The Stillness of You (Beautifully Damaged, #1)

by Julie Bale

[Cocktails and Books]

This was a book that was dark, gritty and unlike anything I've read by Julie Bale's alter ego, Juliana Stone. It's falls into the bucket of New Adult books that have come out recently with tortured, somewhat broken characters, but it was one that I most definitely enjoyed.

Georgia King is a young woman at a crossroads. Does she let the issues of her past pull her under or does she believe in herself and work towards being the person she wants to be? It's a tough question for Georgia to face when it's just herself and her brother that she's dealing with. But when you add in NHL hot shot, Ben Lancaster, it almost spells a recipe for disaster. Good thing for Georgia, Ben sees who she is, deep down, and will be whoever and whatever Georgia needs to be who she wants to be.

The subject matter is dark. Georgia has some pretty HUGE issues and she has difficulty dealing with her feelings about herself and what she feels for Ben. She doesn't always handle situations in the best way or makes decisions that will make a reader a bit angry, but you feel for her. There were many times were I have anxiously reading the pages because I was worried about just what Georgia was going to do.

I loved this story and I can't wait to see what else Julie Bale has for us with this New Adult series. I feel like the story of Georgia and Ben isn't finished and need that definitive HEA for this young couple.