StarAngel's Reviews

Book – Beyond Repair

Author – Susie Tate

Publication Date – October 11, 2015
Genre – Romance
Type – Stand Alone
Cliffhanger – No
Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Complimentary copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis

Everybody loves Katie; with her bubbly personality, her beauty, her never-ending supply of care and support for her patients and friends, and her huge sense of fun, there’s very little to dislike. Yes, she’s a bit scatty, she tends not to sweat the small stuff (like an engine light on her dashboard – that is until her Mini won’t actually start any more), and she can talk the hind legs off a donkey, but none of that stops most people from thinking she’s pretty damn adorable. 
Well, most people, other than Sam, that is. 

Sam is anything but bubbly. His surly demeanour is the complete opposite of Katie's, and over the six years that she’s known him one thing has become very clear: Sam cannot stand her. The fact that he makes her nervous doesn’t help the situation. Around Sam her verbal diarrhoea seems ten times worse, the snort that she tries to hold in when she laughs refuses to be suppressed, and her clumsiness assumes clown-like proportions. 

If only he weren’t quite so intimidating, she might be able to act like a normal human being, but his sheer masculine beauty is enough to throw her off before she’s even spoken to him. Then there’s the fact that he looks at her like she’s something he’s scraped off his shoe. The combination is enough to short-circuit her brain. 

Katie may be bubbly and bright but unfortunately her past is not, and it’s started leaking into her present. She hides her fear from her friends as they have problems of their own, but when Sam finds out the potential danger she’s in, for some reason he is furious. 

Then again, there’s a reason Sam is the way he is. He has his own demons to contend with. Shutting himself off and burying his pain has been working well for him over the last six years since leaving the Special Forces, so the last thing he wants is to spend any time with the one woman that cuts through the numbness he surrounds himself with and actually makes him feel again. But he simply can’t stand by if Katie is in danger; he can’t allow her to be hurt. Unfortunately there are other ways to be hurt, and by getting closer to Katie, Sam may inflict more damage than her past ever could. 

Because Sam is damaged, and some things are beyond repair. 

My Thoughts - Story
Hmmm…my thoughts?

Well, there are a limited number of overseas books that I really enjoy and this was definitely one of them. I thought the language barrier made this book and I found it adorable.  Just as I found Katie. She was so freaking cute and made this book a winner. I loved trying to figure out what the Welsh slang meant and how everything was solved with a cup of tea!

A book like this was fast paced and the author did a great job with the characters – especially her development of Sam. From the grumpy, pompous ass that he was in the beginning to the over protective, pompous ass he was toward the end – there were so many times I wanted to smack him upside his head.

Enjoyable story from beginning to end with tons of flip flopping from Sam’s part to our comedic poster gay guy…Russell!

There was only one thing that I had a little problem with and that was the sudden switch of Sam – I think I would have liked that drawn out a bit more – especially with more of the snippy banter between Katie and Sam.

Re-Cap
Katie has always had a crush on Sam (her best friend’s husband’s best friend) but he won’t give her the time of day and even lowers himself to complain constantly about her to his friend. Until something happens to Katie that suddenly has Sam showing an over-protective streak. Between Katie’s ex-boyfriend (drug/sex dealer) stalking her to the point of it being illegal and Sam trying to get past what happened in his past – Katie seems to be the only one who can bring an ounce of happiness and sunshine to everyone.

As Katie helps Sam learn to live again, their relationship grows and secrets are shared, but are they both strong enough to make it?

Reason for Reading – Author Request

Story – 5 out of 5 Stars
Steam –  4 out of 5 Stars
Angst – 4 out of 5 Stars
Writing – 5 out of 5 Stars
Content Flow – 4.5 out of 5 Stars

HEA (Spoiler) – 

Would Read More from Author? Definitely
Recommend To – Everyone who loves a romance between a tortured soul and bubbly, rainbow living angel