Surviving Broken (The Mathews Family Book 4)

Beverly
Preston
Genre: 
Contemporary

Fashion model JC Mathews usually used a strict set of dating guidelines - until she let her guard down with the wrong man. After escaping the hands of her abuser she returns to Malibu to recover.  Broken-hearted Reed Rider came to Malibu in order to settle his aunt’s affairs.  Seeking refuge from the blistering California heat, he infiltrates his neighbor’s pool for a midnight swim. He never expected to find JC Mathews in residence.  Sparks fly and passion ignites, causing JC's rulebook to once again fade as she unlocks her heart.  Can they survive the threats from their broken pasts?

 

This is an uplifting fourth book in the Mathews Family Series which stands alone, and is a believable, richly emotional paving of the events following domestic abuse and loss.   Just as many people turn a blind eye to such events in real life, many readers might find this tale tedious but necessary in the portrayal of JC Mathews’ emotional state, and might be tempted to set the book aside - not understanding that the better part to this book is yet to come.  Advice to the reader: keep reading! Hindsight-is-twenty-twenty and adds just the right amount of “Oh" in reader appreciation and understanding for the buildup that is worth withstanding some of the violent moments.  Ms. Preston’s clever use of "just barely there” steam for the first part of this story lends readers to not anticipate the incredibly hot love scenes for the remainder of the book.  Kudos on an original piece that will leave readers rooting for happiness to prevail while contemplating social mores.

Roberta Gordon