Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: Tragically Flawed by A.M. Hargrove

I have the tour for Tragically Flawed by A.M. Hargrove, hosted by Inkslinger PR, on the blog. I am thrilled to share this book and my review with you today.

To follow the rest of the tour, click here or on the tour banner above.

Tragically Flawed

Author: A.M. Hargrove

Publication Date: September 19, 2013

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance

~Synopsis~

Riviera Benson’s past has been nothing but horrific. It’s filled with secrets that she intends to keep tightly locked away...terrifying secrets that keep her awake at night...that prevent her from getting close to anyone...anyone that is, until her work as a muralist drives her into the arms of the hot and sexy Shan.

Benjamin Shandon, owner of Shandon Homes, works like a thousand demons are chasing him...because perhaps they are. His business has boomed, ever since the forest fire swept through the canyon and destroyed hundreds of million dollar homes. He demands excellence in everything...from his employees to his women. He slows down for nothing, keeping a schedule that no sane person would want. But Riviera interrupts everything, twisting his guts inside out, and wedging her way into his heart, destroying a promise he made to himself.

Will they let their pasts control their future, or will they decide to let go and allow their hearts to discover each other’s?

This is a New Adult Contemporary Romance with Mature content that is not suitable for younger readers.

~Review~

Tragically Flawed is a deep and inspiring story about overcoming the worst of situations and having the strength to keep on going when it seems easier to just give up. Riviera has truly had a difficult life and was dealt an unbelievably tragic hand. Her strength and resolve led her to Shan and she finally found the happiness she deserved.

Riviera has been beaten and broken her whole life. She had a tremendously tragic childhood that forced her to run away at 16. She somehow found the strength to persevere and make it on her own as a teen on the streets only to find herself in a relationship with a truly evil and brutal man. Jasper beat her and broke her to the brink of death but she kept on living and hoping for her escape. I found Riviera to be so strong. I can’t even imagine going through half of the things she did and still being able to function normally. It speaks volumes about her strength as a character. The fact that she can ever be intimate with another man let alone give her whole self to him is incredible.

Shan is an incredible man and the way he loves and supports Riv is admirable. Most men would turn and run the other way when faced with her past and the horrible things she endured. They wouldn’t be able to handle the issues that Riv faces but Shan never showed any sign of weakness or fear when faced with her nightmares. Shan has faced his own tragedy that has left him jaded and afraid to let anyone get close or love him. He has never had the desire to let a woman into his heart until he meets Riviera and he is desperate to hold onto her and help her heal.

I really liked the chemistry that was built between Riv and Shan and I loved the intimacy that they shared with one another. It was great to see her open up to someone and share something so painful and I loved that Shan was able to build trust from Riv and prove to her that she deserves to be loved and cherished, not broken and beaten. His tenderness with her was sweet and her willingness to open to him and overcome her fears was admirable. I was so nervous for her past to finally catch up with her and I really liked the way Shan fought for her and the lengths he went to in order to protect and save Riv. It’s obvious he loved her and he would do anything for her.

While I liked Tragically Flawed and felt the author did a really good job handling a very difficult topic, I did have a few issues. Mostly, I felt like some of the dialogue was a little cheesy or unrealistic. I’m also not a huge fan of third person writing but that is more of a personal preference, and not a critique of the book. I just have a harder time connecting with the characters when it’s written in the third person and that was the case here as well. Overall, I did enjoy Tragically Flawed and I would definitely read another book by A.M. Hargrove in a heartbeat.

~IPOD Picks~

“I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders

“Light Up the Sky” by Christina Aguilera

“Arms” by Christina Perri

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life.  So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase.  Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head.  Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window.  She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss and quit her job.  Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again).

So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a YA/NA and Adult Romance writer. Her books include the following: Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge and Kissing Fire (The Edge Series); The Guardians of Vesturon series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent and Beginnings); Dark Waltz and Tragically Flawed.

Other than being in love with writing about being in love, she loves chocolate, ice cream and coffee and is positive they should be added as part of the USDA food groups.

Author Links:

Blog: http://amhargrove.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amhargrove1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMHargroveAuthor

Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5338829.A_M_Hargrove

*An eARC was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.*

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