Book Tour, Book Review: Shattered and Shaken by Julie Bailes

                                                       

                         Mature Audience Only 

**Book 1 in the Shaken Series** 

If someone asked me to describe myself using only one word, I’d tell them damaged. I’m completely broken, irreparable. On the outside, I appear beautiful and bright, but on the inside, my soul is black and empty. I haven’t always been this fragile, scared, and heartbroken woman. Nope. I had the life my peers envied; happily married parents, captain of the volleyball team, and a dangerously sexy and loving boyfriend. Then, faster than I could blink, my life went to hell in a gasoline-soaked hand basket. 

Cancer struck. The sting of death pierced my heart, and my so-called ‘loving’ boyfriend left me. Wyatt shattered my heart into a million pieces when he left, but little did he know, it wasn’t just me he walked away from. Four years later, Blake changes everything. Unlike Wyatt, Blake treasures my heart. Blake claims I’m beautifully broken, and that he can fix me, but I know differently. 

How can you put something together without all its pieces? You can’t. When Wyatt left, he took most of my heart away with him. You see, hearts are like broken glass; you can put it back together again, but it will never be the same. While I’m undeserving of Blake’s love, he deserves every bit of mine. My biggest fear is that I’ll crush his heart, just as Wyatt did mine.

My Rating:

 Favorite Quotes:

“I’m just a little miffed that he thinks the whole damn thing is funny.  Perhaps if he walked in and overheard someone questioning the size of his penis, or something like that, then he wouldn’t be finding it funny and rising above it.  No, he’d be going all caveman and whipping out the tape measure.”

"My mouth is so dry that if a droplet of water hit my tongue, it would sizzle like an egg hitting a heated frying pan.”

My Review:

While I didn’t always like her main character, I truly enjoyed Ms. Bailes’ writing.  She brings humor and snark to the inner musings of Allie Anderson, who is also a very immature and selfish idiot.  But then again, if we were to listen to the honest inner musings of most people, the vast majority of us would also seem like very immature and selfish idiots.  The story begins rather slow and somewhat tedious - she’s sad, we get it already… but push past that and you are in for an entertaining, bumpy, and deliciously steamy ride.  After the painful beginning, the story vastly improves when her friends are introduced.  I decided I would definitely keep reading once I met Blake – yum, my new BBF (Book Boy Friend).  Ms. Bailes’ informal writing style, and creative and interesting word choices, frequently brought a smile to my face, although her character’s egocentric and childish behavior also had me grimacing.  While we have all been young and stupid more than once, grief seems to have stalled Allie Anderson’s emotional development at the selfish and angst filled adolescent level, which I personally find to be quite tiresome.  But the worst of all possible endings – a dramatic cliffhanger!?!  I wish someone had warned me – I loath those as much as I do bratty children on a long flight.  But… grr, that evil woman has her hooks in me…I need to know what happens next.

Empress DJ

                                                        

**READ after Shattered and Shaken (book 1), and prior to Shattered & Mended (book 2)** 
Mature audience only 

Walking away from her was the hardest decision I ever made. Leaving her without an explanation broke us both. Our hearts have been left shattered. I could make excuses. I could lay the blame on others, but still I made the decision. I had to. It was the only way to protect the both of them. 
After all of Allie’s loss, my thought was only on her and her happiness. On her love and need for her big brother. I was replaceable, Kyle wasn’t. I wouldn’t allow him to crush her heart with his death. I knew I had follow him. I would throw myself on top of bombs, in front of bullets, whatever it took to get him home to her, alive. There are two sides to every story, and you’ve only heard one. Don’t be so quick to judge; I hate myself for what I’ve done. But all that I did, it was all for Allie. 

**READ Shattered & Shaken and All for Allie prior to Shattered & Mended, as this is the last in the series** 
Mature Audience 
My mind was made up and my decision had been made, but fate felt the need to rear her ugly head and demand control. 
Fate is guaranteed, not to be reckoned with, and she won’t be defeated. You see, she’s the author to our stories that have already been written; there’s no editing them. Try as you might, but all you’ll do is piss her off. 
When you fuck with fate’s masterpiece, tragedy strikes, death occurs, and hearts get shattered. I’ve never been one to follow the rules. So instead, I stood with arms wide open and I challenged her. I knew the possibilities of her kicking my ass were high, but I refused to back down. I invited all the heat she packed, and quickly learned my lesson… 
You don’t fuck with her. 

Born and raised in Nashville, TN, wife of one, mother of three, and chocolate fanatic! Author of Shattered and Shaken, due to release mid September. I attend nursing school full time, but in my spare time I love spending time with my family watching movies, eating junk food, and every once in a while a girls night out on the town. I enjoy reading, even though I haven’t read much since I’ve began my journey as author. I live by the motto “Live life as if you’re dying, Laugh until your stomach hurts, Love until your heart stops beating, and never judge.” Simple rules to follow. We never know what someone else is going through or what they have been through. Life is too short to be angry, unforgiving, or depressed. Each day is a gift from God that can be taken at any given moment- embrace the gift of life….

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