 |
| Add to Goodreads HERE |
Before We Fall
Beautifully Broken #3By: Courtney Cole
Published: Dec. 3, 2013
By: Forever Romance
Source: Publisher
Mature Content: 18 & Up
GR's Summary
Sometimes, one dark moment is all it takes to turn your world black...
For 24-year old Dominic Kinkaide, that moment took place on the night of his high school graduation. One dark incident changed him forever. He's a hardened actor now, famous in the eyes of the world, but tortured in his own. He doesn't care about much of anything, except for losing himself in the roles that he plays.
23-year old Jacey Vincent doesn't realize how much her father's indifference has affected her. She is proof that sometimes it isn't one specific moment that wrecks a person, but rather it's an absence of moments. She's like a bird with a broken wing-strong yet fragile, as she tries to float through life, finding acceptance in the arms of random guys, one after the other... to fill the void that her father left in her.
Until she meets Dominic.
After jaded Dominic and strong-willed Jacey are thrown together, his secret and her issues create a dark and damaged energy that will soon turn their attraction to each other into an explosive storm.
Even though when the clouds have cleared and the dust has settled, both of them are almost obliterated... they've learned a priceless lesson.
Sometimes, before we fall... we fly.
My Thoughts:
I have been following the Beautifully Broken Series by Courtney Cole from the very beginning. Ms. Cole combines angst, life lessons, swoon-wothy males, and the strong women who help them, as well as hot, erotic, and explicit sex scenes. Before We Fall is the third book in the series, and focuses on Jacey, Gabe's little sister, and Maddy's best friend. It also introduces us to Dominic, a sexy, wealthy, and famous movie star.
I didn't care for Jacey all that much in, If You Leave. I remember thinking that she came across as flighty, and was always making bad decisions. So, I was worried about how I would feel about her having her own story. I'm happy to say that Jacey really redeemed herself in this story. I realized that she has a really good heart, and always see's the good in people. She's an optimist, and the reason she has made so many bad decisions (about always picking the wrong guy,) is because she has such a good heart. I was happy that we got updates on Gabe and Maddy, and Brand was also a significant part of the story. I'm hopeful that Brand will get his own story. He is such an amazing character, and my heart broke for him, and the fact that he was in love with Jacey, but she didn't return his feelings.
Dominic was a very interesting, and dark character. He was numb, and in order to feel, he engaged in sexually taboo acts. I was intrigued, and wanted to know what had happened in his life to break him so completely. We were given hints about his secret, but all wasn't revealed, until the very end of the story. We get to meet Dominic's brothers Sin (Sinclair,) and Duncan, who were famous musicians. I wonder if there might end up being a story in the future for these guys.
Jacey, and Dominic end up meeting at one of Sin's crazy parties, and circumstances bring the two of them in close proximity for three months, when they are ordered by the court into mandatory community service, at an at-risk youth community center. Little by little, Jacey, finds a way to break down Dom's walls, just by being her self. He doesn't believe that there are unselfish, and non self-serving, good people in the world. Jacey makes it her mission to prove him wrong.
Before We Fall was a really good addition to the Beautifully Broken Series. The characters we really deep and well developed. Dominic was a complex, dark, and multi-layered character that I found fascinating and loved reading about. I found his deviant sexual urges and actions to be very interesting. Especially, when I read about the stuff that went on in the basement of Sin's parties. However, what I found most interesting was the reasons behind his sexual urges and actions. I've always found Psychology very interesting, and Dominic was a very fascinating character to study.
My Rating:
I give, Before We Fall, by Courtney Cole 4 Dark, Erotic, and Fascinating Stars. This story has very explicit sexual content, some of which would be considered deviant by society's standards, and is not for everyone. However, if you enjoy stories with dark and complex characters, some sexual taboo, and a lot of sexiness, you should try out, Before We Fall. If you have read any of Ms. Cole's Beautifully Broken Series, than you probably know what to expect. However, in my opinion, this installment is the darkest and most controversial in the series.
My Favorite Quotes:
"Women are all the same: they want to fix what is broken and they're willing to do anything to accomplish that." (eARC, Loc. 1171)
~Dominic
"...the best things in life are worth the greatest risk. Falling in love is one of those things. Can it break our hearts? Yes. Most definitely. But more often than not, before we fall, we fly." (eARC, Loc. 3660)
~Brand's Grandma
"When we hate someone so much, we think that we're hurting them. But we're not. We're only hurting ourselves, because carrying that much ugliness around is toxic." (eARC, Loc. 3987)
~Jacey
Book Trailers:
Book Trailer 1
Book Trailer 2
Guest Post:
Top 5 things Dominic loves about Jacey
1. Her tendency to not take his crap.
2. Her ability to see goodness in almost everyone.
3. Her long legs.
4. The way her eyes sparkle when she laughs.
5. Her heart.
Q & A With Ms. Cole
1. Oh, Courtney, we are going to have fun with your Random Facts:
- I collect dashboard hula-girls.
- I like to have my car stereo volume set at an even number.
- I can barely remember my natural hair color.
- I am terrified of buoys and birds.
- I love cemetery angels. Is that weird?
a. What inspired you to collect dashboard hula girls? Where do you find them to add to your collection?
There is quite an assortment at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet near Pearl Harbor (we moved this summer from Hawaii to Maryland).
Haha, well obviously I’m going to need to come to Hawaii to find authentic hula girls. It’s as good a reason as any! Lol.
A long time ago, I came across the cutest hula girl and I bought her to put on my dash. My husband was mortified, because he thought it was the tackiest thing ever, but I did it anyway. And you know what? Every day that I drove to work, that little hula girl made me happy. She reminded me of warm places and vacation.
So after that, I started buying them whenever I went on vacation. I keep them on a shelf in my office now, and I’m always on the lookout for new ones.
b. Reference your car stereo volume, you remind me of the TV show, Monk. Did you watch the show?
Oh my gosh. I had totally forgotten about that show. I did used to watch it—I was so disappointed when it went off the air.
c. Reference cemetery angels, it is not weird! What draws you to them? Do you have a favorite one ... or one that is unusual?
It’s not weird?? That’s good!
I’m not sure what draws me to them. There’s just something so haunting and beautiful about them. Maybe it’s because I grew up as a preacher’s kid under the belief that we all have guardian angels. Maybe it’s the idea that even after we die, they stand watch over us… I’m not sure.
My favorite one is this one. It’s in the Staglieno Cemetery in Genova, Italy. It’s titled Love Will Tear Us Apart. There’s something so sad and haunting and beautiful about it, that it’s just remained my favorite over the years.
2. Tell us about Indiana - what is your favorite sight, sound, and smell?
Hmmm. Well, I live in a great location—I live in a tri-state area very close to the edges of Indiana, Michigan and Illinois. While my address is in Indiana, I can literally drive a few minutes and reach either Michigan or Illinois. I’m very close to Chicago, but I can drive a couple of hours and reach Indianapolis in one direction or Toledo, Cincinnati or Kalamazoo in other directions. It’s really cool because we’re never lacking for something to do. The summers are mild, although the winters are harsh. We live close enough to Lake Michigan that we get tons of lake effect snow.
Incidentally, Lake Michigan is my favorite part of living here. It’s vast and beautiful, and has all the benefits of an ocean, without the fear of sharks. Haha. There’s nothing better than standing with my toes in the edge of the icy water and having the summer breeze lift the hair off my face. Perfection!
3. Who or what prompted you to jump into publishing, especially New Adult?
I started out writing New Adult, which was fun. And I still might revisit a couple of story ideas in the future. I didn’t set out to change over to New Adult… but the story idea for IF YOU STAY came to me and wouldn’t leave me alone. Pax insisted that his voice was heard, so I wrote his story. And in order to do his story justice, I couldn’t water it down. It had to be gritty and real and raw. Therefore, there was no way it could be YA. So I jumped into New Adult and haven’t looked back. I love it because I can write about the issues that 20-somethings have, and I don’t have to toe that YA line of propriety.
4. Tell us about the Beautifully Broken Series and your new release, BEFORE WE FALL?
The idea behind the Beautifully Broken series is a simple one…I believe that each and every one of us is broken in some way. We’ve all been hurt, we’ve all experienced loss of some sort. That affects us each in different ways, some of us more than others. My characters all have amplified issues, for the sake of entertainment, but the idea is still the same. Each book features a new set of main characters, pulled from the book before it.
BEFORE WE FALL is book three in the series and it features Dominic Kinkaide, a troubled 24-year old actor. On the outside, it would look like he has the world on a string. He’s famous, sexy and rich. But he’s carrying something inside of him that has been eating away at him for six years. Dominic is my baddest bad boy yet. BEFORE WE FALL is the story of his redemption….and salvation.
5. What's next for Courtney Cole?
I keep saying that I’m going to take some time off, take a breather. But I know that won’t happen. I’m already plotting out a new book in the series, as well as a spin-off series… a series featuring Sin Kinkaide, Dominic’s older brother.
Thank you so much for having me on your blog today. It’s been a pleasure!
Purchase At:
About the Author:
Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.
Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.
Giveaway:
