Shattered Vows by Kaylea Cross was an emotional and touching second chance romance. The characters had a great connection, but so much history. Their journey was not an easy one, but their love was strong.

I knew Shattered Vows would be an emotional read. Any time you have a widow, it's tough. But, if you read the previous 2 books you know Molly's story so it's even tougher. She is wracked with guilt over her ex-husband who is now dead. She is even more guilt ridden over her feelings for his friend, Jase. Oh, and she is pregnant...yeah, emotional rollercoaster!
I enjoyed the story even with the angst (y'all know I don't like a lot of angst). Jase and Molly struggle with their feelings and their guilt, Carter's problems come back to haunt Molly, and it all just tangles together. Cross does a great job of writing their story and being sensitive and realistic. Molly and Jase talk about their feelings regarding Carter. They talk about the guilt, the pain, the relief. It's all very well written. Overall, a wonderfully poignant story of second chances!

Jase has always been my favorite of the guys, so I was excited to read his story. And, Cross has been teasing the Jase/Molly relationship since book one, so I was more than ready! Overall, if you like the friends to lovers trope, Shattered Vows will probably appeal to you! Cross blends suspense and relationships very well.

 

•   POV: 3rd


•   Tears: no


•   Trope: friends to lovers, widow, ex-military


•   Triggers: 
  Spoiler

  Molly's ex husband beat her; in happened in the previous book but it is referenced in the prologue to this book


•   Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series (but, this book would be more impactful if you read the previous 2)


•   Cliffhanger: 
  Spoiler

  no


•   HEA: 
  Spoiler

  yes with epilogue

Eagle by Janie Crouch, Justice for Milena by Susan Stoker, A Cold Dark Place by Toni Anderson...then you will probably like Shattered Vows!

 

 See full review on The Book Disciple

I knew this was going to be a bit of a tumultuous read. Between Survivors Guilt, unrequited love and trying to protect Molly, you know Jase was never going to have it easy.

Molly may appear to some as thinking Jase was 2nd best but she clearly admits to wanting him first before she was dazzled by Carter. But it was clear that whilst they may have loved each other, Carter wasn't always the perfect hubby. Even before his slide into insanity due to his TBI, Carter seems to have been able to take his wife all too easily for granted.

Molly deserves happiness and her baby deserves a family. One that wants them rather than feeling an obligation to want them. Molly's own family aren't exactly going to win any medals either. I've always been a proponent of a family is what you make it and Molly seems to be ready to embrace that too. Crimson Point is now her home and no-one, not even Carter, his ghost or his bad decisions are going to chase her away!

Jase and Molly may seem to fall into a relationship quickly but Molly and Carter were apart for a long time before she finally left him and love has it' own timetable. it won't arrive when society or small-minded folks, determine the right amount of time has passed.

Looking forward to Mac and Tiana's story. Come on Mac, do the home country proud - even if you are from Edinburgh and the girl who broke your heart was a Glaswegian like me!

Shattered Vows is the long awaited (for me) story of Molly and Jase. The last we saw of these two was after the death of Molly’s ex-husband, Carter, and finding out that she was pregnant. We know going in that Jase has been in love with Molly from the moment they both met, but Carter was the one that go to her first. As much as my heart broke for all the things that Molly had endured, I think it was Jase I felt more for. To see the happiness that Molly and Carter had shared for years, being the best man at the wedding and then to witness the effect of Carter’s traumatic brain injury must have been excruciating for Jase. Even with Molly free, he knew he couldn’t go there with her so he remained as the stoic friend, doing whatever he could to make life easy for Molly and her unborn baby. But things start changing for both of them. Molly is starting to see Jase in a different light and this scares her and she runs. With Jase, his feelings were increasing so much that he took a chance and told Molly his feelings and was rejected. Oh my heart, this was hard for me to see. On top of all this, some of Carter’s past erratic behavior is coming out and placing Molly in danger. The whole team is there for Molly and trying to keep her safe.

The suspense portion definitely kept me on my toes, seeing the evil and desperation of some people was tough. But overall, it was the love story between Jase and Molly that made this book for me. There were many heartbreaking moments, for both characters, but they both also showed such strength and they finally fought for each other. There were some that did not appreciate the scenes of Molly and Jase reminiscing about Carter, but I actually really appreciated it. The old Carter meant so much to them both and tried to remember the good times and not the bad. And that epilogue was just beautiful! A wonderful story and I can not wait for the next installment.

Also Posted on For The Love of Fictional Worlds

Disclaimer: An eARC was provided via Inkslinger PR and the Author as part of the Blog Tour. The Thoughts, opinions & feelings expressed in the review are therefore, my own.

I had been looking forward to Molly and Jase’s Happily Ever After – ever since I had gotten a look at how Molly’s life imploded after her ex – husband, Carter destroyed their marriage.  

At the start of Shattered Vows, we get a first – hand look at the night that devastated Molly’s hope of ever having a cordial relationship with Carter, after she found out that she was pregnant with his baby.  

But dying didn’t stop Carter from creating problems for her – pregnant and alone – she also has to contend with her ex’s gambling debts – especially with her future as a single mother & feelings for her ex’s best friend complication her life; this threat was not something she could face alone.  

Jase has been in love with Molly, ever since he first saw her – but when she fell for his best friend, he kept his feelings on the down low, & put himself as the best friend, moving on to the role of protector for Molly, after Carter destroys their marriage.  


I valued how both Molly and Jase, took their time to understand how and what their feelings for each other’s constitute of – pure love, compassion and care without the ghost of Carter hanging over their heads.  

Did I wish their journey was a bit more angst – ier as well as more of a tear jerker? Definitely; but that could also have been the effect of PMS – it tends to make me cry at even cheesiest commercials. 

What I also definitely enjoyed was that we got the bad guy’s POV – which made the suspense of the plot; a different experience to read.  

But what I am more interested in is – Tiana and Aiden’s HEA – mostly cause their interactions in this book had me quite intrigued and interested – and did I tell you, Scottish burrs are my Kryptonite? 



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Actual rating 4.5

Thoughts and Plot

Jase was friends with Carter for so long they were like brothers. They'd seen combat together. He was Carter's best man. He stood by Carter's side as he married his wife, a woman Jase has always secretly wanted. He was happy to do it because he wanted to see Carter happy. And most of all, he wanted to see Molly happy.

Carter and Jase were in separate cars in a convoy when Carter's car hit a mine. Jase pulled him out of the burning vehicle. It was a miracle Carter survived. But everything changed after the explosion. Carter wasn't the same any more. Molly ended up divorcing him because he became erratic and aggressive. So when Molly calls him asking him to help her when Carter shows up, Jase is there as fast as he's able. But he's too late to help her anymore than she helped herself. The only thing he has left to do is get her somewhere safe and confront his friend. He never thought their fight in the bar would be the last time he saw his friend.

The last time Molly had seen Carter she had fled into the stormy night after her struck her, worried that he might hurt her further. She had managed to call their good friend Jase, hoping her could help her and maybe calm Carter down. She didn't realize that it would be the last time she saw Carter, and now all she has left are the memories and she's determined to remember the good times.

Through everything Jase has been Molly's rock. Her friend and her ex-husband's best friend. He was there the night she needed help. He was through the aftermath. He was there when she needed a new place. He was always there. She doesn't want to admit that she might have feelings that amount to more than friendship for the man. After all, it'd be wrong to fall for her ex's best friend, right?

Problem is, she's not the only one feeling it.

Okay, first off, this book was bloody adorable!!! Who says a book with a shirtless man on the front has to be a horrible, trashy read with poor grammar and no plot? This book is everything that that last book I read wasn't. It was a story with a plot and with purpose, not just a thinly veiled sex infested. It has substance. It's about discovering and building a relationship that will stand the tests of time. This book was what my soul needed, I think. Just a sweet story of two people finding their way to happiness together after over coming self imposed hurdles and an unknown threat. After all, a little suspense and an action scene of two never hurt anyone, right?

The majority of the book is just this sweet dual perspective from two people who are on different levels of attraction for each other in the beginning, but slowly working their way to a mutual level of attraction and absolutely adorable love. Adorable, I say!!! The author cleverly throws in a few other perspectives from people close to the pair to give a bit more of a complete picture (and I daresay, a hook for the next book?).

Jase is this wonderful man who desperately wants his shot with the woman he has secretly loved for years. It's not the way she looks (which he loves), it's her personality that has drawn him in. The way she can light up a room with her smile. The way she laughs. The gleam she gets in her eye when she's gearing up to verbally take someone on. He loves her for her and despite his best efforts, his need to let her know how he feels it leaking out and making her shy away.

Molly is this wonderful woman who takes all the hurdles life is throwing at her with such grace. With her ex gone and his past actions coming back to bite her in the ass, she takes it all in stride, on top of everything else. She starts off liking Jase as a good friend. But she notices how her reactions change to his presence. But she's clear with herself that it will never change their relationship because she couldn't stand another heart break. When he confesses he feels the same, she panics and everything is thrown out of balance for the two of them.

Sigh...so sweet.

The only thing that got me was when there is finally some 'action' between the two of them I noticed a repeat in the phrasing about nipples within two-three paragraphs of each other and I mentally fell out of the story for a moment thinking "How f**king tight can one woman's nipples get???" It kinda took away from the story. I also didn't require the epilogue. While it was a bit funny, I would have liked it if it had ended with "even the bullet part" from the end of the last chapter.

In Conclusion

Shattered Vows it a true romance novel. It's a sweet story of two people stumbling through to meeting each other on an emotional level with some suspenseful tones throughout that didn't take away, but rather added to the awesomeness of the book.

I am totally recommending this to my girl friends!

I think I've read everything Kaylea has ever written, and this is one of her best. The heroine is sassy yet vulnerable; she feels incredibly real. The dialog, always a strength with this author, is amazing. The hero isn't the standard-issue romantic suspense retired SEAL - he's grappling with issues, yes, but also has a mundane life that likewise feels incredibly real. I bought this book the day it was released and read it in one sitting, and I bet you'll do the same.

Also Posted on For The Love of Fictional Worlds

Disclaimer: An eARC was provided via Inkslinger PR and the Author as part of the Blog Tour. The Thoughts, opinions & feelings expressed in the review are therefore, my own.

I had been looking forward to Molly and Jase’s Happily Ever After – ever since I had gotten a look at how Molly’s life imploded after her ex – husband, Carter destroyed their marriage.  

At the start of Shattered Vows, we get a first – hand look at the night that devastated Molly’s hope of ever having a cordial relationship with Carter, after she found out that she was pregnant with his baby.  

But dying didn’t stop Carter from creating problems for her – pregnant and alone – she also has to contend with her ex’s gambling debts – especially with her future as a single mother & feelings for her ex’s best friend complication her life; this threat was not something she could face alone.  

Jase has been in love with Molly, ever since he first saw her – but when she fell for his best friend, he kept his feelings on the down low, & put himself as the best friend, moving on to the role of protector for Molly, after Carter destroys their marriage.  


I valued how both Molly and Jase, took their time to understand how and what their feelings for each other’s constitute of – pure love, compassion and care without the ghost of Carter hanging over their heads.  

Did I wish their journey was a bit more angst – ier as well as more of a tear jerker? Definitely; but that could also have been the effect of PMS – it tends to make me cry at even cheesiest commercials. 

What I also definitely enjoyed was that we got the bad guy’s POV – which made the suspense of the plot; a different experience to read.  

But what I am more interested in is – Tiana and Aiden’s HEA – mostly cause their interactions in this book had me quite intrigued and interested – and did I tell you, Scottish burrs are my Kryptonite? 



For more reviews visit For The Love of Fictional Worlds :)
Do come join us at For The Fictional Worlds Facebook Page | Twitter | Instagram  | Goodreads  | Amazon |

I'm always hesitant about relationships like this one. I worry about how it will come across. Will it be too fast? Are they doing to demonize the previous partner? This is Kaylea, why was I worried? She did this beautifully. Molly was concerned about her feelings and her fears in all the right ratios. Jase was torn in the right proportion. It was great to see them work it all out. Oh, yeah. There was a small bit of suspense tossed in there, too.