Shattered: Dark, Standalone, Why Choose Romance

I was unsure if I could read Shattered just because of what Bailey goes through. Some of it hit too close to home, and I could not put the book down and read it in a day. T.O. Smith does a beautiful job of showing us this component of life unapologetically and with brutal honesty. Some will not get it and judge the characters. The characters are engaging, and their individual stories are compelling. There is more to come with Jacob and Trevor, and I can hardly wait to read their stories.

T. O. Smith pulled off another hit with her book Shattered. I love how Ms. Smith took a trilogy and combined all three books into one larger book. This combining of the books makes it perfect in my opinion. Shattered had to be one of the hardest books I've read in a long while. this book isn't about child abuse, but it does deal with most today's taboo topics, so you have been warned.

This is a very emotional book. There aren't a lot of happy moments in it. There are multiple trigger warnings. This book is about Bailey who is in high school. She meets a bad boy, Seth, who won't leave her alone. Bailey and Seth end up making a deal to spend time together. Bailey ends up getting pregnant. Bailey becomes very emotionally unstable, depressed, and anxious. Bailey's family is very supportive but Seth walks away. Bailey ends up in a relationship with two of Seth's brothers Brayden and Stephen. One of those relationships works out and one doesn't. Bailey is in a harem relationship. Bailey has a hard time adjusting to being pregnant and never fully accepts it. After she has her baby things get really bad. The emotional state of Bailey reminds me of T.O. Smith's book Theirs. Both characters struggle with issues and find help with their significant others and therapy. I do find this book much more memorable and meaningful being that T.O. Smith has been through this. I think th