FINALLY, Finn and Carrie’s story gets an ending–but what kind of ending is it?
BOOK BLURB:
The lines we once crossed so easily have widened and torn us apart…
Once upon a time I thought Finn and I would live happily ever after, but real life doesn’t always have a happy ending. He’s testing my trust, and I’m losing faith in the man I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. He’s the one I trusted to keep me safe, but now he’s the source of my greatest pain…
Forgiveness is fragile, and some fractures never fully heal…
One mistake—a slip in a moment of weakness—might cost me everything I’ve worked so hard for. The thing about trust is that it’s a lot easier to lose than it is to build. Just as I’m about to give up and surrender to the demons from my past, an unexpected threat reminds me what I’m best at: protecting the woman I love. Whether or not she wants me, I will fight for Carrie and our daughter, and I will keep them safe—no matter the cost.
Even if I have to put my life and my heart on the line.
Review:
Fractured Lines takes place several years into Carrie and Finn’s marriage, and is classified as an adult rather than New Adult book. If you’ve read the rest of the Out of Line series, you’ll definitely enjoy seeing how their HEA is (or isn’t?) going, but if you’re new to the series it can definitely be read as a standalone.
I love revisiting couples post-HEA; usually we just catch glimpses of them in other peoples’ stories, but every now and then an author decides to show us a not-quite-so HEA period in an established relationship (one of my favorites is Ruthie Knox’s Making It Last), which always feels so authentic and realistic. Everything isn’t all sunshine and roses 24/7 after those vows are said, after all.
Jen McLaughlin manages to pack a whole lot of drama into a relatively short book–Finn and Carrie definitely have to work to regain their possible HEA, and for most of the book it definitely isn’t a foregone conclusion that they will. Just when you think you know where the story is going, Jen throws yet another, even more intimidating roadblock into their path.
Nothing like making the H/h work for it–and work they do!
Ultimately this was an enjoyable read, if a bit frustrating at times. Carrie in particular went back and forth a lot–I get that she loved Finn and wanted *almost* more than anything to stay with him (but of course her family, especially now that they have a daughter, has to be her number one concern), but still she seemed to give out way more mixed messages–verbal and non-verbal–than was fair. I was with Finn and his confusion on this one. Gah! Make up your mind, woman! Expecting him to realize that the food she was planning on serving him was really a message that she eventually wanted him to come back to them–even after talking to attorney about divorce, a conversation Finn knew about–seemed a bit of a stretch.
The novel–and Finn and Carrie’s story–end on a positive and believable note. The next book in the series is Riley’s, and the excerpt of it at the end of this novel has definitely piqued my interest.
Rating: 4 stars / B
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author:
Jen McLaughlin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy New Adult books. Under her pen name Diane Alberts, she is a multi-published, bestselling author of Contemporary Romance with Entangled Publishing. Her first release as Jen McLaughlin, Out of Line, released September 6 2013, and hit the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal lists. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.
Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal-clear water. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal-clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, and a cat. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website: http://dianealberts.com/
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/DianeAlberts6
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeAlberts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6921962.Jen_McLaughlin