Breakable (Contours of the Heart #2)

As a child, Landon Lucas Maxfield believed his life was perfect and looked forward to a future filled with promise — until tragedy tore his family apart and made him doubt everything he ever believed.

All he wanted was to leave the past behind. When he met Jacqueline Wallace, his desire to be everything she needed came so easy…

As easy as it could be for a man who learned that the soul is breakable and that everything you hoped for could be ripped away in a heartbeat.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

Welcome to the other side of the story.

 

Breakable, by Tammara Webber, is a retelling of the first book in the Contours of the Heart series, Easy, but from a different character's point of view. With Easy we trailed Jacqueline as she was sexually assaulted and dealing with the terrifying ramifications while falling for Lucas. With Breakable, readers follow Landon Lucas. What makes it even more interesting is that the book is split into before and after. Before his mother's death and after his mother's death. The before is labeled with Landon, as he went by his first name back then. The after (or the present) is depicted by Lucas. Readers who have read Easy will be better equipped to understand the importance of this break in character, though new readers will come to comprehend the heaviness of these labels.

 

The sections that focus on Landon tell the story of a young man who feels he failed to protect his mother and the downward spiral that Landon falls into. He becomes withdrawn and is labeled an outcast. He turns to fighting to escape, tattoos for self-expression, and piercings to keep people at a distance. Landon finds himself using drugs, alcohol, and girls to get away from his guilt. Readers will witness all of this first hand and it's heart breaking. This side of the story will deepen the connection readers already had for Landon if they read the first book, and it will create an incredibly strong foundation for those who haven't.

 

In the present, readers go through the whole story of Lucas meeting and saving and falling in love with Jacqueline. Though there isn't as much terror on this side of the story (because Landon is not the one being stalked and attacked) the action is still there. Readers see how Landon's childhood influenced his adulthood and the connection with him couldn't be stronger. The language use in this book definitely assigns it to the college age demographic, though the story will undoubtedly reach anyone who reads it. This love story is a bridge that connects the past with the present. A story of believing in yourself to be brave and strong and keep moving even when everything has crashed down around you.

 

It's inspiring, terrifying, hopeful and heartbreaking.

 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

Read the review of Easy!

Easy (Contours of the Heart #1)

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night - but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

*Contains Spoilers*

 

I devoured Easy by Tammara Webber! With a dangerous, dark, and dreamy male lead, how could I not finish this book in less than 24 hours? Webber drags readers into this story of love, trust, and claiming your inner strength.

 

Jacqueline is the main character in this novel, though Lucas also plays an important role. The story is told from Jacqueline's perspective and it works perfectly for this book. Jacqueline is an open-hearted young woman, nineteen years old, and a little naïve. She studies music and plays the upright bass, which I've always loved (being an orchestra nerd myself.) Readers will immediately connect with Jacqueline's character through very intense circumstances. During the beginning, Jacqueline is the victim of an attempted rape. Witnessing her struggle through this traumatic event will undoubtedly place readers in her corner. This kickstarts the growth that she undergoes throughout this story. Jacqueline learns to connect with her inner strength and how to become a survivor. She's a character that earns her respect and stands up for herself. I loved her character because even though she was frightened, terrified, unsure of herself --- she fought back. And with the current statistics... fighting back is important.

 

Now a little about Lucas, because he's adorable and his role is so important. Lucas happens to witness the attempted rape of Jacqueline. If not for Lucas and his vital fighting skills, the guy may have succeeded and this would have been a whole different book. Lucas is described as the bad boy... which we all love (haha), but he has a heart of gold. He's reserved, studious, intelligent, strong, and respectful. His character is so easy to fall in love with, even with the secrets. Hell, especially with the secrets! Readers will lose themselves in his crystal blue eyes and tattooed arms.

 

The plot of Easy is anything but simple. Jacqueline is saved from an attempted rape by Lucas and struggles to stay strong in the face of her attacker. When she learns that Lucas is in her Econ class, her and her friends decide to begin Operation Bad Boy Phase, which is supposed to help Jacqueline get over her ex, Kennedy. Meanwhile, because of her break-up Jacqueline is falling behind in her Econ class and is recommended to the class tutor - Landon. Through e-mail the two connect with a little harmless flirtation. Spoiler ahead --- I thought it was a little too obvious that Landon and Lucas were the same person, though I was ecstatic when it turned out to be true. Jacqueline begins to fall for Lucas, but her attacker hasn't given up. He starts spreading rumors about how they've been hooking up which shatters her reputation and it's apparent that he's not going to give up until he gets what he wants. This storyline was so intense and consuming that I couldn't stop reading. I didn't even want to stop reading. Though I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone because of the curse words, this novel does indeed show that speaking up about rape is a serious thing that must be done. And self defense classes are always a good idea.

 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

WWW Wednesday (190)

To play along just answer these three questions:

[x] What are you currently reading?

[x] What have you recently finished?

[x] What are you reading next?

          

01. Currently Reading:
Wind and Fire (Fourborn #1) by Megan Futcher. A world with four lands, each land called home by a different race of people. A war is going on between the Wind and Fire worlds, but two citizens are both tasked to find the first Fourborn, a stranger who is part of all four races.

02. Recently Finished:
Raining Embers by Jessica Dall. Chaos and Kosmos are embodied in this fantasy adventure as Brier and Palmer, two young adults who have no idea who they are. Until they're kidnapped. Then they're training as weapons begin.

03. Reading Next:
Easy by Tammara Webber. Jacqueline follows her boyfriend to college only to be dumped and then attacked. She's saved by a stranger but that doesn't deter her attacker for long.