Beautifully Damaged (Beautifully Damaged, #1)

by L.A. Fiore

Ember Walsh is a trusting soul with the quiet beauty of her late mother, who perished in a mysterious car crash when Ember was three. A little tomboyish from being raised by her father, Ember packs a punch when a stranger gets pushy with her in a bar, catching the steely blue eyes of a tall, gorgeous tattooed man—Trace Montgomery. Still damaged from her last disastrous relationship and warned off the bad boy by friends, Ember fights the smoldering heat that Trace sparks in her when he begins shadowing her like a dark angel.

Burdened by a lifetime of horror and heartbreak, amateur fighter Trace doesn’t want to want Ember. His deep self-loathing keeps him from having any meaningful relationships, but Ember is an itch he can’t scratch. The two push and pull, slowly crumbling their walls, seemingly brought together by fate, because the turmoil that haunts their pasts is interlinked in undeniable ways. But can these two fighters finally lay down their arms?

In Beautifully Damaged, L.A. Fiore delves into deep scars and lets love and forgiveness uncover redemption.

Revised edition: This edition of Beautifully Damaged includes editorial revisions and new scenes.

• ISBN10: 1477817506
• ISBN13: 9781477817506
• Publish Date: 25 March 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Montlake Romance
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 370
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

I downloaded a sample of this book a few weeks ago because the blurb intrigued me. A bookish girl meets her avenging angel...what's not to like?

I will admit, what kept me in this story was Trace. He was, as the title of the book suggests, beautifully damaged. After abuse and neglect, he doesn't think he's worthy of love. He uses sex and fighting as a way to mask the pain of not only being rejected by those that were supposed to love him, but also being left to clean up their messes. But beneath that tough exterior, covered in tattoos he used as a reminder of the hell he's endured, is a soft hearted man who wants someone to love him. Trace will make you made, but he'll also melt your heart.

I wasn't quite sure about Ember. I could see the appeal someone like Trace would have for her, but I wasn't sure if she had it in her to be in a relationship with a man like him. At times she had him placed so highly on a pedestal I was positive she couldn't. But I will say she did see past Trace's exterior to his squishy inside. She may have bitten off more than she could chew at first, but she stuck with him despite what Trace did.

The story wasn't perfect and it went down a road I wasn't expecting, but for me this story was all about a man finding the person who sees him for who he is and loves him anyway. Sure, I could have done without the mystery behind his parents and how that connected with her parents, but I let all that go to get the opportunity to see Trace happy.