Blog Tour & Giveaway: Prescott Lane's "Perfectly Broken."

The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog are pleased to be a part of the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Prescott Lane's "Perfectly Broken."

Amazon UK:    http://amzn.to/1jSPBje

Amazon.com:   http://amzn.to/1mlpYs8

Synopsis:

Even after years of trauma therapy, Peyton still believes she’s broken. She has little desire to date or show off her natural beauty, content simply to hang out with her best friends and run her pie shop in New Orleans. But her world turns upside-down when a handsome architect and self-confessed player shows up in her shop and thinks she’s perfect, much more than the usual hook-up. 

While Peyton does her best to resist his charms, believing she could never be enough for him, she can’t deny the obvious heat between them. With Reed determined to have her, Peyton must decide whether to continue to hide behind her apron and baggy clothes or take a chance and share her scars with Reed, a man with a playboy reputation and scars of his own -- a dark past he can’t possibly share with Peyton, not after learning the horrors she’s endured. But if they can find a way to trust each other, and themselves, they just might be able to heal, to save each other, to live perfectly broken together.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20914273-perfectly-broken

Review: Surj Harvey

"Perfectly Broken" told the story of Peyton and Reed, two fractured individuals from opposite ends of the spectrum who were absolutely not looking for any kind of relationship but some how found it in the unlikeliest of companions.... each other. 

A tragic, harrowing experience in her college years had left Peyton a shell of the girl she used to be. Despite years of therapy, those events still controlled certain aspects of her life and as such, men were a complete no no!!! And to deter the male population even more, she hid herself under baggy clothes and buried herself in work.. Jo Blogg would never guess this woman had lived through such a traumatic experience because on the surface, Peyton was a successful business woman and proud owner of the pie shop called "Adelaide."  Yes there were unsuspecting moments her past still came back to haunt her but on the whole, she coped with those episodes and lived what most would call a normal life. I admired Peyton's character. She had a real strength, a confidence I don't think  she was aware of and to achieve all that she had was amazing. I'm so glad she wasn't the stereotypical victim we often see in books. Nope, this woman knew what she wanted in life and would settle for nothing less even if she hadn't admitted it to herself yet. 

"You can try a whole lot of different kinds of  pies and never be satisfied. 

So you just keep trying them all. Or you can wait for that one special kind of pie 

that can satisfy you with one bite. So the question is- are you looking for variety, 

or are you willing to hold out for the real deal?"

Reed had his own secrets but hid them exceptionally well, coming across as a confident player that women just loved. I took my hat off to him because he never made a secret of who he was and what he wanted and women ... well I guess his honesty appealed because they flocked around him hoping to be his next lay!!! Again, a complete commitment phoebe, I knew Reed was hiding something and most of the characters in the book were in on it but no one was in the mood for sharing... not even with Peyton!!! Bugger I'd have to wait!!! 

On the hunt for his next bed buddy (when was he not), Reed wasn't expecting to meet a woman who would quite happily reject his advances... because that had never happened before!! As in ever.... surely to god he wasn't losing his touch? Reed was intrigued by Peyton and for some strange reason, wanted to get to know her better and so his mission began.  

I loved seeing the shift in Reed's character from player to... well I'm not quite sure but what I did see was a man who was relentless in his pursuit of this woman and he would try every trick in the book to get her It was kinda hot and rather sweet and he was absolutely a charmer. Who'd have thought Reed Langston (self confessed playboy) might actually like a woman a bit more than just for a one night stand!!! 

"Well I've had variety, It left me hungry, unsatisfied, even a bit sick sometimes. But one bite,

one nibble of the real deal- of you- leaves me happy, content, wanting more of you, and only you."

Despite his best efforts, Peyton wasn't about to change her mind any time soon even though she found herself strangely attracted to this man!!! I could have high fived this girl because I can only imagine Reed could charm the hind legs off a donkey but Peyton stuck to her guns. She knew what she wanted and would settle for nothing less. You go girl. 

"You can't fix me," she said.

"I'm still going to try. And if you can't, I'll share your scar with you."

"But I'll still be broken."

"You're not broken," he said. "You're under renovation."

As the connection built and the attraction grew between this couple, I loved that Reed was always a true gentleman. He never pushed Peyton for more than what she was willing to offer and would wait (even if it meant getting blue balls!!!). This woman really was something special! 

The banter between Reed and Peyton was brilliant and at times, simply laugh out loud hilarious but their road to finding happiness would not be a straight forward one. With secrets festering under the surface and a deep rooted fear of rejection if these revelations ever came to light, I could sense trouble ahead. And to top it off,  despite having a cheer leading squad in the form of Quinn, Adelaide, Dr Lorraine, Bret and Marion, there were still others who were ready to throw a spanner in the works and couldn't bare for this relationship to work. Be prepared for a war of words and even the odd cat fight between women... don't you just love a bit of drama!!! 

"I don't care about the cracks," he whispered. "Cracks give character."

Despite the main characters being really likable, I really struggled to connect with them on an emotional level. I think this was for two reasons. Firstly, despite "Perfectly Broken" being written in dual POV, it was also in third person which meant I didn't feel the depth of heart break, the anguish, the pain these characters went through, I didn't get the butterflies in my stomach, the nervous energy with the development of Reed and Peyton's relationship and I really missed that. Secondly, I don't the pacing of the story helped. There were moments I felt the book dragged and I found myself skimming the pages looking for something more. 

Unfortunately, there were also moments I was left a little disappointed with the direction the story line took. An example would be the sub plot around Reed's father that was built to perfection. I was desperate to know what the deal was with his father... what the hell had happened for Reed not to want to know him? And even when it all came out in the wash and Peyton found out, I was still left in the dark... nothing like keeping the reader waiting. Whatever it was must have been pretty serious considering the repercussions of these revelations and so I waited with baited breath. Well, let's just say, I was left sorely disappointed with the outcome of this one. It was like... is that it... where's the rest... surely there's more.. she can't have reacted the way she did over that? Really? I was gutted!!!! 

So all in all, "Perfectly Broken" was an okay read with a story line I feel would have worked so much better had it been told in first person and maybe with sub plots that had a bit more meat to them and as such, I rated it 3 Hearts. 

Author Bio:

Prescott Lane is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and graduated from Centenary College in 1997 with a degree in sociology. She went on to Tulane University to receive her MSW in 1998, after which she worked with developmentally delayed and disabled children. She currently resides in New Orleans with her husband and two children.

Author links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PrescottLane1

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/prescottlane1

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