This was my first Shanora Williams read and WOW, how did I not find her before. I am a FAN!

In this emotional story, we have Davina who lost her husband 7 months ago not taking time to deal with her grief. She goes on with life by keeping herself busy with her brand. That is when she meets Deke Bishop, as she is trying to pitch him to be the face of her brand. They instantly click and although Davina can see Deke is interested in more than her pitch, they end up exploring a friendship that late starts including benefits.

We get to experience Davina’s grief as she feels guilty over starting to have a glimpse of happiness having Deke around. She feels like she is betraying Lew when exploring intimacy with Deke. Her grieving process is so incredible well written that the words go beyond the book. It is purely magical!

Deke is a truly understanding man and can truly empathize with Davina’s feelings because of his past. It is also great how he then begins to process and embrace more of his own grief. Both of them help each other to heal and experience life more consciously.

The character development was top notch and even though the story was deeply emotional, it was beautifully written and captivating. I had to put my kindle down a few times to get in a good cry, that’s how good I was able to put myself in the story, so keep Kleenex around!

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake for the opportunity of reading the ARC of the book.

Beautiful Broken Love by Shanora Williams is a sports romance that dives deep into finding love after grief. After losing her husband, Davina focuses all her time on her business and not much else. That is until she meets Deke, an NBA star who she is hoping will endorse her products! The problem is she can't keep her eyes off him!

I enjoyed this story so much. It was paced well. This was a very emotional story dealing with grief and healing. I loved reading about the fmc and her development throughout the story. I also really loved the fmc's sister. A great character and would love to read more about her.

The romance was beautiful. It had tension,  slow burn energy, and the spice was great! I can't wait to check out more of this author's work!

Wow!

Shanora is an absolutely amazing author who excels in writing stories that will capture your attention and make you want to read more of her work!

This is a highly emotional story with several trigger warnings that the author does warn about in the beginning. Read with caution if you are sensitive to these triggers. Deke and Davina have a beautiful but difficult story with a tremendous amount of grief and pain. You will embrace these characters and truly feel their despair and pain through the author's writing. It is one of those books that you will want to read in one sitting.

I loved the character development throughout the story and appreciated learning their backstories. Knowing some of Deke and Davina's past history can help readers have a better understanding of their present struggles with relationships and love. There are also several side characters that help bring everything together and I loved Deke and Davina's interactions with them.

If you are a Shanora Williams fan already, this novel will just make your love her and her writing even more!
I appreciate this author, NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in return for my honest opinion!

This was such an emotional story about two characters finding strength in each other as they navigate life after loss and all the struggles, grief and pain that comes with it.

Deke is an NBA star player, he's cool, confident and charming but he hides his pain and vulnerabilities behind the game he loves.
I really liked Deke straight away, he comes across as a player but he's a good guy who genuinely cares for others.

Davina is a strong independent business woman. She throws everything into her company to make it a success. I felt Davinas anguish and her guilt for trying to move on with her life without her husband, my heart hurt for her.

I absolutely loved the chemistry between Deke and Davina from the moment they meet you can feel it. They understand each other on so many levels, grief really brings them together.
Their journey even though it's painful and raw it's also beautiful and heartwarming to see them healing and finding the happiness they deserve. The spice was nice too. 😉

I am absolutely in awe of the talent that Shanora has. Every book, you can tell that she writes with her whole heart and soul. This one was no exception - the heavy topics were dealt with with such care that I can’t help but admire Shanora for everything she does. I love the comparison between love and grief and how comparative they are. These characters were flawed and that made me feel for them and root for them even more. This was a slow burn, but once it hit, it HIT in only a way Shanora knows how.

I liked this romance well enough, the characters were interesting and the relationship was believable, but it got very draggy in the middle and the sex scenes while streamy, just didn’t work for me.

Both Davina and Deke were very likable and relatable. Both have experienced the death of a loved one, Davina quite recently, and both are still dealing with their issues around that. Davina’s grief about her husband was still raw and it was compounded by the death of her father when she was very young. But she is a very strong woman, as evidenced by her success as a business woman. Deke’s life was also affected by the death of his brother when he was a teen, and even though his grief was there, it wasn’t as raw as Davina’s. The true extent of Deke’s grief wasn’t fully explored until the end of the book, which made it feel rushed and not as important as Davina’s grief.

The supporting cast of characters were great. I loved the sisters and brothers on both sides of the family. Also the friends and teammates of the main characters were very supportive and fun. I especially liked Javier and Octavia, who were the most supportive but who also were there to help the couple through their relationship.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book, the author did a great job of showing how grief is a process that is different for everyone. I also appreciated how through Deke’s character we get an understanding that grief does lessen over time but never really goes away. But the second half of the book seemed to be mostly about the sex between these two and the plot seemed to stall out. The sex was also a bit more than I usually enjoy, too explicit for my taste, but that is just me. There are plenty of people out there that will love it. The writing was good and the banter between the characters was well done as well.

It you are looking for a contemporary romance that has some very steamy sex, but also deals with some heavy topics then this is a story you should take a look at. It is not exactly a sports romance, Deke is a professional basketball player, but it is not a main plot point.

This was wonderful and most definitely one of my favourite arc's so far. The characters felt SO real and I couldn't put this book down as I wanted to know desperately how the story would develop. Seeing Deke and Davina face their demons separately and together, felt so powerful and inspiring and I definitely shed a couple of tears towards the end. Heartwarming, real, intense but so so beautiful. A story about how love is the most powerful thing we have to give.

Beautiful Broken Love is a novel that pulled at my heartstrings! Shanora Williams penned here a poignant story about love, loss, grief, healing and second change at love.

Davina lost her husband a few months earlier, when Deke enters her life. This sexy NBA star player is the new face of her products and is instantly captured by her. The man is tenacious in his pursuit of her despite knowing about her loss.

I enjoyed that Deke fought really hard for what he wanted. It was beautiful to see him courting Davina with consideration and care, but also ardor. He knew what she could mean for him in his future. Their connection what that magnetic! Davina had more trouble opening her heart to Deke, going through an amalgam of conflicting emotions. Her grieving process was heartbreaking to witness at time, but also hopeful. This couple shared some emotional enounters as well as spicier ones. The progress of their relationship was captivating!

Shanora Williams truly knows how to hook you with a powerful story and engaging protagonists! That's what she did withBeautiful Broken Love which was sincerely incredible!

🌺🌸ARC Review🌸🌺

Beautiful Broken Love by Shanora Williams
🌸🌺🌸🌺🌸/5

This was my first book by Shanora Williams and it will not be my last. This book was beautifully written and tugged on the heart strings. The way this story portrays grief made me bawl my eyes out. I could not imagine going through was Davina went through losing her husband to cancer but just picturing it has my heart shattered. I completely understand her not wanting anything while her pain is so fresh and raw but I appreciate Deke coming in and supporting her through her pain. I feel as though Lew sent Deke to Davina to help. Deke having gone through trauma in the past with his dad helped round this story out and help the characters connect. This story is raw, heartbreaking, wonderful, and so much more.

This story comes out on December 3 and I highly recommend preordering this book!

Thank you Shanora Williams, NetGalley, and Montlake for a copy of this ARC!

Grief and love. Davina is mourning her husband and focused on her business when she meets Deke who has a tragic back story of his own. These two grow a relationship through working together and then a romance, It's a thoughtful look at people struggling with guilt about starting again. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

The exploration between grief and love in Davina and Deke’s story was organic and relatable. Davina recently lost her husband, and has thrown herself into her company to escape facing the severity of her grief. Deke, an NBA player, has his own journey with grief we learn more about as the book goes on.

I love when a hero meets the heroine, and immediately knows there’s something about her that he can’t let go. What started as Deke being a rep for Davina’s company lead to a friendship and eventual romance that allows both of them to open up about their respective healing journeys. They deserved an HEA. I’m glad they were patient when their grief caused them to lash out or shut down because we all deserve someone who will still be there for us in our moments of weakness.

I would’ve liked to see Deke’s grief journey a little more, as I felt like the book primarily focused on Davina’s journey. I felt that Deke’s issues were a bit rushed towards the end, given how long he’d had his feelings bottled up. However, I recognize that this book reflected the author’s grief journey with the loss of her brother and I appreciated her personal note towards the end.

Whether it’s contemporary, fantasy or thriller, this author is multi-talented! I hope this becomes a series because the author hinted at a couple that I am VERY invested in!

Shanora Williams has outdone herself with this beautiful love story. The writing style was wonderful, and I thoroughly enjoyed how she addressed the realistic challenges of grief as well as moving forward.

"Have you ever considered the possibility that you can grieve and embrace change at the same time?"

Intense attraction. Successful individuals. Weighted with grief. A beautiful story all about timing and trying to move forward even when it's the hardest thing to do.

Davina Klein has recently lost her husband and is still dealing with the grief that follows a loss like that. But she puts all her energy into her skin care company to make it successful. When they land an endorsement deal with one of the NBA's biggest stars, Deke Bishop, she can't help but to feel flustered by his presence while also feeling the major loss of her recent husband.

Deke is the epitome of the successful professional basketball player. Good looking, a little cocky, and used to getting what he wants without even trying. So what is it about Davina that clicks for him? It's on all cylinders for him right from the start and he just can't let his attraction go, even when he notices the ring on her all important finger.

I don't know what it is about a "he falls first" trope that does me in, but Williams gave it to me in spades. It had to be because Deke not only fell first and fell hard, but also because he's the untouchable. The one that doesn't give himself to just anyone. And he respected who Davina was and what she was going through. Sure, he was attracted to her and wanted her physically, but he also knew and understood her grief and was there as a friend. I LOVED that he initiated conversation between them by emails and let their friendship flow naturally from there. It allowed them time to gain trust and to truly get to know certain aspects of each other.

Beautiful Broken Love was just that. It was beautiful, fun, sexy, filled with friendly and physical chemistry, but it was also emotional and about two characters that were broken and dealing with what life had thrown their way. It hit me in the feels with the depths of emotions the characters held onto and the way they processed everything. I felt like I was on the journey to self discovery and grief right along with them.

"We're hardest on ourselves and only see the flaws when all another person sees is the beauty."

Williams gave us a beautiful story that was crafted so well. From the main characters and how they built their relationship over time, to the supporting characters and the way they helped push the story forward. In addition to the characters, the author seamlessly weaved themes of grief, healing, and embracing change along with family and trust into the story allowing for natural progression to the story without forcing anything.

Shanora Williams gave me everything I wanted in an emotional love story and did it with 2 amazing characters that had been through the wringer with their pasts. And although it wasn't easy and it was hard fought, the journey to get to their happy ending was worth it.

If you enjoy:
Sports romance (with the best one on one scene at the cabin)
He Falls first
Two professionally successful main characters
Romance interwoven with grief
Second chance at love
Family

Then Beautiful Broken Love is a story that I would highly recommend. I'm in love with Deke and Davina and really hope that we get at least one more story about a couple of the side characters from this world in the future.

Did not suspected this book to make me that emotional, because wow! This made me cry.
Grief and loss is such a difficult topic and yet the author described it so well that I felt for Davina.
And Deke and his past, his present and feelings were really understandable.
I absolutely adored this book.

This book is about overcoming grief and a trauma in the past and finding love (and love again) along the way. Sharona did a beautiful job writing Davina and Deke story.
4.25 stars.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review a new author. This book is about loss, grief and Davinas journey through the loss of her husband. Deke, a famous basketball player, appears and wants to help her through this journey. Davina is very skeptical as Deke always has a woman around The question is will she allow him in her life? If you are in to emotional spicy stories, you might want to read this story.

Beautiful Broken Love may just be Shanora Williams' most poignant book to date. This story of Davina Klein and how she is dealing with the loss of her husband while running a successful cosmetics company is both touching and hopeful. Her world is suddenly turned on its side as her company will now be featuring a men's line and the man who will be their spokesperson is none other than basketball superstar Deke Bishop. And let me tell you this: I could feel the sexual tension between these two even as if Davina was still stewing in her feels for her late husband. What follows is a tale of attraction that can't possibly feel right yet but as the title suggests, is the most beautiful broken love these two will ever know.

Williams does a wonderful job in portraying Davina as a woman caught between two men and trying her best to not let the ghost of her marriage to Lew sabotage any happiness she might find in the present. The author's own grief at losing her brother at the young age of 27 fueled this story and I could feel her own emotions coming through the pages of this book as Davina struggles to right her course towards love again.

There is plenty of indecision, hurt feelings and confusion as Deke and Davina decide to keep things 'light' and uncomplicated. But their hearts beat just a bit faster when the other is near and a piece of their souls is missing when they are far apart. I loved that Deke was patient with his D yet craved her both in body and spirit nonstop. The man knows how to satisfy a woman and not just in the bedroom and I was thrilled when Davina knew he was the right balm to her lonely existence. Reader's note: the steam is off-the-charts fabulous!

I shed a tear or two when Deke came clean with respect to his own family issues, as he found it hard to relive what he experienced as a 14-year-old boy. But Davina's compassion and empathy for understanding exactly how he felt was truly lovely and only solidified Deke's adoration for his girl. Although they hit a rough spot towards the end of the book, Williams creates a really beautiful scene that is full of so much love, that there was no way these two wouldn't find a way to stay together forever.

I can't resist when an author really digs deep to give us a storyline that is both heartwrenching and auspicious, captivating me right from the start. But Shanora Williams did just that and then some with this tale of second chances and renewed desires. Deke is a keeper and Davina is the lucky woman who gets to call him her man. But in the end, it was Davina's strength and ultimate decision to take life by the horns that drove this book and offered her the wonderful chance to live again on her terms.

5 big stars!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I found this to be a cute read about life, loss and moving on to love again. The characters were well developed and I did like the storyline which went along at a quick pace. I liked that all of the characters in the story had a part to play and I think that there maybe another couple in there that a book could be written about.

Overall, a good read from an Author I hadn’t read before.

Shanora did it again! I absolutely loved this book. Shanora is there anything you can’t write? If you are looking for a good romance this is the one.

This was a great romance! I found the premise of the story to be interesting and it held my attention until the very end. Davina and Deke's truama and grief were at the center of their individual stories. The character development was great and I was truly rooting for our main characters! Although this was an emotional read, Shanora Williams didn't skimp out on the spice! Even though this was spicier than expected, those scenes didn't take over the plot and can be skipped without missing out on the story. I recommend adding this book to your TBR!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Montlake for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!