FRACTURED HONOR (Crimson Point #1) by Kaylea Cross-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: RELEASE DATE September 25, 2018

An elite warrior struggling to find his place in the civilian world.

Weary from his years on the battlefield, SF Captain Beckett Hollister has returned home to Crimson Point to take over the family business for his dying father. But adjusting to life outside the military is harder than he imagined, and being back home forces him to confront things he’d rather not face. Including the one woman he shouldn’t want and can’t have—his best friend’s little sister.

A love that was always meant to be.

Town vet Sierra Buchanan has known Beckett her entire life. She’s crushed on him for years, but because of his relationship with her family, the stubborn man refuses to see her as more than the girl he grew up with. As tragedy brings them together, neither of them realizes that the sins of Beckett’s past have come home to haunt him. When Sierra becomes the target of his unforeseen enemy, Beckett must vanquish his demons to save her.

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REVIEW: FRACTURED HONOR is the first instalment in Kaylea Cross’ contemporary, adult CRIMSON POINT romantic suspense series focusing on the people of Crimson Point, Oregon. This is thirty-nine year old Captain Beckett Hollister, and thirty-one year old, veterinarian Dr. Sierra Buchanan’s story line.

Told from several third person perspectives including Beckett and Sierra, FRACTURED HONOR follows the friends to lovers/best friend’s little sister trope between thirty-nine year old Captain Beckett Hollister, and thirty-one year old, veterinarian Dr. Sierra Buchanan. When his last mission to Syria went all to h*ll, Beckett returned Stateside to discover his father only had months to live. Struggling to overcome the horrors witnessed on his last assignment Beckett Hollister throws himself headfirst into his father’s business, hiring some of his former Special Forces teammates in the wake. Returning to Crimson Point, Oregon also meant having to face the woman that has always called to his heart but a woman off-limits as Sierra Buchanan was his best friend’s little sister, and he was in no position to demand anything more. What ensues is the building love and relationship between Beckett and Sierra, and the potential fall-out as Beckett’s past comes seeking revenge for a mission that was out of his control.

Sierra Buchanan has had a crush on her brother’s best friend for as long as she can remember but Sierra has been friend-zoned for almost as long. No longer the little girl Beckett remembers Sierra isn’t willing to wait for Beckett to make the first move knowing she would probably have to wait forever. Beckett Hollister has lusted after his best friend’s sister but wasn’t willing to cross the line between friendship and love but his father’s recent decline found our hero needing the friendship and companionship of the woman that called to his heart.

The relationship between Beckett and Sierra is a friends to lovers romance wherein Beckett battles between head and heart. His neighbor’s elderly dog is the perfect excuse to get closer to the woman he loves but getting closer may also mean placing Sierra in the direct line of fire. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Beckett’s fellow Special Forces solders: Sergeant Jase Weaver; Carter Boyd and his wife Molly; Beckett’s father Mr. Hollister; Sierra’s brother Sheriff Noah Buchanan, and town newcomer Poppy Larsen. Noah and Poppy’s story is next in Buried Lies.

The world building follows the romance between Sierra and Beckett, as well as the crumbling relationship between Carter and Molly. Carter suffers with the lingering after affects of head injuries suffered during the war in Syria, injuries that are now contributing to the demise of his marriage.

FRACTURED HONOR is a story of betrayal and revenge; honor and support; romance, love and happily ever after. The relationship between the tight-knit group of Special Forces soldiers struggles in the face of the knowledge that one of their own is facing a battle he is starting to lose. The premise is intriguing, engaging and realistic; the characters are damaged, spirited and colorful; the romance is seductive and spicy.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy