Review: Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven
Broken Juliet (Starcrossed #2)
by: Leisa Rayven
Publication Date: Apr. 28, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC received via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 288 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
How do you fix a love that’s been broken beyond repair?
For years, Cassie Taylor tried to forget about Ethan Holt. He was the one great love of her life, and when he failed to return her love, a part of her died forever. Or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he’s determined to win her back. Claiming to be a changed man, he’s finally able to say all the things she needed to hear years ago, but can she believe him? What makes this time different from all his other broken promises?
Ethan knows he can’t change their tumultuous past, but if he’s going to have any chance of being with the woman he loves, he’ll need to convince Cassie that her future belongs with him.
For years, Cassie Taylor tried to forget about Ethan Holt. He was the one great love of her life, and when he failed to return her love, a part of her died forever. Or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he’s determined to win her back. Claiming to be a changed man, he’s finally able to say all the things she needed to hear years ago, but can she believe him? What makes this time different from all his other broken promises?
Ethan knows he can’t change their tumultuous past, but if he’s going to have any chance of being with the woman he loves, he’ll need to convince Cassie that her future belongs with him.
After the somewhat of a cliffhanger ending to Bad Romeo, I was in desperate need to get my hands on Broken Juliet. I feel like I have been a part of Ethan and Cassie's lives, having witnessed the good, the bad, the ugly, AND the beautiful. I applaud Rayven for invoking such strong emotions in me, making me care so much about a relationship that certainly had its ups and downs for two books.
I really loved Rayven's flashbacks in Bad Romeo, so I was happy to see they once again made another appearance here in the follow up novel. This time, Rayven takes us on an even deeper journey into the tumultuous relationship of Cassie and Ethan. I admit, it was hard to see them at their lowest and watching Ethan do this constant push and pull with Cassie was hard to swallow. While this book is from Cassie's POV again, I really like that we got a bit of Ethan's through the journals he has lent to Cassie. In them we can see his inner war over loving her and hurting her. He is so self-destructive and his self-esteem is really low. He doesn't think things with Cassie can ever be, because he knows he'll end up hurting her because that's all he knows. He 'tries' for her, but there's always this unrest about him, and we're constantly waiting for the crap to hit the fan.
Present tense Ethan is so very different and we don't see that unrest. He has a calm about him and a hope that he and Cassie can make things work once again. I really loved seeing him that way. I completely understand Cassie's hesitance to believe Ethan even now, because he is the same boy who broke her heart and her trust one too many times before.
I enjoyed this one, as it is a very character driven book and I really liked that, but I almost felt Cassie and Ethan's story could have been wrapped up with a novella, instead of a full length novel. These two have this extreme passion together and while I don't mind my books on the steamier side, I did feel some of the sex scenes could have been cut and/or shortened. It is important that we see just how destructive these two could be and how absolutely addicted to one another they were because it plays a huge role in their story, but sometimes it was a little much.
I saw that Elissa (Ethan's sister)'s story is next and I am looking forward to that, as I really liked her character.
I am really glad I picked up this dualogy. I love all things theater related, having been a former theater major myself, so to see Cassie and Ethan on stage and exploring who they are as actors was so fantastic. Their romance, while rocky and rough at times, was still a good one because sometimes the things that hurt us the most and we know are bad for us, are the ones we can't stay away from. It's realistic and raw, so even though these characters were put through the ringer, I do feel they'll be stronger because of it. There is no epilogue, but I am content with the way their story wrapped up (and ok totally swooned and squealed at the end).
4 comments
I am always hesitant when contemporary books are more than one novel.... a lot of the time I feel like it drags the story out a bit which it seems like it did with this one. Even with that though I am still really curious about this series and I know it is one I'll pick up when I need a really angsty read. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI struggled with the first book quite a bit. I didn't connect with any of the characters and I wanted the theater part to play a much bigger role than it initially had. I'm so glad to hear this was a good read for you, Jess, but judging from your review, this wouldn't be for me. The lengthy sex scenes and the destructive nature of their relationship would bug me.
ReplyDeleteWonderful review! :)
I have been curious about this series, wondering if I should pick it up. I do love a book that'll invoke strong emotions! Despite you feeling that the book could have been shorter, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteLovely review
I was really pleased with how this duology wrapped up, but I do agree it really probably could've been a little shorter. There were times when it felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again. I was a bit hesitant to finish this one because, as much as I enjoyed the first book, I was afraid this wouldn't be satisfying. It was actually more than I expected it to be. It was tough to read at times.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
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