by Janet Nissenson
ebook, 450 pages
Published May 5th 2015
The Ghost
Angela Del Carlo has been living half a life, ever since he walked out on her, shattering her entire existence and leaving her to cope with picking up the fragments. Nothing seems to matter much anymore, and her life is a drab existence of work, run, repeat. She’s forgotten how to laugh, how to love, and even how to live. Most days she’s little more than a ghost.
The Devil
Nick Manning’s life has been one lived without compromise, without rules, and without regrets. Except for his one weakness, his one regret – Angela. What he did to her still tugs at his conscience, still fills him with remorse, and continues to haunt his dreams. But he stays away, knowing that he can never be the man she needs or give her what she deserves.
The Angel
But when fate intervenes and Angela’s and Nick’s paths cross again, she’s determined not to surrender her soul to the devil ever again, while he’s desperate to have his angel back in his arms – even if it means changing the rules to get it done.
Angela Del Carlo has been living half a life, ever since he walked out on her, shattering her entire existence and leaving her to cope with picking up the fragments. Nothing seems to matter much anymore, and her life is a drab existence of work, run, repeat. She’s forgotten how to laugh, how to love, and even how to live. Most days she’s little more than a ghost.
The Devil
Nick Manning’s life has been one lived without compromise, without rules, and without regrets. Except for his one weakness, his one regret – Angela. What he did to her still tugs at his conscience, still fills him with remorse, and continues to haunt his dreams. But he stays away, knowing that he can never be the man she needs or give her what she deserves.
The Angel
But when fate intervenes and Angela’s and Nick’s paths cross again, she’s determined not to surrender her soul to the devil ever again, while he’s desperate to have his angel back in his arms – even if it means changing the rules to get it done.
Shattered chronicles the outrageously rocky relationship of past Olympian Angela Del Carlo and former NFLer Nick Manning. The two are financiers based in San Francisco who enter into a relationship agreement of sorts based on the tenant their pairing remain one of convenience and pleasure. From the onset, Nick is candid about his primal need for control and obedience. He clarifies that emotions and tenderness will never be part of the package. Initially startled by his request, though besotted by his beauty and professional prowess, Angela agrees to Nick’s terms. While she has been a lifelong high achiever, Angela longs for rules and structure. She tries desperately to adhere to Nick’s rules, but Angela finds herself falling deeply in love with the dark, authoritative and intensely private Manning.
This novel is well-written with abundant description. It’s over the top steamy, but by no means raunchy. There is light BDSM within the text limited to light bondage. Neissenson’s description is sensual and on-point. I love when an author knows how to dress her characters. Nothing irritates me more than when an author describes their main as throwing their hair up in a scrunchy and tossing on a pair of capris. No scrunchies and capris in this text. Instead, there are richly detailed gowns, sumptuous lingerie, and lavish footwear. I love a character that can rock a smoky eye and red lips.
Nick and Angela’s story is told in a less than linear way making it a little more inventive than other texts of this genre. The novel opens long after the fallout of the ill-conceived relationship. The reader knows, immediately, that Angela has been mending a broken heart. The majority of the novel is told as a flashback and details of the relationship are revealed when Angela finds herself unable to avoid her past.
There isn’t much new happening here. If you’re looking for a light, sexy read this summer, Shattered may be what you’re looking for. It’s predictable and a bit clichéd at times. I found myself criticizing the repetition in the text as well. I really didn’t love Nick as a leading man. While I typically enjoy a strong alpha, I found him to be chauvinistic for much of the book, fairly ignorant, and rather conceited, shown particularly in his dialogue. I mean, I laughed out loud at his continued references to his large ‘endowments.’ Shattered is book three in a series, but I read it as a standalone and was quite comfortable doing so. I may pick up one of the previous installments in the Inevitable series this summer for some poolside reading.
In the interest of full disclosure here, I signed on to read this book almost accidently. The synopsis made reference to an “angel” and “devil,” so I ignorantly assumed there would be literal angel and devil characters instead of metaphorical ones. No worries, though paranormal romance and urban fantasy are my routine reading fare, I hadn’t read a contemporary romance in some time and was interested in a change of routine. Shattered fit the bill.
This novel is well-written with abundant description. It’s over the top steamy, but by no means raunchy. There is light BDSM within the text limited to light bondage. Neissenson’s description is sensual and on-point. I love when an author knows how to dress her characters. Nothing irritates me more than when an author describes their main as throwing their hair up in a scrunchy and tossing on a pair of capris. No scrunchies and capris in this text. Instead, there are richly detailed gowns, sumptuous lingerie, and lavish footwear. I love a character that can rock a smoky eye and red lips.
Nick and Angela’s story is told in a less than linear way making it a little more inventive than other texts of this genre. The novel opens long after the fallout of the ill-conceived relationship. The reader knows, immediately, that Angela has been mending a broken heart. The majority of the novel is told as a flashback and details of the relationship are revealed when Angela finds herself unable to avoid her past.
There isn’t much new happening here. If you’re looking for a light, sexy read this summer, Shattered may be what you’re looking for. It’s predictable and a bit clichéd at times. I found myself criticizing the repetition in the text as well. I really didn’t love Nick as a leading man. While I typically enjoy a strong alpha, I found him to be chauvinistic for much of the book, fairly ignorant, and rather conceited, shown particularly in his dialogue. I mean, I laughed out loud at his continued references to his large ‘endowments.’ Shattered is book three in a series, but I read it as a standalone and was quite comfortable doing so. I may pick up one of the previous installments in the Inevitable series this summer for some poolside reading.
In the interest of full disclosure here, I signed on to read this book almost accidently. The synopsis made reference to an “angel” and “devil,” so I ignorantly assumed there would be literal angel and devil characters instead of metaphorical ones. No worries, though paranormal romance and urban fantasy are my routine reading fare, I hadn’t read a contemporary romance in some time and was interested in a change of routine. Shattered fit the bill.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3 sheep
Bianca Greenwood
About the Author:
Janet is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently resides on the northern California coast with her husband Steve and Golden Retriever Max. She worked for more than two decades in the financial services industry before turning her focus to producing running events. She is a former long-distance runner, current avid yoga practitioner, is addicted to Pinterest, likes to travel and read. She has been writing for more than three decades but Serendipity is her first official published work. She plans five more books in the Inevitable series, with each one a standalone with new lead characters, so no cliffhangers or waiting months to see what happens next!
