Before We Fall (Beautifully Broken, #3)

by Courtney Cole

The third book in the Beautifully Broken series.
Sometimes before we fall . . . we fly.
One dark moment was all it took to turn twenty-four-year-old Dominic Kinkaide's world black. On the night of his high school graduation, a single incident changed him forever, and he became a hardened man - famous in the eyes of the world, but tortured inside. Now all he cares about is losing himself in the roles that he plays.At twenty-three years old, Jacey Vincent doesn't realise how much her father's indifference has affected her. She tries to find acceptance in the arms of men to fill the void - a plan that has worked just fine for her, until she meets Dominic.

When jaded Dominic and strong-willed Jacey are thrown together, the combination of his secrets and her issues turns their attraction into the perfect storm. It could change their lives for good - if it doesn't tear them both apart . . .

• ISBN10: 1306743079
• ISBN13: 9781306743075
• Publish Date: 1 January 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 19 May 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Forever
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[whisperingchapters]

I want to start by saying that Courtney Cole always succeeds in delivering a great story with raw emotions that will leave you going through a whole box of tissues. She has officially become my favorite adult contemporary author (Nora Roberts is my favorite in the paranormal genre). I started reading the Beautifully Broken series when I got an ARC of If You Leave, and I enjoyed reading it. That’s when I purchased ebook copies of the rest of the series.

You know how there is always a book in a series that you enjoy reading more than the rest? For me, it was/is Before We Fall. This story is about a man, Dominic, who went through something devastating in his life and has scarred him so much that he doesn’t get attached to people, especially women. He goes through them like a book lover goes through books (yes, it is a lot, my friends). He doesn’t care if he hurts them or not.

Enter Jacey, a sweet, down-to-earth girl, who gets intrigued by Dominic and wants to find out more about him. They start a type of friends with benefit relation. But Dominic has Demons he has to face and the sexual things that attract Dominic are things that seem weird to Jacey but still, she understands the want and need he has for those acts because she feels it too, even though she doesn’t want to admit that to herself. If you read If You Leave, you know she has a horrible background of boyfriends, so Dominic is someone she doesn’t need, not when he isn’t fixed yet but she wants to help him restore himself.

Not only does Dominic has sexual-related demons. He went through something so traumatic, the reader is TOTALLY blindsided and if you say you saw it coming, you lie. It definitely took me so much by surprise. I thought the attitude he had was a horrible one and his past doesn’t justify what he does to women but you know it is a huge bargain to carry. I was shocked when I read what he went through. Not only was his past a terrible one but then for him to find out that what he had believed in was a lie and something else had happened, that was the peak for me of the story. I was expecting to hear a tun-tun-tun in the background because of how intense and shocking it was. I wasn’t prepared. It. Blows. You. Away. I was sad and devastated but I didn’t cry. Afterwards, everything was okay and Jacey was there to help him through everything.

Then I read the epilogue. I got goosebumps reading it and I started bawling like a little kid. I was lost for a moment because something had happened in the beginning of the book but so much had happened that I had forgotten about it and in the epilogue it is mentioned and once again, Courtney Cole blows your mind away.

The ending was the most perfect ending I have read in a contemporary novel. I love it so much. The feels are hitting me full force right now, remembering everything I read and what I experienced while reading this book.

[Cocktails and Books]

This one was intense. The emotions dripped off the pages and at times I felt as suffocated by them just like the characters. Courtney Cole wrote a story that pulled many emotions from me when I read it, but when I got to the very last page made me so very happy that I did.

Jacey and Dominic don't have pretty backgrounds. Both of them have suffered some pretty horrific events that have molded them into the people they are today. But Jacey manages to handle her situation a little bit better. She's had counseling and she understands what her emotional triggers are and what she tends to do to deal with them. Dominic hasn't dealt with his at all. He copes by drinking and engaging in various sex acts. But when they meet each other, there was an instant attraction and dislike. The attraction part was easy, but I think the dislike came from the fact that each of them recognized a bit of themselves in the other. A part of the person they used to be and they desperately wanted it back, but figured it was gone forever.

These characters will frustrate you. The cat and mouse, push/pull vibe they have going on was at times a bit much and you just wanted them to figure everything out. But they both needed to learn to trust, learn to communicate, learn to forgive and then figure out how to move forward. They were incredibly hot, at times sweet and other times not to each other along the way, but they got there and regain that sense of themselves that wasn't there before.

This was my first Courtney Cole book and I will definitely look forward to more.

Review from Candace, Cocktails and Books Reviewer

Wow, talk about some serious back story drama and a guy who fits the definition of arrogant and broken and you have Courtney Cole's Before We Fall. This book is full of serious angst! The characters are dark and complex with a ton of hidden secrets and kinky behaviors. Dominic Kincaide is a damaged man with a past that controls his current actions. He is wealthy and famous but no one.truly knows him. Jacey Vincent is a sassy fireball who can't stop hooking up with the "wrong" guy.

Both characters have deep rooted trust issues. Jacey is trying to be independent after her last boyfriend caused her serious damage. Dominic is not a good choice for Jacey, but something about him makes her want to really know him and even save him. Dom doesn't let anyone in because he has been burned so badly that not even his family knows the why. The more time Dom spends with Jacey, the more he wants to share with her.

I liked the connection between the two. It seemed very real and it didn't seem forced. I enjoyed the reveal of Dom's backstory which was heartbreaking. My only complaint is I would have liked a bit more detail on Jacey's backstory. I felt as if it was skimmed over and rushed. I didn't read the other two books so maybe it is spelled out more in the others. As much as I love Dom and Jacey, I was hoping for more of Brand. He could use his own book! This was my first Courtney Cole book and I will be adding her to my must read list!