Monday 31 March 2014

Review: K. Bromberg's "Crashed (Driven #3)."

Review: K. Bromberg's "Crashed (Driven #3)."

~ 4.5 Hearts Review ~

Amazon UK:   http://amzn.to/NlXjXE
Amazon.com:  http://amzn.to/1mPF6Se

Synopsis:

When life crashes down around us, how hard are we willing to fight for the one thing we can’t live without, each other?

Life is full of moments. 
Big moments. 
Little moments. 
And none of them are inconsequential. 
Every single moment prepares you for that one instance that defines your life. You must overcome all your fears, confront the demons that chase you, and cleanse the poison that clings to your soul or you risk the chance of losing everything.

Mine started the minute Rylee fell out of that damn storage closet. She made me feel. Made me whole when all I thought I could ever be was incomplete. Became the lifeline I never knew I needed. Hell yes, she’s worth the fight…but how do you fight for someone you know you don’t deserve?

Love is full of ups and downs. 
Heart stopping highs.
Soul shattering lows.
And none of them are insignificant. 
Love is a racecourse of unexpected twists and turns that must be negotiated. You have to break down walls, learn to trust, and heal from your past in order to win. But sometimes it’s the expected that’s the hardest to hold on to.

Colton has healed and completed me, stolen my heart, and made me realize our love’s not predictable nor perfect—it’s bent. And bent’s okay.But when outside factors put our relationship to the test, what lengths will I have to go to prove to him that he’s worth the fight?

Whoever said love is patient and love is kind, never met the two of us. We know our love is worth it—have acknowledged that we were meant to be—but when our pasts crash into our future, will the repercussions make us stronger or break us apart?

Review: Surj Harvey

Over the last year I have to say, the final book in the trilogies I've read have definitely been hit and miss and it was this that made me a little cautious when picking up "Crashed." Yes I know how the second book "Fueled" ended and yes, Colton Donovan did steal my heart but fear definitely kept me from turning the first page. But Kristy Bromberg, you wrote a blinder with this one. You wrote a book that kept me on my toes until the very last page, a book that had me fearing for the characters, a book that was so unpredictable, my heart bottomed out at the twists and turns that were thrown in, a book that had me feeling every single emotion that passed through the pages...  Holy cow, this was just perfection in every in every single sense. 

“Relationships aren’t easy. They’re hard and can be brutal at times…but those are the times you learn the most about yourself. And when they’re right,” I pause, making sure his eyes are steadfast on mine, “they can be like coming home…finding the rest of your soul…” 

"Crashed" began literally where "Fueled" finished. yup that mother of all cliffies that left me completely speechless and devastated. Well, the prologue in this book definitely pulled me back into Colton and Reilly's world and I have to say, heart breaking doesn't come close to how I felt for this couple. Just as their relationship had taken a positive turn, just as Colton had professed he "raced" Reilly, their world was once again turned on it's head and I felt so crushed for them. 

This book was definitely not a hearts and flowers read. It was realistic for the characters I'd grown to know and love. There was still so much left unresolved... so much the characters had to work through in order to claim that checkered flag and it was all of this that kept me on the edge of my seat. In "Crashed," I saw a couple who were pushed to breaking point, a couple whose love for one another was tested, I saw curve ball after curve ball thrown at them and there were moments I wondered how much more they could take. 

"Remember, life isn't about how you survive the storm, but rather how you dance in the rain."

As much as Reilly had come to terms with her past, the secrets that had haunted her, there were moments where there was almost a sense of de ja vu... where she was re living some of those events but with Colton in the driving seat this time and I could feel the pain and anguish she was going through. It was soul destroying to read but Reilly was strong. She'd grown so much over the course of this series and she was now the pillar of strength that Colton would need to overcome his own demons. 

“I want him to know that his pain is my pain. His shame is my shame. 
His adversity is my adversity. His struggle is my struggle. 
That he no longer has to battle it alone, body and soul stained in silent shame.”

Yup, as much much as I knew Colton had been through something really horrific as a child, something so terrifying it still haunted his dreams, something he could never bring himself to talk about with anyone, I knew at some point, he would have to face the ghosts of his past. I knew this was never going to be easy, not for a man who came across so strong, so confident, so matter of fact but he would need to lay his past to rest if he ever wanted any form of a normal relationship with Reilly.

‘…we need to crack. We need to break. 
Only then can we pick up each other’s pieces and make each other whole again.’ 

In this book, I saw another side to Colton, a side that was scared, that feared, that was vulnerable, that was almost fragile and the chapters told from his POV were read with a heavy heart. Inside, this man was breaking, he was falling apart but it needed to happen. There were some really emotional moments that left me in floods of tears... the moment with his father and in particular the moment Reilly took over radio control at the track... I completely got lost in those pages... it was like I was right there with this couple... the world had gone silent... everything shut out except for their words to one another. A beautiful moment that tore my heart to shreds!!! 

"Remember, hurting is feeling and feeling is living, and isn't it good to be alive?"

The supporting characters in this book: Colton's amazing parents (I want them to adopt me!!!), Haddie, Becks, the boys... each and every one of them held a special place in my heart as I progressed through the book and each and every one of them added something beautiful to what was an already amazing story. 

“You don’t get it, do you? Fuck the A or the B, you have the whole goddamn alphabet upstairs and she’s asleep in your fucking bed right now, but the only letter that can fuck this up is U.”

"Crashed" was about overcoming fears, it was about not letting the past dictate your future. It was about the power of unconditional love and it was about healing. I saw so many of the characters find the closure they had desperately needed and I saw a good few "happily ever afters." The icing on the cake? I also saw new beginnings!! Woo Hoo!!!  The writing in "Crashed" was flawless, it was emotive, it was beautiful and that epilogue... tissues... make sure you have tissues!!! This series is a must. It will wrap itself around your heart and consume you. I can't believe my time with Colton and Reilly's has come to an end. I'm so gutted but well and truly hoping we get glimpses of them in Becks and Haddie's books. I rated "Crashed" 4.5 Hearts 

"I want to be your motherfucking checkered flag, Rylee. 
Your pace car to lead you through tough times, your pit stop when you need a break, 
your start line, your finish line, your goddamn victory lane."








No comments:

Post a Comment