Review: God, I wish he were mine! <-- line from the book. I adopted it
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2014
First we had Pax, then we had Gabe and after him we got Dominic. 3 incredible and delicious in their brokenness men. Only to be followed by possibly the most beautifully broken (see what I did there?) of them all. Brand.We’ve known Brand for a while now. He’s Gabe’s best friend from their Army Rangers days. He was wounded right along with Gabe and has been in love with Jacey, Gabe’s sister, for years. Acting as her knight in shining armor he saved the day more often than not. But then Jacey ran off to marry Dominic.Now don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with that, because: A) they’re so NOT compatible, it’s ridiculous. B) Dominic.Until We Fly opens with Brand learning of his father’s passing and his mother asking him to visit for the funeral. Only Brand isn’t so keen on going. His father was an abusive parent, and his mother wasn't much of a mother to him. But Brand being awesome – goes.Only to stumble upon a horrific accident where he, once again, saves the day (and a bunch of kids and a beautiful redheaded girl). Brand hates his parents and with good reason. The plot gradually reveals the details of his childhood and his pain. And really, while you’re curious and want to read it – it’s painful to think kids go through things like that. He gets his closure, though, and it’s glorious.Back paddling to the redhead. That’s Nora. And she’s pretty amazing.Nora has been in love with Brand since she was a young teen. He didn’t know it, of course, working for her father, but when she sees him again, 10 years later, and he saves her only to be injured pretty badly, she decides to nurse him back to health.For Nora, though, this break from being home helps her avoid being around her father and her uncle. Both very strict and demanding. And both have an integral part in the reason why Nora is, as the other characters in this series, beautifully broken.I don’t want to spoil much and I’ve already revealed enough about the plot. This book is very complex and can be looked at a multilayered plot of heartache. But there’s also a lot of good, and fun and sexy hotness.I think in one of my past reviews of this series, probably Gabe’s story (or maybe Dominic? idk) – I said that Cole has chosen for each title a very difficult subject to tackle. And this one is no different. Both Brand and Nora have their demons to deal with, and while Brand’s is a past demon from which he has yet to break free, Nora’s demons are very much still a threat.Both characters go through clear stages of realizing their self worth, although it’s more pronounced with Nora, I think. Our heroine is phenomenal in the way she decides to deal with her troubles. And while at the end there it’s a little bit of a touch-and-go, Nora is very much the perfect example of how a troubled woman can be written without being depicted as a weak creature that needs a strong man to save her.Courtney Cole added another extraordinary tale to the Beautifully Broken series. Until We Fly will make the butterflies in your stomach flutter, the tears in your eyes spill and you’ll feel the earth drop from under your feet from shock; but the ache in your heart will subside by the time you finish the book, and you’ll love Brand and Nora just as much as I do.Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this title. The thoughts are all mine.