Source: Received an eBook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Until We Fly (Beautifully Broken, #4) by Courtney Cole
Ex-Army Ranger, Brand Killien, has always been good.
A good friend, a good soldier, a good everything. .
The problem is, good hasn’t gotten him anything but a crushed heart.
So after licking his wounds, he decides to move on. And moving on doesn’t include being good anymore.
Bad sounds so much better.
Jaded and detached, Brand is determined to never open himself up to anyone again. It’s not worth the pain. Instead, he becomes closed, hardened, aloof.
But then he’s called back home for a family emergency… a family that he is estranged from. A family that he put out of his mind a long time ago for very good reasons…reasons that involve secrets and pain. Reasons he tried hard to forget.
But home is where the heart is, and it just might be where Brand finds his again.
Why? Because home is where Nora Greene is. A fiery, red-headed spitfire, Nora is a thing from his past. A beautiful, feisty thing. When Brand left, she was away at boarding school.
But she’s back now.
And she wants Brand, scars and all.
Character Interview with BRAND...
It’s very nice to meet you, too.
So, I hear you’ve always been a good guy. What do you think motivated you to be the
good guy?
Ha. I don’t know that
I made a conscious decision. I guess…
well, growing up the way I did, my parents thought I wasn’t good, which always
spurred me on to do the right thing for people.
I guess I went overboard in the other direction. Maybe.
Feeling over that good guy thing, though. What’s your breakout badness like?
Haha, well, I guess I’m not a textbook bad guy. At all.
It goes too much against my grain.
I tried it, it wasn’t me. I can
be that way if I have to be, but I don’t want to walk around that way.
I’m super curious about Nora. “A fiery, red-headed spitfire”, what’s she
like really?
That’s sums it up perfectly.
She’s small, she’s sassy, she’s stronger than anyone I’ve ever met. As you know, I was an Army Ranger… so I’ve
known some pretty strong people.
What is your perfect day with your girl like?
I like relaxing days… a day on a boat, sitting on a pier
fishing (although Nora hates that. She gets bored too easily). Or just chilling out with a movie. I also love roller coasters, so a day at an
amusement park is good.
Tell me something about Nora that we don’t learn in the
book.
She’s a very picky eater. That might come from the fact that
she really can’t cook to save her life.
What about you, what’s something about you that we don’t
learn in the book?
I have a scar on my hip… a scar I didn’t get from the HUMVEE
explosion. It came from getting grazed
by a bullet, before the HUMVEE incident.
I’m almost afraid to ask this question, but if you could go
back in time and change one thing, what would it be and why.
I’m tempted to say a lot of things. But I won’t.
I’m a firm believer that things happen for reasons, and those reasons
contribute to the people that we become.
M&M or skittles?
Skittles
Sweet or salty?
Both. I want to have my cake and
eat it too.
Blue or brown eyes?
Nora Blue.
Blonde or red head?
Once upon a time, I would’ve said blonde. Now it’s red.
Hands down.
Hamburger or steak?
Hamburger for lunch, steak for dinner.
Day or night?
Night.
Thanks Brand! You rock.
So do you! Thank you
for having me!
Review...
Um... a word of advice on this one, peeps. Don't open it till you're ready to finish it cause you're not gonna want to put it down. Some books fly by and others don't. This one FLIES. I started it thinking I'd read about half before bed. Yeah, so much for sleep. I was up till 2AM finishing it.
Why does this one fly? The characters. Both are broken... very, very broken. And it isn't a "we can heal" each other kinda story at all. What they've both experienced isn't something you just get over. No, it's more like they are the buoy that keeps the other afloat. They are stronger standing next to each other. They can handle it when the other one is there. I really liked that.
Nora. People can be cruel. I know that. But it always surprises me how cruel parents can be. I just can't understand that. My kids are everything to me. Nora's father (and I'm using that term extremely loosely.) is the worst kind of human being. He owns his daughter. He might as well have bought and paid for her. And he makes me so mad. I hated him before I found out what he was doing and then I loathed him. Nora never believed that things could ever be any different. This was her life. She looks happy from the outside. But she admits to Brand that she's not. She believes spending the summer with Brand will give her the strength to deal with what's to come in the fall. But a summer of Brand could never be enough of Brand or for Brand.
Brand. I have no words for the way Brand grew up. My heart hurts and my mama bear claws are out. I want to kick some character behind on his behalf. But Brand doesn't need my help. He can kick some behind on his own. He endures it and is a good person despite it. Graduate of West Point and a decorated Ranger, he's the kind of guy you want coming to your rescue. He protects what's his. He resists Nora because a fling is not his thing. And he can't offer her anything more. His heart has been shredded in the past and he's not going to risk it again. But as their friendship grows, he learns he can't resist Nora.
The story is fast paced and very sexy. These two together are adorable. If you missed my Teaser Tuesday yesterday, you should check it out because it's a fun moment between them. I had a few questions about Brands recovery and such that gave me pause. It's the only reason this one didn't get 5 stars but I loved them together.
If you've read the rest of this series, then this one needs to be next. It can easily be read stand alone and it's a sexy, fast read. It has what's great about New Adult mixed with some surprises. Anyone who loves NA, will love it.
The Series...
Click image for Goodreads link
Praise for the Beautifully Broken Series:
"I loved If You Stay. Like, really really loved it. The kind of love that kept me reading until 2:40 am and left me crying, smiling, devastated, and elated. The best kind of book love." - Andrea, The Bookish Babe
"Beautiful, raw, gritty, emotional and breath-taking are just a few of the words I can find to describe this book...reading this book was one of the best experiences I have had." -Amanda, Globug and Hootie Need a Book
"Beautiful, raw, gritty, emotional and breath-taking are just a few of the words I can find to describe this book...reading this book was one of the best experiences I have had." -Amanda, Globug and Hootie Need a Book
"In If You Leave, we continue the wild ride Courtney Cole started us on in If You Stay. This raw story of heartbreak and hope solidifies Cole's standing as a rising star in hot contemporary romance." --- New York Times Bestselling author of Down to You, M. Leighton"Another raw, gritty masterpiece with a sexy-as-hell Army Ranger to swoon over." --- K.A. Tucker, author of Ten Tiny Breaths
The Giveaway...
a Rafflecopter giveawayAbout 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.
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The theme of healing definitely speaks to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway.Healing is a definite theme that will break one's heart as well as help it heal.
ReplyDeleteI'm so curious about this. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHealing is important because there's so many people that experience it. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteLoved that interview Val. I simply adore Brand and I adored this book. Like you I couldn't put it down. Great post.
ReplyDeleteLove the interview with Brand. I was so glad he got his own story. Great review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review Valerie!! I can't wait to read Brand's book... I just love him!!
ReplyDeleteNaomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace