Beautiful Broken Love by Shanora Williams
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
Summary from NetGalley:
It’s been months since her dreams of forever were brutally shattered. Seven long months since her husband and soulmate, Lew, died in her arms, leaving her to carry on. Alone. And Davina Klein-Roberts still isn’t sure how to move forward.
To escape her anguish, Davina throws everything into work, pushing Golden Oil Co., her self-built skin care line, to become a viral success. Now she’s poised to clinch a major endorsement deal too. But it’s bittersweet without Lew by her side.
A meeting with Deke Bishop, the hot NBA star she’s courting for her brand, leaves Davina flustered. With his dimpled smile and warm handshake, Deke’s a natural pitchman. And he’s clearly interested—not only in her lotions.
Davina soon discovers that Deke’s more than just another player and carries his own pain. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her guilt. Will the pain of a future already lost keep her from embracing hope for a new one?
ARC provided by Montlake via NetGalley for an honest review.
Confession:
i liked this romance well enough, the characters were interesting and the relationship was believable, but it got very draggy in the middle and the sex scenes while streamy, just didn’t work for me.
Both Davina and Deke were very likable and relatable. Both have experienced the death of a loved one, Davina quite recently, and both are still dealing with their issues around that. Davina’s grief about her husband was still raw and it was compounded by the death of her father when she was very young. But she is a very strong woman, as evidenced by her success as a business woman. Deke’s life was also affected by the death of his brother when he was a teen, and even though his grief was there, it wasn’t as raw as Davina’s. The true extent of Deke’s grief wasn’t fully explored until the end of the book, which made it feel rushed and not as important as Davina’s grief.
The supporting cast of characters were great. I loved the sisters and brothers on both sides of the family. Also the friends and teammates of the main characters were very supportive and fun. I especially liked Javier and Octavia, who were the most supportive but who also were there to help the couple through their relationship.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, the author did a great job of showing how grief is a process that is different for everyone. I also appreciated how through Deke’s character we get an understanding that grief does lessen over time but never really goes away. But the second half of the book seemed to be mostly about the sex between these two and the plot seemed to stall out. The sex was also a bit more than I usually enjoy, too explicit for my taste, but that is just me. There are plenty of people out there that will love it. The writing was good and the banter between the characters was well done as well.
It you are looking for a contemporary romance that has some very steamy sex, but also deals with some heavy topics then this is a story you should take a look at. It is not exactly a sports romance, Deke is a professional basketball player, but it is not a main plot point.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 