Reviewed by Cindy
TITLE: Beautiful Trauma
SERIES: Queen City Rogues Book 3
AUTHOR: Aimee Nicole Walker
PUBLISHER: Chasing Rainbows Press LLC
LENGTH: 234 Pages
RELEASE DATE: July 18, 2019
BLURB:
Does trauma define or motivate a person?
Homeless and rejected, Henry Sullivan arrived on the doorstep of Ryan’s Place with nothing but the clothes on his back. Life as he knew it was over. Within those walls, Henry found the encouragement and love needed to turn hopeless into hopeful. Enrolling for summer classes at his community college was the first step toward achieving the dreams he thought were lost to him. There was just one little snag: the professor standing in the front of the room taught Henry the true meaning of human sexuality.
After a crushing breakup, Professor Ezra Meyer moved to the Queen City for a fresh start where everything was new—job, home, and friends. His first challenge: prove the benefits of his biology of human sexuality course outweighed the controversy. Ezra agreed to teach the class during the summer semester at a community college associated with his university to gauge interest. There was just one little problem: Ezra had personally demonstrated the unit on Sexual Technique and Behaviors with one of his students.
Random or Fate?
It was supposed to be a harmless hookup on a night when Henry was celebrating his birthday and Ezra was trying to ease his loneliness. Fast forward six months later, the attraction blazed hotter than ever, but acting on it could have dire consequences neither man was willing to risk. Or were they? Could true love be Henry and Ezra’s ultimate reward, or were they destined to become just another sad lesson learned?
Beautiful Trauma is a story about triumph over tragedy, embracing the unexpected, and a reminder that family is more than biology. Are you looking for a feel-good romance with witty banter, toe-curling passion, and a story that stays with you long after the final page? Look no further. Beautiful Trauma is the third book in the Queen City Rogues series but reads as a standalone book. It contains sexually explicit material and colorful language and is intended for adults 18 and over.
REVIEW:
Henry is a man who’s just started exploring who he is after losing everything. He has help from the wonderful people at Ryan’s Place and he’s finally looking toward a future that looks bright.
Ezra just wants to teach, have a little fun once in a while and forget why he had to move to Queen City in the first place.
This is the third book in this series and the writer is very talented. They write complex characters who aren’t always perfect and that’s something that appeals to me. They write great conversations and have built a world that is interesting and believable and I’m glad that I’ve stuck by this series.
This book did have an issue for me, however. I found some of Ezra’s behavior…unsettling. And yes, I did mention that I like imperfect characters but some of his “charms” were lost on me. I wanted to like him a lot, but without giving too much away, I found him kind of mean and sometimes felt like he was a little manipulative in a way that bothered me.
Henry was sweet and lovable and I wanted nothing but the best for him and while I liked a lot of things about his relationship with Ezra, my reservations about Ezra’s behavior kind of dampened my enthusiasm.
The sex is hot and very well written. I loved how they approached Henry’s issues (which I will keep to myself) and it’s the kind of normalization that is sorely needed in this genre.
Henry’s friends are interesting and some of them are familiar faces and that always makes me smile. Ezra’s friends need a little help, but his parent’s are amazing and it’s nice to see supportive, kind and loving families. A lot of times the angst in a story comes from families and while it’s kind of true for this one, I’m happy to see the balance here.
Once again, there is a lot to love about this story and I really tried hard to understand the behaviors that were concerning to me, it did take away a little of my enjoyment. Please remember, though, it really might be just a personal issue with me.
RATING: 
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