Everything about this book was enjoyable. I can't even put into words how much I loved this book! Hands down the best Shanora Williams book so far.

Shanora Williams’ Beautiful Broken Love is a poignant and powerful exploration of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit. With its deeply emotional narrative and richly drawn characters, this novel takes readers on an unforgettable journey of healing and transformation.

At its core, this is a story about overcoming adversity and embracing the possibility of a brighter future, regardless of past hardships. Williams masterfully captures the emotional weight of her characters’ struggles, delivering moments of heartbreak and triumph that resonate on a deeply personal level. The protagonist’s journey is both raw and inspiring, demonstrating how growth and love can emerge even from life’s most painful experiences.

One of the novel’s standout qualities is its supporting cast. The sisters, the best friend, and other side characters bring depth and warmth to the story, enriching the protagonist’s world and adding layers of complexity to the narrative. Their dynamics feel authentic and vibrant, leaving readers eager to know more about their lives—perhaps even in future books.

And then there’s the spice. Williams incorporates steamy, well-timed romantic scenes that elevate the story without overpowering its emotional core. The balance between passion and plot is expertly maintained, making these moments feel earned and impactful.

The writing itself is evocative and immersive, drawing readers in from the very first page. Williams’ ability to evoke intense emotions is remarkable; it’s as if she takes hold of your heart, breaks it, and then carefully mends it, leaving you feeling more whole by the end.

Verdict:

Beautiful Broken Love is an exquisite blend of emotional depth, romance, and personal growth. Shanora Williams crafts a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, delivering a narrative filled with love, strength, and hope. With its compelling characters, perfect pacing of passion, and deeply moving themes, this novel is a must-read for fans of contemporary romance.

This really was a remarkable story about grief, strength, and the courage to love again.

Shanora is constantly making me fall in love with her writing. She has such a wonderful way of writing beautiful stories. Both these characters learning to go through life in spite of their grief and struggles was so heartwarming. You will fall in love with Deke and how strong he is in his determination to never give up on the woman he loved.

I highly recommend this story if you need a love story that will pull at your heartstrings and make you believe in a second chance at love.

Davina is a successful entrepreneur and business woman of Golden Oil Co.; a skincare line. She is working toward a huge endorsement deal for her company that will help to market her line and expand it even further. The catch? Davina lost her husband, Lewis, 7 months ago and is still dealing with the grief of becoming a widow. Enter, Deke Bishop, the NBA star that will be helping her endorse her company. The attraction is immediate for both Davina and Deke. But, both are also dealing with grief and pain that they haven't fully recovered from. Will their business partnership become more or just complicate an already complicated situation?
Review:
Beautiful Broken Love is filled with love, spice, trauma, and grief. It is definitely heavy during certain parts, but absolutely beautiful as well. The connection between Davina and Deke is strong and the spice is definitely spicing!!! The pain, grief, devastation, and hurt is very apparent for both Davina and Deke in different ways. The slow reveal of these traumas and feelings was well done and showed great character development. The love story in general was beautiful, but a little too insta love for me. Attraction is one thing, but I always like a little more build up and tension in my romances.
Beautiful Broken Love published on Tuesday, 12/3! Be sure to pick up your copy!
Thank you to NetGalley, Shanora Williams, and Montlake Publishing for this ARC of Beautiful Broken Love in exchange for an honest review!

This is a repeat author for me, I've enjoyed her books as I did this one. I found this to be a cute read about life, loss and moving on to love again. The characters were well developed and I did like the storyline which went along at a quick pace. I liked that all of the characters in the story had a part to play and I think that there maybe another couple in there that a book could be written about. It was a nice easy read!

Two broken hearts help each other piece back their hearts. The book deals with a lot of heavy topics, including grief and suicide, written with care. We meet the MCs in different stages of grief, through friendship they help each other heal.

Rounded up from 3.5
Seven months ago, Davina lost her husband and soulmate. Not knowing how to deal with the grief, she throws herself into her skincare line in the hopes it'll become viral. She finally lands NBA star Deke to sponsor her brand. But he's not only interested in her products...
This is a story about love, loss, healing and second chances. A strangers to work to friends with benefits romance. I enjoyed it overall, I even cried a few times, but there were a few things I didn't like that kept me from adoring this book as much as everybody else seems to have. I was a bit annoyed that the MMC kept on bringing back, in one iteration or another that the FMC was "not like the other women". That's one of my romance icks. Also, there were a little too many monologues that lasted for a few pages, which I'm not a fan of. Finally, Zeke is everything and Davina does not deserve him. Overall I liked it, but the reviews are fantastic, so maybe you'll love it!
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley for this E-ARC.

Wow. This book is beautiful. So well written. So enthralling. And so spicy. In a calm, nice way. Nothing that had me clutching my pearls. Just casually covering them. Nice spice.
I cried. Which I do to most books with any sad feelings. But in a beautiful way. It only slightly broke my heart.
It does have one of my least favorite tropes but it’s okay. I kind of knew it was coming.

Davina met her soulmate. The love of her life. And then he gets sick. And he doesn’t make it. She’s getting through life. Struggling a little. Doing her best.

She has a skincare company. And through that company, she meets Deke. A professional NBA player. What an interesting meet.

Deke has everything he’s always wanted. He’s rich. He’s signed to the NBA. He drives a black Ferrari. That’s all you need, right? Life complete? Wrong. Deke has some sadness too.
He is also enthralled by Davina.

It’s an interesting will they/ won’t they. With the most amazing spice. It’s well done spice. Spice I enjoyed reading.

Read this book. You’re welcome in advance.

This was a moving, emotional and captivating story.

Following the loss of her husband to spinal cancer, Davina is doing her best to carry on, growing her skincare business and taking each day a step at a time. She's not looking to move on or be attracted to the irresistible basketball player she just signed a contract with...

Deke, however, has other plans. There's nothing he can do to get Davina off his mind, and as they grow closer, email by email, he knows he won't ever be satisfied with just being friends. Does he have a chance, or is it just too painful?

This was a lovely read and had a bit of everything. Some of the terminology and phrasing threw me off, but overall, it was a great book that captured the pain and challenges associated with loss and finding yourself after it.

Wow, what an emotional experience I had while reading this book. I will forever cherish Beautiful Broken Love. There are no words that can express how I’m feeling.
I’m a huge basketball fan so it was an automatic read for me.

This book was a mixed of emotions, romance, depression domestic violence , amazing friendship bonds and family dynamics. This was absolutely perfection!
It was a beautiful love story that was well written.
It dealt with different stages of grief, which can be hard for anyone to read but the way Shanora writes it. You are just captured by the story and feel so connected to the characters.

I don’t want to ruin the book for anyone, but I will highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

This was a beautifully written and poignant love story. We meet Davina as she is navigating her grief of losing her beloved husband. The author did a good job exploring all the mixed emotions that we feel, the pain and loss, remembering the love and the anger too. From the moment Deke and Davina meet there is an obvious attraction but Davina is not ready. I liked how Deke became a friend first. One who despite still dealing with his own unresolved issues was there for Davina any way she needed him to be. Although there is red hot passion the love grows gently between them and I felt that this was more realistic. Knowing that this book came from the heart of the author only makes it even more special.

The title alone is a good indicator of the story you’re about to embark in! I was hooked from the beginning as I was introduced to Davina and Deek’s emotional journey!
Oh the journey this author created for these characters was mesmerizing and compelling!
Brimming with emotions, hot passion, this is a thoughtful and soulful story of grief and finding love again. So realistic and so relatable, once I started reading I was hooked! Even after I finished I couldn’t stop thinking about these characters.
A must read!

Davina recently lost her husband and has thrown herself into her own company to avoid dealing with the grief of losing her husband.
Deke, an NBA player who she gets as a spokesperson to represent her brand.
When Deke meets Davina, he immediately feels a pull toward her. The sadness in her eyes mirrors his own.
They start a friendship, and he becomes her confidant, the person she can speak to about her grief.
What I like about Deke is that he's very patient with Davina and never pushes her for more than she is ready for. He waited for her until she moved to take their relationship to the next level.
This is a tremendous love-after-loss romance. The author does a great job describing Davina's journey with grief, including all of the ups and downs.

The author does a great job portraying Davina's journey with grief. I felt the hero's Deke journey with grief was not given the same priority. We learned that he is also dealing with an uphill battle with brief through his POV, but I believe all that was pushed towards the end of the book, wrapping it up in a little bow, and I feel rushed. This book highlights the heroine's journey and her dealing with her loss and grief throughout most of this book; I wish the hero's journey had been highlighted more in the story to have an equal balance.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the arc for this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Davina, who lost her husband, is a woman from the first page who if filled with love because if she wasn’t would her grief be so immense? Her journey with Deke was a slow one in the context of the book progress but the reward to see her and Deke in end was so beautiful! Grief can last a lifetime and love doesn’t care about timing are two things I took away from this book.

The author portrayed a beautiful love story that was patient and understanding. Love growing in tandem with grief. I think a lot of people need to read this! A letter to those moving on with grief because at the end of the day, we all deserve happiness even after loss.

TLDR; beautiful story with deep emotional aspects. Be sure to check her trigger warnings before diving in ❤️

Thank you NetGalley, publisher, and Shanora for early access to this title!

Beautiful Broken Love by Shanora Williams is an emotional and heartwarming story about healing and second chances. Davina, a strong and determined woman, is grieving the loss of her husband while focusing on growing her skincare company, Golden Oil Co. When she meets Deke Bishop, a charming NBA star, for a potential endorsement deal, sparks begin to fly, but Davina isn’t ready to open her heart again.

The slow build between Davina and Deke feels genuine, as their connection grows through emails and texts before evolving into something deeper. Deke’s charm and patience make him an endearing character, and their chemistry is undeniable. Davina’s journey of grief and rediscovering hope is beautifully portrayed, making her a relatable and strong protagonist.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster with moments of heartbreak and joy. If you enjoy stories of love, loss, and finding the courage to move forward, this is a great read!

It's been ages since I've read a book from Shanora. When I saw this cover I thought it was gorgeous and then I read the blurb and knew I had to read it.

This book is about Davina and Deke. The story is touching, tragic, deep, emotional and healing. We have a broken heroine and a broken hero. Its also friends to lovers.

I really did enjoy this. It was so nice getting to read Shanora's words again

Beautiful Broken Love was a good read! Davina recently lost her husband and is still very much grieving but she throws herself into her company - Golden Oil Co. Deke Bishop is a hot NBA player who is about to have an endorsement deal with Davina's company. Deke is intrigued with Davina from the start but she's not ready for anything but friendship so she pushes back. They end up emailing, texting and Deke ends up breaking down some of Davina's walls but she's still hesitant. I liked Davina, despite everything going on in her life, she was strong and seemed like a great woman. Deke was charming. I liked the chemistry between them!

Such a beautiful story. Now I've discovered Shanora I will be reading so much more from her, Bravo!
It follows Davina who is grieving the loss of her husband whilst still working hard to expand her self-built skincare line, Golden Oil Co. She takes a chance to pitch a collaboration with NBA star Deve Bishop. He's very charming and Davina can't help but feel he's more than flirting with her. She isn't interested, trying to navigate her emotions and also what others would think of her getting involved so soon after loosing Lew's.
Deke is more than attracted to Davina, not knowing anything about her past when he discovers she has recently lost her husband, he reaches out to offer her a friendly shoulder, he understands grief and can't bear to see her cope alone.
Told in dual POV which I absolutely love. Their is plenty of spice and so well written too, its very hot but so appropriately done. Reading Shanora's acknowledgments was beautiful and totally understood as she was able to write this story with so much compassion and raw emotions.
Thank you NetGalley, Shanora Williams and Montlake for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

This was such a heartfelt story. After losing her husband, Davina throws herself into her skincare business. When she notices a star basketball player commenting about his dry skin, she sees an opportunity to promote her brand. She reaches out to Deke’s manager, hoping he might consider being an ambassador, though she doesn’t expect him to endorse her small company.

Deke doesn’t need the money, but knowing his sister loves Davina’s products, he agrees—thinking he might score some freebies for her. However, the moment he meets Davina, he’s captivated and eager to find ways to spend more time with her.

Davina, aware of Deke’s reputation as a player and put off by his confidence, isn’t interested in a relationship. Still grappling with her grief, she doesn’t reveal her husband’s death. Deke, unwilling to pursue a married woman, is caught off guard when he learns the truth. Having experienced grief himself, he offers his support, even if it’s just as a friend.

This beautifully written story captures love, healing, and the power of connection, making it truly unforgettable.

Hmmmm. I struggle a bit with writing this review. Davina is a strong and smart woman who runs her own highly successful company. She also lost her husband not that long ago and is navigating the grieving process daily. Deke is a pro basketball player who Davina signs to be the face of her products. Deke is instantly smitten with Davina, working overtime to connect with her and forge some type of relationship despite the barriers she throws up.

I really did like both Davina and Deke as the main characters. They were easy to relate to. I enjoyed the interactions throughout the book with their friends and siblings. I think what I struggled most with that I didn't really feel the connection between Deke and Davina. He seemed so into her from the very beginning but I didn't feel their connection. I didn't get a sense of any growth of their relationship beyond the physical. I also felt like the first half of the book was kind of slow and dragged, but the second half was too fast and things were happening at a rapid pace. I wish I could have felt more of a connection between Davina and Deke. All in all I think this story was just ok for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.