Blog Tour: Before We Fall by Courtney Cole {Review, Teasers, +Giveaway}
Welcome to my stop on the Before We Fall blog tour hosted by InkSlingerPR!
Today I am so excited to share my review, some sexy teasers, and a giveaway with you all!
Before We Fall (Beautifully Broken #3)
by: Courtney ColePublication Date: Dec. 3, 2013
Publisher: Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC received from InkSlingerPR and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 336 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Sometimes, one dark moment is all it takes to turn your world black...
For 24-year old Dominic Kinkaide, that moment took place on the night of his high school graduation. One dark incident changed him forever. He's a hardened actor now, famous in the eyes of the world, but tortured in his own. He doesn't care about much of anything, except for losing himself in the roles that he plays.
23-year old Jacey Vincent doesn't realize how much her father's indifference has affected her. She is proof that sometimes it isn't one specific moment that wrecks a person, but rather it's an absence of moments. She's like a bird with a broken wing-strong yet fragile, as she tries to float through life, finding acceptance in the arms of random guys, one after the other... to fill the void that her father left in her.
Until she meets Dominic.
After jaded Dominic and strong-willed Jacey are thrown together, his secret and her issues create a dark and damaged energy that will soon turn their attraction to each other into an explosive storm.
Even though when the clouds have cleared and the dust has settled, both of them are almost obliterated... they've learned a priceless lesson.
Sometimes, before we fall... we fly.
For 24-year old Dominic Kinkaide, that moment took place on the night of his high school graduation. One dark incident changed him forever. He's a hardened actor now, famous in the eyes of the world, but tortured in his own. He doesn't care about much of anything, except for losing himself in the roles that he plays.
23-year old Jacey Vincent doesn't realize how much her father's indifference has affected her. She is proof that sometimes it isn't one specific moment that wrecks a person, but rather it's an absence of moments. She's like a bird with a broken wing-strong yet fragile, as she tries to float through life, finding acceptance in the arms of random guys, one after the other... to fill the void that her father left in her.
Until she meets Dominic.
After jaded Dominic and strong-willed Jacey are thrown together, his secret and her issues create a dark and damaged energy that will soon turn their attraction to each other into an explosive storm.
Even though when the clouds have cleared and the dust has settled, both of them are almost obliterated... they've learned a priceless lesson.
Sometimes, before we fall... we fly.
My Review:
"I can't believe how gorgeous this place is," she exclaims. "It's so... desolate, like you said, but it's so vibrant and beautiful. It's like... it's so tough, yet such beautiful things still grow from it. It's like a metaphor for life. There's beauty even in the roughest parts." (e-ARC 53%)
I really feel this quote describes our main characters, Jacey and Dominic perfectly. We have two broken characters who are rough around the edges and have not had the easiest pasts. They are forced to work together, and as they do- they really start to see one another for who they really are. And what they see is beautiful.
Well folks- Courtney Cole has done it again! She has created yet another passionately moving story that has managed to leave me breathless and so full of emotion. This is Courtney's steamiest book in the series and it is definitely her darkest. Dominic is the ultimate bad boy. In fact, I think he might be one of the baddest boys I've ever read about! I honestly didn't think I would ever come to like him. Courtney did such an amazing job at unraveling Dominic's character. He doesn't just come apart and change. It is a slow progression and watching Jacey chip away at his steel-enforced exterior is heart-wrenching.
I had some issues with Jacey's character in If You Leave. I felt she was immature and she made some really bad decisions that ended up affecting those around her. In Before We Fall, I felt we saw a whole other side to Jacey. I didn't see that immaturity. She realizes that she's made terrible mistakes in the past and she genuinely wants to change her future. She doesn't want to be that same girl she once was. She refuses to let any man bring her down again and she is determined to hold strong to that. My heart broke for Jacey. She had a sweet, innocence to her in this book. She was compassionate and forgiving, especially towards Dominic. I won't lie. I HATED how he treated her. And I was angry at her for not telling him to go stick it where the sun don't shine. It took half the book for me to truly embrace and like Dom. I didn't like how he humiliated her and made her feel bad. That REALLY bothered me. I get it, I do. Dom is doing it to protect himself and his heart. He has been crushed by his first love and has not been the same since. He doesn't want this beautiful, sweet girl to crash through his defenses and make him feel again. For too long, he has embraced the darker, more twisted side of passion and love to keep himself from experiencing pure, unselfish love.
And when I say twisted, I mean- KINKY. LOL. I was reading and was like, WHOA. Courtney does NOT hold back and this book is intended for mature audiences.
Underneath it all, we find a very conflicted Dominic. He is at war with himself. He can't let go of the past and it's a huge weight on his shoulders. He lets the past dominate his present and he won't ever be able to move forward until he comes to terms with it. He spends most of the book pushing Jacey away. Yet, he's addicted to her at the same time. He pulls her in, she gets too close, he pushes her away. It was very back and forth and I felt bad for her. However, each time he pushes her away, I felt he got weaker and weaker. Soon, he didn't want to push her away. She was changing him, healing him, and he knew he couldn't let her go.
"I have this debilitating fear of trusting someone again. ....., I didn't handle my grief. I suppressed it. I focused so much on the fear and guilt that it grew into a monster I can't get past. There's something inside of me that's broken, Jacey."
"Then let's fix you." (e-ARC 79%)
We have some really amazing moments with him. They are fleeting at the beginning, but the flashes of vulnerability really broke my heart. As he and Jacey get to know one another, he is determined to keep her at a distance. They are attracted to one another, but he only wants to use her for his own selfish needs. He's not interested in a relationship with her and he makes sure she knows that. Yet, Jacey is one of those people that sees the good in everything and in everyone. She believes in people and she is determined to show Dom that not all people are superficial and only care about him because he's famous.
..... I'm not a good guy, Jacey. I'm not the person that you'd like to believe. Please know that. Don't make the mistake of romanticizing me." (e-ARC 54%)
She knew what she was getting into. He warned her again and again not to depend on him. He told her he would hurt her and ravage her heart.
"The difference between normal people and me is that I don't make smart decisions for myself. I never know when to say when. I never know when to stop fighting for something, when to call it quits in order to protect my own heart." (e-ARC 69%)
Now that Gabe and Maddy live in CT, Brand, Gabe's best friend, has become Jacey's go-to person. He is always there to help her and bail her out of bad situations. Jacey depends on him and he is her rock. He doesn't see the girl who messes up over and over. He sees a beautiful, strong woman who just needs to find her place in the world. He is in love with Jacey. He would do anything for her and it kills him to see her get mixed up with these guys time and time again. I felt for Brand. It must kill him to watch the girl he loves fall for the bad boys, when he is a good guy through and through. I am happy Jacey finally did the right thing by Brand towards the end, even though I was heartbroken for him.
"Branden, the best things in life are worth the greatest risk. Falling in love is one of those things. Can it break our hearts? Yes. Most definitely. But more often than not, before we fall, we fly'."
In addition to Brand, we got to meet Dom's brothers, Sin and Duncan. Sin played a larger role than Duncan, and I can say there is one twist with him that I NEVER saw coming. I am looking forward to Courtney writing his and Brand's books!
I was a bit confused by the prologue, but after reading that epilogue? I was blown away. The way that she connected the two was incredibly beautiful and that ending really resonated with me. And then I read the Author's Note and cried. I don't want to go into details why, but let's just say it hit really hard and made me really stop to think about my own life and what I want from it.
I have to share it- it was THAT powerful.
"The fact of the matter is, real life can be a bitch sometimes. It can slap you, shove you around, and then kick you while you're down. But the important thing to remember is always this:
Life is hard sometimes, but it can only break you if you let it.
No matter what, you have to always stick your chin out and keep going. You have to keep going through the motions even if you don't feel like it. Flip your problems the bird and keep fighting to make your life how you want it. Your life is your own. If you don't like it, if it makes you sad, if it makes you discouraged on a daily basis, change it. Change everything about it until you're in love with your life and it's exactly how you want it."
"We've each got one life. Live the heck out of yours."
-Courtney Cole
Thank you Courtney for that. I really needed to hear all of those things- and I cannot tell you how much your characters have affected me emotionally and how invested in them I am. I am eagerly awaiting your next book!
Book Trailers:
About the Author:
Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.
Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.
Giveaway:
8 comments
OMG you said everything in your review that I wrote down in mine! BRAIN TWINS! Pretty sure we had the same reactions to this book. I struggled with Dom too, like a lot, but I love how he was unraveled. I was the same with Jacey, I didnt like her much in If You Leave but loved her in this one.
ReplyDeleteAND OMG DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON BRAND! That boy needs his own book! I absolutely loved him and I need more... I've been Branded.... also Sin... never saw that... not at all!
Fantastic review Jessica!
Ahhhh! I love it Teresa! I can't wait to read yours!!! Haha! I think I saw Court post on twitter that she will do Brand and Sin's books! YAY!!!!!
DeleteThat authors note makes me want to quit my job.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Yes- Courtney invoked ALL THE FEELS with that one!
DeleteYay!! I finally got to read this review and what a review Jess! You did such an amazing job conveying all the things this book made me feel. I wasn't a big fan of Dom for the longest time either and I wanted Jacey to junk punch him. I was amazed at how well Courtney broke him down and made me love him in the end. And the naughtiness? Oh holy crap it was naught but it worked so well for the story. I can't wait for Brand's story!!! Yeah, I totally cried in the author's note as well. Really resounded with me too!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chelsea! I agree- I loved Dom's sexual deviance, but I am glad as to how things turned out.
DeleteOMG I love the author's note! So empowering!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing?!?! Courtney is such a talented author!
DeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.