still can't get over what Mr. Scott and Lisa did, so I don't like reading any part of his storyline.
This was an excellent addition to this saga and I hope (wink wink Portia Moore) that it continues.
THERE'S ANOTHER BOOK IN THIS SERIES!!!???? AHHH I'M SO EXCITED!!
I'm just going to go give this a five star rating before it comes out. I already love the rest of the series so much, I remember being a blubbering mess and crying so hard for these characters. And I know I will love this just as much. I can't wait to read this. :D
I'm so sad this is over. I will love this series forever and make sure to tell everyone I can about it. What Portia Moore was able to do for me was amazing... You know when you read about a love triangle, you always like one of the guys more than the other? Well, she wrote three perfect men, all different, and I loved them all! I suppose if I had to pick, I loved Cal the most but I wonder if I'd 'met' one of the others first if I'd have liked them slightly more. One Last look at one of my favorite book families...
This book can be read as a stand alone as the author brings in enough tidbits to clue you in, however, please do yourself a HUGE favor and read the other books as well, you'll be glad you did. What Happens After and The Trouble With Before are also important pieces in that you get more from Aidan, Mr./Mrs. Scott and Lisa's point of view. Portia Moore has created a "family" that you can't help but become a part of and the more you read the more invested you become. Lauren being the glue that holds everyone together and asking for nothing but love in return. Cal is arrogant, demanding, and ruled by emotion. Chris is a sweetheart that feels betrayed at every turn. Then there is Collin, the neutral party - or so he thinks... All of them love Lauren more than life itself, but can't seem to get it together enough to become the man she needs. More secrets are revealed and secret alliances are formed. With Cal, Chris, and Collin all believing that they are who's best for Lauren, and none willing to give an inch, Lauren will again be the one to suffer the consequences. As a reader, get ready for the emotional ride of the year! Can't help but hope that there is room for another book to make it's way to us.
Cierre de la saga "If I Break" que pone a consideración las consecuencias de una fragmentación de personalidad y el recorrido del protagonista para intentar integrarse. Es admirable el amor que Lauren refleja hacia Cal/Chris/Collin, en el que acepta todos los rasgos y manifestaciones de personalidad y lo abraza con su pasado, su presente y su futuro.
Goodness. I just listened to all 4 books in this series, plus the one about Chris's parents (What Happens After). I think this book was kind of like watching a slow-motion train wreck. The H and h had kind of an HEA at the end of book 3, but with his DID diagnosis, we all knew this was not going to be smooth sailing. We get to see more interaction between the alters and more about the day-to-day with h. It was a bit angsty, so I enjoyed it.
The ending felt a wee bit rushed, but I was also happy with how things turned out. Mostly. Still couldn't stomach Chris's dad, Will. Barf.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
There are no words to express the amazing job that was done on this book. In a series where you cant help but fall in love or fall in hate with all the characters right from the start this book smashes right through your expectations and gives you so much more. Continuing the story of Cal a man suffering from Disassociative Identity Disorder (multiple personalities) we find that after a long timed black out chris is back and furiously against joining his alters all while still trying to process fatherhood and being a husband during the most unsteady part of his life. His wife Lauren on the other hand has had her whole world flipped on its axis yet again and must learn to accept his newest personality collin. Laurens ability to love fiercely and forgive freely starts weighing heavily on her and takes her to places that not only make her face her own choices in life but force her to decide whether or not she can remain a passenger in life to her husband who doesnt know which way to turn. During all this we get to see Mr. and Mrs. Scott learning to deal with his lies and infidelity all while doing whatever it is they can to help not just their children but their grandchild. Seeing Gwen Scott in this story and hearing the amazing love she has for so many people while dealing with so much was so inspiring. it truly drove home how strong and uncoditionally she loves with her whole heart. I was in tears by the end of the book you just cant help but feel entrenched in these peoples lives and their stories. The writing is done so well that you can feel every pain taste every tear and brace yourself as they are in the fear of the unknown. Truly an inspiring and amazingly writen series. I would absolutely reccommend this to anyone looking for quality writing that sears your soul. Amazing job.
This wonderful yet tragic journey written by Portia Moore has reached it's end & I am happy for the resolutions but also sad to say good bye to these much loved characters. Lauren marries Cal a few years back without the knowledge that he suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) & this story tells of their struggles to sustain a marriage, his ongoing battles with two alters & her daily stresses to cope with all three of them. Don't get me wrong, Lauren loves all of them, she just doesn't know which one will wake up with her each morning. All three men have different temperments, styles of clothing & voices but share one thing...their love for Lauren & their little daughter. Thankfully Lauren has the love & support of many friends & Cal's family, but there are many twists within her life as well as all of the other characters which makes for a very compelling read & quite the page turner. Of the three personalities, I liked Cal & Chris the most. I didn't feel that I knew Collin all that well & maybe he would also become a favorite if he was given more time. Lauren had her meltdowns, who wouldn't if put in the same situation but she also had enormous strength & determination & kept fighting, put on a brave face to tackle each day because inspite of the drama, the arguments & mostly the unexpected appearance of an alter, she was still very much in love with her husband. This is a series unlike anything that I have ever read & I must also give kudos to the author for making the secondary characters almost as interesting & vital as the MCs. There were many grammatical errors but I soon learned to get past them as the content made up for them (maybe a new editor next time). A wonderful journey & I'm sad that its over!
The emotion literally pours off of the pages. Portia, you did it again girl! I mean I had to take anxiety breaks because the agony, frustration, confusion and pain was so apparent. I loved reading the conclusion or should I say continuation of Cal and Lauren's story. She is a ride or die chick. He is three shades of complex man. At a detriment to herself, Lauren is willing to take on this difficult journey with him no matter the cost. Portia does such an amazing job of making you feel the characters emotions. You are right there when Chris is confused and lost. You can't miss Cal's anger and passion. Lauren's determination, pain and most of all love, bleed from every word written about her. Bravo Portia for giving us such an epic and beautiful conclusion to Cal and Lauren's story...or is it? You must read this!
Portia Moore’s “Shattered Pieces” marks the end of the “If I Break” Series—or does it? I’m unsure, to be honest. I thought the previous book was it and was quite satisfied with the ending; I was hesitant to pick this one up because I didn’t want it to impact how I felt about the story. But curiosity won, and I immediately dived right in and was not disappointed. “Shattered Pieces” is heart-wrenching, if not more, than the rest of the other books. It overlaps the story with a different angle and goes into further depth. I love that. It did leave me with more questions about other characters, though. However, Author Portia Moore has that taken care of with stories of their own already written. The series was well worth my time and tears.
This was my least favorite out of the series. It felt dragged out for me. And that epilogue was disappointing. Playing hea with Lisa? Wtf... no thanks luv, see ya around....
I still loved this series as a whole. The first 3 I just couldn't get enough of and would 100% recommend.
Shattered Pieces is an amazing ending to this series and conclusion to Lauren’s story and the struggles she goes through dealing with being with someone who has Dissociative identity disorder.
I have to admit that this is the first series that I have read which has dealt with this disorder so I can’t compare it to any other series but I can say that this book is well written and not only do you fall in love with the story but you get information on a disorder and what its like to deal with it on a daily basis.
You can tell from reading this book and this series as a whole that this matter was researched deeply and it shows in the way the book is written and because of this and how well the matter shown and how the characters are in this book it makes you want to keep reading and follow their story and see were life takes these people.
Although I will not be including any spoilers in my review I do have to say that as much as I loved Chris, I really did like sway more towards Cal and Collin in this book, until Collin has a wee bit of a blip. This book also develops all the characters more especially Lauren.
All I have left to say about this book is that it’s a perfect ending to an amazing series and you will not be disappointed at all in this book. A perfect series to read over the summer. I will be recommending this book to family and friends to read.
Portia MooreShattered Pieces I will not be including any spoilers in this review and it will be edited after the book is released to include more information regarding the characters and story.
Firstly I want to say that if you have not read Portias other books in this series, please read them. The characters and the story is amazing. And I hope this review does not put you off in any way. It is only my opinion.
This book starts off where book three ended, by Cal finding out what caused the split. Although I genuinely adored the other books in this series, I did find this one a little monotonous. I struggled to get into it and found my mind drifted a lot.
I adore these characters so much and was delighted with the outcome of the story. It was great to return to them, I just wish that my head could have gotten into it 😔
I feel that the author has put a lot of research into this book and it is very cleverly put together. It just didn't grab me.
I have read this book in exchange for a arc review
Sometimes when a book gets to number four you are ready for the series to end! Not Portia Moore's if I break series and this book was amazing I could not put it down.
Each reader will have their favourite alter and I am no exception I am #teamcal all the way
This book is brilliant and I already can't wait for book five well worth a read!
This series was my favourite of 2016 and with the release of shattered pieces looks like it's going to be my favourite of 2017 too.