Close your eyes for a moment and picture this.

A gorgeous redhead walks into a bar.

No, wait, a wedding reception.

A gorgeous redhead walks into a wedding reception. Poised, polished and flawless – on the outside.

He’s tall, dark, and handsome, exactly like a fairytale prince and he won’t take no for an answer as he leads her to the dance floor.

But this will be no ordinary dance and theirs is no ordinary story. What begins as rhythmic steps on a dance floor fluidly and beautifully becomes the rhythm of two hearts meant to beat as one.

Until the music stops. 

In a moment everything she’s put behind her comes crashing down, threatening to destroy what his love has helped repair and rebuild.

Life throws punches and it hits hard when you least expect it.

What they learn is that sometimes, in order to be truly whole, you have to first be shattered to your very core.

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Before I even realized what I was doing, I’d reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her into me; and then I was kissing her.  I’m pretty sure I caught her off guard, since she let out a soft moan.  My hands held her face, and I… forgot how to do this.  My lips froze.  Her lips and mine were touching and nothing more.  The kiss was simple.  It was chaste.  It was precious.  And for a whole minute that’s what we did, touched lips, because I forgot how to do this.  My lips completely paralyzed against hers made this the most innocent and the most sensual kiss I’d ever experienced. 

I slowly, very slowly, backed away. She still had her eyes closed.  She was mesmerizing.  She opened her eyes and looked up at me, her eyes holding mine.

“Don’t say anything,” I quickly told her.  “Just…just let me look at you.”

She complied, and remained silent.  She held my gaze, as I held hers, and I slowly counted in my head all the things I loved about her.  She was beautiful, kind, funny, sophisticated…  The list grew longer as I stared down at her, and I finished my mental list with this realization: she was Maggie, which meant she was everything. 

“Tomorrow,” I said, “I’m taking you somewhere fun, so get some rest.  And wear comfortable shoes.”  I stepped around her and guided her to the bed, stopping her when she touched the mattress with the back of her knees.  “Lie down, and I’ll tuck you in.”

She still had not said a word, only obliging my requests.  She lay down and I pulled the covers up over her, then reached around and turned off the lamp.  I leaned in, lingering quietly above her, wishing I could tell her what was in my heart.  I placed a kiss on her forehead, a soft whisper of one that lasted for a beat longer than I intended, but not as long as I would have liked, then gently pulled back.

“Night, Maggie,” I said, walking toward the door.

“I didn’t think you would really do it,” she whispered.

“What?  Kiss you?”

“Yeah.”

“I wasn’t going to, but you challenged me.  I guess you could say you made me do it.”

“Is that what I am?  A challenge?”

“You’re definitely a challenge, sweetheart.  It’s a challenge just to keep my hands to myself whenever we’re in the same room.

Pamela Sparkman – 

I grew up in Alabama and have always been an avid reader. I had a stack of those Little Golden Books and I can remember reading Three Little Kittens over and over and over again. It was my favorite.

Fast forward and the older I got the more in love with books I became. So, I’m admitting that I am a huge nerd. The only reading I don’t like are those math word problems. And I’m okay with that because no one has ever asked me in real life… “If I give you two bananas and take away six apples, how long will it take the southbound train to collide with the northbound train if Johnny left his house at midnight?” It just doesn’t happen.

So, yeah, books are my thing.

Oh and music. All kinds. Love.It.

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Deanna Gohn – 

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Review

There are so many important elements of a captivating novel – believable, relatable characters you can empathize, laugh and cry with, an entertaining and engaging supporting cast, and a compelling plot.

Let’s start with the main characters.

Joe…no brainer. I immediately loved him to pieces, maybe because there were so many things about his character that reminded me of my husband when we were first dating… =)

I love when characters have little quirks or unique personality attributes and being a master joke-teller was his “thing.” Joe is the kind of guy who goes for what he wants. He doesn’t let anything stand in his way when his sights are set on something…or someone.

Maggie…to be honest, I didn’t really feel like I knew her for most of the story. I saw hints of her past, what the author showed me, but I didn’t feel the effects as much as I would have liked. At least, not until well into the story. I wish I’d been able to get to know her better earlier but I’m glad her history was finally revealed and seeing how she dealt with the hand she’d been dealt really changed my opinion of her for the better.

The secondary characters definitely didn’t disappoint. They all had their own “stuff” going on, making them more multi-dimensional. I especially loved the relationship between Joe and his best friends. I could feel their history and their banter was both humorous and heartfelt.

My impression of the overall story was very good. It was a little slow to start but it gained speed and ultimately captured me. I think the reason why I didn’t love it was because I felt disconnected from Maggie for the better part of the book. Once I truly understood her and her history, things came together and I found myself rooting for her. I wanted her to find her own happiness, to make up for all the past pain.

Overall, I’d give Shattered 4 stars. And I will anxiously await the next installment. =)