How can you continue living when you’re living a lie? How can you
convince your body to stop feeling, your soul to stop caring, and your heart to
stop beating?
Haunted by her past, Olivia Adler flees Boston for a beach in Florida,
leaving everyone behind, trying to shut the world out. Remaining a relative
recluse in her self-imposed prison, she tries to turn everything off, wanting
to feel nothing. But a new acquaintance won’t let that happen. After being away
from Alexander for a month, his voice constantly ringing in her head, reminding
her that her inability to confront her demons will not only destroy her, but
also him, can she really be expected to want to feel again when it brings
nothing but pain?
Back in Boston, everywhere he turns, Alexander Burnham is reminded of
Olivia… His Olivia… He tries to dull the ache left in his heart the only way he
knows how… in the bed of a beautiful woman. But Alexander isn’t about to lose
his Olivia. After a clue comes to light regarding Olivia’s whereabouts, can he
convince her to return to Boston with him? When a force that has laid dormant
for months resurfaces, can Alexander still protect her from the unknown danger?
And when Alexander comes face to face with a shadow of both his and Olivia’s
past, will he be able to tell her the secret that is threatening to tear them
apart?
A Tragic Wreck is the continuation of T.K. Leigh’s heart-breakingBeautiful Mess series.
This is book #2 in The
Beautiful Mess series. Olivia, Alexander, and their rocky relationship are back
in this book. If you have not read book 1, A Beautiful Mess, I suggest that you
quit reading this review now and go pick it up. This review will have slight
spoilers to A Beautiful Mess.
As you will remember, Olivia
ran away from Alexander and their blossoming relationship because she has
attachment issues. Since losing her parents when she was 6 years old, she is
afraid to get close to anyone. This includes Alex. To me, this book is more of
the same. Olivia is trying to overcome her issues. She meets a guy in Florida
named Cam and they strike up a friendship. Of course, he wants more, but he
understands that she isn’t ready for that. The have a relationship that walks a
fine line. They do, but they don’t want to cross the line in to more. I felt
that everyone handles her with kid gloves and that she needed someone to
finally tell it to her straight. There were a few times in this book that a
character did and it really made me happy. She takes self-destruction to a
frustrating level, and there were a few times that I just wanted to yell at
her.
Alexander is very
heartbroken, of course, but is doing the best he can to move on. He begins a
relationship with a past lover, Chelsea. It is because of this relationship
that Olivia seems to snap out of her self-imposed heartache and pity party and
finally decides to take a step in the right direction.
Alexander still has not
divulged his secret to Olivia. Again…frustrated. He knows he needs to tell her,
everyone else who knows keeps telling him the same, but he just avoids it. It
seems like avoidance is a recurring theme in this book. And, here I go again,
to me it is frustrating. Don’t get me wrong, there are good times in this book.
It isn’t one big pity fest and I did enjoy it at times. I just did not feel
much growth from the characters and did not really get anywhere where this “suspense”
is concerned. In this regard it is a little slow for me.
Will I read the 3rd
book? Yes. I want resolution. I want the bad guys to back off. I want Alexander
and Olivia to get over these issues and secrets and get the HEA that I so crave.
T. K. Leigh, otherwise known as
Tracy Leigh Kellam, is a producer / attorney by trade. Originally from New
England, she now resides in sunny Southern California with her husband, dog and
three cats, all of which she has rescued (including the husband). She always
had a knack for writing, but mostly in the legal field. It wasn’t until
recently that she decided to try her hand at creative writing and is now
addicted to creating different characters and new and unique story lines in the
Contemporary Romantic Suspense genre.
When she’s not planted in front
of her computer, writing away, she can be found running and training for her
next marathon (of which she has run over fifteen fulls and far too many halfs
to recall). Unlike Olivia, the main character in her Beautiful Mess series, she
has yet to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
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