"By turns humorous and heartbreaking, Best Kind Of Broken has become one of my favorites!" ---Cora Carmack, New York Times bestselling author
"You'll fall for Pixie and Levi, just like I did!" ---Jennifer L. Armentrout (J. Lynn), #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Tangled with friendship, history and heartbreak - not to mention a huge dose of humor - Chelsea Fine's New Adult novel is not to be missed! Beyond an incredibly HOT read, Pixie and Levi's longing for each other will have you rooting for them till the very end." --- Jay Crownover, New York Times bestselling author
"Chelsea Fine's style is witty, visceral and fresh. All I wanted to do was crawl inside this book and live with the characters. " ---Chelsea M. Cameron, New York Times bestselling author
Sometimes when perfect falls apart, a little trouble fixes everything . . . Twenty-one-year-old Kayla Turner has lost everything. After spending most of her life taking care of her ailing mother, she just wants to spot a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. So when her late father-a man she barely knew-leaves her an inheritance, she finally breathes a sigh of relief . . . until she learns the inheritance comes with strings. Strings in the form of handsome playboy Daren Ackwood, her father's protégé. To see any of her inheritance, she's forced to team up with him. From his expensive car to those sexy dimples, Kayla's seen his type before. But Daren isn't who he seems to be . . .
Struggling to make amends for his family's mistakes, Daren has a life more Oliver Twist than Richie Rich these days. He's beyond grateful that James Turner included him in his will, but working with Turner's princess of a daughter to fulfill his cryptic last wish is making Daren wonder if being broke is really so bad. Still, she's just as beautiful as she is stubborn, and the more time he spends with Kayla, the less it feels right being without her. Soon Daren and Kayla begin to wonder if maybe the best gift Kayla's dad could have left them . . . was each other.
New Adult Romance
"You'll fall for Pixie and Levi, just like I did!" ---Jennifer L. Armentrout (J. Lynn), #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Tangled with friendship, history and heartbreak - not to mention a huge dose of humor - Chelsea Fine's New Adult novel is not to be missed! Beyond an incredibly HOT read, Pixie and Levi's longing for each other will have you rooting for them till the very end." --- Jay Crownover, New York Times bestselling author
"Chelsea Fine's style is witty, visceral and fresh. All I wanted to do was crawl inside this book and live with the characters. " ---Chelsea M. Cameron, New York Times bestselling author
Sometimes when perfect falls apart, a little trouble fixes everything . . . Twenty-one-year-old Kayla Turner has lost everything. After spending most of her life taking care of her ailing mother, she just wants to spot a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. So when her late father-a man she barely knew-leaves her an inheritance, she finally breathes a sigh of relief . . . until she learns the inheritance comes with strings. Strings in the form of handsome playboy Daren Ackwood, her father's protégé. To see any of her inheritance, she's forced to team up with him. From his expensive car to those sexy dimples, Kayla's seen his type before. But Daren isn't who he seems to be . . .
Struggling to make amends for his family's mistakes, Daren has a life more Oliver Twist than Richie Rich these days. He's beyond grateful that James Turner included him in his will, but working with Turner's princess of a daughter to fulfill his cryptic last wish is making Daren wonder if being broke is really so bad. Still, she's just as beautiful as she is stubborn, and the more time he spends with Kayla, the less it feels right being without her. Soon Daren and Kayla begin to wonder if maybe the best gift Kayla's dad could have left them . . . was each other.
New Adult Romance
EXCERPT ONE
I reach Mr. Perkins’s office and quickly park before climbing out of the car in
my high heels.
The inheritance really could be only twenty dollars—or less—and spending
an afternoon chained to Daren Ackwood to find it could be a complete waste of time,
not to mention horribly awkward given our romantic encounter last night, but it’s
worth a shot. Because if it turns out to be a substantial amount of money, everything
could change.
Not only could I go back to nursing school, but I could afford a decent
apartment and buy myself some time to find a new job—one where my boss isn’t
demanding I work for free or flash him in order to pay off my mother’s debt.
Ugh. My life can really only go uphill from where I’m at.
I know money can’t buy happiness, and I believe that. But it would be nice
to be out from under Big Joe’s threatening thumb. And sleeping in a cockroach-free
apartment while eating regular hot meals wouldn’t be bad either.
I hurry down the sidewalk toward Mr. Perkins’s office, tripping a little in
my shoes. Maybe wearing the skirt and heels again wasn’t such a great idea. But
I wanted to look professional and responsible, and the gray dress is too hot and
the only other pair of shoes I own are my beat-up sneakers from last night. I didn’t
think a pencil skirt and a pair of dirty sneakers really said I can be trusted with my
deceased father’s money. So I went with the pumps.
I wobble as my shoe catches on a small pebble and curse under my breath.
High heels really are a bitch.
Up ahead, I see Daren round a corner and hurry toward the office, now just a
few yards down the sidewalk. I relax a little, knowing he’s not there yet. As we near
each other, my stomach fills with butterflies. I don’t know what I’m more anxious
about—the inheritance or seeing Daren.
We reach Eddie’s door at the same time.
“Good morning.” He smiles broadly.
“Morning,” I respond with a cheerful smile of my own.
Our smiles are exaggerated, like we’re trying to prove just how “okay” we are
with the thing that never happened last night. Then our eyes meet in brief a clash of
lust, and tension fills the air.
Daren is the first to break it. “So. You ready to do this?”
“I am,” I say.
The tension returns, but this time it’s laced with nervousness. We’re about to
lock ourselves together. For money. The morning after we dry humped each other
against a bar. It’s nothing less than weird and desperate. Which begs the question,
why is Daren doing this?
I know why I’m subjecting myself to this craziness but I’m still not sure why
Daren has agreed—especially without knowing how much money is at stake. Is he in
it for the thrill? Is he just bored?
Whatever his reasons are, I’m grateful.
We enter the office and Eddie looks up from his messy desk, his glasses
perched on his shiny head. Today he’s wearing a yellow button-up shirt with a plaid
bow tie to match his plaid pants. The look suits him.
“You’ve returned,” he says brightly, standing to greet us. “I guess this means
you’ve come to a decision about Mr. Turner’s letter?”
“We have,” I say.
Daren nods. “Yes.”
“Excellent.” Eddie clasps his hands together. “What have you decided?”
Daren and I exchange an anxious look. My stomach does a flip-flop, afraid
he’s going to change his mind, but then he gives me a subtle nod and I nod back.
We turn to face Eddie, hold out our wrists, and at the same time say, “Cuff us.”
EXCERPT TWO
“So this is where you work?” She gestures at the closed kitchen door behind
me as she approaches.
I step back so she can enter the courtyard then glance over my shoulder. “It’s
more like the place where I help out in the kitchen, occasionally,” I say. “I like to
cook so sometimes the owner, Jake, let’s me jump on the line.”
She tilts her head. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as the cooking type.”
“No?” I arch a brow. “What type am I?”
“Well the professional lover type, obviously.”
I grin. “That too.”
The teasing in her eyes along with the lightness of her smile does something
soft to my insides. This is a different Kayla than the one I was sitting next to at the
bar. That girl was stressed and burdened, but this girl... this girl is hopeful and
happy.
The only reason I can think of for the change in her tone is the inheritance.
Does the idea of getting money please her so much that she’s suddenly this cheerful
person? Does it please me that much?
I remember Jake’s comment earlier, about my being happy, and realize with a
sinking feeling that yes, the idea of an inheritance has made me happy. Money would
alleviate some of my problems and, therefore, it gives me a security in my future
that pleases me.
I’m not sure how I feel about money having so much control over my
contentment. It makes me sound an awful lot like my dad.
“So what is this place?” she asks, nodding to the courtyard around us.
I look up at the small twinkle lights strung above the area. “Right now it’s just
storage space. But Jake wants to make it into a dining patio. You know, so people can
rent it out for private parties or whatever.”
“It’s cute.” She walks around, checking out the rose bushes that line the fence
and the Tuscany-inspired mural painted against the back wall.
“So where you off to?” I step closer so we’re both beside the painted wall.
“Back to your humble abode at the Quickie Stop?”
She scoffs. “Humble indeed. But yeah.”
I glance at the dark parking lot beyond the fence and the even darker streets
that lead to the edge of town, and frown. “By yourself?”
She faces me with a cocked eyebrow. “Yeah. I’ve got my own driver’s license
and everything.”
I smile at the ground. “Okay, that’s fair.” I glance at the dark streets again.
“I’m just a concerned citizen that wanted to make sure you got home safely. That’s
She nods. “How very kind of you, citizen. Would you rather I be going back to
the Quickie Stop with someone?”
The idea of Kayla going home with someone—anyone, other than me—rakes
down my spine like nails on a chalkboard. I don’t know when I got so possessive of
this girl but holy hell. My veins are on fire.
How very unexpected. And somewhat annoying.
I don’t get possessive of women. Ever. Sure, I care about Amber and Pixie but
that’s different. I care about them like sisters. I’m protective of them. I couldn’t really
give a damn who they, or any other female in this town, go to bed with.
But Kayla?
Hot jealousy darts through my veins.
How very annoyingly unexpected.
I set my shoulders back in a casual manner. “Not particularly,” I say coolly. “I
just wasn’t sure if you had a ride or not.”
“Oh.” She runs a finger over her lips. “And what, you were going to offer me a
I watch the tip of her finger skim over the pink fullness of her bottom lip and
my breath hitches. She can’t say things like “give me a ride” and touch her mouth at
the same time. That’s just not fair.
“Well I might have offered you a ride,” I say, inwardly cursing as I remember
sweet, precious Monique, “except I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to take rides
from strangers. And since that’s what you and I are...” I sigh dramatically. “It would
have just been a waste of time to ask you.”
She smiles behind her moving fingers and I start to wonder if she’d let me
kiss her. My guess is, yes. Maybe.
I want to kiss Kayla. Badly. But the idea of kissing her, of touching her at all,
also makes me a little nervous. And I’m never nervous when it comes to women.
Goddammit. Everything about this girl is unexpected.
“You’re so obsessed with us not being strangers,” she says, and her eyes
shine. “That can’t be healthy.”
I probably shouldn’t kiss her. We have an inheritance to claim tomorrow. We
have shit to follow through with. Kissing her is a bad idea. A very bad idea.
“No. Probably not.” I step closer so we’re only inches apart. “But I can’t seem
to let it go.”
She doesn’t move away. She doesn’t break eye contact.
Yes. She’d definitely let me kiss her. I’m sure of it.
My heart pounds and it’s all I can do to keep my nonchalant demeanor in
“Is that what we are, Kayla?” I lower my voice with a crooked grin.
“Strangers?”
She meets my crooked grin and raises me a tipped chin. Her eyes are steel
and sure, not giving anything away, and I suddenly feel unsure.
I lean in.
She doesn’t react. But she also doesn’t back away.
Kissing her is a bad idea.
Her lips part, ever so slightly, a thin seam of wet flesh forming between the
soft skin of her pretty lips, and all my reservations vanish.
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About the author
Chelsea lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where she spends most of her time writing stories, painting murals, and avoiding housework at all costs. She's ridiculously bad at doing dishes and claims to be allergic to laundry. Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee, sleeping-in, and crazy socks. She lives with her husband and two children, who graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete lack of skill in the kitchen.
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Adri's Review:
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing us with an ARC copy of this book so that we could bring you this review.
This is the second book in the Finding Fate Series, and as of right now my favorite of the books. I have reviewed the first book in the past so if you are looking for a good read The Best Kind of Broken, then follow it up with this fantastic book.
I have to say that this is such a fun book, the dynamic between Kayla and Daren is quite interesting. Though they knew each other or at least of each other in the past they never really spent anytime with each other until, James Turner, Kayla's father forces them to work together to get their inheritance. Which I have to say was something I truly loved about the story. The fact that they had to run around town following clues.
Both these characters assume something about the each other, they both think the other has money but in reality both these characters have been screwed over by a parent. This is one of the things that makes me want to hug and hold both these characters. They each have such great hearts and are willing to be hurt as long as they can protect their families. Families that at this point they no longer have.
This is story I hope you take time to sit and read... and enjoy as much as I do.
Happy Reading... Adri
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