Review: 4.5 Stars Tragically Beautiful!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 27, 2013
"If there is love in your life, it can make up for most things that are missing. If you don't have love, no matter what else you have, it will never be enough."Riviera Benson is a survivor. Finally finding the courage to escape an abusive relationship she has an opportunity to start over in Beaver Creek. She is far from perfect, smart and beautiful in her own unique way. She is a talented painter but not in the traditional sense. She has been hired by the notoriously bitchy interior designer, Marsha Sue. Working for Marsha Sue hasn't been easy and Riviera realizes it never will be but Marsha is the "it" person to work for and Riviera needs the work. Working in million dollar Shandon homes, Riviera creates masterpieces..murals on the ceilings and walls using faux finishes. They are breathtaking, one of a kind and priceless. Fearing relationships and lacking trust, she focuses on her work, it is the one thing that helps put her mind at ease from the terrifying nightmares that keep her awake at night, a secret that has prevented her from opening up to anyone, until Shan. He seems to have gotten her panties in a bunch, in a good way and that scares her more than anything.Benjamin Shandon is a successful builder and owner of Shandon Homes. His homes are perfect. He is tough to work for but in the end the quality is priceless. After a devastating fire that destroyed hundreds of million dollar homes, Shan works himself to the bone. He expects the perfection from his employees as well as from his women; lately he doesn't really have time for that. He is married to his job that is until he meets the talented painter, Riviera. He is completely smitten with her.Slowly Riviera let's Shan in and their friendship turns into so much more. Shan believes in Riv, her talent and her strength and he does his best to get her to believe in herself. Things seem to be going well, until Riviera's past catches up with her. When jealousy, revenge and love collide. Riviera believes she is too flawed and Shan wants nothing more than to save her from her tragic past as well as his.Will Riviera be able to let go of her past to have a future with Shan? Will Shan be able to accept her past as well?Riviera is such a tortured soul. She is naive yet so smart, so vulnerable and beautiful. Her scars are her story, her past. Your heart absolutely breaks for her but somehow through it all she is able to create beauty. She has the will and the drive to survive and to be free.Jasper and Marsha Sue are those characters you absolutely LOVE to HATE. They are evil n their own way and all you want to do is punch them!Shan.... Oh Shan *hotsexysmartdedicated* He is fantastic, smart, cranky and gorgeous. He has his own demons he is battling, the same demons that made him the work-a-holic perfectionist. When he meets Riviera, she ends up turning his world inside out in the best possible way.A.M Hargrove created some fantastic characters. There is fear, struggle, angst, longing, love and most of all accomplishment by facing the past, overcoming that fear and accepting the future.Riviera and Shan journey is beautiful, angsty, humorous and sexy.Mrs. Hargrove does a fantastic job keeping the reader engaged. A wonderful read that will piss you off, make you laugh, make you cry and make you blush. An entertaining read. A fantastic job!