A passionate and deeply reflective Black romance between a recently widowed entrepreneur and the basketball player who signs on to be the ambassador for her skincare brand. The work done in the character of Davina as she navigated her grief and also gave herself permission to love was impeccable. The way Deke loves on Davina and gives her the space to unpack her feelings for him while dealing with her guilt is beautiful. Deke’s character development was also spectacular, and I loved how Williams took the time to explore the true depth of Deke’s emotions in regard to the trauma in his background.

My first audio and te narrators were amazing! I also had the ebook so i tandum read. Full review on ebook

I enjoyed the love story overall. The characters were believable and I enjoyed the journey. I liked that both main characters had jobs that didn’t require them to depend on one another. The audiobook wasn’t my favorite though. I would recommend the book but skip the audio. The female narrator was very breathy through and it took away from the novel.

Widow Davina Klein-Roberts struggles to process the grief of losing her husband while building a successful skincare line. When she signs an endorsement deal with NBA star Deke Bishop to help promote her line, sparks fly.

I am such a fan of the angsty, emotional romances that incorporate grief and learning to love again. Shanora Williams’ Beautiful Broken Love does this and more. This sweet, slow burn love story between two strong MCs, both working to overcome their own tragedies, is perfectly counterbalanced with all of the heat and chemistry Williams is known for. It is hard not to become emotionally invested in Deke and Davina’s relationship and I quickly found myself rooting for their happy ending.

🎧 The audiobook is narrated by Aure Nash and Sean Bassett who do a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life. I alternated between audio and print and enjoyed both formats equally.

Read if you like:
▪️sports romance
▪️forced proximity
▪️he falls first
▪️workplace romance
▪️second chance at love

Thank you Brilliance Publishing for the advanced copy.

I will forever sing praise about Shanora’s writing! Her writing is so good and draws the reader in right away and she doesn’t shy away from the more difficult topics in her books. This one in particular shows the character dealing with grief, death, childhood abuse, and discussing mental illnesses such as panic attacks. I also thought this book was a wonderful tribute to the authors brother who passed away. I appreciated her discussing this towards the end of the book and I know this book must have been very difficult for her. I loved the characters in this book and seeing the journeys that they went on.

I absolutely loved the audiobook version. I switched back and forth between the ebook and audio and I loved the narrators. I felt like I would choose the audio more because it just drew me into the story so much more. Overall, this is definitely one that I would recommend picking up for publication day!!

The audio for this book is amazing! The story line is amazing! Shanora outdid herself on this one! I felt all the feels! Definitely do not miss out on this one!

While I expect no less from Williams, I'm still somehow surprised when she rocks my world!

The FMC is strong and amazing and doing everything "right" while also feeling like she is doing everything "wrong." It was such a breath of fresh air and so relatable to be in her head while she navigated through her healing. Davina and Deke are EVERYTHING. I absolutely adored their journey, their struggles, and their own unique perspectives.

I love it when an author can make you feel; all the laughs and tears while also wanting to throw the book across the room!! Shanora is such a beautiful writer and storyteller. This may just be my new favorite of hers! Don't pass on this novel!!

This was a sweet but very emotional slow burn story. I had never read this author before, so I'm not sure how her other books are. I'm willing to try more of her books but this was a hard book for me to finish. The story was just to slow moving for me and seemed to drag on a bit. The writing was great and the narrators did a wonderful job on the audio book, but story wise it was not for me.

Absolutely stunning! Beautiful Broken Love by Shanora Williams has to be my new favorite story of hers. It’s a masterfully crafted tale that captivated me from the very first page and tugged at my heartstrings. I found myself close to tears on various occasions, but not in a way that left me feeling shattered.

The delicate balance between love and loss in the journey of Davina and Deke is portrayed with such authenticity. Davina, grappling with the recent death of her husband, immerses herself in her work as a means to cope. Meanwhile, Deke, a talented NBA player, has his own hidden struggles that unfold throughout the story.

I relish the moment when a hero recognizes that the heroine holds something special. Their transition from colleagues to friends and eventually lovers is a beautifully woven tapestry of healing and understanding. Their patience in navigating each other's pain is a testament to the power of love.
While I wished for a deeper exploration of Deke’s grief, the author’s personal touch, reflecting her own loss, adds an extraordinary layer to the narrative.

This book is a whirlwind of emotion—intense, steamy, and incredibly heartfelt. A must-read – or must-listen, because Aure Nash and Sean Bassett, two new to me narrators, do a tremendous job enhancing the story even more – for anyone looking for a tale of resilience and romance!

This is the first book I have listened to by Shanora Williams and I was really impressed with her writing. This was definitely an emotional book but it was still a beautiful story.

Davina recently lost her husband and is poring her life into her company when she meets Deke, an NBA player who will be representing her product.
Drake is also grieving so the last things these two are thinking about is a relationship. But when friendship starts to become more because of their chemistry will they let love win or will they just stay friends?

Aure Nash and Sean Bassett were the narrators for this book and I really enjoyed listening to them. They held my attention and kept me entertained throughout the book.

This book will have you going through all of your emotions but even though their dealing with trauma and grieving, this book will have you smiling and swooning as well. I would definitely recommend this audiobook.


Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for allowing me to listen to this ALC for my honest opinion.

What an emotional, eloquently written romance connecting two individuals telling from past tragedy, learning to find, give and receive love again. Deke, a professional basketball player, meets Davina, a successful entrepreneur, after becoming a brand representative for her company. There is resistance and persistence, and so much hope interwoven into the characters that made their slow-burn romance heartland heartwarming. Once they opened up, there was passion, steam and spice! The following powerful quote made me stop in my tracks, rewind, and listen ten times over. “We had a love like no other, a beautiful broken love. That healed us when we needed it most.” I listened to this on audio-the duet narration was amazing and you could tell the narrators themselves were invested because their dictation was spectacular and truly brought the story to life.

Deke and Davina. I don’t know where to start. I feel like I have so many thoughts and I can’t articulate them. What I can say is you must read this book. If ever a title described a book perfectly, this is it! Filled with loss and love, this book will break you and put you back together again <3

I just love everything Shanora Williams writes. This was no different. I’m obsessed. The audiobook was fantastic. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Wowza. Excuse me while I wipe the sweat off of my brow and catch my breath. I was not quite prepared for the numerous hot and spicy scenes present in BEAUTIFUL BROKEN LOVE by Shanora Williams. This was intense, and quite possibly the steamiest book I’ve read in a very long time. So steamy that I might need to take a break from the romance genre for a while. I need to recover—my cheeks are still burning! Ha! (I’m such a lightweight!)

To be fair, this novel isn’t all sex, sex, sex. Loss, grief, and healing are the three main components of this story as the characters begin to move forward and find love again. Williams includes an author’s note at the very beginning that gives her readers a heads-up about the heavy and potentially triggering subject matter present in the novel. I always appreciate the care and sincerity of authors who do this. Davina and Deke are both navigating their own forms and stages of grief. Williams displays great talent in exploring the complexities involved in grief journeys and falling in love again after a tremendous loss. The author tackled this sensitive topic like a total boss.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Sports romance novels
- Open-door bedroom scenes
- Reflections on loss and grief
- Intense and emotional reads
- Jaw-dropping chemistry
- Slow-burning love stories
- Remarkable character development
- Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli

This is the first book I’ve read from the author, and it won’t be my last. I absolutely love her writing style. You can tell she poured her heart and soul into this love story. 4/5 solid stars for BEAUTIFUL BROKEN LOVE! It’s currently free to read and listen to on kindle unlimited, so take advantage if you’re a subscriber.

I love when a hero meets the heroine, and immediately knows there's something about her that he can't let go.
We meet Davina, a grief stricken widow who has no intentions of ever loving someone again or even having a male friend. To get through life, she's poured herself into work and her company.
We also meet Deke, an NBA basketball player who was hired as a rep for Davina's company and knew immediately, that he found someone special.
lugly cried throughout this story. It brought out all my emotions just rooting and being happy for them.
Please read this book via audio the voices were spectacular the spicy scenes were perfect
Trigger warning emotional abuse, grief.
mention of suicide, mention of domestic violence

It took me a really long time to pick this book up because I knew from how it was described that I would have a really serious crying session from reading some of this story. And I was correct!

Beautiful Broken Love follows Davina, a successful business owner who connects via sponsorship of her beauty products with a successful basketball player named Deke from Atlanta. These two both have complicated upbringings. And both of them have faced immense grief from losing a loved one. When Davina and Deke meet, there is instant chemistry between them. The spark was lit so well that Deke found himself pulled to Davina in an unexplainable way.

I have to say, I didn't like Deke at the start. I thought he was going to be this cocky, arrogant baller who had women falling at his feet, and as a result, he was going to treat Davina like crud, but he surprised me with the way he cared for Davina so tenderly. Right from that start, he showed himself to be incredibly understanding of Davina's processing of her grief. He gave her so much space to figure out how she wanted to proceed with their friendship turned relationship. I mean, Deke's confession of love for Davina knocked me out. I was tearing up reading everything that he had to say and nodding my head along with everything.

There are so many passages that I highlighted that are related to grief in this story. There were so many moments where Davina's processing of her grief resonated with me. The chapter where we get to go back to be with Davina when she was in the thick of it was so well written. I'm just such a huge fan.

I also loved both the siblings in these families. I think there was so much room to hear more from all of them. I would gladly pick up a book about Davina's sister falling in love with a certain grumpy single dad.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Both of these characters felt very real. I loved getting to see these two finally let their love flourish. The chapters are somewhat short, so it all feels pretty fast paced. I always find myself reading one of SW's books and getting lost. One of the nights that I was reading, I kept telling myself that I would stop, but I just kept going because I wanted to hear more and the chapters are nice and concise. My one note is that I wish we had gotten more into Deke's story. I felt like the story was a little overpowered by Davina's story, but I still had a really great time with this one.

Thank you to Shanora Williams, NetGalley, and Montlake for this ARC! I did a mix of audio and reading here.

Grief is something else. It’s all-consuming, it appears out of no where, and when it hits you’re never prepared. Shanora Williams poured her soul into this book, and from the moment Davina and Deke first met I knew their journey was going to be one to remember. I loved how even when she was difficult, unsure, and an utter mess that Deke was right there living through his own grief, yet continuously showing Davina, I got you! This book had me from the very beginning, and even with it being semi-heavy, the light moments, the chemistry, and the supporting characters gave it the depth that you look for in a read such as this. It should that it’s ok to be vulnerable, it showed that it’s fine to not be “ok”, it showed that sometimes you have to accept that everything is not according to what you think is “your timing.” I absolutely loved it.

4.5🌟
Beautiful Broken Love !💖🥹🥹🥹🥹

"There are no words to truly define grief, but if I had to imagine them, I’d say grief is a beast who likes to stomp, claw, and bite until you’re stripped of everything . Then, when you finally gain some balance, it returns for another round, and the cycle continues, until you’re nothing but a hollow shell waving a white flag. That’s grief, I’m afraid. And it’s so damn cruel."

Shanora Williams wrote this emotionally charged Love story as an homage to grief. Davina and Deke each are on their individual grief journeys navigating life and love. Moving on seems like a selfish term when the person gone stays with loved ones in some capacity. I love how slowly and gently this love is grown and discovered for the characters. They each are able to choose love , when loss was out of their hands. This book is a heart healer !
4.5🌟

Loved the narrators chosen! They definitely did a great job bringing the story to life. I definitely think it’s worth a listen and will be enjoyed by anyone who picks it up! Bravo to Shanora! The story was already beautifully written, adding in the audio version has added the sprinkles to an already amazing cake!

When I say the sports romance peeps better run NOT walk, I said what I said! 🏃🏾‍♀️

Everything that this author writes is gold and this story was no exception. The story follows the FMC, Davina and MMC, Deke. Both of them have their own trials and tribulations to overcome which pulled on the heartstrings a lil bit. The narration was well done and the story was just so freakin good, it will have you in your feelings! This was romance with plot, well developed characters, and a heartwarming story.

Heads up, You may need a glass of moscato with this one! 🍷

Themes & Tropes:

🩷Basketball Romance
💛Friends With Benefits
🤍He Falls First
🩷Slow Burn
💛Flirty Emails
🤍Angsty Plot

I listened to the audiobook. It was dual narrated by Aure Nash and Sean Bassett. The story flowed smoothly and they made me feel all of the emotions of the characters.

Make sure to check triggers as it deals with several heavy themes ⚠️

Overall, Loved this read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5