Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Blog Tour+Review: Broken Pieces by Toni Aleo (Patchwork, #1.5)





Here's a little about Broken Pieces
Add on [goodreads]
Out January 24, 2017
Book 1.5 of the Patchwork series

The rules of The Works have remained unchanged for centuries. There is to be no romantic mixing between any of the five supernatural clans. 

But from the moment Oceanus von Stein, second-in-command to the Patchwork family, caught sight of Taegan Conner, daughter of the leader of the Wolves, he knew he would never love anyone else. 

Only now, Taegan has been promised in marriage to another, an arrangement to strengthen her family’s alliances—and she gets no say in the matter. 

Neither does Oceanus. 

While they both know they have their places and responsibilities in their clans, their love is too strong. How can they let go of what they have? Though it is forbidden, Oceanus and Taegan won’t stop until they can have each other. The only problem is that the world is against them, and Oceanus has a threat to his sister’s life to vanquish. 

Can they find a way to be together, or will they both always be two Broken Pieces?

*Can be found in the Once upon midnight anthology
**Take place during Pieces.

Where to Pre-order it:
* [Amazon Global] *[Amazon AU] ** [iBooks] ** [Kobo] ** [Nook] *




Read from: January 19 to January 21, 2017
Read on: eARC


Review:



So this novella is from Oceanus's point of view and is set in the time period of the book Pieces, the first book of the series. If you haven't read Pieces, stop this now. I feel like reading this novella without reading the first book would be "spoilerish" to some level.

I was happy that we got to have this novella. When you read in Pieces that the girl he loves is marrying another, you only get to see what Rebekah feels, what she believes her brother is feeling and we could only witness his behavior to what he wanted her to see, but here, you actually go behind the scene and you get swoop in a whirl of emotions.

He is really family oriented and there's nothing he wouldn't do for his family, but he's also in love with a werewolf and because of his father's laws, he can never be married to her. He inspires to finally become King of the Patchwork and change the rules so anyone could marry for love instead of being coerced into loveless marriages.

Of course, nothing is easy and he learns that quite quickly when Teagan is promised to another werewolf and his father is making a point that he ought to forget her and move on.

But their love is quite strong and you can tell that they are both torn between wanting to be together and to do what is expected from their families. Throughout this novella, you can see Oceanus inner fight between what he wants and what he has to do. He is struggling to do the right thing, but the right thing for who? That is the question.

I still don't like the father. I know he feels like he's doing what's right for his children and I don't doubt he loves them, but seriously, he sounds more like a dictator than a father; forcing them to do things they don't want to do. But I will admit the ending sort of mixed up the feelings that I have for this character and I don't know yet what I feel about that.

In the end? I really enjoyed this novella and I'm hoping the author might do some for the other brothers. I'd like to go behind the surface we only see from the other people's point of view. I feel like they could be quite interesting to learn more about.

And this also got me even more excited about the next book in the series. I'm looking forward to see where it goes.

I was given a advanced copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.




As I watch my father sit, he doesn’t do so smoothly. His movements are jerky before he folds his old, leathery hands together and his eyes scan the room. The scars are very prominent on his face and hands. All the experiments he did on himself are visible, along with the scar tissue that is ancient and freakish on him. While his eyes are bright, from the new pair he just obtained, he looks like death. And tired. Very tired.

Clearing his throat, he lets his gaze fall on me, and I meet it head on.

“I had a meeting with Kurt Conner.”

Kurt Conner.

The pack leader of the wolves.

My love’s father.

Clearing my throat, I sit up straighter as my forearms lay against the cool top of the old oak table. Before I can comment, though, he is going on. “He needed a loan for the wedding of Taegan.”

What?

My world stops.

I feel all eyes on me. My father is staring at me, waiting for a response, but I don’t have one.

Because what the actual fuck is going on?

Did I hear him wrong?

“A wedding?”

“Yeah, she is marrying some other pack leader’s son—you know how those wolves are. Wanting to unite families with arranged marriage and all that wolfish nonsense, I don’t know. But I didn’t give him the money until—”

“Until?” I gasp, my heart in my throat, my stomach on the ground, and every piece of me feeling as if I am falling into the fiery depths of hell because surely I am hearing my father wrong.

Taegan is to marry me.

“He offered up some information on Frank Kelley—”

“He hasn’t died yet?” Jonas asks, and I know it’s to give me time. To let me think, to let me process, but I can’t. Taegan is to marry someone else? She didn’t even tell me. We were together last night! Had she known? Was she playing me? Damn it, what the hell? How could she allow me to find out this way? I mean, I knew my time was running out, but hell, did she keep this from me? I’ve never experienced heartache or true heartbreak, but I’m pretty sure this feeling of my chest caving in and blowing up is just that.

She’s marrying someone else?

She isn’t waiting for me?

Gasping for breath as I try to push the bile back down my throat, I watch as my father shakes his head. “Not yet. And apparently, they are wanting to attack us in one more attempt to get the formula for him. They think they can kidnap Rebekah and use her as leverage.”

I feel Rebekah move as she squeaks. “Me?”

“You. So we are on high alert. Keep your eyes open, and, Rebekah, I don’t want you working at the bar until this is taken care of. I have a meeting with Frank Kelley on Friday.”

“Father, I’m fine at the bar. It’s owned by our family, most of our family is there, along with JJ. The Kelleys don’t even come that much.”

“Yes, but other families come to the bar, and that makes me uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine, I can take care of myself.”

He leans on his desk, and I don’t care about their melodrama. I can’t. Even though I know I should intervene, calm both sides—because my father is right, we need to keep Rebekah underground while this goes on—I can’t help but think of the fact that my love is marrying another. Someone other than me. How in the world is this fair? Why didn’t she fight them? She told me she was mine, and I was hers. Why didn’t she wait for me?

And then it’s like I’m being slapped back into reality.

She didn’t wait for me because we can’t.

We can’t be selfish and love each other because we have commitments to our families. Yes, we love each other. Yes, she is my world, and I’ll love only her. But just like I have to, she has to protect her family. I’m sure there is something more to this, and while I wish she had told me, I know I can’t be upset. I have to respect the process of our families.

Being the eldest, we have no choice.

We don’t get to be greedy.

Wow, I don’t even believe I’m trying to convince myself.

How could she?






About Toni Aleo

My name is Toni Aleo and I’m a total dork.

I am a wife, mother of two and a bulldog, and also a hopeless romantic.

I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena’s glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!

When my nose isn’t pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son’s hockey games, my daughter’s dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, scrapbooking, and reading the latest romance novel.

I have a slight Disney and Harry Potter obsession, I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, I might have been a Disney Princess in a past life… probably Belle.

… and did I mention I love hockey?






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