Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Picking Up the Pieces

AUTHOR: Annabella Michaels

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 169 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 30, 2019

BLURB:

Two Shattered Hearts

Brody Murphy feels as if he’s lost everything when his best friend and partner, Paul, dies in the line of duty. Partners on the force for years, Paul Donovan was all Brody had. Paul accepted Brody as he was—standoffish from a childhood in the foster system, bisexual in a police force that wasn’t entirely welcoming, Brody is now adrift. Wracked by survivor’s guilt and grief, Brody devotes what’s left of his heart to help Paul’s widow and her children. And when his partner’s oldest child returns home a grown man, Brody is torn between what he thinks he should do and what his heart wants.

Grief Binds Them

Cooper Donovan is in his senior year of college when the unthinkable happens. His father dies, and Cooper returns home to be with his family, and help his mother with his little sisters. So many things were left unsaid between Cooper and his father, a fact that weighs heavily on his heart. College helped Cooper learn more about who he was and what he wanted from life, and with Brody Murphy comes unexpected feelings and complications.

Hope Leads Them Home

Brody and Cooper forge a connection that leaves Brody conflicted, Cooper determined, and both men wounded by their shared grief. While Brody struggles with why he lived, and Paul died—he had no one and nothing, and Paul had everything to live for, Cooper sees a man who deserves love and happiness under the grief. Tension rises when Brody and Cooper can’t deny what’s happening between them. Both men are picking up the pieces of their previous lives and putting together a new future, one where hope and love heals, and home is in each other’s arms.

REVIEW:

I became a huge Annabella Michaels fan after getting the opportunity to meet her at GRL 2018 in Portsmouth last year. Who should have ever guessed that getting stuck with my electric mobility scooter in a huge crowd of people would lead me to discover one of my new most favorite authors and form a friendship? I have never been so thankful that I was disabled and stuck! 💗

Brody Murphy feels like he has lost everything in a blink of an eye when he and his best friend and police partner stop by so Paul Donovan can pick up some flowers and chocolates for his wife after a particularly ugly domestic call. Little did they know when they entered that fateful store that it was being robbed at gun point by a tweaked out druggie! When Brody is hit in the shoulder it goes bad but Paul was dealt the fatal blow. Now Brody has no idea where life will lead. Paul and his family had become his only family Brody had ever had. Growing up a drug baby that wound up in the foster system had left Brody distrustful and scarred. But Paul, his wife and kids had changed that. Now what will he do?

Cooper is in the process of finishing up his senior year of college in LA and is ready to move back to Clearwater, Florida and face his parents about his secrets that sent him so far away. That all changes the moment his Aunt calls telling him his father has been killed in the line of duty. Cooper knows his only option is to come back and help his mom through everything and help her with his 7-year old twin sisters. Little did he know that he would run into his dad’s partner and fireworks would explode! But how can he convince Brody, 20 years his senior and his dad’s best friend, that they are perfect for each other?

This one was a roller coaster for me. I felt so bad for Brody and Paul’s family that he was ripped from their lives so violently. Those sweet girls losing their daddy that they adored so much was so cruel. They were way to young to understand this tragic loss. And his wife Aubrey left trying to hold herself and her family together was rough to read. But my heart went out the most for Cooper. His grief at losing his dad and then the guilt that he had went away and never shared what was truly on his heart was difficult. I was thrilled that Brody finally let him in and then encouraged “the talk” with his mom. I know that it could have went sideways real fast but I never thought it would. His mom was too kind, accepting and loving of a person and mother to have allowed that. Plus loosing one more member of her family would have been more than she could bear. I loved the way he just stepped in with his family when they needed him most. He is an honorable young man that is wise beyond his years. It made him the perfect match for Brody.

I will warn you that this one is going to rip your heart apart. The brutality of Paul’s murder was tough. The grief of his partner and his family was gut-wrenching. But the love and acceptance of everyone was heart-warming and sincere. This is a great stand-alone novel that starts as bittersweet but moves through the process of healing to a wonderful happily (as it can be when you lose a loved one) ever after. This is a huge 5 shining hearts for me and I hope for you too. Another great book by the incredibly talented writer Annabella Michaels!!!

RATING:

BUY LINK:

Amazon