REVIEW: Almost Broken (If I Break, #2) by Portia Moore

Almost Broken by Portia Moore

My rating: 

Lauren Brooks fell in love with Cal Scott at 21, married him at 22 and had her heart broken at 23 when he walked out of their marriage. At 25, though raising his daughter on her own, Lauren was finally moving on with her life. Until, she learned the reason for Cal's abandonment, the walls she’d carefully built around her collapsed..

The day she meets Chris, all those feelings she thought she had bottled up come spilling out. She can’t afford to give into her heart’s desire again. Love nearly broke her once, and her daughter doesn't need two broken parents.

Christopher Scott is in love, newly engaged to Jenna, who saw him through an illness he didn’t think he could survive. He’s finally settling into the life he’s always wanted, making plans he only dared to dream before now.

Until, a woman named Lauren arrives on his doorstep.

She’s intriguing, beautiful and, try as he might, he can’t stay away. The closer he gets to her, the more his rock-solid plans begin to crumble. All he knows is that Lauren is the missing piece to a puzzle he must solve. For him to put all the pieces in place, he’ll have to follow his heart, and that might cost him everything.

REACTION AFTER READING THE BOOK

That fucking cliffhanger!!

Seriously?!

It has to end on the part where things are starting to get really, really good!!!

Then we'll have to wait again to see what happens to this twisted love square.

So freakin' evil Portia! So freakin' evil.

First of all, I just want to say that I really enjoyed this book. There were times that I got annoyed because the Lauren became a tiny bit annoying. There were times when she didn't seem like the same girl I liked from the first book.

Still, I loved this book!

The cover. Can I just emphasize how much I love that cover.

The twists.

The characters.

The writing.

The pace.

I really loved it!

HOW IT STARTS

How the fuck did I end up here? It's the same question I've asked myself a thousand times.

THE GIST

Everything is great, except I'm in love with a man who really has no idea who I am and he's engaged to be married to another woman. Other than that, things are dandy.

Lauren still could not believe how complicated life had been for her after loving Cal. After disappearing on her a few years after they got married, she soon realised why Cal left. But that didn't make things easier for her and Caylen. In fact, it made things even more complicated.

Not only does she have to deal with Cal's parents his dad was absolutely insufferable!,but she also had to deal with another woman.

I'm not going to give anything away more on here as it will be a huge spoiler for the first book. So sorry. But this is as much summary as I could give you. ^_^

MY INITIAL REACTIONS

I really liked the first book and the novella. I felt really connected to all of the characters even the secondary ones. I've always loved books that make me curious, and the first book If I Break definitely did that for me.

So when Portia offered me to read and review the ARC version of this book, why the fuck would I say no?

The first few pages was enough to stir up my emotions. That was how good it was for me.

MEET THE CHARACTERS

Lauren: I didn't particularly like Lauren here, especially during the middle to the end of the book. She became a bit too obsessed with Chris. I felt that Cal's dad was right and that she was forgetting who Chris and Cal really is.

It's very wrong that his texts are something I look forward to now. It's been two weeks since we were with him. He sends them in the morning and usually around four. We started skyping after I got back home.

I get where the problem is though. Chris reminds her of Cal, but they are different. Same but different. And as much as I would like to blurt it out here what the stupid difference is... I can't.. I don't want to spoil anyone. Soooo...

Going back to Lauren, some of her decisions have been rash and inconsiderate to the people around her like her friends and Raven. Her reason was because it was for Caylen, which I totally do NOT agree at all. She didn't do it for Caylen, she did some of the things she did for herself, to fill that void she was feeling when she lost Cal. But did she really lose Cal?

Chris: I absolutely feel bad for this guy. I feel that he is caught in the middle of something he can control and something he couldn't. But there is a part of me that hates him because he's being a fucking pussy! If you're not sure about how you feel about someone, let them fucking know!

Every determination I have is being employed to stamp out every urge to wrap my arms around the small of her back, pulling her against me and kissing her lips that are barely open but begging me to taste them.

This isn't good.

That definitely isn't good Chris, but I don't blame you. Just stop being a whimp and you'll be fine.

Cal: I really missed Cal. You don't get to see much of him here, but you'll know he's there, lurking beneath the shadows of everything. Before you ask, I just want to say that, No, Cal isn't dead. Hehe

The Secondary Characters: I want to say that I hate Cal's dad with some much passion, I want to push him in front of a freakin truck. Oh and not only that, I hate Jenna too. What a fucking stuck-up bitch. Seriously. Cal's Dad and Jenna should be together. I think they're made for each other.

I don't hate all the secondary characters, I do love Chris' friends: Aidan and Lisa. Also, Chris' mom isn't too bad. i actually kind of liked her.

THE ROMANCE

I'm a bit torned apart here. I'm not sure who I like more for Lauren, Chris or Cal. Yeah, I'm not entirely sure who she should end up with because both guys have their own strengths you know.

While Cal is a cocky, son-of-a-bitch, he genuinely loved Lauren, and I'm sure Caylen too. And Chris should know that. He saw it. Hehe. Not gonna say how. LOL. But he was also a bit, secretive and distant at times, which makes Lauren really upset. But now that his secret his out, if he does come back, I'm sure Lauren would still want him. But what about Chris?

As wild and unpredictable as Cal was, I knew Cal. At least I thought I did. I was comfortable in the whirlwind that was our life together. Chris is a totally different story. Falling for him is dangerous, and pursuing him comes with a whole lot of risk.

Be ready for a whole lot of sexual tension in this book.

I feel the connection between Lauren and Chris, they are more alike that Lauren and Cal. But I still believe that Lauren should be with Cal... even though... yeah forget it... if you guys have read this and want to discuss this mindfucking situation, please message me. I do want to talk to someone about this.

FINAL RAMBLINGS

The Writing: I writing is still as good as the first one for me. I feel connected and emotionally attached to the situation and the character so that must be saying something.

The Good Stuff:

1. The plot twists. I just love how Portia always seems to suprise me!! The ending. The epicness of it was just... Too much to handle.

2. The character development was pretty evident as well. How Chris' and the people around his life got affected by Lauren and Caylen's arrival. The reaction of the involved characters were very realistic.

3. The ending! Oh holy hell.

The Not-So-Good-Stuff:

1. I didn't like Lauren slowly warming up to Chris. I just don't like it. I love Cal, maybe it's wrong to like him for Lauren because he's unstable, but... yeah... TEAM CAL!

2. Lauren. Hehe. Stupid hormones.

LAST WORDS: I really liked this series and it really glued me to the edge of my seat as did the last book and its novella. I feel that there's something about the story that I just couldn't help but be drawn to.

Of course, it does have its shortcomings, but it didn't really matter to me. And I suppose a book doesn't necessarily have to be perfect for it to be enjoyable. And this book was that for me.

I would recommend this book to anyone who would be interesting in a mindfucking contemporary book, that would keep you glued up until the last page.

Last but not the least, I would like to thank Portia Moore for providing me with this ARC copy for review. I really, really, really enjoyed Lauren, Cal, and Chris story. I'll be patiently waiting for the next book!

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