Review: Into the Night Reviews ... Tragically Flawed by A.M. Hargrove
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 18, 2013
Visit Into the Night Reviews at Web: [...] or Facebook: [...] for great book reviews, new release updates, giveaways and more!!Tragically Flawed is a story about damaged people falling in love.  Riviera Benson has had a brutal, horrific life up until the point in time that she meets Benjamin 'Shan' Shandon.  The extent of what she has endured is extreme and it is almost hard to believe that she has managed to survive.  Her ability to withdraw to a safe place in her mind is really all that has saved her.Escaping a violent and abusive ex, Riviera finds herself in Beaver Creek, Colorado and lands herself a job painting murals, trompe l'oeil and other artistic finishes on the walls in the homes of the wealthy.  Happy to get lost in her work and fearful of her past catching up with her she doesn't mix widely.Shan is the owner of the most successful construction company in the region and crosses paths with Riviera through his work.  Their first couple of encounters are less than positive (to say the least) and yet an attraction blossoms between the two that neither of them fully understand, nor know how to react to.For me the relationship between the two moved a little too quickly to be realistic, particularly in light of Riviera's back ground.  Shan had a fiery temper and Riviera saw this a number of times, which I would have expected to be just too traumatic for her.  There were some steamy sex scenes between the two, although I thought these were a little over done, again particularly given Riviera's history.I didn't fully understand Shan's 'trauma' - well that's not right, I did understand it, but I didn't really believe the impact it had on him - there was just something missing for me.  There are some excellent characters in the story.  I particularly liked Amie and her passionate support of abused women.  She was the perfect friend to Riviera and certainly helped her get the support she needed to heal.  Marsha Sue was one nasty piece of work.  I would have liked something more concrete in the history between her and Shan to make some of her actions more realistic though.  Unlike with other books, I didn't find myself quite as invested in the characters and will admit to finding some of Shan's dialogue just a little too cheesy for my liking.Tragically Flawed was a relatively quick read.  It provided enough entertainment to keep me turning pages and I was happy with the way it ended.